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The coastal zone in which the lagoons of La Mata and Torrevieja (Eastern Spain) developed can be described as a compilation of geo-hazards typical of the Mediterranean realm. This study has focused mainly on those linked to recent tectonics. Extensive use of the amino acid racemization dating method allowed us to establish the evolution of all the geomorphological units differentiated in the area, the most striking manifestation being at the La Mata Lagoon Bar, where MIS 5 deposits settled on MIS 7 sediments along a marked erosive unconformity, thereby attesting coastal uplift between these two stages. In addition, recent uplift processes were reflected on stepped abrasion platforms and, in some cases, enormous boulders were transported over these platforms by extreme surge waves. Furthermore, we obtained feasible evidence that, during the end of MIS 5, an earthquake with an offshore epicenter linked to Torrevieja Fault, Bajo Segura Fault or the set of faults linked to the former, was responsible for tsunami surge deposits represented in accumulations of randomly arranged and well preserved Glycymeris and Acanthocardia shells. Recent catastrophic effects linked to the earthquakes were also detected. In this regard, comparison of the paleontological and taphonomic analyses allowed us to discern between wave and tsunami surge deposits. Therefore, evidence of these hazards undoubtedly points to important future (and present) erosive and/or catastrophic processes, which are enhanced by the presence of tourist resorts and salt-mining industry. Thus, these sites are also threatened by future increases in sea level in the context of warmer episodes, attested by raised marine fossil deposits. At the north of Cervera Cape, beaches will be eroded, without any possibility of sediment input from the starved Segura River delta. South of this cape, waves (and tsunamis) will erode the soft rocks that built up the cliff, creating deep basal notches and causing rockfall and the collapse of the overlying buildings.

We performed detailed geological and geomorphological analyses on a series of marine terraces located around the city of Bari (southern Italy). Absolute dating was obtained by applying amino acid racemisation (AAR) to ostracod valves taken from deposits lying on marine terraces. The combination of literature data, field geological surveys, digital terrain model analysis, and absolute dating allowed us to recognise and map: i) four terrace surfaces bordered by four inner edges which date to MIS 7.5, 7.3, 7.1, and 5.5; and ii) three terraced deposits, which date to MIS 7.5, 7.1, and 5.5. These new data represent the first dated terraced deposits (older than MIS 5) of the coastal stretch of the Apulian foreland between Trani and Taranto. Using inner edges of the terraces as palaeo sea level markers, we calculate the mean uplift rates that characterised this portion of the Apulian foreland from MIS 7.5, 7.3, 7.1, 5.5 to the present day; these rates are 0.28, 0.255, 0.15 and 0.01 mm/y, respectively. These new dated Pleistocene terraced deposits allow to refine the knowledge on the chronology, the spatial extension and rate of the uplift and, in general, on the Pleistocene geodynamics of the Apulian foreland.

We provided valuable information about the palaeoenvironmental evolution of Southwestern Europe during the last 800 ka through the palynological study of the longest continuous continental Quaternary record in the Iberian Peninsula and in the Southwestern Mediterranean region. The SPD core studied here constituted the longest sequence recovered at the Padul Basin and we improved the chronological precision with respect to previous research. Furthermore, the high sampling resolution provided interesting insights into the main vegetation changes occurred at long-term timescales in the region and allowed correlating these variations with other long continental records of Europe. Dating using palaeomagnetism, amino acid racemisation, U/Th and C-14 allowed us to construct a robust Bayesian age-depth function, thereby making it possible to determine the chronological framework for the Padul record. From the palynological content of the samples, which were grouped in 11 clusters, we obtained a large variable number of minor pollen variations totalling 21 palynozones identified along the record. From the statistical analysis of the pollen data, some pollen environmental indexes were defined, allowing the reconstruction of palaeotemperature and palaeohumidity conditions. Five climatic scenarios were established: cold/arid, cold/semi-arid, cold/wet, temperate/wet (Mediterranean-climate), and warm/wet (Mediterranean-climate with higher moisture). Of note, the vegetation in the Padul Basin differed from that of other European basins with long pollen records due to regional characteristics, but main palaeoenvironmental trends were in agreement. Pinus, Steppic, Xerophilous, and Mediterranean taxa in the Padul Basin showed a continuous and dominant presence along the whole record, while only in certain periods did humidity increase, reflected by the expansion of Spores, Deciduous and Mediterranean taxa (especially in Pz 2, 7 and 13), but without any large expansion of deciduous forest. Comparison with other European records revealed the singular bioclimatic position of the Padul Basin in the Southwestern Mediterranean realm, and this part of Iberia can be considered a Quaternary vegetation refuge, mainly for mesophillous taxa and sclerophyllous oak. Although the biomes of the Padul basin and other European basins could not be compared directly, the main palaeoenvironmental trends were coincident (interstadials were marked by warmer periods and greater humidity, whereas stadials were cooler and more arid). These observations suggest that environmental changes in the Padul Basin were in tune with variations in global palaeoclimatic conditions., Funding was obtained through the projects “Evidence from Quaternary Infills Palaeohydrogeology” (European Union, F14W/CT96/0031), “Evolución Paleoclimática de la Mitad Sur de la Península Ibérica” of ENRESA (National Company for Radioactive Waste Management, 703238) and “Paleoclima” of ENRESA and CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council).

Vanadium (V) and uranium (U) are critical elements for the energy and technology industry. They are characterized by low abundance in the earth crust´s rocks, but can be concentrated and give rise to sedimentary mineral deposits as a result of redox processes during sedimentation and diagenesis. The anomalies of V-U in La Sota, Ecuador, are found in black limestones and black calcareous shales of Cretaceous age. Here we present the results of a geochemical study and a multivariate geostatistical analysis, which enables us to infer four different associations: 1) disseminated organic matter in the limestones that hold V and Zn, probably in the form of organometallic complexes; 2) phosphatic minerals and concentrations of U, HREE and Ni, which may be incorporated as trace elements in the phosphates, compatible with sedimentation in an anoxic environment; 3) Ca in carbonates from a marine environment; and, 4) litophile elements associated with detritic minerals, such as quartz, plagioclase, feldspar, micas, clays and oxyhydroxides of Fe-Mn-Ti, produced by weathering and erosion. Our findings suggest that V is associated mainly with the organic matter of marine origin in the bituminous limestones, while U is associated with P, thereby indicating the formation of uraniferous phosphates during sedimentation.

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The sodium form of Faujasite Y (Na-FAU) zeolite has been synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and it has been exchanged with ammonium sulphate and later with lanthanum (III) chloride solutions to obtain the La-FAU catalyst. The three zeolites Na-FAU, NH4+-FAU and La-FAU have been characterized by microcrystalline X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, surface area, pore volume and Brönsted acid sites. The La-FAU catalyst has been successfully activated with boron trifluoride etherate, and it has been tested in the alkylation reaction of isobutane with isobutene up to 112 h of time on stream, since the raw La-FAU catalyst showed a rapid deactivation.

We reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental conditions of Cartagena Bay during the Holocene after a multidisciplinary study to identify natural variations and the anthropic processes of this coastal area. A total of 119 samples were recovered for amino acid racemization dating, 3 for radiocarbon dating (14C), and four sets of 80 samples for sedimentological and palaeontological determination, mineralogical content, biomarker and trace elements quantification. Two natural scenarios were identified from the variations of n-alkane indices and palaeobiological content. The first period (6650-5750 yr cal BP) was marked by the development of euhaline marine conditions with strong inputs from aquatic macrophytes and high biodiversity. After a hiatus, the area underwent a profound change, becoming a paucispecific brackish marsh environment with increasing inputs from land plants, with possible episodes of emersion with a greater presence from terrestrial gastropods (3600-300 cal yr BP). By combining trace element abundance and stanol distributions, our study also provides a novel approach to identify the predominant influence of anthropogenic factors in the last three millennia in the coastal record of Cartagena Bay. Findings confirmed that Pb mining and metallurgy began during the Bronze Age, with considerable inputs of this heavy metal into the atmosphere during Phoenician, Punic and particularly Roman times compared to the Middle Ages. Pollution by Cu and Zn was also observed during Punic and Roman times, and was first documented in the Middle Ages. In addition, faecal stanols, such as coprostanol, derived mainly from humans, and 24-ethylcoprostanol from herbivores were present, thereby indicating for the first time a continuous presence of human populations and significant pollution input since 3600 yr cal BP, this being greater in the late Bronze Age and Phoenician, Punic and Roman times than during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when the city was in decline., This paper was made possible by Grant HAR2017-85726-C2-2-P (Cambios ambientales y ocupación humana en el sector central del sureste ibérico) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by Grant HAR2017-85726-C2-1-P (Carthago Nova desde su entorno litoral: Paleotopografía y evolución medioambiental del Sector central del Sureste Ibérico. Dinámica poblacional y productiva) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. XRF core scanner equipment was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund via the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013–2016 (IGME13-4E-2576).

