Older Dryas 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Jump to: navigation, search 

The Older Dryas was a stadial period between the Bølling and Allerød 
oscillations during the Pleistocene glacial period of ~11,700—12,000 
uncalibrated years ago.[1] It is named after an indicator genus, the alpine/tundra 
plant Dryas, which flourished during that period of time. 

It was a variable cold, dry Blytt-Sernander period, observed in climatological 
evidence in only some regions, depending on latitude (in regions where it is not 
observed, the Bølling-Allerød is considered a single interstadial period). 
Evidence of the Older Dryas is strongest in northern Eurasia, particularly part 
of North Europe roughly equivalent to Pollen zone Ic. 
Contents 
[hide] 

1 Dates 

2 Description 

3 Flora 

4 Fauna 

5 Humans 

6 See also 

7 External links 

8 References  

[edit] Dates 

In the Greenland oxygen isotope record, the Older Dryas appears as a downward 
peak establishing a small, low-intensity gap between the Bølling and the Allerød. 
This configuration presents a difficulty in estimating its time, as it is more 
of a point than a segment. But which point, and how long a segment should be 
assigned? The segment is small enough to escape the resolution of most C-14 
series; i.e., the points are not close enough together to find it.[2] 

One approach to the problem assigns a point and then picks an arbitrary segment. 
You might read that the Older Dryas is "centered" near 14,100 BP or is 100 to 
150 years in duration "at" 14,250 BP. 

A second approach finds C-14 or other dates as close to the end of the Bølling 
and the beginning of the Allerød as possible and selects end points based on 
them. This type of date is of the form, for example, 12,000-11,800 C-14 BP 
uncalibrated, 14,000-13,700 BP cal. 

The best approach attempts to include the Older Dryas in a sequence of points as 
close together as possible (high resolution), or within a known event. For 
example, pollen from the island of Hokkaidō in Japan records a Larix pollen peak 
and matching sphagnum decline at 12,400-11,800 uncal., 14,600-13700 BP cal. In 
the White Sea a cooling occurred at 14,700-13,400/13,000, which resulted in a 
readvance of the glacier in the initial Allerød. In Canada, the Shulie Lake 
phase (a readvance) is dated to 14,000-13,500 BP. On the other hand, varve 
chronology in southern Sweden indicates a range of 14,050-13,900 there.[3] 

Capturing the Older Dryas through high resolution dating continues to be of 
concern to researchers in climatology. 

[edit] Description 

Northern Europe offered an alternation of steppe and tundra environments 
depending on the permafrost line and the latitude. In moister regions around 
lakes and streams were thickets of dwarf birch, willow, sea buckthorn, and 
juniper. In the river valleys and uplands to the south were open birch forests. 

The first trees, birch and pine, had spread into north Europe 500 years 
previously. During the Older Dryas, the glacier advanced again and the trees 
retreated southward, to be replaced by a mixture of grassland and cool-weather 
alpine species. This type of biome has been called “Park Tundra”, “Arctic tundra”, 
“Arctic pioneer vegetation” or “birch woodlands.” It exists today in the 
transition between taiga and tundra in Siberia. Then it stretched from Siberia 
to Britain in a more or less unbroken expanse. 

To the northwest was the Baltic ice lake, which was truncated by the edge of the 
glacier. Species had access to Denmark and southern Sweden. Most of Finland and 
the Baltic countries were under the ice or the lake for most of the period. 
Northern Scandinavia was glaciated. Between Britain and the mainland were 
rolling hills prolifically populated with animals. Thousands of specimens, 
hundreds of tons of bones, have been recovered from the bottom of the North Sea, 
termed “doggerland”, and continue to be recovered. 

The brief lists of plants and animals stated below are a fraction of the total 
number of species found for the period. Most families were more diverse than 
they are today, and were yet more so in the last interglacial. A great 
extinction, especially of mammals, continued throughout the end of the 
Pleistocene, and may be continuing today. 

[edit] Flora 

Older Dryas species are usually found in sediment below the bottom layer of the 
bog. Indicator species are the Alpine plants: 

Betula pubescens or Downy birch (Central Europe); 

Pinaceae or pine family (Poland); 

Dryas octopetala, or dryas; 

Salix herbacea, or dwarf willow; 

Oxyria digyna, or mountain sorrel. 

