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In their comment, Oviatt et al. (this issue) criticize and dismiss our recent paper (Nishizawa et al., 2013) by arguing that it contains misinterpretations and unreliable radiocarbon ages, and therefore that our findings will confuse many people trying to understand the lacustrine chronology of the Bonneville basin. Their comment, however, does not present evidence to substantiate their criticisms against our paper. Oviatt et al. attribute statements to the paper that are not found in it, and their attempt to re-graph the radiocarbon ages omits 13% of our data. Numeric ages that Oviatt et al. contend are conflicting either are not or are not as problematic as those commenters claim. Comparisons of our lake-interval interpretations with sediment-core data likewise do not show the contradictions that Oviatt et al. claim. In essence, Oviatt et al. seem to advocate complete dismissal of all of our numeric ages and lake-size interpretations regarding MIS 3 on the basis of one tufa age. The following sections identify the incorrect information presented in the comment by Oviatt et al., review the complete set of numeric ages for the contested intervals, and respond to the implication that our late colleague, mentor, and coauthor, Donald R. Currey, did not actively participate in this research.

This paper presents first a discussion on the status of the subdivisions of the European Neogene mammal chronology and second, it synthesizes all available magnetostratigraphic data from Europe to provide chronological framework for mammal localities, mammalian events and mammalian biochronologic units of the European Neogene. Because of the lack of their rock equivalents, the subdivisions of the European Neogene, based on mammals, have not attained the stage status in terms of reliability, except the Vallesian and Turolian. Therefore they are designated as the European Land Mammal Ages (ELMA). Magnetostratigraphic data on mammal-bearing deposits in Europe is still scarce in time and space; consequently, it is not yet possible to correlate accurately all ELMA and MN zones with the geomagnetic polarity time-scale (GPTS). Nevertheless, several studies dealing with mammal localities (and their deposits) around the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, in the middle and late Miocene provide reliable correlations of some ELMA and MN zone boundaries. Thus, the calibration of the Oligocene/Miocene boundary at the base of Chron C6Cn.2n is in agreement with its age in marine deposits. The well-known Hipparion Datum (Astaracian/Vallesian boundary) is now dated as about 10.8 Ma, occurring slightly above the base of Chron C5n.2n. This paper also reviews magnetostratigraphic correlations of some late Miocene and Pliocene mammal localities in the Paratethys area. Taking into account the chronological assessments in other parts of Europe for some key mammalian events, new correlations with the GPTS have been proposed for these localities. Thus some new ages are suggested for the late Miocene and Pliocene Paratethys stages.

The early Paleogene continental sequence of northwestern Wyoming and south central Montana (USA) and the Neogene Siwalik sequence of northern Pakistan are exceptionally long, fossiliferous, and well studied in terms of geology, paleontology, mammalian evolution, paleoecology, and paleoclimatology. Each record spans about 15 myr of alluvial deposition in a foreland basin. The fluvial systems differed in size, drainage of floodplains, and change in alluvial architecture through time. Both sequences preserved abundant paleosols, which are a source of paleoclimatic signals in stable isotopes from soil carbonates. Fossil collections from both records are dominated by vertebrate remains and especially by mammals; the Paleogene sequence also preserved abundant floral remains. Patterns of vertebrate preservation differed markedly between the two sequences, placing inherent limitations on paleoecological reconstruction and on the scope of evolutionary studies of mammalian lincages. In this introductory paper, we summarize the major similarities and differences in geologic setting, chronology and time resolution, and mammalian faunal composition of these two long sequences. Finally, we present a brief overview of the organization of papers in this special issue.

Bosken et al. (2017) aimed at contributing to the environmental variability of the Gravettian population in ‘southeastern’ Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) with an interdisciplinary study at the Upper Palaeolithic site Sagvar Lyukas Hill (Hungary). However, the classification of the site as Gravettian is erroneous because the LGM archaeological record of eastern central Europe is composed of findings of another culture, the Epigravettian. This short comment on the paper of Bosken et al. (2017) presents the archaeological chronology between 34 and 16 kyr BP with a focus on the Gravettian–Epigravettian dichotomy.

This paper presents pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating on Crocuta coprolites from Las Ventanas (LV) and Carihuela (Car) Caves in southern Spain (Granada), with the aim of reconstructing the environmental conditions of these hominin sites. The LV coprolites are radiocarbon dated from c. 37,890 to 6980 cal yr BP, and the Car coprolites from c. 31,063 to 7861 cal yr BP. Overall, the palaeoecological scenario inferred from both coprolite series display similar patterns, with Pinus, Poaceae, and Artemisia as dominant during the full Pleistocene, and an important contribution of Quercus in the most recently dated coprolite samples. While the palynology is consistent with results of former investigations on the past environments in the region as obtained from other deposits (peat bogs, cave infills), the Late Glacial and Holocene chronology of several coprolites in both sites is in conflict with the generally accepted timing of extinction of Crocuta in western Europe. A discussion on the taphonomical processes and potential sources of carbon contamination of the radiocarbon samples is provided. The correlation between pollen from coprolites and from sedimentary records, and the paucity of the fossil bone record suggests nevertheless, that a late survival of Crocuta in southern Spain should not be categorically discarded.

