A 75,000-y-old Scandinavian Arctic cave deposit reveals past faunal diversity and paleoenvironment.

ABSTRACT: During the last glacial period (~118 to 11.7 ka), the Arctic has been characterized by a major redistribution of flora and fauna as a consequence of extreme climatic fluctuations, with associated glacial advances and retreats, sea-level changes, and shifting sea ice extent. In the high-latitude regions of Northern Europe that are currently subject to rapid climate warming, we lack a comprehensive understanding of faunal biodiversity in the last glacial period due to the extreme rarity of preserved organic remains. Here, we present a stratified sediment deposit with a diverse faunal composition preserved in a bone-bearing layer in Arne Qvamgrotta, part of the Storsteinhola cave system (68.10° N 16.38° E) in Northern Norway. Chronological analyses of sediments and bones including radiocarbon

SUBMITTER: Walker SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358836 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature