pXRF: a study of inter-instrument performance

Integrating portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instrumentation into archaeological investigations has generated as much interest as skepticism because several characteristics of the technique limit analytical accuracy and precision. This paper seeks to explore inter-instrument performance in order to assess the potential pXRF instrumentation has in examining the elemental composition of lithic raw materials. Two pXRF instruments, Delta and Omega models both manufactured by Olympus Innov-X Systems, were utilized to obtain the trace element signatures of five fine-grained volcanic sources and four obsidian sources in the Great Basin. We compared the two portable instruments to a wavelength-dispersive instrument extensively calibrated with geologic standards and to a commercial benchtop energy-dispersive system. Our results suggest that the relationships between the data produced by these different instruments are complex, and as we look to the future of pXRF use in archaeological analysis we argue that that the same strict protocols applied in laboratory-based XRF analyses, involving instrument calibration, evaluation of inter-instrument performance, and comparison to accepted geologic standards, need to be applied in pXRF analysis.     

Revision of two phragmodontid species (Conodonta) from the Darriwilian (Ordovician) of the Canning Basin in Western Australia and phylogeny of the Cyrtoniodontidae

Zhen, Y.Y. 9 July 2019. Revision of two phragmodontid species (Conodonta) from the Darriwilian (Ordovician) of the Canning Basin in Western Australia and phylogeny of the Cyrtoniodontidae. Alcheringa XX, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

Based on re-examination of the material used in the original study from the subsurface Goldwyer and Nita Formations (middle Darriwilian, Middle Ordovician) of the Canning Basin, Western Australia, two phragmodontid species (Phragmodus polystrophos Watson and Ph. spicatus Watson) are revised as having a septimembrate apparatus including geniculate (Ph. polystrophos) or nongeniculate (Ph. spicatus) M, triform alate Sa, modified tertiopedate (Ph. polystrophos) or tripennate (Ph. spicatus) Sb, modified bipennate Sc, modified quadriramate Sd, carminate Pa and pastinate Pb elements. Characterized by a carminate Pa element in their respective species apparatuses, these two species demonstrate a close phylogenetic relationship with Phragmodus cognitus Stauffer from the Late Ordovician (Sandbian) of North America. These distinctive shared characters have allowed their accommodation within a new genus, Protophragmodus gen. nov., which represents an evolutionary lineage separated from species of Phragmodus Branson & Mehl (sensu stricto). In addition, it is postulated that the Cyrtoniodontidae might have originated in the early–middle Darriwilian from ‘Plectodina’ in shallow-water settings, with Phragmodus (sensu stricto), the most derived part of the family, perhaps directly evolving from Protophragmodus gen. nov. in the late Darriwilian and then becoming cosmopolitan, deeper-water dwellers in the Late Ordovician.

Y.Y. Zhen [yong-yi.zhen@planning.nsw.gov.au], Geological Survey of New South Wales, W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry, NSW 2753, Australia.     

From Nihewan to Zhoukoudian: Cultural Evolution Pattern in the Paleolithic Age of Northern China

Nihewan and Zhoukoudian are important areas where early humans and cultures originated and reproduced in northern China and even East Asia. Geologically, both site groups belong to the Haihe River valley; chronologically, the Nihewan sites date to ca. 1.7 million years ago, and the Zhoukoudian sites date to ca. 0.5 million years ago; and culturally, both are dominated by the small-flake-tool culture. Thus, it is speculated that the early culture in the Zhoukoudian sites came from the migrants from the Nihewan Basin who facilitated cultural diffusion in the area; in turn, it also affected the culture in the Nihewan area during the subsequent development. This paper proposes the development path of the Paleolithic culture in northern China, that is, early humans in this region roughly experienced three stages of subsistence from lake-dependent to cave-dependent and then to river-dependent.     