Stratigraphic descriptions and radiocarbon data from eleven field locations are presented in this paper to establish a chronostratigraphic framework for offshore to nearshore deposits of Lake Bonneville. Based on key marker beds and geomorphic position, the deposits are interpreted to have accumulated during the period from the late transgressive phase, through the overflowing phase, into the regressive phase of the lake. Radiocarbon ages of sediments associated with the Provo shoreline indicate that Lake Bonneville dropped rapidly from the Provo shoreline at about 12,600 14C yr BP (15,000 cal yr B.P.). The presence of one or more sand beds in the upper part of the Provo-aged marl indicates rapid lowering of lake level or storm events at the end of the Provo episode. An accurate understanding of the timing and nature of Lake Bonneville's climate-driven regression from the Provo shoreline is critical to correlations with records of regional and hemispheric climate change. The rapid descent of the lake from the Provo shoreline correlates with the decline of Lakes Lahontan and Estancia, and with the onset of the B O lling–Aller O d warming event.

Long-term high-resolution climate proxies are essential for understanding climate variability on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), where few long-term climate records are available. In this paper, we describe a summer (August) temperature reconstruction over the period 1385-2002 based on a tree-ring width chronology of Balfour spruce (Picea likiangensis var. balfouriana) on the southeastern TP created using the Regional Curve Standardization method. The reconstruction explains 44.7% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period (1962-2002), and captures temperature variability over a broad region of the TP. Warmer than average Augusts were found during the periods 1446-1494, 1509-1522, 1553-1567, 1797-1812, 1845-1905 and 1918-2002. Cooler than average Augusts occurred from 1385-1416, 1426-1445, 1495-1508, 1523-1552, 1568-1686, 1695-1718, 1725-1796, 1813-1844 and 1906-1917. A warming trend in the 20th century was unprecedented during the past six centuries. The reconstruction closely matched other tree-ring summer temperature reconstructions from neighboring regions, as well as patterns from ice-core delta(18)O data, and fluctuated in synchrony with Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstructions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impressive Pleistocene coastal aeolianite exposures in sea cliffs east of Still Bay on the west–southern coast of South Africa host a rich archive of fossil mammalian trackways, including the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Neither the ichnofossils nor their host sediments have been described in any detail and chronologies remained uncertain. This paper presents a new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and amino acid racemisation (AAR) chronology (the first joint application of OSL/AAR dating in South Africa). This provides a temporal framework for assessing the palaeoenvironmental significance of dune sedimentation patterns, pedogenesis and ichnology. The Pleistocene aeolianite exposures at Still Bay represent the recently eroded remnants of a dune cordon, mainly built by coalesced parabolic dune systems. Sedimentary facies are dominated by large-scale planar cross-stratification formed by foreset progradation in the nose and trailing arms of the dunes and low-angle bedding, chiefly representing sedimentation in low relief interdune terrain. The main dune building wind regime was westerly, associated with cyclonic polar frontal systems (as at the present time). The OSL and AAR dating demonstrate ages ranging from MIS 5e to 5b and termination of Pleistocene aeolian sedimentation at ∼ 90 ka. The Pleistocene aeolianite is separated from the overlying Holocene dunes (dated to ∼ 8 ka), by a major hiatus recorded by a horizon of intense pedogenesis. Elephant footprints were seen in profile, as casts on the underside of beds and as natural impressions. The taphonomic processes controlling the morphology and preservation of these unique ichnofossils were found to be complex. The presence of Loxodonta africana at Still Bay represents the southernmost occurrence of this species recorded to date and possibly, a closer proximity of woodland during MIS 5. This and other observations may indicate a higher moisture regime than at present. There is no available evidence that the elephants were predated by contemporary Middle Stone Age people.

