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Paläontologische Befunde, absolute Datierungen und paläoklimatologische Konsequenzen der Resultate aus der Ramesch-Knochenhöhle
... Coordinates: 14115 0 E, 47139 0 N. Stratigraphy: Undisturbed deposits are found only in the entrance hall (Draxler et al., 1986). Below a Holocene layer with gastropods (unit A) a typical cave loam with cave bear bones occurs (units B-E). ...
... Dating: Cave bear bones from unit G yielded 230 Th/U dates between 117+11/À10 and 150+25/À19 ka (Draxler et al., 1986). ...
... Fauna: Unit G; U. spelaeus (Draxler et al., 1986). ...
Caves are terrestrial depositories that preserve a large variety of organic and inorganic remains. These may contain important Quaternary climatic and ecological information. Most of the faunal remains, however, cannot be linked to any Interglacial or Glacial period exclusively. Reliable dating of such remains is therefore required. Experience has, however, shown that ESR dating of speleothems or 230Th/U dating of bones are of disputable value. Only TIMS-230Th/U dating of speleothems appears to yield reliable ages. Dating the bottom and top of speleothem layers permit assigning Pleistocene faunal remains to the OIS chronology if the deposition of the speleothems and the faunal remains are clearly correlated. Care must be taken to consider the depositional situation of each site before interpreting any age dates. In this paper we present an overview of all numerically dated paleontological cave sites in Central Europe between OIS 5 and OIS 8. A total of 25 strata were dated from 13 sites, most of them deposited during OIS 5; the rest belonging to OIS 6 and 7. Numerically dated paleontological sites older than OIS 8 are not known.
... The rich fossil assemblages mostly represent animals that died during winter hibernation over thousands of years, as reflected by the range of radiocarbon dates (e.g. Draxler et al. 1986;Rabeder 1995;Bona 2004). Caves provided an ideal environment for the preservation of their remains. ...
... These pollen assemblages record a variety of herbs, including Compositae, and indicate a lush tall perennial herb flora on nutrient-rich soils, with high humidity (e.g. Draxler et al. 1986;Draxler 1995;Ravazzi & Perego 1997). ...
... These were not included in our analysis as the results are not consistently reliable, probably due to variation in the extent of exchange of uranium with the sur-rounding sediments. For example, cross-comparison of the radiocarbon and U/Th methods showed good agreement in the case of bones from Vindija Cave (Wild et al. 2001), but much less so for Ramesch-Knochenh¨ohle (Draxler et al. 1986). ...
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was one of several spectacular megafaunal species that became extinct in northern Eurasia during the late Quaternary. Vast numbers of their remains have been recovered from many cave sites, almost certainly representing animals that died during winter hibernation. On the evidence of skull anatomy and low δ15N values of bone collagen, cave bears appear to have been predominantly vegetarian. The diet probably included substantial high quality herbaceous vegetation. In order to address the reasons for the extinction of the cave bear, we have constructed a chronology using only radiocarbon dates produced directly on cave bear material. The date list is largely drawn from the literature, and as far as possible the dates have been audited (screened) for reliability. We also present new dates from our own research, including results from the Urals. U. spelaeus probably disappeared from the Alps and adjacent areas – currently the only region for which there is fairly good evidence –c. 24 000 radiocarbon years BP (c. 27 800 cal. yr BP), approximately coincident with the start of Greenland Stadial 3 (c. 27 500 cal. yr BP). Climatic cooling and inferred decreased vegetational productivity were probably responsible for its disappearance from this region. We are investigating the possibility that cave bear survived significantly later elsewhere, for example in southern or eastern Europe.
... The total length of the cave amounts to 310 m. First palaeontological excavations were conducted between 1979 and 1984 (Draxler et al., 1986). ...
... Stratigraphy: Undisturbed deposits are found only in the entrance hall (Draxler et al., 1986). Below a Holocene layer with gastropods (unit A) a typical cave loam with cave bear bones occurs (units B-E). ...
... Dating: Cave bear bones from unit G yielded 230 Th/U dates between 117 þ11=À10 kyr and 150 þ25=À19 kyr (Draxler et al., 1986). ...