Grasslands species are: 

Artemisia, sagebrush or wormwood; 

Ephedra, or joint-fir. 

Hippophae 

[edit] Fauna 

A well-stocked biozone prevailed on the Arctic plains and thickets of the late 
Pleistocene. Plains mammals were most predominant. 

Artiodactyls: 

Bison priscus, the steppe wisent or steppe bison 

Rangifer tarandus, the reindeer or caribou 

Megaloceros giganteus, the Irish elk 

Alces alces, the elk 

Cervus elaphus, the red deer 

Ovibos moschatus, the musk ox 

Saiga tatarica, the saiga 

Perissodactyls: 

Equus ferus, the wild horse. Many authors refer to it as Equus caballus, but the 
latter term is most correctly reserved for the domestic horse. Ferus is presumed 
to be one or more ancestral or related stocks to caballus and has been described 
as "caballine". 

Coelodonta antiquitatis, woolly rhinoceros 

Proboscidea: 

Mammuthus primigenius, the wooly mammoth 

So much meat on the hoof must have supported large numbers of Carnivora, such as: 

Ursidae: 

Ursus arctos, the brown bear 

Ursus spelaeus, the cave bear 

Hyaenidae: 

Crocuta crocuta, the spotted hyena 

Felidae: 

Panthera spelaea, the cave lion 

Canidae: 

Canis lupus, the wolf 

Alopex lagopus, the arctic fox 

Mustelidae: 

Gulo gulo, the wolverine 

The sea also had its share of carnivores, which due to their maritime location, 
survived until modern times. Phocidae: 

Pagophilus groenlandica, the harp seal 

Pusa hispida, the ringed seal 

Odobenidae: 

Odobenus rosmarus, the walrus 

Of the Cetacean Odontoceti, the Monodontidae: 

Delphinapterus leucas, the beluga 

Delphinidae: 

Orcinus orca, the killer whale 

Of the Mysticetian Eschrichtiidae: 

Eschrictius robustus, the gray whale 

The top of the food chain was supported by larger numbers of smaller animals 
farther down it, which lived in the herbaceous blanket covering the tundra or 
steppe and helped maintain it by carrying seeds, manuring and aerating it. 

Leporidae: 

Lepus tanaiticus, the hare 

Ochotonidae: 

Ochotona spelaeus, the pika 

Cricetidae: 

Lemmus obensis, Siberian lemming 

Dicrostonix, collared lemming 

Lagurus lagurus, steppe lemming 

Microtus gregalis, narrow-headed vole 

Arvicola terrestris. Water vole 

Sciuridae: 

Spermophilus, ground squirrel 

Dipodidae: 

Allactaga jaculus, the jerboa 

[edit] Humans 

Eurasia was populated by Homo sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnon man) in the late Upper 
Paleolithic stage of tool development. Bands of humans survived by hunting the 
plains mammals. In north Europe they preferred reindeer; in Ukraine—the wooly 
mammoth. They sheltered in huts and manufactured tools around campfires. 
Ukrainian shelters were supported by mammoth tusks. Man was already established 
across Siberia and in North America.[4] 

Man did not hunt alone. Two domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, have been found in 
late Pleistocene Ukraine. They were a heavy breed similar to a Great Dane, 
perhaps of use in running down Elephantidae. The large number of mammoth bones 
at campsites make it clear that even then the Elephantidae in Europe were 
approaching the limit of their duration. Their bones were used for many purposes, 
not the least interesting of which are the numerous objects of art, including an 
engraved star map. 

Late upper palaeolithic culture was by no means uniform. A large number of local 
traditions have been defined. The Hamburgian culture had occupied the lowlands 
and north Germany before the Older Dryas. During the Older Dryas, 
contemporaneous with the Havelte Group of the late Hamburgian, the Federmesser 
culture appeared and occupied Denmark and south Sweden, following the reindeer. 
South of the Hamburgian was the Magdalenian, which at that time was long-standing. 
In Ukraine was the Molodovan, which used tusks in building shelters. 

