Uranium and thorium distributions in fossil bones from Olduvai Gorge,Tanzania and Kanam,Kenya

The micro-distributions of uranium and thorium have been studied in fossil bone cortices in samples from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and Kanam, Kenya, and compared with modern bones collected from the surface at Olduvai Gorge. Concentrations in excess of 800 ppm U and 200 ppm Th are recorded in sections of some fossil bones, whereas concentrations do not exceed 20 ppm U or 1 ppm Th in the modern bones. In fossil bones, Th has a larger intra-bone variation than U. The distribution profiles of the two elements across the fossil bone cortices are quite distinct and reflect differences in their geochemical behaviour in the supergene environment. In particular, the two possible oxidation states of U, compared with one for Th, allow U to be more mobile than Th, but also more susceptible to variations in the redox potential of the depositional environment. In some fossil bone samples secondary leaching of U has occurred, whereas Th is retained in the bone cortex. U is incorporated into fossil bone earlier than Th.     

Ordovician acritarchs from the Canning Basin,Western Australia

A left mandibular toothplate of a chimaeroid fish collected from the Toolebuc Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian), central Queensland is described. Comparisons with other chimaeroid genera show the toothplate to be sufficiently distinct to warrant the erection of a new genus. Ptyktoptychion tayyo gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished by the size and shape of its three tritors, the form of the symphysial facet and the overall shape of the toothplate.     

Neoproterozoic microfossils from the Officer Basin,Western Australia

Microfossil assemblages are described from the early Neoproterozoic Madley and Browne Formations, western Officer Basin. One chert and eleven siliciclastic samples yielded microfossils. Myxococcoides cantabrigiensis occurs as pustular mats in the chert sample and Eomicrocystis malgica, Pterospermopsimorpha granulata, Skiagia sp. cf. S. pusilla, and undetermined species of Obruchevella, Heliconema, and Trachystrichosphaera are present in acid macerated samples. Leiosphaeridia spp. and Siphonophycus spp. are also found in fine-grained siliciclastic samples, with clusters of Synsphaeridium sp. in some samples. These findings enable a more substantial reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment of Supersequence 1 in the western Centralian Superbasin. The acanthomorph acritarchs are considered to be planktonic eucaryotes washed into environments which ranged from coastal sabkha through to tidal flats, which may be the source of the prokaryotic, benthic, matforming cyanobacteria.     

First fossil pollen record of Auriculiidites Elsik, 1964 in Australia

Macphail, M.K. & Partridge, A.D., June 2012. First fossil pollen record of Auriculiidites Elsik, 1964 Elsik, W. C. 1964. A new sporomorph genus from eastern Peru. Pollen et Spores, 6: 601–604.  [Google Scholar] in Australia. Alcheringa 36, 283–286. ISSN 0311-5518.

Fossil auriculate pollen assigned to Auriculiidites Elsik is preserved in middle early Eocene estuarine facies near Strahan, on the west coast of Tasmania. This is the first record of this otherwise Late Cretaceous–Paleocene morphogenus in Australia and possibly the Southern Hemisphere. Auriculiidites is one of several, now tropical, taxa found at Strahan and underscores the area's importance in understanding the impact of early Eocene global warming at high latitudes.

Mike Macphail [mike.macphail@anu.edu.au], Department of Archaeology & Natural History, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, ACT 0200, Australia; Alan D. Partridge, Biostrata Pty. Ltd. 302 Waiora Rd., Macleod, Victoria 3085, Australia. Received 28.8.2011, revised 5.2.2012, accepted 16.2.2012.     

Late Devonian gastropods from the Canning Basin,Western Australia

Over 50 identifications of Tertiary pollen are reviewed. The pollen assemblages indicate rain-forest through most of the Tertiary, but the requisites for pollen preservation are biased towards the wetter climates.

The present day geographical affinities of the botanical groups are largely with taxa of the tropical zone and Australia-wide taxa. There is geographic variation in the fossil pollen assemblages when southeastern Australia is compared with Central Australia and Queensland.

The major changes in the fossil floras coincide with climatic change, indicating the influence of climate on the evolution of plant assemblages. The older phytogeographic concepts are inappropriate for the fossil record, especially when considered in conjunction with palaeoclimates and palaeogeography.

It is unfortunate that palynology has given little information of the evolution of floras in drier climatic regimes, or of the evolution of the eucalypts.     

Cainozoic euphorbiacean wood from the Canning Basin,Western Australia

A new species of fossil wood is described, Bridelioxylon canningense Bamford & McLoughlin, belonging to the Phyllanthoideae group of the Euphorbiaceae. The woods occur in indurated sandstones and conglomerates preserved in palaeochannels incised into the Upper Permian Condren Sandstone in the Landrigan Cliffs, northern Canning Basin, Western Australia. Based on the presence of the dicotyledonous woods and the geomorphological setting of the palaeochannel, a Palaeogene age is suggested for the host rocks. This is the first record of fossil euphorbiacean wood in Australia; pollen has been previously recorded. The fossil wood is most closely comparable to extant members of Bridelia that currently occupy the warmer and wetter parts of Australia.     

