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Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards.


ABSTRACT: Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeological cave sequences. They enable us to synchronize archaeological and paleoclimatic records through the period of transition from Neanderthal to the earliest anatomically modern human populations in Europe. Our results confirm that the combined effects of a major volcanic eruption and severe climatic cooling failed to have lasting impacts on Neanderthals or early modern humans in Europe. We infer that modern humans proved a greater competitive threat to indigenous populations than natural disasters.

SUBMITTER: Lowe J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3427068 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards.

Lowe John J   Barton Nick N   Blockley Simon S   Ramsey Christopher Bronk CB   Cullen Victoria L VL   Davies William W   Gamble Clive C   Grant Katharine K   Hardiman Mark M   Housley Rupert R   Lane Christine S CS   Lee Sharen S   Lewis Mark M   MacLeod Alison A   Menzies Martin M   Müller Wolfgang W   Pollard Mark M   Price Catherine C   Roberts Andrew P AP   Rohling Eelco J EJ   Satow Chris C   Smith Victoria C VC   Stringer Chris B CB   Tomlinson Emma L EL   White Dustin D   Albert Paul P   Arienzo Ilenia I   Barker Graeme G   Boric Dusan D   Carandente Antonio A   Carandente Antonio A   Civetta Lucia L   Ferrier Catherine C   Guadelli Jean-Luc JL   Karkanas Panagiotis P   Koumouzelis Margarita M   Müller Ulrich C UC   Orsi Giovanni G   Pross Jörg J   Rosi Mauro M   Shalamanov-Korobar Ljiljiana L   Sirakov Nikolay N   Tzedakis Polychronis C PC  

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20120723 34


Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeolo  ...[more]

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