Macro- and micro-archaeobotanical study of a vessel content from a Late Neolithic structured deposition from southeastern Hungary

A well-preserved assemblage of pottery and a broken stone artefact were excavated within a long house in the southern part of Tiszasziget, near the town of Szeged, Hungary. The settlement had been inhabited by the Late Neolithic Tisza culture around 5000–4500 BC. Based on the position of the finds it is suggested that the objects represent an ideologically-charged structured deposition. A piece of organic residue found in a mug (No. 18) with three-fold articulation has been subjected to macro- and microfloral analysis. After precise sampling of the residue, the standard methods to recover organic and inorganic plant remains were utilised. Based on the macrofloral and amino acid content analysis, it is suggested that the organic remains were pieces of fermented pastry made of cereal flour. The recovered silicified tissues and articulated phytoliths were subjected to morphometric measurements, which revealed that the food remain placed in the structured deposition was prepared of Triticum and – probably wild – Avena species. Starch granules of cereals were also detected, whilst the palynological evidence supports morphologies most likely to be related to the accompanying weed flora. The fortunate survival of the organic matter and the complex macro- and micro-archaeobotanical approach provided an unique opportunity to gain a better insight to the food preparation of Late Neolithic communities of the Carpathian Basin.     

Spatial–temporal distribution and geographic context of Neolithic cultural sites in the Hanjiang River Basin,Southern Shaanxi,China

Understanding how to live successfully within our environment is among the most pressing challenges facing contemporary society. This paper probes the problem based on comparative analysis and discusses the relationship between the spatial–temporal distribution of the Neolithic cultural sites and the geographic context in the Hanjiang River Basin in the south of Shaanxi Province, China. Archaeological studies have identified 175 Neolithic cultural sites in the study area, with a sequence of Laoguantai (¹⁴C age 8–7 ka BP), Yangshao (¹⁴C age 7–5 ka BP) and the late period of the Neolithic Age (¹⁴C age 5–4 ka BP). The total number of archaeological sites, the distribution area and the density all showed an early ascending and later descending trend, but the proportion of the number of archaeological sites in the study area to the corresponding value of the entire Shaanxi Province declined sharply. Spatially, these sites were concentrated on the terraces of the Hanjiang River and its main tributaries with an altitude of 400–800 m. Multiple data were integrated to clarify the critical effects of tectonic and geomorphologic conditions on the distribution of the Neolithic sites. Further comparisons revealed the correlation of Holocene climate change and environmental evolution with the Neolithic cultural succession in the study area that ameliorated conditions to generally promote the development of the primitive culture while degeneration coincided with the culture's transition or interruption. The discussion on the origin of the primitive culture and the temporal–spatial distribution corresponding to the regional culture differentiation sheds light on the complex and dynamic human–nature interaction system during the Neolithic Age, thus emphasising the wider field-based investigation and high-resolution reconstruction works of the palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment in the future.     

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.     

Middle Ordovician (early Dapingian) conodonts in the Central Andean Basin of NW Argentina

Carlorosi, J., Heredia, S. & Aceñolaza, G, 2013. Middle Ordovician (early Dapingian) conodonts in the Central Andean Basin of NW Argentina. Alcheringa 37, 1–13. ISSN 0311-5518.

This paper describes and analyzes the significance of a conodont fauna from the Alto del Cóndor Formation, exposed in the Los Colorados region of the Argentine Eastern Cordillera. Identified taxa are Baltoniodus triangularis, Baltoniodus sp. cf. B. triangularis, Drepanodus sp., Drepanoistodus basiovalis, Drepanoistodus sp. B., Erraticodon patu, Gothodus costulatus, Oistodus sp., Trapezognathus diprion, T. quadrangulum, Triangulodus sp. and Triangulodus? sp. The presence of Baltoniodus triangularis indicates the base of the Dapingian stage (Middle Ordovician). In addition, we report the coexistence of T. diprion and T. quadrangulum. The conodont association suggests a faunal affinity with Baltica and South China, both belonging to the Shallow-Sea Realm of the Temperate-Cold Domain.

