Towards a revised stratigraphy for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic boundary at La Güelga (Narciandi, Asturias, Spain). Soil micromorphology and new radiocarbon data

M.  Kehl; D. Álvarez-Alonso; M.  de Andrés-Herrero; P.  Carral González; E.  García; J.F. Jordá Pardo; M. Menéndez; J.M. Quesada; J. Rethemeyer; J. Rojo; Y.  Tafelmaier; Gerd-Christian Weniger

doi:10.21701/bolgeomin.129.1.008

Authors

M. Kehl University of Cologne, Institute of Geography
D. Álvarez-Alonso Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
M. de Andrés-Herrero Neanderthal Museum - University of Cologne, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology
P. Carral González Departamento de Geología y Geoquímica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
E. García Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
J.F. Jordá Pardo Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
M. Menéndez Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
J.M. Quesada Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
J. Rethemeyer University of Cologne, Institute for Geology and Mineralogy
J. Rojo Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Y. Tafelmaier Neanderthal Museum - University of Cologne, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology - University of Tübingen, Institute for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology
Gerd-Christian Weniger Neanderthal Museum - University of Cologne, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.129.1.008

Keywords:

Pleistocene, karst, La Güelga, datation, soil micromorphology

Abstract

The archaeological sequence of the Palaeolithic site of La Güelga apparently shows an interstratification of Aurignacian between the Mousterian and Châtelperronian layers, a sequence which disagrees with the stratigraphic model for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in SW-Europe. We analyzed the witness section of the interior sector in archaeological zone D using micromorphology and collected new radiocarbon dates for the Aurignacian and presumably Châtelperronian levels in order to provide detailed sediment descriptions of the site and scrutinize the presumed interstratification. Thin sections from Mousterian levels 8 and 9 show microstratification, signs of trampling and preferential sub-horizontal orientation of elongated particles. These features are less strongly developed in the Aurignacian deposit of levels 5 and 6 and are lacking in the presumably Châtelperronian ones of levels 1 and 2. The deposits of the latter show other features of reworked slope deposits such as a randomized distribution of limestone clasts. Radiocarbon dating on bone samples from level 2 places this layer to between ~41.5 and 45 ka cal BP, hence older than Aurignacian level 5, dated to between ~35.5 and 41.5 ka cal BP. Comparative dating of bones with and without ultrafiltration pretreatment conducted in two different laboratories yielded results in excellent agreement. Overall, the micromorphological observations and new radiocarbon ages strongly suggest that the few finds of presumably Châtelperronian affinity and sediments of levels 1 and 2 were transported by slope processes into the shelter.

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