Viedma ripening and temperature fluctuation are processes based on solution phase racemization and dissolution-growth of racemic or scalemic conglomerates resulting in solid-phase deracemization. The dissolution-growth process is performed by abrasive grinding in the first case and by the temperature fluctuation in the second. But both methods have the intrinsic drawback of being only applicable to conglomerates, accounting for only 10% of all chiral molecules and are not suitable for the 90% of chiral compounds that crystallize as racemic compound. Herein we show that the enantiomeric excess of the solution in the eutectic mixture formed by a racemic compound and one of its enantiomers in suspension changes dramatically by growth-dissolution of the crystals through grinding and temperature fluctuation, converting the racemic compound into the desired enantiomer. With this new finding the scope of Viedma ripening and temperature fluctuation could be significantly expanded and can shed new ideas about the origin of biological homochirality on earth.

Trace element concentrations in the Cartagena Bay coastal record reveal a contribution of natural processes. However, the influence of anthropogenic factors predominates in the last three millennia, particularly aerosol deposition linked to mining and industrial activities in the area. The coastal record of Cartagena can be considered a preserved environment, suitable to search for regional human activity fingerprinting, specifically that related to the deposition of heavy metals such as Pb and Cu. A multivariate statistical analysis was carried out to clarify the geochemical behaviour of trace and major elements. Our study design represents a novel approach to assign natural contributions, such as eolian and riverine input, to coastal deposits, and organic matter preservation under anoxic environments. Therefore, synergies obtained by the simultaneous study of multivariate statistics and enrichment factors allow robust conclusions about palaeoenvironmental evolution and human activities. Anthropogenic influence suggested that Pb mining and metallurgy began during the Chalcolithic period, with considerable inputs of Pb and Cu to atmospheric pollution during Phoenician, Punic and Roman times., This paper was made possible by funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation projects: Cambios ambientales y ocupación humana en el sector central del sureste ibérico (HAR2017-85726-C2-2-P) and Carthago Nova desde su entorno litoral: Paleotopografía y evolución medioambiental del Sector central del Sureste Ibérico. Dinámica poblacional y productiva (HAR2017-85726-C2-1-P). XRF core scanner equipment was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund via the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016 (IGME13-4E-2576).

In order to better understand the causes and geographic patterns of Neanderthal demise it is necessary to broaden the focus of existing Neanderthal studies to include new sites from understudied regions, particularly those containing multi-level fossil and lithic records, and to improve regional-scale Neanderthal extinction frameworks using multiple dating techniques. To this end, we present an interdisciplinary study of the stratigraphy, chronology, pollen, fauna, lithic technology and human remains of the last Neanderthal level (Level N4) of Prado Vargas – a cave in northern Iberia, whose geographic location and chronology are ideal for investigating possible socio-economic and climatic influences on Neanderthal decline. Level N4 has yielded a rich Late Mousterian palimpsest indicative of repeated seasonal occupations, as well as a deciduous Neanderthal tooth, confirming the presence of children at the site. A wide range of human activities are detected in Level 4, with subsistence strategies demonstrating knowledgeable exploitation of the natural environs around the area. The site provides evidence for a distinctive recycling economy, including bone retouchers, recycling of cores, and intense (re)use of raw materials, which may reflect recurrent occupations or the particular cultural traditions of a regional group. Level N4 is dated to between 54.7 and 39.8 thousand years ago (ka) according to our new OSL and radiocarbon study. The late Neanderthal inhabitants of Prado Vargas were cold-adapted, and may have already been living in small, separate groups with marked territories and cultural traditions prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens in the Iberia Peninsula., Consejería de Cultura y Turismo de la Junta de Castilla y León y Ayuntamiento Merindad de Sotoscueva. The C14 dating was funded by Fundación Palarq. The OSL dating research was funded by Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award DE160100743 and ARC Future Fellowship project FT200100816 awarded to M. Demuro. Marta Santamaría is the beneficiary of a predoctoral grant from University of Burgos (UBU). Gala Gómez Merino did tasks of cleaning and conservation of the tooth. We are grateful to Fundación La Escuela (Cornejo), Asociación Naboki (Quisicedo), Casa del Parque del Monumento Natural de Ojo Guareña and Benigno Gómez Pereda.

Evidence for frequent, large landslides on the flanks of the volcanic edifices forming the Canary Islands include outstanding landslide scars and their correlative submarine and subaerial rock and debris avalanche deposits. These landslides involved volumes ranging from tens to hundreds of km3. The sudden entry of large volumes of rock masses in the sea may have triggered tsunamis capable of affecting the source and neighboring islands, with the resulting huge waves dragging coastal and seabed materials and fauna and redepositing them inland. Here, we present new geological evidence and geochronological data of at least five megatsunamis in Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria, triggered by island flank megalandslides, and occasionally explosive eruptions, during the last 1 million years. The exceptional preservation of the megatsunami deposits and the large area they cover, particularly in Tenerife, provide fundamental data on the number of tsunami events and run-ups, and allow proposals on the sources and age of the tsunamis. Tsunami run-up heights up to 290 m above coeval sea level, some of the highest known on Earth in recent geological times, were estimated based on sedimentological, geomorphological, paleontological, and geochronological data. The research results made it possible to estimate the recurrence of tsunamis in the archipelago during the last hundreds of thousands of years, and to establish relationships between tsunami deposits and the probable triggering island flank landslides.

Here we provide valuable information about the palaeoenvironmental evolution of Southwestern Mediterranean region during the last ca. 320 ka through a biomarker-based study of the longest continuous continental Quaternary record in the Iberian Peninsula. The n-alkane content and δ13C values of these lipids were measured in 300 samples taken from the uppermost 55 m of the Padul Basin (PB) record. The δ13C signal of long-chain n-alkanes was a reliable proxy for C4/C3 terrestrial vegetation composition in the basin, as emergent macrophytes made a minor contribution to these homologues. In contrast, the δ13C values of C23 and C25 alkanes reflected mainly phases of increasing water level of the lacustrine/palustrine water body since aquatic macrophytes contain a large proportion of these compounds. Low δ13C values were attributed to a marked contribution of plants using the C3 photosynthetic pathway. Intervals with the lowest δ13C values were attributed to an important input of angiosperms, although they could also be explained by changing environmental conditions or environmental stress, as large shifts in δ13C occurred in long-chain homologues typically abundant in terrestrial plants. Shifts in δ13C of medium-chain homologues reflected limited CO2 availability induced by water temperature, salinity, pH, enhanced productivity, low atmospheric pCO2, or stagnant barriers, rather than the abundance of aquatic macrophytes. Our results also suggest enhanced isotopic fractionation during lipid synthesis by aquatic macrophytes within MIS 7 and the Holocene, leading to increased δ13C values of bulk OM and of long-chain n-alkanes. Hence, the δ13C logs were ideal for studying the contribution of aquatic macrophytes to the lipid and isotopic composition of sediments and for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental conditions. These results confirmed that C4 plants had a low presence in the PB. Comparison with biomarker analysis and pollen data of the PB and other records of the Southwestern Mediterranean revealed that δ13C values of bulk OM and of long-chain n-alkanes reflected global climatic oscillations during MIS 7 and the episodes Heinrich Events 3, 2, 1 and Younger Dryas., Funding was obtained through the projects “Evidence from Quaternary Infills Palaeohydrogeology” (European Union, F14W/CT96/0031), “Evolución Paleoclimática de la Mitad Sur de la Península Ibérica” of ENRESA (National Company for Radioactive Waste Management, 703238) and “Paleoclima” of ENRESA and CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council). We thank one anonymous reviewers for their valuable and helpful comments on the manuscript.