Caves are among the most important sites preserving Quaternary fossils. Owing to the CaCO3-rich environment and the protection against erosion, even remains of early Pleistocene faunas are preserved in caves, while contemporaneous surface deposits have been lost. However, faunal remains cannot be linked to any interglacial or glacial period since no species exists which is characteristic of any specific period. Reliable dating of such remains is therefore required. This is now possible applying 230Th/U dating of speleothems. ESR dating of speleothems or 230Th/U dating of bones is, however, of disputable value. Dating of the base and top speleothem accretional layers permit assigning Pleistocene faunal remains to the MIS chronology. In this paper, we present for the first time an overview of all numerically dated palaeontological cave sites in Central Europe between MIS 5 and MIS 8. From twelve sites, a total of 31 strata were dated, most of them deposited during MIS 5; the rest belongs to MIS 6 and MIS 7; and only one sample representing MIS 8 provided reliable numerical dates. Numerically dated palaeontological cave sites older than MIS 8 are not known.
... Ramesch-Knochenhöhle in Upper Austria is another cave bear hibernation lair that provided hominin occupation evidence of the late Würm (Rabeder 1985;Draxler et al. 1986). The five stone implements and the faunal remains are heavily worn from transport within the main sediment unit that accounts for 70% of the deposit. ...
A review of the history of uranium-series dating of fossil bone and calcite skins related to rock paintings reveals significant limitations to the credibility of many such results. The 'closed system' conditions required do not seem to apply to many ancient faunal remains and may be lacking in many cases also in the types of speleothems frequently used to secure minimum or maximum ages for cave paintings or petroglyphs. The studies comparing 14 C dates with U-Th results from such reprecipitated carbonates, particularly of the Pleistocene, suggest that the latter tend to be much higher. Recent testing of the method implies that the taphonomy of most such deposits is far too complex to allow the determination of age-governed 230 Th/ 234 U ratios. The U concentrations in coeval calcite skins vary significantly on a millimetre scale, and in some cases, apparent ages can be hundreds of times greater than actual ages. Tests also reveal that results obtained by different laboratories from the same samples differ greatly. The lack of reproducibility and testability of such results, combined with the interventional method of obtaining samples, excludes it from sustainable approaches to rock art dating.
... Mit Bezug zur Erforschung der Höhlenbären wurde die Periode der drei würmeiszeitlichen Interstadiale von Seiten der Paläontologen auch gesamthaft als Ramesch-Interglazial bezeichnet und zwischen ca. 65000 und 30000 Jahren BP angesetzt 36 . Das fand keine Aufnahme. ...
Rudolfinum- Jahrbuch des Landesmuseums für Kärnten – 2004: 65 - 107.
... Nonetheless, the correlation between the P 4 / 4 index and the radiometric scale (R 2 = 0.25) of the plotted MIS 3 cave bear sites from Europe indicates a weak interdependence between the two parameters (Fig. 4). & Rabeder, 1997; Rabeder, 1999; Rabeder et al., 2008Draxler et al., 1986; Döppes & Rabeder, 1997; Rabeder, 1999; Pacher, 2003; Rabeder et al., 2004b; Döppes et al., 2011 & Rabeder, 1997; Rabeder et al., 2008; Pacher & Stuart, 2009 19 , 1991; Rabeder, 1999; Rabeder et al., 2004b; Hofreiter et al., 2004 Table 1. Several MIS 3 European cave bear sites and their biochronological indices. ...
The most common methods used for assessing the relative age of a cave bear bone assemblage are the P4/4 index (morphodynamic index of the cave bear fourth premolar), the K-index, and the Index of Plumpness (both used for cave bear’s2nd metatarsal). Preliminary work on these indexes, for Urşilor Cave (NW Romania), has indicated one of the youngest European cave bear populations. As the number of extracted fossil bones from the palaeontological excavation increased recently, a re-assessment of the of the age of the cave bear assemblage is necessary. 206 cave bear fourth lower and upper premolars and 587 metapodials were analyzed. The P4/4 morphodynamic index, the K-index and the Index of Plumpness were calculated for the local MIS 3 cave bear bone assemblage. The results of the three indices have lower values when compared with the previously obtained for the same site and respect the subsequent radiometric ages (ca. 47-39 ky BP). However, the results for P4/4 morphodynamic index, K-index, and Index of Plumpness are of lesser relevance when used to assess the relative age of MIS 3 cave bear bone assemblages. All three methods require caution when applied and interpreted on short time intervals and on smaller geographic areas.