Morphological taphonomic transformations of fossil bones in continental environments,and repercussions on their chemical composition

The aim of this paper is to provide a summary of structural or surface modifications of vertebrate bone remains in continental palaeoenvironments that may have repercussions on their chemical composition. Both before and after burial, a different set of physical, chemical and biological agencies may produce modifications of the bone morphological structure and/or bone chemical composition. Several of these morphological modifications are diagnostic of particular agents, which otherwise may not be noticed or identified in a fossil association. In order to understand diagenesis, those events that occurred before final burial have to be considered, as they may strongly modify the bone morphological structure and influence post–burial changes.     

Late Silurian vertebrate microfossils from the Carnarvon Basin,Western Australia

Burrow, C.J., Turner, S., Trinajstic, K. &; Young, G.C., 27 February 2019. Late Silurian vertebrate microfossils from the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 43, 204–219. ISSN 0311-5518.

A core sample from the offshore Pendock 1A well, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia yielded microvertebrate residues at an horizon in the lower part of the Hamelin Formation, dated as late Silurian, ? Ludlow, based on associated conodonts. The fish fauna comprises loganelliiform thelodont scales, the ? stem gnathostome Aberrosquama occidens nov. gen. et sp., the acanthodian Nostolepis sp. aff. N. alta, and the ? stem osteichthyan Andreolepis sp. aff. A. petri. Because of the paucity of the material, and some differences between the Pendock scales and those of established species, a precise age can not be confirmed; however, the composition of the fauna at generic level most closely resembles that of late Silurian (Ludlow) assemblages from northern Eurasia.

Carole J. Burrow* [carole.burrow@gmail.com], Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Hendra QLD 4011, Australia; Susan Turner [palaeoich@yahoo.com], Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Hendra QLD 4011, Australia; Kate Trinajstic [k.trinajstic@curtin.edu.au], School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia; Gavin C. Young [gavin.young@anu.edu.au], Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2000, Australia.     

Home Is Where the Hearth Is: Anthracological and Microstratigraphic Analyses of Pleistocene and Holocene Combustion Features,Riwi Cave (Kimberley,Western Australia)

The manipulation of fire is a technological act. The identification of the archaeological signatures of the controlled use of fire has important implications not only for the estimations of the origins and functions of the first fireplaces but also for our understanding of prehistoric technological development and resource use. At Riwi (Kimberley region, Western Australia), excavations over two field seasons have revealed a discontinuous occupation sequence over the past 45 ka, showing numerous, different combustion features interspersed within the deposit. Anthracological and micromorphological investigations at Riwi Cave indicate that the combustion features at the site can be categorised into three types: flat combustion features (type A), dug combustion features (type B) and thick accumulations of mixed combustion residues (type C). These provide evidence for two kinds of combustion practice: (i) fires lit directly on the ground and most likely not re-used and (ii) ground ovens, the latter appearing some 10,000 years after the first evidence for occupation of the site. A comparison of the wood species identified within these combustion features with those from equivalent scattered context levels, enables an exploration of the potential factors influencing wood selection and fire use through time at the site. A detailed understanding of the relationship between wood charcoal remains and archaeological context yields significant information on changes to environmental context and site occupation patterns over time.     

Sport,Localism and Social Capital in Rural Western Australia

Whilst there has been some research conducted on the role of sport in Australian rural communities, to date there has been little detailed discussion by social scientists and geographers on the association between sport and social capital. This paper identifies elements of social capital, at a community and regional social scale, which have been expressed through the activities and adaptive strategies of twenty‐five sporting clubs from the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Most of the adaptive strategies are a direct result of the clubs being exposed to the processes of rural restructuring and include amalgamation and the spatial reorganisation of sporting competition locations. The importance of localism in rural communities is also examined through the issues of trust and distrust within a regional hierarchy context. The paper illustrates how sport is not only an important part of rural life but also an activity which plays an integral role in the formation of bonding and bridging social capital.     

Microfossils from Neoproterozoic Supersequence 1 of the Officer Basin,Western Australia

The discovery of a rich assemblage of microfossils from the Neoproterozoic western Officer Basin (Centralian Superbasin) provides a more complete understanding of the biostratigraphy of this Basin. The microfossils are found in Supersequence 1 (～800 Ma) in Western Australia. The assemblages are comprised of acritarchs and cyanobacteria isolated by acid maceration from siliciclastics of the Browne (Madley), Hussar, Kanpa and Steptoe Formations. The distinctive acritarchs Cerebrosphaera buickii, Satka colonialica, Stictosphaeridium sinapticuliferum and Pterospermopsimorpha insolita are of particular interest in the Neoproterozoic. These taxa are found in similar depositional environments in Spitsbergen, Arizona, Canada and Siberia. This evidence, together with lithostratographic correlations, isotope chemostratigraphy, and sequence analysis contributes to the continuing development of Neoproterozoic stratigraphy.     