A multiproxy study based on sedimentology, mineralogy, magnetic susceptibility, organic geochemistry and fossil content allowed to establish the sedimentary evolution of palustrine basins and to study the interplay between tectonic and climatic forcings in the sedimentation and facies arrangement that can be extrapolated to other coal-bearing basins. The reinterpretation of the data from 18 cores allowed to determine the facies distribution and to model the sedimentary evolution of the Padul Basin, with the longest continuous continental Quaternary record in the Southwestern Mediterranean region. The Padul Basin sediment record and facies successions provide an outstanding example of tectonically and environmentally controlled sedimentation. The sedimentary characteristics of the cores and thickness distribution revealed that recent tectonics was a more important forcing than other processes (e.g. climate). The influence of recent tectonics was determinant in facies arrangement, that is to say that the activity of a rotated fault produced a differential subsidence, causing more than 100 m of palustrine deposits to stack. On the basis of the sedimentological record combined with data on the mineralogy, fossil content, magnetic susceptibility and total organic carbon, three main sedimentary units were identified, linked to diverse subsidence rates and paleoenvironmental oscillations. The magnetic susceptibility was likely to have been controlled by the organic matter content (TOC values), linked to oxic/anoxic conditions. In the lower part of the record, Unit A (107.0–68.7 m), shallow lacustrine conditions were dominant, with an important influx associated with considerable runoff from active alluvial fans, linked to a higher subsidence rate. Unit B (68.7–37.6 m) had a transitional character, with a considerable decrease in the influence of the alluvial fan system. The lake recharge through overland flow markedly diminished and pre-existing groundwater recharge was dominant. A sudden change to peaty materials indicated that surface runoff was directly diverted to the recently excavated Dúrcal River gorge, thereby precluding the basin from becoming a swampy environment with stagnant waters. Unit C (upper 37.6 m) was almost exclusively fed by bicarbonate groundwater and subsurface runoff through the highly permeable coarse alluvial fan deposits. Within these main sedimentary units, minor mud-peat shallowing-upward sequences were identified. © 2020, Funding was obtained through the projects “Evidence from Quaternary Infills Palaeohydrogeology” (European Union, F14W/CT96/0031), “Evolución Paleoclimática de la Mitad Sur de la Península Ibérica” of ENRESA (National Company for Radioactive Waste Management, 703238) and “Paleoclima” of ENRESA and CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council).

The terrains of the Western Costa del Sol in the westernmost Mediterranean represent an outstanding example of the influence of major tectonic and climatic factors in the development of the landscape. This region belongs to the Alboran domain, which is a small continental lithosphere fragment embedded between the large Eurasian and Africa n plates. The territory between Malaga and Marbella is composed mainly of the Sierra de Mijas and three adjacent subsidence areas: Malaga, Torremolinos, and Fuengirola basins. From the late Miocene, dip- faults of approximate directions N-S, NE-SW and NW-SE limited the Sierra de Mijas with respect to the adjacent subsidence areas and have marked the main features of the coastal morphology. Since then, the Sierra underwent mainly erosive processes linked to strong uplifting, while the surrounding basins were subjected to alternate stages of sedimentation and erosion. Thus, the paleogeographic and geomorphological evolution has been driven both by the regional tectonics and by significant base-level changes ranging from the spectacular Messinian low-stand to the catastrophic overflow at Gibraltar, followed by the global Late Tertiary and Quaternary sea-level changes. In the mountain relief, three different erosive leveling surfaces have been recognized, which developed in a staggered sequence during the Miocene, and are currently fragmented by tectonics at different elevations. The first two leveling surfaces, continental in origin, were carved during the Middle Miocene pro-part. The late one, correlating with Upper Miocene marine deposits from the Malaga basin, appears to correspond partially to an abrasion platform developed during the highstand of the late Tortonian. The strong incision of the fluvial network, especially due to the low sea-level during the Messinian salinity crisis, but also to the tectonic rise of the Sierra, has largely eroded these surfaces, which can be recognized only in narrow inter-fluvial areas. The noteworthy marine transgression in the Miocene-Pliocene transition reached the edge of the Sierra de Mijas, developing both a broad marine abrasion platform around it and the main stage of sedimentary filling in the Malaga basin. Tectonics combined with sea-level changes influenced the formation of a lower, second abrasion platform in the Torremolinos sector and along the S edge of the Sierra, showing continuity with the late Zanclean marine deposits in the Torremolinos and Fuengirola areas. During most of the late Pliocene and the Gelasian, the region remained emerged and subjected to erosion. Conversely, climate-eustatic changes throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene led to the development of three major generations of progradant alluvial fans interrupted by stages of erosion and incision of the fluvial network. In parallel, up to five episodes of travertine build-up occurred, usually coinciding with the humid and warm, odd- numbered isotopic stages., This study was supported with funding provided by Research Group RNM-146 of the “ Junta de Andalucía ” and project CGL2016-78577-P of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation . We thank the interesting criticisms and remarks of the editor Dr. Andrew James Plater, as well as those of two anonymous reviewers whose insightful remarks and suggestions have substantially improved the manuscript. We also wish to thank Mr. David Nesbitt for the English revision of the manuscript.

ResumenUna de las maneras más útiles favorecer el aprendizaje se produce cuando se realiza visualmente y, más aún, de forma práctica. En asignaturas de ámbito geológico son especialmente importantes las salidas al campo para la comprensión de la materia. Sin embargo, dadas las limitaciones presupuestarias de los centros y temporales de los programas de las asignaturas, el número de prácticas de campo no son las que serían deseables. Para paliar estas circunstancias, se decidió acercar el Medio Geológico al alumno a través de las nuevas tecnologías. Para ello en diversas asignaturas de la E.T.S.I. Minas y Energía de Madrid se desarrollaron diversas técnicas de enseñanza y aprendizaje individuales y grupales empleando imágenes geológicas. Así, en este trabajo se presentan los cambios en la metodología de enseñanza con el objeto de mejorar el aprendizaje basado en el trabajo práctico personal del alumno. Para ello se elaboró, entre otras cosas, una amplia base de imágenes geológicas catalogadas por temática para utilizar tanto en las clases presenciales (teóricas y prácticas) y en cuestionarios de evaluación en la plataforma moodle. En las clases se introdujeron diversas técnicas de enseñanza para trabajar sobre las imágenes. En este caso, el alumno tenía que explicar al resto de componentes la estructura geológica que aparecía en diapositiva, estando sometido a sus preguntas y a posibles correcciones. Asimismo, los alumnos realizaron vídeos en los que explican los aspectos geológicos. De esta manera se pretendía que el alumno adquiriera conocimientos geológicos y el hábito de expresarse en público con un lenguaje técnico. Se ha observado una mayor motivación y adquisición de conocimientos geológicos por parte del alumnado. Todo ello ha llevado aparejado una mejora en las calificaciones en las asignaturas en las que se ha aplicado, reduciéndose el número de suspensos de forma significativa y aumentando las calificaciones más altas.AbstractOne of the most useful ways to promote learning occurs when it is done visually and, even more, in a practical way.Learning Geology requires, in addition to the conceptual and theoretical knowledge, a skill that is primarily achieved with practice in nature to understand forms and structures. Therefore, the teaching of geology and associated disciplines, requires carrying out internships in field. However, given the budget and temporal limitations of the programs, we consider that the number of field practices is not what would be desirable. This paper deals with the new teaching and learning approaches through the use of new technologies (ITC). The main objective is to bring the geological aspects of Nature to students using ITC. For this purpose, we developed several individual and group teaching and learning techniques using geological images in various subjects of the E.T.S.I. Minas y Energía de Madrid. Thus, this paper presents the changes in the teaching methodology in order to improve learning based on the student's personal practical work. To this end, a wide collection of geological images cataloged by theme was developed, in order to be used both in classes (theoretical and practical) but, mainly in evaluation questionnaires developed in “moodle”. We introduced teaching techniques to work on images. In this case, the student had to explain to others the geological structure that appeared on the slide, being subjected to their questions and possible corrections. Likewise, the students recorded videos in the field in which they explained geological concepts at various scales. In this way it was intended that the student acquire geological knowledge and the habit of expressing with a technical language. These new approaches have produced an increase in motivation and acquisition of geological knowledge of students, being reflected in the polls and accompanied by an improvement in grades.

Late Pleistocene palaeontological sites without human intervention are limited in the Cantabrian region, and even more so those with a good state of preservation and rich biodiversity. A new vertebrate fossiliferous locality discovered at Kobate Quarry (Arrasate, northern Iberian Peninsula) is presented in this article. This site, in which remains of 40 different vertebrate taxa were accumulated, acted as a natural trap. The preliminary vertebrate faunal list includes five amphibian taxa, four reptiles, seven species of birds and 24 mammalian taxa. While small mammals are represented by 13 small mammal taxa (seven in the Order Rodentia, five in the Order Eulipotyphla, and one in the Order Chiroptera), the large mammal fauna comprises eleven species, including ungulates and carnivores. The palaeoecology inferred from this faunal assemblage suggests the existence of large forested areas with some grassland and a watercourse nearby, within a notably warm and humid climate. These palaeoenvironmental conditions, combined with AMS and AAR results carried out in macrofaunal bone samples, suggest that the deposit from Artazu VII would be located in the first half of the Late Pleistocene, in the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5c. Résumé Les gisements paléontologiques de la fin du Pléistocène sont limités dans la région Cantabrique, et encore plus limités sont les sites ayant fourni des restes osseux en bon état de conservation et montrant une grande biodiversité. Nous présentons ici un nouveau site trouvé dans la carrière de Kobate (Arrasate, Nord de la péninsule Ibérique). Ce site a certainement agi comme un piège naturel et contient une accumulation de restes appartenant à 40 espèces différentes de vertébrés. La liste préliminaire de la faune de vertébrés comprend cinq taxons d’amphibiens, quatre de reptiles, sept espèces d’oiseaux et 24 taxons de mammifères. Alors que les mammifères sont représentés par 13 taxons de micromammifères (sept appartiennent à l’ordre Rodentia, cinq à l’ordre Eulipothypla, et un à l’ordre Chiroptera), les grands mammifères sont représentés par onze espèces, y compris des ongulés et des carnivores. Cette association faunique suggère un paléoenvironnement caractérisé par de vastes étendues boisées avec quelques prairies et un cours d’eau à proximité, dans un climat particulièrement chaud et humide. Ces conditions paléoenvironnementales, combinées à des datations AMS et AAR à partir d’échantillons d’os de la macrofaune, permettent de localiser le gisement d’Artazu VII dans la première moitié du Pléistocène supérieur, et plus précisement dans le stade isotopique marin (MEI) 5c.