Comprehensive field investigations and laboratory analyses show that palaeolakes, including the Megalake Tengger, and other semi-connected and isolated water bodies, during late Pleistocene covered an area of more than 20,000 km 2 . This is an area more than half the size of the Tengger Desert in NW China. Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence indicate that the palaeolakes started to develop around 42,000 14 C year BP (uncalibrated, all throughout the paper) but their extent was limited until 37,000 14 C year BP. Based on the chronology of representative lacustrine deposits, it can be deduced that the Megalake Tengger was established around 35,000 14 C year BP and maintained until 22,000 14 C year BP, leading to the formation of the Baijian Hu terraces, which are regarded as firm evidence of the existence of palaeolakes. The formation mechanism is unclear and the climate situation at the time is still an open question. The Holocene palaeolakes started to develop around 12,000 14 C year BP. The Baijian Hu terraces indicate that the high water levels in the area occurred around 8500, 5400–5100, 3500, and 1860–1370 14 C year BP. The extent of the Holocene palaeolakes, primarily migratory lakes, was smaller than that of the Late Pleistocene palaeolakes. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Late Cenozoic Eurasian mammal biochronology has achieved a new and higher level of resolution. This has been accomplished by correlation of Eurasian mammal biochronology with an independent time frame, the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS). The result is a tentative calibration for MN zones and their boundaries for the late Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene; spanning MN zones 8 through 17 (Vallesian through Villanyian-Villafranchian), an interval of about 10 my (2 to 12 Ma, more or less). An overview of papers presented in this special issue is organized under the following headings: Paleomagnetism and Biochronology in Spain, Chronologic Resolution of Eurasian Mammal Chronology, and Late Cenozoic Mammal Chronology in Asia (excluding the Siwaliks sequence of southern Asia). The chronologic framework presented in this issue should serve as a reliable temporal setting for late Cenozoic mammal evolution in Europe and Asia; it is not the last word in Eurasian late Cenozoic mammal biochronology, but must be tested and revised as our knowledge advances.

Long instrumental or proxy climatic records are scarce for the Southern Hemisphere relative to many northern regions, but are essential for a global perspective of past climate variability. In this paper we describe two tree-ring width chronologies of pink pine which are the first published for Stewart Island, New Zealand (47°S, 168°E), one of the southernmost forested land masses on the globe. A chronology for western-central Stewart Island (Doughboy-Rakeahua) extends from 1682 to 1990; the other, for southern Stewart Island (Pegasus) from 1690 to 1991. Both series are positively correlated with warm-season surface air temperatures for southern New Zealand and vicinity. Although there are shorter intervals of comparable warmth, the highest 20-year periods of growth during the past 300 years occurred during the middle 1950s–1970s, coinciding with record warming since around 1950 in New Zealand. Chronologies developed from two related species: silver pine ( Lagarostrobus colensoi ) from Ahaura, western South Island, New Zealand, and huon pine ( Lagarostrobus franklinii ) from Tasmania also indicate recent warming which is unusual, although not statistically unprecedented, within the contexts of the past 642 and 2290 years of record, respectively.

Recent drilling eventually reached to the base of the sediments of Lynch's Crater on the Atherton Tableland within the humid tropics of north-eastern Australia. This paper incorporates results from the sequence extension into a complete record from the site, much of which has only been presented previously in summary form. A more certain chronology for the record is provided by recent radiocarbon dating on the topmost sediments and the application of time series analysis to the whole sequence. This suggests that the vegetation and climate are forced essentially by northern hemisphere insolation and ice volume, probably operating through sea level and sea surface temperature changes. The extended record is considered to cover the last 230,000 years and the pattern of complex rainforest expansion during wetter interglacial periods and its replacement by drier rainforest and sclerophyll vegetation during drier glacials is maintained. Superimposed on this cyclicity are trends resulting from both the evolution of the lake basin as well as external influences that include climate and, within the last 45,000 years, people.

DSDP Leg 73 was successful in determining magnetostratigraphic—biostratigraphic correlations throughout much of the Paleogene. This paper treats three aspects of the data analysis. The first section treats the development of a chron nomenclature which facilitates the precise correlation of arbitrary events with respect to the geomagnetic polarity history. The second section analyzes the accuracy of radiometric dates for the Paleogene. The conclusion is that despite the recent advances in radiochronology ‘South Atlantic Standard’ remains the most convenient and probably the most reliable chronological standard. The final section studies the correlation in sedimentation rates between the Umbrian and South Atlantic sites. The conclusion is that sedimentation rate changes determined from magnetostratigraphy provide a high-resolution source of paleoenvironmental information. Strong correlations are noted between sites and with respect to other paleo-environmental studies involving oxygen isotope ratios, biogeography and CCD fluctuations within the Paleogene marine sediments.

The Kashmir valley, located in the northwestern Himalayas, provides an intermontane valley fill comprising unconsolidated fluvio-lacustrine sediments of more than a km thickness, datable at ∼ 4 myr. These sediments have been investigated for the last 7 years under an interdisciplinary multi-agency project using a variety of proxy climatic data techniques and other analyses to decipher climatic change. As a result of this study, a variety of proxy climatic data from a long continental record is available now from northernmost South Asia. In this paper we briefly review the lithostratigraphic and chronologic framework of the sediment profile and proxy climatic data based on flora, fauna, stable isotopes, pedology, mineral magnetics and sedimentology. Lastly, the climatic events are put in an absolute time-frame for comparison with the global climatic trends. The chronology is based on 14C, thermoluminescence (TL), palaeomagnetic and fission-track techniques.