El Cierro Cave (Level C/D)
Basic information
Sample name: El Cierro Cave (Level C/D)
Reference: E. Alvarez-Fernandez, J. Bécares, J. F. J. Pardo, A. Agirre-Uribesalgo, D. Alvarez-Alonso, M. T. Aparicio, I. Barrera-Mellado, P. Carral, R. P. Carriol, M. Cubas, M. Cueto, K. Douka, M. Elorza, M. J. Fernândez-Gómez, S. Gabriel, N. García-Ibaibarriaga, M. J. Iriarte-Chiapusso, C. Llave, A. Maestro, S. Martín-Jarque, R. Portero, Suârez-Bilbao, Tarriño, and Teira. 2020. Palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of human occupations at El Cierro cave (northern Spain) during the transition from the late Upper Pleistocene to the early Holocene. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 29:102138 [ER 3797]
Geography
Country: Spain
State: Asturias
Coordinate: 43° 27' 26" N, 5° 6' 20" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3797
Unit number: 3
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.01319
Min Ma: 0.0126
Age basis: radiocarbon (calibrated)
Geography comments: "El Cierro Cave (Fresnu, Ribadesella, Asturias) is located in the north-central region of Iberia, at 83 m above sea level, about 2 km from the coast and 3.5 km from the mouth of the River Sella".
"A total of eight AMS radiocarbon dates have been obtained from the transitional levels at El Cierro". The five dates from Levels C-D range from 13,190 to 12,600 cal. BP.
"A total of eight AMS radiocarbon dates have been obtained from the transitional levels at El Cierro". The five dates from Levels C-D range from 13,190 to 12,600 cal. BP.
Environment
Lithology: claystone
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,cave,human accumulation,midden
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "Levels D, C and B of El Cierro represent shell-midden deposits. Level C is a whitish shell-midden, with abundant osseous remains of vertebrates and invertebrate shells joined by calcium carbonate with zones containing very little matrix and others where it is more abundant. Level D is a carbonated deposit that laterally displays dark detritic material cemented with carbonates".
"A total of 104 lithic remains has been recorded; 85 in the Azilian (Levels C-D) and 19 in the Mesolithic period (Level B). The assemblage is primarily human accumulated, with the small vertebrate remains having derived through natural deaths or by predation and deposition by owls or diurnal birds of prey".
"A total of 104 lithic remains has been recorded; 85 in the Azilian (Levels C-D) and 19 in the Mesolithic period (Level B). The assemblage is primarily human accumulated, with the small vertebrate remains having derived through natural deaths or by predation and deposition by owls or diurnal birds of prey".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,ungulates,birds,fishes,crustaceans,clams,snails,other invertebrates
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 6566 specimens
Years: 1977 - 1979, 2014 - 2016
Sampling comments: "Current research restarted in 2014 to study the remains found in the 1970s, and re-sample the "shell-midden" deposits (Levels D, C and B). The fauna and archaeological materials surveyed includes both those excavated between 1977 and 1979, and from the 2014 to 2016 fieldwork".
"The volume sampled for the Azilian Level C/D was c. 2,500 cm3 in the latter seasons. As the levels were rich in carbonates, the concretion containing the remains was broken up and the sediment was floated in water and then sieved through screens down to a 0.4 mm mesh size".
"The volume sampled for the Azilian Level C/D was c. 2,500 cm3 in the latter seasons. As the levels were rich in carbonates, the concretion containing the remains was broken up and the sediment was floated in water and then sieved through screens down to a 0.4 mm mesh size".
Metadata
Sample number: 4132
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-27 11:54:24
Modified: 2023-04-28 03:28:59
Abundance distribution
34 species
8 singletons
total count 6566
geometric series index: 56.1
Fisher's α: 4.693
geometric series k: 0.7687
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.1912
Shannon's H: 0.5246
Good's u: 0.9988
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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| Cervus elaphus | 37 | 142 kg browser-grazer |
| Capreolus capreolus | 3 | 22 kg browser |
| Capra pyrenaica | 6 | |
| Equus ferus | 2 | 422 kg |
| Microtus agrestis | 2 | |
| Microtus arvalis | 2 | |
| Arvicola amphibius | 1 | |
| Passeriformes indet. | 5 | |
| Salmonidae indet. | 3 | |
| Anguilla anguilla | 1 | |
| 2 Fish indet. | ||
| Patella vulgata | 86 | |
| Patella depressa | 5 | |
| Patella ulyssiponensis | 5 | |
| also 125 Patella sp. | ||
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| Gibbula sp. | 1 | |
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| Balanus crenatus | 16 | |
| Semibalanus balanoides | 4 | |
| Paracentrotus lividus | 5892 | |
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| Menkia horsti | 1 | |
| Iberozospeum schaufussi | 2 | |
| "Zospeum schaufussi" | ||
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| Cochlicopa lubricella | 1 | |
| Cryptazeca monodonta | 1 | |
| Lauria cylindracea | 1 | |
| Clausilia bidentata | 8 | |
| Discus rotundatus | 2 | |
| Vitrea contracta | 5 | |
| Zonites sp. | 9 | |
| Oestophorella buvinieri | 20 | |
| Helicella itala | 32 | |
| Cepaea nemoralis | 12 | |