This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint.
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Abstract
Central Asian caves with Palaeolithic deposits are few but they provide a rich record of human fossils and cultural assemblages that has been used to model Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals. However, previous research has not yet systematically evaluated the formation processes that influence the frequency of Palaeolithic cave sites in the region. To address this deficiency, we combined field survey and micromorphological analyses in the piedmont zone of south Kazakhstan. Here we present our preliminary results focusing on selected sites of the Qaratau mountains. Sediment cover varies among the surveyed caves and loess-like sediments dominate the cave sequences. The preservation of cave deposits is influenced by reworking of cave sediments within the caves but also by the broader erosional processes that shape semi-arid landscapes. Ultimately, deposits of potentially Pleistocene age are scarce. Our study provides new data in the geoarchaeologically neglected region of Central Asia and demonstrates that micromorphology has great analytical potential even within the limitations of rigorous survey projects. We outline some of the processes that influence the formation and preservation of cave deposits in
Kazakhstan, as well as broader implications for the distribution of Palaeolithic cave sites in Central Asia and other semi-arid environments.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31223/X5M61F
Subjects
Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Other Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Speleology, Stratigraphy
Keywords
geoarchaeology, micromorphology, cave sediments, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, micromorphology, Kazakhstan, cave sediments, Central Asia
Dates
Published: 2021-10-02 01:12
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