[edit] See also 

Younger Dryas 

Oldest Dryas 

[edit] External links 

Stone Age (Archived 2009-11-01) 

Mammoth Camp 

The Earliest Settlement of Denmark 

Late Glacial - Early Holocene Vegetation 

Europe During the Last 150,000 Years 

Late Glacial Palaeoenvironments at Hijkermeer, Drenthe 

Lateglacial hunter-gatherer colonization of southern Scandinavia 

[edit] References 

^ Curriculum: University of Arizona, Department of Palynology, References to 
Axel Blytt, Rutger Sernander, Gerard DeGeer, and Lenart Von Post.[1] 

^ Perry, Charles A., Hsu, Kenneth A.; Geophysical, archaeological, and 
historical evidence support a solar-output model for climate change. Section: 
Model Timeline Calibration, Procedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

^ Edwige Pons-Branchu, Climatic control on speleothems growth. High precision U/Th 
dating of speleothems from South and East of France. 

^ http://www.palaeolithic.dk/books/JAS_39/excerpt.pdf Eriksen, Berit Valentin; 
Reconsidering the geochronological framework of Lateglacial hunter-gatherer 
colonization of southern Scandinavia. 
[show] 

v 

t 

e 

Geologic history of Earth  
[show] Precambrian (4.57 Gya – 542 Mya)  
In left column are eons; right column: bold are eras; not bold are periods:  
Hadean
(4.57 – 4 Gya) (informal)  
Archean
(4 – 2.5 Gya) Eoarchean (4 – 3.6 Gya)
Paleoarchean (3.6 – 3.2 Gya)
Mesoarchean (3.2 – 2.8 Gya)
Neoarchean (2.8 – 2.5 Gya)  
Proterozoic
(2.5 Gya – 542 Mya) Paleoproterozoic (2.5 – 1.6 Gya): Siderian (2.5 – 2.3 Gya) · 
Rhyacian (2.3 – 2.05 Gya) · Orosirian (2.05 – 1.8 Gya) · Statherian (1.8 – 1.6 
Gya)
Mesoproterozoic (1.6 – 1 Gya): Calymmian (1.6 – 1.4 Gya) · Ectasian (1.4 – 1.2 
Gya) · Stenian (1.2 – 1 Gya)
Neoproterozoic (1 Gya – 542 Mya): Tonian (1 Gya – 850 Mya) · Cryogenian (850 – 
635 Mya) · Ediacaran (635 – 542 Mya)  
Mya = millions years ago. Gya = billions years ago.  
[hide] Phanerozoic (542 – 0 Mya)  
In horizontal bars are eras; in left column are periods; right column: bold are 
epochs; not bold not italic are ages; italic are chrons:  
[show] Paleozoic (542 – 251 Mya)  
Cambrian
(542 – 488.3 Mya)  
Terreneuvian (542 – 521 Mya) (de): Fortunian (542 – 528 Mya) (de) · Age 2* (528 
– 521 Mya)
Epoch 2* (521 – 510 Mya): Age 3* (521 – 515 Mya) · Age 4* (515 – 510 Mya)
Epoch 3* (510 – 499 Mya): Age 5* (510 – 506.5 Mya) · Drumian (506.5 – 503 Mya) (de) 
· Guzhangian (503 – 499 Mya) (de)
Furongian (499 – 488.3 Mya): Paibian (499 – 496 Mya) · Jiangshanian (496 – 492 
Mya) (de) · Age 10* (492 – 488.3 Mya)  
Ordovician
(488.3 – 443.7 Mya)  
Early Ordovician (488.3 – 471.8 Mya): Tremadocian (488.3 – 478.6 Mya) · Floian (478.6 
– 471.8 Mya)
Middle Ordovician (471.8 – 460.9 Mya): Dapingian (471.8 – 468.1 Mya) · 
Darriwilian (468.1 – 460.9 Mya)
Late Ordovician (460.9 – 443.7 Mya): Sandbian (460.9 – 455.8 Mya) · Katian (455.8 