Josefina Carlorosi [josefinacarlorosi77@gmail]com], INSUGEO—Universidad Nacional de Tucumán—CONICET, Miguel Lillo 205, (4000) Tucumán, Argentina; Guillermo F. Aceñolaza [acecha@webmail.unt.edu.ar], Universidad Nacional de Tucumán—CONICET, Miguel Lillo 205, (4000) Tucumán, Argentina; Susana Heredia [sheredia@unsj.edu.ar], CONICET–CIGEOBIO and Instituto de Investigaciones Mineras, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Urquiza y Libertador, (5400) San Juan, Argentina. Received 22.8.2012; revised 18.10.2012; accepted 24.10.12.     

Early Aptian (Early Cretaceous) freshwater bivalves from the Australian–Antarctic rift,southeast Victoria

The brissid echinoid Schizobrissus insignis (Duncan &; Sladen, 1883) is described from the Fulra Limestone (late middle Eocene), in Kachchh, India. Formerly assigned to Peripneustes or to Meoma it is shown that the species possesses a complete subanal fasciole throughout ontogeny, a characteristic feature of Schizobrissus. Eocene species of Schizobrissus and Meoma show several morphological similarities, but diverged during the late Paleogene and early Neogene.     

Proterosuchid archosaur remains from the Early Triassic Bulgo Sandstone of Long Reef,New South Wales

Two associated anterior dorsal vertebrae of a primitive archosaur are described from the Early Triassic (Dienerian–Spathian) Bulgo Sandstone at Long Reef, New South Wales, Australia. Character states including anteroposteriorly elongate centra, dorsal neural spines with height greater than length, the possible presence of intercentra, double-headed rib articulations and well-developed apical tables on the neural spines suggest affinity with proterosuchid archosauriforms and permit some comparisons with previously described Australian taxa. The Bulgo Sandstone vertebrae represent the first record of archosaurian body fossils from the Sydney Basin and are one of only a handful of occurrences thus far documented from the Triassic of Australia.     

Utilizing U–Pb CA-TIMS dating to calibrate the Middle to Late Jurassic spore-pollen zonation of the Surat Basin,Australia to the geological time-scale

Wainman, C.C., Hannaford, C., Mantle, D. & McCabe, P.J., April.2018. Utilizing U–Pb CA-TIMS dating to calibrate the Middle to Late Jurassic spore-pollen zonation of the Surat Basin, Australia to the geological time-scale. Alcheringa XX, xx-xx.

Spore-pollen palynostratigraphy is commonly used to subdivide and correlate Jurassic continental successions in eastern Australia and thus aid the construction of geological models for the petroleum and coal industries. However, the current spore-pollen framework has only been tenuously calibrated to the geological time-scale. Age determinations are reliant on indirect correlations of ammonite and dinoflagellate assemblages from New Zealand, the North West Shelf of Australia and Southeast Asia to the standard European stages. New uranium-lead chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass spectrometry (U–Pb CA-TIMS) dates from 19 tuff beds in the Middle–Upper Jurassic Injune Creek Group of the Surat Basin enables regional spore-pollen palynostratigraphic zones to be precisely dated for the first time. These results show the base of the APJ4.2 and APJ4.3 subzones are similar in age to previous estimates (Middle Jurassic, Bathonian) from indirect palynostratigraphic correlation. However, the base of the APJ5 Zone and the APJ6.1 Subzone may be somewhat younger than previously estimated, possibly by as much as 2.5 and 4.2 Myrs, respectively. The continued utilization of U–Pb CA-TIMS dates will further refine the absolute ages of these zones, improve the inter- and intra-basinal correlation of Middle–Upper Jurassic strata in eastern Australian basins and greatly enhance intercontinental correlations.

Carmine Christopher Wainman [carmine.wainman@adelaide.edu.au] and Peter James McCabe [peter.mccabe@adelaide,edu.au] Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia; Carey Hannaford [carey.hannaford@mgpalaeo.com.au] and Daniel Mantle [dan.mantle@mgpalaeo.com.au] MGPalaeo Pty Ltd, 5 Arvida Street, Malaga, WA, 6090, WA, Australia.