The coastal area between the mouths of the Aguas and Antas Rivers presents a deformed system of raised marine deposits, some of which have been strongly affected by active tectonics. The use of amino acid epimerization dating of Glycymeris shells from raised coastal deposits allowed determining the age of these marine deposits, all of them linked to highstand sea levels in the Mediterranean realm, with ages between MIS 11 and MIS 1. These results allowed corroborating the age of some previously studied sites, and using new sampling sites, the general aminostratigraphy for the Quaternary raised marine deposits on the Mediterranean coast was confirmed. The main deformation event took place after MIS 11 and continued until MIS 5, and was linked to the activity of the Palomares Fault.

The inorganic content of the well-preserved 3.2-m record of Las Conchas bog (NW Spain), covering 8000 cal yr BP., was analysed. To study natural vs. human contributions, we applied an innovative approach, namely the sequential study of multivariate statistics (factor analysis followed by clustering of the factor score matrix) and enrichment factors (EFs). The increasing weight of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as the geochemical association of Zn, Pb and Cd (EFs higher than 10, 20 and 40 in the last two centuries) was revealed, and corroborated by the contrast between the contents of anthropogenic Pb and total Rare Earth Elements (a suitable proxy for natural geogenic supplies). Furthermore, elements such as Hg, Tl and As also showed enrichment in the most recent samples of the study core. Some of them are commonly associated with global atmospheric transport; however, in this case, their increasing contents could also be explained by nearby industrial and mining activities. In summary, severe pollution was observed in the uppermost part of the record, thereby pointing to an important environmental concern. Given that local and regional sources of PTEs, such as mining and heavy industry, especially Zn smelting, were probably the main historical causes of this contamination and that some of these industries are still active, we consider that our findings deserve further attention., This paper was funded by the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT), projects CGL2013-46458-C1-1-R and CGL2013-46458-C2-2-R.

Se ha desarrollado la metodología de aula invertida y gamificación en la asignatura obligatoria “Transferencia de Calor y Materia” de 2º curso del grado de Ingeniero de la Energía en la ETSIME de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Esta experiencia se realiza durante el curso 2018-19 en las dos clases en que se divide esta materia, considerados ambos como grupo experimental. El contraste de resultados se realiza con los grupos que cursaron la misma materia durante el 2017-18, donde “sólo” se tenía aula invertida y que se toman como el grupo de control. El material del que dispone el alumno en ambos casos es el mismo. A pesar de notarse un ligero descenso en la asistencia a clase, los resultados obtenidos por ambos grupos muestran que la inclusión de estas actividades supone un aumento de las notas de casi un punto en cada bloque. Asimismo, se analizan los resultados de los exámenes entre los alumnos que han tenido gamificación activa y los que no. En este caso la diferencia es aún mayor (en torno a 2 puntos en cada bloque). La dispersión en las notas se mantiene constante, estando ambos grupos igualmente nivelados.

Se realiza un estudio detallado del episodio cálido MIS 5 en la zona sureste de la Península Ibérica. Se realiza la reconstrucción paleoambiental a partir del estudio polínico y biomarcadores de un sondeo perforado en la costa de Almería. La cronología se estableció a partir del método de racemizaciónd e aminoácidos.Landwards of a MIS5 bar, a borehole core (SRA) was analyzed to establish the relationship between the lagoonal record and the raised beach deposits in the surroundings of the Antas river mouth and to reconstruct the Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental evolution 5 of the southern Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. 63 samples were recovered for amino acid racemization dating, 86 samples for sedimentological and paleontological determination, 37 samples for pollen identification and 54 for biomarker analysis. AAR revealed that the borehole record contains MIS11, MIS6 and MIS5 deposits, the latter extensively represented. During the end of MIS6 and MIS5, a sand 10 barrier developed and created a shallow lagoon with alternating terrestrial inputs this process being common in other Mediterranean realms. Litho- and biofacies allowed the identification of distinct paleoenvironments through time, with the presence of a lagoonal environment alternating with alluvial fan progradation. Biomarkers indicated constant input from terrestrial plants, together with variable development of aquatic 15 macrophytes. The palynological content allowed the reconstruction of the paleoclimatological conditions during MIS6 and 5, with evidence of seven scenarios characterized by alternating arid and relatively humid conditions

The Tajo Basin is one of the richest in Mg-clays known around the world. Mg-bentonites, kwon as pink clays and green clays, alter in the Intermediate Unit of the Miocene sediments. In this work, a new approach to the genesis of these bentonites is performed by studying for the first time the biomarkers present in these clays in relation to the mineralogy and geochemistry, as well as using discriminatory criteria between green and pink clays. Samples were collected at a quarry of Mg-bentonites, in the proximities of Esquivias (Toledo, Spain). Mineralogical characterization and semi-quantification (X-ray diffraction (XRD)) allowed a well-defined classification according to the mineralogical content of the samples to be established, differentiating four associations. Geochemical analyses are clearly linked to the mineralogy and provide criteria to differentiate the genesis of the materials studied. In this regard, green clays are interpreted as having a more detrital character than pink clays, which present a more authigenic character. Biomarkers (n-alkanes and n-alkanoic acids) were studied, not showing a clear link with the mineralogy as in the case of the geochemistry, but providing interesting information about the origin and degradation of the organic matter. Pink clays have higher contents in biomarkers than green clays, providing a discriminative criterion., This research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad project CGL2016-77005-R. The Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad is acknowledged for the funding of the predoctoral contract of Javier García-Rivas (BES-2013-065092).

The inter-and intra-crystalline fractions of the topshell Phorcus lineatus recovered from modern specimens and shells from archaeological sites in Northern Spain covering Neolithic, Mesolithic, and Upper Magdalenian periods were examined for amino acidcomposition and racemisation over time. The main loss of proteins from the inter-crystalline fraction occurred within the first 6000 years after the death of the organism. In contrast, the intra-crystalline fraction isolated by bleaching?with a different protein composition to that of the inter-crystalline fraction?appeared to behave like a closed system for at least 12.6 ka, as reflected by the lack of a significant decrease in amino acid content. However, changes in the relative composition of the amino acids present in these shells occurred during this period. The concentration of aspartic acid remained almost constant with age within the intra-crystalline fraction and its contribution to the total amino acid content also remained the same. Good correspondence was obtained between Asx D/L values in unbleached and bleached samples and age, thereby allowing the dating of archaeological sites and the determination of chronometric age. This research was part of the projects HAR2010-22115-C02-01, HAR2010-22115-C02-02, and HAR2013-46802-P, all of them funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. IGZ was supported by the Newton International Fellowships scheme (grant number NF100413) and the Juan de la Cierva Research Programme (grant number This research was part of the projects HAR2010-22115-C02-01, HAR2010-22115-C02-02, and HAR2013-46802-P, all of them funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. IGZ was supported by the Newton International Fellowships scheme (grant number NF100413) and the Juan de la Cierva Research Programme (grant number JCI-2012-12094))

The drainage area of the Iberian Ranges (NE Spain) houses one of the most extensive Quaternary fluvial tufaceous records in Europe. In this study, tufa deposits in the Añamaza, Mesa, Piedra and Ebrón river valleys were mapped, stratigraphically described and chronologically referenced from U/Th disequilibrium series, amino acid racemization and radiocarbon methods. Tufa deposits accumulated in cascades, barrage-cascades and related damming areas developed in stepped fluvial systems. The maximum frequency of tufa deposition was identified at 120 ka (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage [MIS] 5e), 102 ka (MIS 5c), 85 ka (~ MIS 5a) and 7 ka (MIS 1), probably under warmer and wetter conditions than today. Additional phases of tufa deposition appear at ~ 353 ka (~ end of MIS 11), 258–180 ka (MIS 7) and 171–154 ka (MIS 6). Although most tufa deposition episodes are clearly correlated with interstadial periods, the occurrence of tufa deposits during the penultimate glaciation (MIS 6) is remarkable, indicating that the onset of this stage was climatically favourable in the Iberian Peninsula. Biostatic conditions and the dynamics of karstic systems regulating tufa deposition seem to be sensitive to the precipitation regime, controlled by shifts in the position of North Atlantic atmospheric belts, and summer insolation, regulated by orbital forcing.