– 445.6 Mya) · Hirnantian (445.6 – 443.7 Mya)  
Silurian
(443.7 – 416 Mya)  
Llandovery (443.7 – 428.2 Mya): Rhuddanian (443.7 – 439 Mya) · Aeronian (439 – 
436 Mya) · Telychian (436 – 428.2 Mya)
Wenlock (428.2 – 422.9 Mya): Sheinwoodian (428.2 – 426.2 Mya) · Homerian (426.2 
– 422.9 Mya)
Ludlow (422.9 – 418.7 Mya): Gorstian (422.9 – 421.3 Mya) · Ludfordian (421.3 – 
418.7 Mya)
Pridoli (418.7 – 416 Mya)  
Devonian
(416 – 359.2 Mya)  
Early Devonian (416 – 397.5 Mya): Lochkovian (416 – 411.2 Mya) · Pragian (411.2 
– 407 Mya) · Emsian (407 – 397.5 Mya)
Middle Devonian (397.5 – 385.3 Mya): Eifelian (397.5 – 391.8 Mya) · Givetian (391.8 
– 385.3 Mya)
Late Devonian (385.3 – 359.2 Mya): Frasnian (385.3 – 374.5 Mya) · Famennian (374.5 
– 359.2 Mya)  
Carboniferous
(359.2 – 299 Mya)  
Mississippian (359.2 – 318.1 Mya): Tournaisian / Early Mississippian (359.2 – 
345.3 Mya) · Viséan / Middle Mississippian (345.3 – 328.3 Mya) · Serpukhovian / 
Late Mississippian (328.3 – 318.1 Mya)
Pennsylvanian (318.1 – 299 Mya): Bashkirian / Early Pennsylvanian (318.1 – 311.7 
Mya) · Moscovian / Middle Pennsylvanian (311.7 – 307.2 Mya) · Late Pennsylvanian 
(307.2 – 299 Mya): Kasimovian (307.2 – 303.4 Mya) · Gzhelian (303.4 – 299 Mya)  
Permian
(299 – 251 Mya)  
Cisuralian (299 – 270.6 Mya): Asselian (299 – 294.6 Mya) · Sakmarian (294.6 – 
284.4 Mya) · Artinskian (284.4 – 275.6 Mya) · Kungurian (275.6 – 270.6 Mya)
Guadalupian (270.6 – 260.4 Mya): Roadian (270.6 – 268 Mya) · Wordian (268 – 265.8 
Mya) · Capitanian (265.8 – 260.4 Mya)
Lopingian (260.4 – 251 Mya): Wuchiapingian (260.4 – 253.8 Mya) · Changhsingian (253.8 
– 251 Mya)  
[show] Mesozoic (251 – 65.5 Mya)  
Triassic
(251 – 199.6 Mya)  
Early Triassic (251 – 245.9 Mya): Induan (251 – 249.5 Mya) · Olenekian (249.5 – 
245.9 Mya)
Middle Triassic (245.9 – 228.7 Mya): Anisian (245.9 – 237 Mya) · Ladinian (237 – 
228.7 Mya)
Late Triassic (228.7 – 199.6 Mya): Carnian (228.7 – 216.5 Mya) · Norian (216.5 – 
203.6 Mya) · Rhaetian (203.6 – 199.6 Mya)  
Jurassic
(199.6 – 145.5 Mya)  
Early Jurassic (199.6 – 175.6 Mya): Hettangian (199.6 – 196.5 Mya) · Sinemurian 
(196.5 – 189.6 Mya) · Pliensbachian (189.6 – 183 Mya) · Toarcian (183 – 175.6 
Mya)
Middle Jurassic (175.6 – 161.2 Mya): Aalenian (175.6 – 171.6 Mya) · Bajocian (171.6 
– 167.7 Mya) · Bathonian (167.7 – 164.7 Mya) · Callovian (164.7 – 161.2 Mya)
Late Jurassic (161.2 – 145.5 Mya): Oxfordian (161.2 – 155.6 Mya) · Kimmeridgian 
(155.6 – 150.8 Mya) · Tithonian (150.8 – 145.5 Mya)  
Cretaceous
(145.5 – 65.5 Mya)  
Early Cretaceous (145.5 – 99.6 Mya): Berriasian (145.5 – 140.2 Mya) · 
Valanginian (140.2 – 133.9 Mya) · Hauterivian (133.9 – 130 Mya) · Barremian (130 
– 125 Mya) · Aptian (125 – 112 Mya) · Albian (112 – 99.6 Mya)
Late Cretaceous (99.6 – 65.5 Mya): Cenomanian (99.6 – 93.6 Mya) · Turonian (93.6 
– 88.6 Mya) · Coniacian (88.6 – 85.8 Mya) · Santonian (85.8 – 83.5 Mya) · 
