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Late Pleistocene Site Formation And Paleoclimate At Lapa Do Picareiro, Portugal, Michael M. Benedetti, Jonathan A. Haws, Nuno F. Bicho, Lukas Friedl, Brooks B. Ellwood

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The cave site of Lapa do Picareiro, Portugal contains a deep (~10 m) sedimentary sequence representing much of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, with abundant animal bones, lithic/bone/shell artifacts, and charcoal/ash in hearths. A deposition model based on 49 radiocarbon ages demonstrates average sedimentation rates of 0.1–0.3 mm a −1 between 9 and 45 ka. Extrapolation suggests an age at the base of the excavation of 65–78 ka. The cave sediments are primarily limestone éboulis derived from roof spalling, and muddy fine sediment derived from weathered soil infiltrating through bedrock joints and crevices. Bone preservation …