The end of the Middle Pleistocene is an interesting period for investigating the transformation of Neandertal behavior from the early Middle Paleolithic to the late Middle Paleolithic. Few sites in the Iberian Peninsula have sequences corresponding to the last interglacial (MIS5) and even fewer in the Cantabrian Region. One of the best places to investigate this subject is the sequence recently excavated in Arlanpe cave. Several proxies (sedimentology, pollen, small vertebrates, malacofauna, U/Th dating) locate the first phases of this sequence between MIS7 and MIS5, with the important occurrence of temperate environmental evidence. The archaeological record describes populations with high mobility that used the cave as an occasional shelter in the first phases, or as an activity area in the later ones. The characteristics of lithic productions show a combination of Lower (Acheulean bifacial shaping) and Middle Paleolithic (Levallois Technology) traits that justifies an early Middle Paleolithic attribution.

Daura, J. et al, © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. The Cova del Rinoceront, a site in NE Iberia, contains a thick sedimentary fill preserving a faunal archive from the penultimate glacial and the the last interglacial periods. Layers I to III have been dated to between 74 and 147ka, coinciding with MIS 5a to 5e, a period poorly represented in the Mediterranean terrestrial record. The results from Cova del Rinoceront are of broader interest for the reconstruction of ecological dynamics during warm stages and the understanding of the evolution and geographical variation of several taxa. The palaeoecological evidence suggests a landscape dominated by mixed wooded vegetation with mild climatic conditions, slightly more humid than today. Several vertebrate taxa, including Haploidoceros mediterraneus, Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis and Glis glis, are documented for the first time in the early Upper Pleistocene of Europe, showing that these species persisted across the region for longer than previously thought. In addition, the recovery of a small lithic assemblage indicates human presence in the surroundings of the site. The 11m-thick stratigraphic section also provides an ideal setting in which to compare several geochronological methods. U-Th dating of the flowstones that cap the deposit, of speleothems formed along the cave walls, and of speleothems buried by the deposit at different elevations provides minimum and maximum ages of 74 and 175ka, respectively, for the accumulation. The ages obtained by luminescence, electron spin resonance (ESR), amino acid racemisation (AAR), palaeomagnetism and U-series dating of bone are in good agreement with each other and are stratigraphically consistent. This well-dated faunal succession presents a unique opportunity to assess changes in the Pleistocene fauna of the Mediterranean coast over an interval of more than 100ka., This paper is an output of the archaeological research project El Plistocé Superior a la costa central catalana: paleoambients i ocupació dels neandertals (2014/100639) sponsored by Servei d'Arqueologia i Paleontologia e Generalitat de Catalunya (G.C.) and Castelldefels City Council. Sampling and laboratory analyses were funded by Catalan (2014SGR-00108) and Spanish (HAR2011-26193, HAR2011-26193, CGL2010-18616, CGL2012-38358, CGL2012-38434-C03-03 and CGL2013-48441-P) MICINN Projects. J. Daura has been supported by a postdoctoral grant (Juan de la Cierva Subprogram JCI-2011-09543), J.M. López-García by a postdoctoral fellowship (2011BP-A00272) from the G.C. a grant co-funded by the European Union through the Marie Curie Actions of the 7th Framework Program for R.D. We are also grateful to R. Alvarez (UB) for lithics'photos. J. Mangope, Williams College, prepared and measured the ESR sample. D. Lawrence, Wadsworth Laboratories of the New York State Public Health Service provided access to the source for the ESR irradiations. Funding for the ESR spectrometer came from NSF grant ILI 9151111; other funding was provided by Williams College. L.Arnold and M. Demuro were supported by MINECO grant G2010- 16821, Australian Research Council Future Fellowship F130100195, and Marie Curie International Reintegration grant PIRG08-GA-2010-276810. Thanks to the Paleomagnetism Laboratory of Barcelona (CCiTUB-CSIC) where the paleomagnetic analyses were carried out.

Although numerous studies concerning the Holocene climate of the southern Iberian Peninsula wereaccomplished within the last few decades, the climate history of this region is still poorly understood.Various studies deal with a combination of proxies, which are neither easy to compare nor is theirconnection easy to explain, e.g., due to spatial patterns and time transgression. Within this study, thesuitability of the lacustrine sediments from the Laguna Salada (Andalucía region, southern Spain) as apaleoclimate archive is investigated. The lake sediments were evaluated using a multi-proxy approachincluding sedimentological, mineralogical, geochemical and biological analyses. The sediments reflectthe evolution of the lake from pre-Medieval times onwards and Characeae as well as Ostracod analysesgive an indication of paleosalinity. Moreover does the geochemical composition provide profound in-formation concerning changes of elemental and mineralogical composition. Nevertheless, a robust, high-resolution chronology could not be achieved owed to the scarcity of material available for radiocarbondating and contamination problems. Furthermore, poor preservation of pollen restricted the recon-struction of vegetation history, which could have complemented important information concerningclimatic changes and human activity.

We performed detailed geological and geomorphological analyses on a well-exposed series of marine terrace deposits located along a coastal area from the city of Taranto to the Bradano River in the northern Gulf of Taranto (southern Italy). Absolute dating was performed by applying amino acid racemisation (AAR) to ostracod shells and isoleucine epimerisation (D-aIle/L-Ile) to Glycymeris sp. shells. The combination of field geological surveys, remote sensing, digital terrain model analysis, and absolute dating allowed us to study a large number of stratigraphic sections as well as recognise and map three terrace deposits in the Apulian sector of the Gulf of Taranto that date to MIS 7.3, MIS 7.1 and MIS 5. A peculiar feature of the MIS 7.1 terrace deposit is the presence of biohermal and biostromal limestones rich in Cladocora caespitosa, calcareous algae and bryozoans; this feature contrasts with general context of the prevailing siliciclastic deposits. Based on currently available data, we propose two hypotheses regarding the MIS 5 terrace deposit: 1) the MIS 5 terrace formed entirely during MIS 5.5; and 2) the MIS 5 terrace is a set of terraces that correlates to MIS 5.5, 5.3 and 5.1, in which the scarps and abrasion platforms have been partially masked by the superimposition of the so-called givoni, ridges that are elongated sub-parallel to the coastline. Our data, combined with an extensive critical review of age dates in the literature, allow us to exclude the presence of an emerged marine terrace deposit of MIS 3. We calculate the uplift rates of the MIS 7.3, 7.1, 5.5 and 5.3 palaeoshorelines. In the west sector, the mean uplift rates calculated for the recognised inner edges are MIS 7.3 = 0.65 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.39 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.31 mm/a; in the central sector the rates are MIS 7.3 = 0.485 mm/a, MIS 7.1 = 0.37 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.35 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.26 mm/a; in the east sector the rates are MIS 7.3 = 0.39 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.25 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.21 mm/a. These uplift rates show a uniform decreasing trend in time and space, proceeding from the western to the eastern sector, which allows us to hypothesise a slowing of the uplift phase characterising the foredeep, which began in the middle Pleistocene.

