The rich enviroment of Southern Iberia in the Ice Age

Just a quick note: a new study led by J.S. Carrión (behind paywall) concludes that the area near Gibraltar, and overall in southern Iberia, was very rich and quite warm in the Upper Paleolithic, with a vegetation that included pines, oaks and other deciduous trees.

While Carrión emphasizes before the media this as the enviroment of the last Neanderthals, the dates given, 32,000-11,000 years ago, rather suggest the period of AMH (H. sapiens) occupation of the area, who arrived there c. 28,700 BP (uncalibrated oldest date for Gorham's Cave Aurignacian).

Gorham's Cave today (above) and as it could have been in the Ice Age (below),
as reconstructed by the Museum of Gibraltar .

Direct source: divulgative article at Science Daily.
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