The Companian Ignimbrite Eruption and its Effects on early Hominin Populations in Europe.

40,000 years ago two major events took place. The Heinrich Event (HE4), an extremely cold and dry period in Europe, and the Eruption of the Companian Ignimbrite (CI) Volcano near Naples Italy. Current studies show that the Eruption may have sent a 40 km high volcanic plume into the atmosphere, covering 1500 km^2 of the surrounding geography with roughly 5 to 10 cm of tephra. However; a study done in Southeast Romania near Urluia, suggests that the eruption could have been more than twice the size that current studies are showing. Researchers who performed the study, Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons, Ulrich Hambach, Daniel Veres, and Radu Iovita hypothesize that the eruption was much larger than currently believed to be, and that the eruption and HE4 together may have led to the demise of the Neanderthals (Fitzsimmons K.), making way for Anatomical Modern Humans (AMH) migration into Europe. The study in Southeast Romania suggests that around the time of the CI Eruption a much thicker layer of tephra may have rapidly covered the topography. In several test points around the Balkan area tephra shows between 25 and 70 cm thick, for the studied time period, and at the actual research site near Urluia, tephra thickness is measured at 100 cm. The researchers believe that the tephra distribution extends as far east as the Don River on the Russian Plain and as far south as northern Africa. However; no locations have been tested in between the test site in Romania and the Don River. The Current archeological record in Europe shows that around the time of the eruption there is a shift in Hominin lithic technology, disappearance of Neanderthals, and more importantly the arrival of AMHs. The researchers use these facts as evidence to support their hypothesis. The researchers determined the age of the tephra and loess at the Romanian site by way of luminescence dating, a measure of the radiation dose (crustal.usgs.gov). They determined that the loess below the tephra was roughly 48

thousand years old and above was about 38 thousand years old, adding further evidence to the timing of the volcanic eruption, as well as the scale of the eruption. They also stated in their study that many Hominin open air sites and cave sites were abandoned around the time of the eruption, and remained uninhabited for at least one thousand years. They do not provide evidence as to why they were abandoned, they only state that there was tephra found at those sites. Overall, I believe that the researchers provided a lot of evidence that size of the Companian Ignimbrite eruption was much larger than it is currently believed to be. However; I do not think that they provided evidence that the eruption directly affected the presence, or abandonment, of Neanderthals in the region. They stated facts from the archeological record in Europe, but they never provided hard evidence that the eruption was directly related to the abandonment and/or demise of the hominin population. They never mentioned that the temperature change that comes with an eruption of this size could have dropped the temperature in the northern hemisphere by nearly four degrees and globally by about one degree (livescience.com). This temperature change combined with the Heinrich Event would be a substantial environment change for all species in the region, however; it is never mentioned in the study. The researchers also never stated what effects of the eruption that the Neanderthals could not physically adapt to, whether it be temperature change, poison gasses, acid rain, or just suffocation from ash fallout. I believe that the eruption could have been directly correlated to whatever happened to the Neanderthals, whether they moved on or died off, however; I dont believe the researchers provided enough evidence that this particular eruption, or its effects on the environment, was the final nail in the coffin for the Neanderthals.

References
The Companian Ignimbrite Eruption: New Data on Volcanic Ash Dispersal and Its Potential Impact on Human Evolution. Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons mail, Ulrich Hambach, Daniel Veres, Radu Iovita. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065839#clos e http://crustal.usgs.gov/laboratories/luminescence_dating/what_is_tl.html http://www.livescience.com/31560-ancient-super-eruption-larger.html