Antecedentes La Laguna de El Hito es un humedal salino y efímero que aparece la mayor parte del año como un salar yesífero en el que se acumula agua durante periodos lluviosos y se convierte en refugio de aves migratorias como flamencos y grullas, entre otros. Se considera un lugar de importancia para la biodiversidad y por ello está protegido por diversas directivas. Objetivos Se realizó una campaña de muestreo de los suelos de la cuenca y de los sedimentos del fondo de la laguna con el objetivo de conocer su estado ambiental y determinar la distribución espacial y el origen de los pesticidas organoclorados (OCP). Métodos Se presenta la primera evaluación del estado actual de la laguna respecto a los OCP: hexaclorobenzeno (HCB), hexaclorociclohexanos (α-, β-, γ- y δ-HCH), diclorodifeniltricloroetano (DDT) y sus metabolitos (DDE y DDD), y los ciclodienos (aldrín, dieldrín, endrín, endrín aldehido, endrín cetona, α-clordano, γ-clordano, endosulfán I, endosulfánII, endosulfán sulfato, heptacloro, heptacloro epóxido B y metoxicloro). Resultados Algunos compuestos mostraron concentraciones por encima de los Niveles Genéricos de Referencia (NGR) para la salud humana y los ecosistemas: γ-HCH (100 μg/kg), α-HCH (60 μg/kg), endrín (30 μg/kg), aldrín (30 μg/kg) y heptacloro epóxido B (30 μg/kg). Se emplearon varios índices para determinar el origen de estos compuestos. Conclusiones Se interpretó un uso histórico, aunque en algunos casos con un origen reciente. Los mapas de distribución mostraron la alta correspondencia entre la agricultura y ganadería con máximos observados, siendo posible que los pesticidas tengan influencia nociva en los organismos, especialmente en las aves. ---------- ABSTRACT---------- Background El Hito Lake is an ephemeral saline water mass present most of the year as a gypsiferous salt pan that is temporarily fooded during rainy periods, when it becomes a refuge for migratory birds such as flamingos and cranes, among others. It is considered an important hotspot of biodiversity and as such is covered by protection status. Purpose In order to check the environmental condition of the lake and determine the spatial distribution and source of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), we performed a detailed soil and sediment sampling campaign with the catchment and dry lake bottom. Methods We present the first environmental evaluation of its current state with respect to OCPs: hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-, β-, γ- and δ-HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDE and DDD), and cyclodienes (aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone, α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, endosulfan I, endosulfanII, endosulfan sulphate, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide B and metoxichlor). Results Some of the compounds showed concentrations above the soil screening levels (SSLs) for human health and ecosystems: γ-HCH (100 μg/kg), α-HCH (60 μg/kg), endrin (30 μg/kg), aldrin (30 μg/kg) and heptachlor epoxide B (30 μg/kg). Various indices were used to determine the origin of the compounds. Conclusion Historical uses were interpreted, although there were traces of recent input. Distribution maps of concentration and indices demonstrate a relationship between farming and cropping and the maxima observed, being possible that OCPs have influence in living beings, especially birds.El Hito Lake is an ephemeral saline water mass present most of the year as a gypsiferous salt pan that is temporarily flooded during rainy periods, when it becomes a refuge for migratory birds such as flamingos and cranes, among others. It is considered an important hotspot of biodiversity and as such is covered by protection status.

This paper reviews the results obtained from the 1973 excavation of El Niño cave (Aýna, Albacete), corresponding to the Middle Palaeolithic occupations of the site. We present the technological analysis of lithic assemblages, the archaeozoological and taphonomical analysis of faunal remains, the analysis of plant macro remains, and the dates obtained for the archaeological levels. These dates place the Mousterian occupations of El Niño during MIS3. Despite the reduced number of archaeological remains, the results obtained permit the cave of El Niño cave to be placed within the context of Late Middle Palaeolithic in south-eastern Iberia, and provide new data regarding the process of extinction of the last Neanderthal populations., En este artículo se presentan los resultados de la revisión de los materiales arqueológicos procedentes de la excavación realizada en 1973 en la Cueva del Niño (Aýna, Albacete) correspondientes a ocupaciones del Paleolítico Medio. Esta revisión se realizó fundamentalmente mediante el análisis tecnológico de la industria lítica, el estudio arqueozoológico y tafonómico de los restos de macromamíferos y el análisis de los restos carpológicos. Además, se presentan las dataciones obtenidas para los niveles revisados. Estas dataciones sitúan la ocupación de la cavidad a finales del MIS3. A pesar del reducido número de restos arqueológicos disponibles, la información resultante permite situar el yacimiento de la Cueva del Niño en el contexto del final del Paleolítico Medio del sureste de la Península Ibérica, y aportar nuevos datos a la problemática de la desaparición de las últimas poblaciones neandertales.

El aprendizaje de la Geología requiere de una habilidad que se consigue principalmente con la práctica en la Naturaleza, siendo más efectiva cuando los conocimientos se intentan trasmitir a otra persona. En este trabajo se muestran los resultados obtenidos tras introducir cambios en asignaturas relacionadas con la Geología empleando nuevas tecnologías, que han supuesto la mejora del aprendizaje combinando el trabajo práctico personal del estudiante con la realización de vídeos en el medio físico en los que explican los aspectos geológicos visibles a diferentes escalas. Asimismo, se han elaborado fichas de “rutas geológicas”, acompañadas por estos vídeos en las que se señalan los aspectos geológicos más importantes. Los vídeos se han subido a las plataformas “moodle”, “facebook” y canal “youtube” donde las personas interesadas pueden consultarlos. Las guías se encuentran en la plataforma “moodle”. Los estudiantes manifestaron su satisfacción por esta actividad ya que, además de adquirir conocimientos geológicos, adquirieron la seguridad de expresarse en público con un lenguaje técnico. Ello supuso una mejora en las calificaciones y un incremento de la motivación. Por otro lado, los estudiantes que lo deseen pueden realizar itinerarios de interés geológico sin necesidad de ir acompañados de un docente, profundizando en los temas que más les interesen.

This study focuses on the mollusc Glycymeris, which is commonly used to date raised marine deposits through amino acid racemisation (AAR). We examined the effect of bleaching and heating on the amino acid composition and racemisation/epimerisation of Glycymeris shells, as well as fossil material sourced from Spain. We show that amino acid composition differs between the umbo and rim zone of Glycymeris. This difference may be attributable to sampling strategies that target distinct microstructural zones. Also, the inter- and intra-crystalline proteins in the umbo appeared to be similar, as reflected by similar amino acid composition, which varied in a similar way with time when exposed to heating. We confirm that the intra-crystalline fraction in Glycymeris does not behave like a closed system, as the leaching of amino acids and D/L values showed similar variations in unbleached and bleached samples. We propose that the sediment matrix on which the molluscs were deposited influence amino acid racemization. In contrast, the matrix does not appear to have affected protein leaching/degradation. We measured Arrhenius parameters for Asx, Glx, and Ile in Glycymeris, finding them to be similar to those of other molluscs., Laboratorio de Estratigrafía Biomolecular, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, España, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, España

Daura et. al., Marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3) was characterised by marked oscillations of extreme cold episodes with very short warm events during the stadial, and several regional differences have been recorded in the ice cores and marine deposits. The aim of this study is to reconstruct this period by evaluating both terrestrial and regional responses. Cova del Coll Verdaguer, a site located on the Iberian Peninsula, preserves a sedimentary deposit dated to between 34 and 56 ka BP and provides an opportunity for evaluating the impact of climate changes on the regional landmass during a period that coincided with the last Neanderthal population on the Iberian Peninsula. Several dating methods, including U-series, electron spin resonance, amino acid racemization and radiocarbon (14C), were applied to the site and the ages obtained show good agreement. The biotic evidence obtained is substantial, comprising floristic data from palynology and charcoal analysis, and faunal data from large and small mammals, birds and gastropods. Environmental reconstruction points to an initially open meadow landscape at the base of the sequence (∼56 ka) that progressively changes to a woodland environment dominated by conifers (∼34 ka). The presence of few thermophilous taxa, in contrast with lower latitudes of the Iberian Peninsula, is also detected. The environmental conditions of mid-altitude, Mediterranean, limestone mountains for the last Neanderthal populations appear to have been dominated by a forested landscape comprising boreal or mixed coniferous forest, characterised by a low usable biomass with poor comestible plant resources and dispersed herbivore populations., This study is part of the output of a research project entitled: “El Plistocè superior a la costa central catalana: paleoambients i ocupacions neandertals (2014/100639- Servei d'Arqueologia i Paleontologia)”, supported by projects 2014SGR-108, HAR2014-55131 and CGL2015-65387-C3-2-P (MINECO/FEDER). J. Daura holds a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2015-17667) M. Sanz was supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant (FJCI-2014-21386). J. S. Carrión acknowledges funding from two projects – Séneca 19434/PI/14, and CGL-BOS 2015–68604, both directly related to this research project. L.J. Arnold was supported by Australian Research Council Future Fellowship grant FT130100195. We are especially grateful to Alejandro Gallardo (University of Barcelona) for his assistance in sorting the gastropods. Irradiations were performed in the Wadsworth Laboratories of the New York State Public Health Department, courtesy of Dr. David Lawrence, at the McMaster University, courtesy of Dr. Bonnie Blackwell. Sample ET32 was prepared by Dr. Blackwell and samples ET27 and ET33 were prepared by Justin Harris. Alice Pidruczny performed the NAA analyses at McMaster University. ESR experiments was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant ILI-9151111), McMaster University and Williams College. Thanks to the Castelldefels City Council (La Guixera Laboratory) where the archaeological analyses were carried out.

