Upper Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoenvironmental records in Cueva Mayor karst (Atapuerca, Spain) from different proxies: speleothem crystal fabrics, palynology, and archaeology

A new palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Atapuerca karst system reveals distinct climatic shifts over the last 20,000 years, linking human occupation to changing environmental conditions. The study identifies four key stages: a cold and dry Upper Pleistocene transitioning to wetter warmth; a significant erosion event marking the Pleistocene-Holocene shift (12.8–7.7 kyr BP); a Late Neolithic climatic optimum with pronounced seasonality (~5.9 kyr BP); and increasing aridity from 4.2 kyr BP, possibly exacerbated by Bronze Age agricultural intensification. Researchers integrated speleothem crystal fabrics and pollen analysis to reconstruct this inland site's climate, addressing gaps in regional palaeoclimatic records dominated by coastal or high-elevation data.

Martínez-Pillado, V., Aranburu, A., Arsuaga, J., Ruiz-Zapata, B., Gil-García, M., Stoll, H., Yusta, I., Iriarte, E., Carretero, J., Edwards, R., & Cheng, H. (2014). Upper Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoenvironmental records in Cueva Mayor karst (Atapuerca, Spain) from different proxies: speleothem crystal fabrics, palynology, and archaeology. International Journal of Speleology, 43(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806x.43.1.1