Decolonising,Multiplicities and Mining in the Eastern Goldfields,Western Australia

In this ‘postcolonial’ era, peoples and places around the globe continue to face ongoing colonisation. Indigenous peoples in particular experience colonisation in numerous forms. Despite recent attempts to ‘decolonise’ indigenous spaces, hegemonic systems of production, governance and thinking often perpetuate colonial structures and relationships, resulting in further entrenched colonisation or ‘deep colonising’ (Rose, 1999). The interface between indigenous communities and the mining industry provides fertile ground for the tensions emerging between decolonising and deep colonising. Gold mining operations at Placer Dome's Granny Smith mine in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia present a valuable case study for examining this tension. Changes taking place at the mine site are decolonising in intent, though outcomes may be deep colonising in effect. Recent discussions among cultural geographers over meanings of place, Ollman's (1993) notion of vantage point and a broadly postcolonial literature inform consideration of this tension. Acknowledgment and incorporation of multiple vantage points into new resource management systems allows current hegemonic approaches to be rethought, and provides insights for the shift towards genuinely decolonising processes.     

Parotosuchus from the Early Triassic of Queensland and Western Australia

Three members of the labyrinthodont Family Capitosauridae are described. Two new species from the Arcadia Formation of the Rewan Group, Queensland, show affinities with more primitive capitosaurs and with pre-capitosaurid groups. A third skull from the Blina Shale of Western Australia is of indeterminate species. These are the first recorded capitosaurs from Queensland and Western Australia and the first Parotosuchus from a Lystrosaurus Zone fauna.     

U-series dating of soda straw stalactites from excavated deposits: method development and application to Blanche Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia

This study aimed to further test the method, reported by St Pierre et al. (2009), to develop robust chronologies of deposits in limestone caves through U/Th (Uranium/Thorium or U-Series) dating of soda straw stalactites. The chronology of fossil bearing deposits at Blanche Cave was further constrained with thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) U/Th dating of 17 additional soda straw stalactite samples, and results were compared to recalibrated ¹⁴C ages of charcoal. The results support the assertion that soda straw stalactites can provide ages close to the time of sediment deposition and may be used as reliable chronological markers, particularly for periods reaching or beyond the radiocarbon dating limit. The application of an enhanced cleaning technique facilitated the reduction of detrital Th in samples, significantly increasing age accuracy and precision. Additionally U/Th age accuracy and precision was increased through the application of site-specific measured U/Th ratios to correct for the detrital ²³⁰Th component in samples.     

The application of biometry and LA-ICP-MS to provenance isolated bones: a study of hominin remains from Oumm Qatafa Cave,Judean Desert

Three hominin phalanges were recently identified in old faunal collections attributed to the Late Acheulean (Layer D2) dated to ca. 213 Kya, from Oumm Qatafa Cave (Judean Desert), a site excavated in 1928–1949. In terms of general appearance (colour, patina and adhering sediment), these specimens resembled the fauna with which they were found, but the likelihood of stratigraphic problems especially in old excavations, the presence of 4th millennium b.c. burials in the topmost Layer A at the site and the absence of any mention of Late Acheulean hominin remains in publications relating to the site prompted us to verify that the phalanges were indeed in situ. Osteometric examination showed the phalanges to be indistinguishable from those of Middle Paleolithic Levantine anatomically modern humans (AMHS) as well as Upper Paleolithic and recent populations, thus contributing little to the resolution of their provenance. To further investigate this issue, we compared the elemental composition of the phalanges to that of fauna from the same and overlying archaeological layers using non-destructive laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results showed a close resemblance in elemental composition between the phalanges and fauna from Layer D2, implying that they are in situ. This would indicate either an early occurrence of AMHS in the region or the presence of an ancestral archaic Homo. We propose that LA-ICP-MS offers a useful minimally invasive method for provenancing isolated human and faunal remains.     

Two sides of the same coin—rocks, bones and site function of Picareiro Cave, central Portugal

The issue of site function rarely has been a main focus in the study of Portuguese Upper Paleolithic. This fact may be related to a lack of interest in this research area. More likely, however, it is due to the fact that there are relatively few Paleolithic sites with data that allow a serious study of site function. At Picareiro Cave, central Portugal, there are various data sets from level F/G dated to the latter Magdalenian that are adequate for this type of research. These are habitat structures, lithic artifacts, macro- and mesofauna, as well as 3D location of all artifacts and fauna larger than 1 cm. Based on the interpretation of the analytical results of each data set, it is possible to reconstruct site function of this particular level of Picareiro Cave. The morphology of one of the hearths, being very large in size, with the base prepared and a pavement surrounding it, as well as the condition and diversity of fauna, indicates that it was used for processing the meat of rabbits, red deer, and wild boar, probably through smoking and grilling. All of the evidence from the different types of data (lithic artifacts, habitat structures, use of space, and fauna) indicate that Layers F/G of Picareiro Cave are the result of a specific task, that of processing animal carcasses of rabbits, red deer, and wild boar.