Dating is basic for archaeological and paleontological investigations and results of different dating methods used in Azokh caves are described in this chapter. Fossils from Azokh were not dated by any method previously. Lithic technology and taxonomy suggested a middle Pleistocene age for Unit V (from where Acheulian industries and a human mandible fragment were recovered) while Units III and II yielded Mousterian industries indicating middle Paleolithic ages. Dates from Azokh by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) previously published elsewhere were given before final calculations and they slightly differ from those given in this Appendix, which are the definitive dating results.

Solution-phase racemization drives the evolution of single chirality in the solid phase by the "chiral amnesia" process first described by Viedma. The current investigations lay the basis for a better understanding of the mechanism of the solid-phase deracemization by uncoupling the chemical rate processes associated with the interconversion of enantiomers in the solution phase from the physical processes associated with solution-solid phase transfer via dissolution and reaccretion of molecules onto crystals. In addition, the enantiomer concentration profiles presented in this work, together with an analytical treatment of the racemization process in the presence of excess enantiopure solid, unequivocally reconfirm the validity of the Meyerhoffer double solubility rule for systems under solution racemization conditions.

Geochemical (element analysis, molecular analysis of organic compounds), physical, palynological, mineralogical and sedimentary facies analysis were performed to characterise the sedimentary record in Fuentillejo maar-lake in the Central Spanish Volcanic Field of Campo de Calatrava, in order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic processes which controlled vegetation patterns and deposition of different sedimentary facies. The upper 20 m of core FUENT-1 show variations in clastic input, water chemistry, vegetation and organic fraction sources in the lake throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The temporal framework provided by 14C accelerator mass spectrometry dating allows assigning the sequence to the last 50 cal. ka BP. Arid phases identified in the FUENT-1 sequence are correlated to Heinrich events (HE) and to stadials of the Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) cycles. Siliciclastic facies with high magnetic susceptibility values, high Juniperus pollen content, a low Paq index (aquatic macrophysics proxy index), a decrease in the relative percentage of the n-C27 and an increase in the n-C31 alkanes are indicative of arid and colder climatic events related to HE 2, HE 1 and the Younger Dryas (YD). Similar short cold and arid phases during the Holocene were identified at 9.2–8.6, 7.5–7 and 5.5–5 cal. ka BP. In dolomite–mud facies, the pollen data show an increase in the herbs component, mainly – Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia and Ephedra – steppe taxa; a low Paq index, a decrease in the relative percentage of the n-C27 alkane and an increase in the n-C31 alkane are also observed. This facies was probably the result of lower lake levels and more saline–alkaline conditions, which can be interpreted as linked to arid–warm periods. These warm and arid phases were more frequent during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the interstadials of MIS 2. HE 4, HE 2, HE 1 and the YD in core FUENT-1 were immediately followed by increases of warm steppe pollen assemblages that document rapid warming similar to the D/O cycles but do not imply increasing humidity in the area. Fuentillejo hydrology is controlled by changes in the atmospheric and oceanic systems that operated on the North Atlantic region at millennial scale during the last 50 cal. ka BP. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The hypothesis of limiting similarity, which postulates that morphologically and/or ecologically similar species will differ enough in shape, size, or other variables to minimize competition, has been controversial among ecologists and paleoecologists. Many studies have reported the occurrence of limiting similarity in modern environments or in time-averaged fossil deposits; however, empirical high-resolution time series demonstrating limiting similarity over longer time scales are lacking. We have integrated radiocarbon-calibrated amino acid dating techniques, stable isotope estimates, and morphometric data to test the hypothesis of limiting similarity in late Quaternary land snails from the Canary Islands over a period of 42,500 years. We tested for both ecological character displacement (two closely related species will differ in size in order to minimize competition in sympatry and these differences will be minimized in allopatry) and communitywide character displacement (overdispersion of body size among competitors in a guild). Multiple proxies of body size consistently show that two endemic congeneric pulmonate gastropod species (Theba geminata and T. arinagae) maintained a difference in size from ~42,500 B.P. through the last occurrence of T. arinagae 14,900 B.P., with a concomitant trend of a decreasing body size. Theba geminata body size did not converge on that of T. arinagae and variation in T. geminata body size did not increase significantly following the extinction of T. arinagae; therefore, ecological character displacement and release did not occur. Community-wide character displacement was found in only one time bin over the last 42,500 years. These results suggest that limiting similarity is a transient ecological phenomenon rather than a long-term evolutionary process. This study not only demonstrates the problems inherent in biological “snapshot” studies and geological studies of time-averaged deposits to test limiting similarity adequately, but it also presents a more adequate research protocol to test the importance of interspecific competition in the history of life.

We determined the lipid distributions (n-alkanes, n-alkan-2-ones, n-alkanoic acids), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), Ca/Mg and ash content in Las Conchas mire, a 3.2 m deep bryophyte-dominated mire in Northern Spain covering 8000 cal yr BP. Bog conditions developed in the bottom 20 cm of the profile, and good preservation of organic matter (OM) was inferred from n-alkanoic acid distribution, with the exception of the uppermost 20 cm (last ca. 200 yr). Microbial synthesis of long chain saturated fatty acids from primary OM likely produced a dominance of short chain n-alkanoic acids with a bimodal distribution, as well as the lack of correspondence between the n-alkane and n-alkanoic acid profiles in the upper 20 cm. This was accompanied by an increase in ash content, a decrease in TOC and variation in n-alkane ratios, thereby suggesting significant changes in the mire, namely drainage and transformation to a meadow, in the last ca. 200 yr. The distribution of n-alkan-2-ones indicated an increase in bacterial source from the bottom of the record to 94 cm, whereas their distribution in the upper part could be attributed mainly to plant input and/or the microbial oxidation of n-alkanes. The different n-alkane proxies showed variations, which we interpreted in terms of changes in vegetation (Sphagnum vs. non-Sphagnum dominated phases) during the last 8000 cal yr BP. C23 was the most abundant homolog throughout most of the record, thereby suggesting dominant humid conditions alternating with short drier phases. However, such humid conditions were not linked to paleoclimatic variation but rather to geomorphological characteristics: Las Conchas mire, at the base of the Cuera Range, receives continuous runoff—even during drier periods—which is not necessarily accompanied by additional mineral input to peat, producing the development of Sphagnum moss typical of waterlogged ecotopes and damp habitats. Thus, although geochemical proxies indicated an ombrotrophic regime in the mire, geomorphological characteristics may make a considerable contribution to environmental conditions., The study was made possible by funding from the Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT), projects CGL2013-46458-C1-1-R, and CGL2013-46458-C2-2-R.

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. La Paloma cave (Asturias, northern Spain) stands out as one of the most notable prehistoric sites of the northern Iberian sector due to the richness of its archaeo-paleontological material, spanning a complete Magdalenian-Azilian sequence (~20,300-12,900calyears BP). The abundance, diversity and good preservation of mammalian remains make of La Paloma site an excellent location to characterize paleoclimatic, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental conditions from a biogeochemical standpoint. Stable isotope analyses performed on tooth enamel (δ13Cen, δ18OCO3, δ18OPO4) and bone collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15N) of a suite of herbivore, carnivore and omnivore species did not yield significant variations across the stratigraphic sequence, likely pointing to prevalent and stable local conditions, with i) no major vegetation turnover, ii) maintenance of hydrological conditions, and iii) relatively constant soil activity, in spite of the synchrony of the La Paloma temporal context with global events, such as the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, the Heinrich Event 1 and the Bølling-Allerød oscillation. La Paloma δ13Cen and δ13Ccoll values are within the expected range for C3 mixed woodland-mesic C3 grassland conditions. Overall, bovids (large Bovidae, ibex and chamois) show higher δ13Cen, δ13Ccoll and δ15N values than cervids (red deer and roe deer), indicating a preference for more open environments in the former. Horse δ13C values are undistinguishable from those of red deer and point to a mixed-feeding behavior. Horse low δ15N values may be indicative of a diet with a low protein content. Bayesian mixing model results yielded differences in carnivore resource use, with wolf preying on all ungulates and red fox preferentially incorporating roe deer. Stable paleoenviromental conditions during the latest Pleistocene at the La Paloma area may have favored the persistence of a stable mammalian community structure, supporting the idea of the existence of refuge areas in the northern Iberian sector throughout the late Quaternary glacial-interglacial dynamics., This study was supported by the Plan Nacional I + D project CGL2009-09000/BTE of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO).