Campanian (83.5 – 70.6 Mya) · Maastrichtian (70.6 – 65.5 Mya)  
[hide] Cenozoic (65.5 – 0 Mya)  
Paleogene, Neogene and early Pleistocene comprise former Tertiary* (65.5 – 1.8 
Mya) period. Gelasian and Calabrian comprise Early Pleistocene (2.588 Mya – 781 
kya) subepoch.  
Paleogene
(65.5 – 23.03 Mya)  
Paleocene (65.5 – 55.8 Mya): Danian (65.5 – 61.1 Mya) · Selandian (61.1 – 58.7 
Mya) · Thanetian (58.7 – 55.8 Mya)
Eocene (55.8 – 33.9 Mya): Ypresian (55.8 – 48.6 Mya) · Lutetian (48.6 – 40.4 Mya) 
· Bartonian (40.4 – 37.2 Mya) · Priabonian (37.2 – 33.9 Mya)
Oligocene (33.9 – 23.03 Mya): Rupelian (33.9 – 28.4 Mya) · Chattian (28.4 – 23.03 
Mya)  
Neogene
(23.03 – 2.588 Mya)  
Miocene (23.03 – 5.332 Mya): Aquitanian (23.03 – 20.43 Mya) · Burdigalian (20.43 
– 15.97 Mya) · Langhian (15.97 – 13.82 Mya) · Serravallian (13.82 – 11.608 Mya) 
· Tortonian (11.608 – 7.246 Mya) · Messinian (7.246 – 5.332 Mya)
Pliocene (5.332 – 2.588 Mya): Piacenzian (5.332 – 3.6 Mya) · Zanclean (3.6 – 2.588 
Mya)  
Quaternary
(2.588 – 0 Mya)  
Pleistocene (2.588 Mya – 11.4 kya): Gelasian (2.588 – 1.806 Mya) · Calabrian (1.806 
Mya – 781 kya) · Middle Pleistocene / Ionian (781 – 126 kya) · Late Pleistocene 
/ Tarantian (126 – 11.4 kya): Oldest Dryas* (18 – 14.67 kya) · Bølling* (14.67 – 
14 kya) · Older Dryas* (14 – 13.7 kya) · Allerød* (13.7 – 12.8 kya) · Younger 
Dryas* (12.8 – 11.4 kya)
Holocene (11.4 – 0 kya): Preboreal* (11.4 – 9 kya) · Boreal* (9 – 8 kya) · 
Atlantic* (8 – 5 kya) · Subboreal* (5 – 2.5 kya) · Subatlantic* (2.5 – 0 kya)  
kya = thousands years ago. Mya = millions years ago. * Not officially recognized 
by the I.C.S.  
Source: International Stratigraphic Chart. International Commission on 
Stratigraphy. Retrieved 8 February 2008.  

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Older_Dryas&oldid=472696711" 

Categories: 

Archaeological cultures

Chronology

Climate history

Holocene

Paleoclimatology

Palynology

Blytt-Sernander 

Personal tools 

Log in / create account 

Namespaces 

Article 

Talk 

Variants 

Views 

Read 

Edit 

Actions 

View history 

Search 

Navigation 

Main page 

Contents 

Featured content 

Current events 

Random article 

Donate to Wikipedia 

Interaction 

Help 

About Wikipedia 

Community portal 

Recent changes 

Contact Wikipedia 

Toolbox 

What links here 

Related changes 

Upload file 

Special pages 

Permanent link 

Cite this page 

Print/export 

Create a book

Download as PDF

Printable version 

Languages 

Deutsch 

Italiano 

Nederlands 

‪Norsk (bokmål)‬ 

‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ 

This page was last modified on 22 January 2012 at 23:00.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; 
additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 
organization.

Contact us 

Privacy policy 

About Wikipedia 

Disclaimers 

Mobile view