Application of Plant Wax n-alkane and GDGT-based Paleoenvironmental Proxies Derived from Archaeological Cave Sediments: A Case Study from the Middle Stone Age site of Bizmoune, Morocco

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Lipid biomarkers derived from plant waxes (n-alkanes) and the cell membranes of bacteria and archaea (GDGTs) are potentially powerful paleoenvironmental proxies in the field of archaeology given their durability and ubiquity in terrestrial sediments. We use the distributions of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) and plant wax n-alkane structural forms in conjunction with compound-specific stable isotope analysis of plant wax n-alkanes (δ13C, δD) to investigate vegetation history, environmental moisture, and temperature through time during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5/6 at the Middle Stone Age cave site of Bizmoune, located in southwestern Morocco. The use of lipid biomarkers for paleoenvironmental reconstruction is relatively new in its application to near-entrance cave sediments, particularly for GDGT-based paleotemperature proxies. Here we discuss the successes and challenges faced when applying these methods to cave mouth contexts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39410.0