Resumen: Desde su excavación en el verano de 1973, la Cueva del Niño ha sido considerada un yacimiento de gran importancia para conocer el proceso de introducción de la economía de producción o de la tecnología cerámica en el sureste de la Península Ibérica, y especialmente para establecer cómo dicho proceso pudo haber afectado a las poblaciones ya asentadas en la región de la Sierra del Segura. Sin embargo, la información proporcionada por la Cueva del Niño resultaba muy fragmentaria, debido a la falta de un estudio de conjunto de las ocupaciones neolíticas del yacimiento. En este artículo, se presenta el análisis de las producciones cerámicas, la industria lítica y los restos de fauna, así como las dataciones existentes para los niveles holocenos del depósito. La revisión de las diversas evidencias proporcionadas por el yacimiento permite plantear que la Cueva del Niño habría actuado probablemente como una estación para el pastoreo y la caza, sirviendo como satélite de otros yacimientos de mayor entidad. No obstante, las limitaciones impuestas por el hecho de tratarse de una excavación efectuada hace cuarenta años impide aportar aspectos concluyentes sobre la dinámica del proceso de introducción del Neolítico en la Sierra del Segura. Abstract: Since its excavation in the summer of 1973, El Niño cave has been considered a key site to understand the process of production economy and pottery technology introduction in South-eastern Iberian Peninsula, and especially to approach how such process could have affected people already settled in the Segura mountains. However, data from El Niño cave was very fragmentary, due to the lack of a broad study of Neolithic occupations of the site. In this paper, we present the analysis of pottery, lithic industry and faunal remains, as well as the existing dates from the site´s Holocene levels. The review of different evidence from the site allows suggesting that El Niño cave would have probably acted as a hunting and shepherding station, being a logistical site of larger places. However, limitations due to the fact that we are dealing with a 40- year-old excavation, prevent specifying how the process of Neolithic introduction in the Segura Mountains occurred.

The inter- and intra-crystalline fractions of Patella vulgata limpets recovered from archaeological sites in Northern Spain (covering Neolithic, Mesolithic, Magdalenian, Solutrean, and Aurignacian periods) were examined for amino acid composition and racemisation over time. The calcitic apex and rim areas of the shells were found to probably be composed of similar proteins, as the D/L values and amino acids were comparable and varied in the same way with increasing age; however, the mineral structures present in these areas differed. The aragonitic intermediate part of the shell showed a distinctly different amino acid composition and mineral structure. The main protein leaching from the inter-crystalline fraction occurred within the first 6000 yr after the death of the organism. In contrast, the intra-crystalline fraction d comprised of a different protein composition than the inter-crystalline fraction d appeared to behave as a closed system for at least 34 ka, as reflected by the lack of a significant decrease in the amino acid content; however, changes in the amino acid percentages occurred during this period. The concentration of aspartic acid remained almost constant with age both in inter- and intra-crystalline proteins, and its contribution to the total amino acid content increased with age at the expense of other amino acids such as glutamic acid, serine, glycine and alanine. Temperature is thought to play a key role in the amino acid racemisation of P. vulgata and could explain why in the localities belonging to the Gravettian and Solutrean period, which formed during relatively cold conditions, D/L values were similar to those detected in shells from sites formed during the Magdalenian. This paper was made possible by funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation projects: HAR2010-22115-C02-01 “La respuesta humana al cambio climático global en una zona litoral: el caso del tránsito al Holoceno en la costa cantábrica (10000-5000 cal BC)”, and HAR2010-22115-C02-02 “Aplicación del análisis de sustancias orgánicas e inorgánicas a la reconstrucción paleoambiental, cronológica y tafonómica de yacimientos arqueológicos del Norte de España”.

The extent of racemization of aspartic acid (Asp) -expressed as D/L ratio- has been used as a marker of biomolecular degradation in ancient remains. However, Asp racemization rate is highly variable, and depends on biochemical and geochemical factors. In this paper we aim to determine to which extent the fraction analyzed and the kind of sample used may influence the D/L Asp ratios. Other factors, such as burial site and sample preservation conditions, are also considered. D/L Asp ratios were obtained in 38 ancient human samples from 30 different individuals in which Real Time PCR quantification and amplification of short mtDNA fragments had been previously achieved. Four samples were taken from bones, 16 from whole teeth and 18 from dentine. In 7 cases whole tooth and dentine fractions from the same individual were analyzed. The samples belonged to 8 archaeological sites from Pre-pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), Cardial Neolithic and Chalcolithic time periods. Results show significant differences between the D/L Asp ratios obtained in dentine and whole tooth fractions from the same tooth and individual, as well as among dentine samples from the same archaeological site and among samples of the same age from different, though nearby, archaeological sites. Ancient DNA (aDNA) could be characterized in the majority of the samples, independently from their racemization values, which suggests that other factors, apart from the sample preservation stage, are more significantly affecting the racemization rate. A generalized use of the Asp racemization ratio as a threshold value for ancient DNA preservation needs to be questioned until further methodological standardization is considered.

Here we present a pluridisciplinary study of Cuesta de la Bajada site (Teruel, Spain). Our findings show that the site contains an early Middle Paleolithic assemblage similar to other European early Middle Paleolithic industries, allowing us to evaluate the coexistence of this industrial tradition with the Acheulean technocomplex in southwest Europe. The process of lithic production at Cuesta de la Bajada represents a technology focused on debitage, the application of technical concepts such as ramified production sequences, and the recycling of flakes via the resharpening of tools and exhausted cores. This site was formed around a pond not far from a river and contains remains of large macrofauna other than equids and cervids. Taphonomic analysis highlights the abundance of cut marks on bones, and supports the hypothesis of selective hunting by hominids. The numerical ages derived from the combination of ESR, OSL and AAR dating methods indicate that the archaeological site was very likely formed around the MIS 8-MIS 9. The appearance of Middle Paleolithic industries in Europe could represents the autochthonous development of a technocomplex distinctly different from the Acheulean, characterized by chaînes operatoires of debitage and a progressive increase of Levallois technology and retouched tools. These results suggest that there is a clear coexistence of assemblages with Acheulean and Middle Paleolithic industries during the last third of the Middle Pleistocene at least in the Iberian Peninsula

Ferromanganese nodule fields and hardgrounds have recently been discovered in the Cadiz Contourite Channel in the Gulf of Cadiz (850–1000 m). This channel is part of a large contourite depositional system generated by the Mediterranean Outflow Water. Ferromanganese deposits linked to contourites are interesting tools for palaeoenviromental studies and show an increasing economic interest as potential mineral resources for base and strategic metals. We present a complete characterisation of these deposits based on submarine photographs and geophysical, petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical data. The genesis and growth of ferromanganese deposits, strongly enriched in Fe vs. Mn (av. 39% vs. 6%) in this contourite depositional system result from the combination of hydrogenetic and diagenetic processes. The interaction of the Mediterranean Outflow Water with the continental margin has led to the formation of Late Pleistocene–Holocene ferromanganese mineral deposits, in parallel to the evolution of the contourite depositional system triggered by climatic and tectonic events. The diagenetic growth was fuelled by the anaerobic oxidation of thermogenic hydrocarbons (δ13CPDB = − 20 to − 37‰) and organic matter within the channel floor sediments, promoting the formation of Fe–Mn carbonate nodules. High 87Sr/86Sr isotopic values (up to 0.70993 ± 0.00025) observed in the inner parts of nodules are related to the influence of radiogenic fluids fuelled by deep-seated fluid venting across the fault systems in the diapirs below the Cadiz Contourite Channel. Erosive action of the Mediterranean Outflow Water undercurrent could have exhumed the Fe–Mn carbonate nodules, especially in the glacial periods, when the lower core of the undercurrent was more active in the study area. The growth rate determined by 230Thexcess/232Th was 113 ± 11 mm/Ma, supporting the hypothesis that the growth of the nodules records palaeoenvironmental changes during the last 70 ka. Ca-rich layers in the nodules could point to the interaction between the Mediterranean Outflow Water and the North Atlantic Deep Water during the Heinrich events. Siderite–rhodochrosite nodules exposed to the oxidising sea-bottom waters were replaced by Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides. Slow hydrogenetic growth of goethite from the seawaters is observed in the outermost parts of the exhumed nodules and hardgrounds, which show imprints of the Mediterranean Outflow Water with low 87Sr/86Sr isotopic values (down to 0.70693 ± 0.00081). We propose a new genetic and evolutionary model for ferromanganese oxide nodules derived from ferromanganese carbonate nodules formed on continental margins above the carbonate compensation depth and dominated by hydrocarbon seepage structures and strong erosive action of bottom currents. We also compare and discuss the generation of ferromanganese deposits in the Cadiz Contourite Channel with that in other locations and suggest that our model can be applied to ferromanganiferous deposits in other contouritic systems affected by fluid venting.

A real amplification of an initial enantiomeric excess can be detected when two amino acids are sublimed at high temperature, even if one of the components is a racemic compound that does not convert into a conglomerate by sublimation