Ref ID:	26708
Ref Type:	Journal Article
Authors:	Milano, Stefania Demeter, Fabrice Hublin, Jean-Jacques Duringer, Philippe Patole-Edoumba, Elise Ponche, Jean-Luc Shackelford, Laura Boesch, Quentin Nguyen, Thi Mai Houng Luu, Thi Phoung Lan Duangthongchit, Somoh Sayavonkhamdy, Thongsa
Title:	Environmental conditions framing the first evidence of modern humans at Tam Pà Ling, Laos: a stable isotope record from terrestrial gastropod carbonates
Date:	2018
Source:	Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
DOI:	10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.08.020
Notes:	Authors continued: Sichanthongtip, Phonephanh Sihanam, Daovee Souksavatdy, Viengkeo Westaway, Kira Bacon, Anne-Marie In press at time of entry
Abstract:	Mainland Southeast Asia is a key region to interpret modern human migrations however, due to a scarcity of terrestrial proxies, environmental conditions are not well understood. This study focuses on the Tam Pà Ling cave site in northeast Laos, which contains the oldest evidence for modern humans in Indochina, dating back to MIS 4 (70 ± 8 ka). Snail remains of Camaena massiei found throughout the stratigraphic sequence contain a valuable oxygen and carbon isotope record of past local vegetation and humidity changes. Our data indicate that before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), northeast Laos was characterized by a humid climate and forested environments. With the onset of the LGM, a major climatic shift occurred, inducing a sharp decrease in precipitation and a significant decline in woodland habitats in favor of the expansion to more open landscapes. Only during the Holocene did forests return in northeast Laos, resembling present conditions. The first Homo sapiens arriving in Indochina therefore encountered landscapes dominated by woodlands with a minor proportion of open habitats.
Date Created:	10/16/2018