... Bessere Chancen zur Erhaltung von Pollen und Sporen bieten Sedimente im eingangsnahen Bereich und besonders in jenen Höhlenabschnitten, die früher von Höhlenbären frequentiert wurden, da diese Tiere für den Eintrag der Pollen hauptverantwortlich waren. Wichtige Studien dazu wurden z.B. im Toten Gebirge in der Salzofenhöhle (Draxler 1972 ) und in der Ramesch- Knochenhöhle (Draxler et al. 1986 tropisch geprägten Klima stattfanden. Kiesige Höhlensedimente weisen auf Höhlenbäche hin, während zwischengeschaltete Schluffe und Tone länger andauernde Überflutungen anzeigen. ...
This study presents a cohesive review of the existing radiometric data as well as morphological and genetic analysis of bear remains from ten high-alpine caves, mostly from the Middle Würmian Interstadial complex, roughly corresponding to the marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 and dating back between 65,000–30,000 years before present. Today these caves are located in an area without any vegetation, which could not provide the herbivorous bears with sufficient food resources. It therefore can be concluded that the Middle Würmian in the Alps had to be warmer than it is today. Furthermore, congruent and conflicting data from soil formation in loess sequences as well as sinter data in caves are discussed in more detail to evaluate this hypothesis.
Forty-seven species of birds and at least 78 mammalian taxa from caves in the extant submontane vegetational zone close to the periphery of the Middle and Late Pleistocene Alpine maximum glacial expansion are comprehensively summarized for the first time. The communities of the last glacial period show sympatries of today's boreal-tundra species with those of East European to Central Asian steppe-communities and to a lesser extent with those of temperate woodlands. Shifts in the individual species ranges during the last glacial period (Wurm Glacial) can be partly correlated with the climatic fluctuations in the Eastern Alps as they were observed sedimentologically and glaciologically. Analyses of high-resolution uppermost Plenigiacial/Late Glacial taphocoenoses (c. 14-12 ka BP) in the Styrian foothills demonstrate a distinctly greater faunal diversity and reflect more diversified vegetational biota than in the Holocene. The evidence of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic human populations within the region is outlined. The presented results provide a foundation for subsequent and comparative studies in diversity and community changes in the adjacent regions.
A short comprehensive overview of the geological development of the Eastern Alps and their foreland during the Quaternary is given. From the onset of rhythmic loess accumulation at the turn from the Gauss to the Matuyama chrons these climatic conditions continue into the lower part of the Quaternary. A frequent change of humid-warm and dry-cool climate with loess and occasional gravel accumulation can be reconstructed until the end of the Matuyama chron. Up to now, remnants of four glaciations (Günz, Mindel, Riß, Wurm) within the Eastern Alps and their foreland have been known long since. More recently, evidence for a cold period between the older two was found. The four glaciations show a complete succession of terminal moraines with terraces connected to them, as a result of a major cooling and buildup of piedmont glaciers in the foreland. These are positioned in the Brunhes chron according to paleomagnetic studies. Recent detailed investigations of benthic <5 18 0 values yielded also 4 major glaciations during this 800 ka period with a very good time control. They occurred during the Isotope stages 16, 12, 6, and 2. Because of the positioning in stages 2 and 6 due to radiometric time control on the two younger ones (Wurm, Riß), a position of Mindel and Günz in the stages 12 and 16, respectively, is very likely. This is also supported by the great time interval reported by the (5 18 0 record between Riß and Mindel, known as "Großes Interglazial" since the establishment of the system of the four glaciations. The last interglacial-glacial cycle can easily be reconstructed climatologically and by sediment development. Thus, a model for climatically induced sedimentation in the longitudinal valleys as well as the mechanism for ice distribution there has evolved, explaining some individual development within the Eastern Alps. This cycle may serve as a model for the older ones, which had very similar climatic successions, in order to understand the type of some of their deposits. A short explanation of the tectonic activity within the Eastern Alps and their surroundings, and the influence on Quaternary sediments is given. In the recent past, overdeepened valleys became increasingly important to drinking water supply, as did landslides and slope instabilities to infrastructure needs. New data are briefly discussed.
Investigation of several localities in the Eastern Alps has resulted in the recognition of the effects of the last interglacial-glacial cycle. Large volumes of sediments with high sedimentation rates, resulting from debris input to the main valleys from grasscovered slopes, characterise cool phases. During warmer periods, arboreal vegetation on the slopes was more developed, and the debris input was reduced. Under these climatic conditions, similar to those of today, plant detritus formed organic beds.The chronological succession as given by radiometric dating at several sites shows a good correlation with the well-dated profile of Grande Pile. Two major cool phases are indicated, with an intervening warm phase within the Alps, as indicated by the pollen record. Some contradictions exist in the available climatic record, which can only be resolved with data from new localities.
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