A FACE FROM THE PRE-COLUMBIAN CARIBBEAN: METHODOLOGICAL PIPELINE FOR 3D FACIAL APPROXIMATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL WITH INTENTIONAL CRANIAL MODIFICATION Gizeh Rangel-de Lazaro, Naomi González, Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Armando Rangel-Rivero, Alfonso Benito-Calvo Virtual Archaeology Review, 2026 Forensic facial approximation methods are implemented in bioarchaeology to visualise the appearances of individuals from the past. This study introduces the first three-dimensional (3D) facial approximation of a pre-Columbian individual from the Caribbean, and specifically from Cuba, with intentional cranial modification (ICM). The research team designed a pipeline based on verified methods and documented the steps followed to produce the facial approximation. A detailed digital model of a pre-Columbian skull was created using high-resolution structured-light scans. Biological profile and ICM type were determined. The workflow followed standardised approximation methods to predict soft-tissue thickness and morphological facial features, while photos of Native-descendant Cuban populations were additionally considered. The final model was sculpted and textured with professional 3D modelling and digital illustration software to achieve a realistic representation. Research results suggest that the skull corresponds to an adult female with fronto-occipital ICM. Morphological indicators informed the reconstruction of a rectangular face with prominent cheekbones, a broad nose, and a subtle cleft chin. Eye placement followed anatomical parameters, and lip projection reflected maxillary prognathism for thicker lips. Ear positioning adhered to craniofacial standards; pigmentation and hair colour values were based on genetic studies of modern-day Native American populations. The final model was rendered with controlled lighting to achieve a portrait-like appearance, balancing anatomical fidelity and visual realism. Despite the methodological limitations of facial approximations, the results obtained expand understanding of the identities of pre-Columbian people in the Caribbean, and of their human history and cultural evolution in the Americas. This project goes beyond giving a face to a pre-Columbian individual: it opens a window to expand the value of bioarchaeological museum collections for both the general public and researchers in this field. Ultimately, the objective is to contribute to the increasing efforts to decolonise museum narratives, ethically representing a face from Caribbean past populations.
Hyperspectral Image Assessment of Archaeo-Paleoanthropological Stratigraphic Deposits from Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) Berta García-Fernández, Alfonso Benito-Calvo, Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Isidoro Campaña, Andreu Ollé, Palmira Saladié, María Martinón-Torres, Marina Mosquera Heritage, 2025 This paper proposes an experimental procedure based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combined with statistical classification for assessing archaeo-paleoanthropological stratigraphic deposits at the Gran Dolina site (TD10 unit), located in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). Representative spectral reflectance signatures were determined and analyzed using HSI measurements and statistical classification methods in natural light conditions across various capture distances. This study aims to characterize and quantify cave sediments by defining spectral models for feature classification and spectral similarity analysis, evaluating the strengths and limitations of spectral captures at this specific site. HSI technology enhances the analysis and identification of materials at an internationally recognized reference site for human evolution studies. Hyperspectral imaging assessment of archaeo-paleoanthropological stratigraphic deposits emerges as an innovative digital tool, revolutionizing the sustainable management of cultural heritage and environmental sciences by enabling advanced material identification and stratigraphic analysis.
Cave bear tracks (Ursichnus europaeus Diedrich, 2011) from Honseca Cave, Palencia, Spain J. Rodríguez, A. Benito-Calvo, A. Martínez-Fernández, A. Mateos Ichnos an International Journal of Plant and Animal, 2025 References to ichnofossils attributed to ursids are scarce in the literature and only two ichnogenera attributed to ursids have been described: <i>Platykopus</i> Sarjeant, Reynolds and Kissell-Jones, 2002 and <i>Ursichnus</i> Diedrich, 2011. In contrast, tracks informally attributed to Late Pleistocene cave bears (<i>Ursus spelaeus</i> Rossenmüller and Heinroth, 1794) are frequent in European caves. However, their formal descriptions are extremely scarce; the only exception is the rich ichnocenosis from Urşilor Cave (Romania), the type locality of the ichnotaxon <i>Ursichnus europaeus</i> Diedrich. The Honseca Cave in northern Spain, contains a set of plantigrade pentadactyle tracks, which represent the first record of <i>Ursichnus europaeus</i> from a cave in the Iberian Peninsula. Although distinguishing cave bear from brown bear tracks is complex, cave bears are considered the most likely tracemakers in Honseca.
Cenozoic planation surfaces and denudation in Las Loras UNESCO Global Geopark (Cantabrian Mountains, Burgos-Palencia) Alfonso Benito Calvo, Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Davinia Moreno, Ángela Chicote Cuesta Cuaternario Y Geomorfologia, 2025 En este estudio se han analizado las superficies de erosión en el Geoparque Mundial de la UNESCO Las Loras (Burgos- Palencia), situado en el pedimento centro-meridional de la cordillera Cantábrica que enlaza con la cuenca del Duero. Este estudio, dirigido a estudiar las fases de denudación cenozoicas preservadas en los sinclinales aplanados y colgados que integran las loras, se ha basado en la cartografía geomorfológica a partir de trabajo de campo y la interpretación de cartografías digitales. Las superficies identificadas forman una secuencia de 8 niveles (S1-S8). El arrasamiento más antiguo S1, posiblemente de edad Paleoceno, podría estar relacionado con la base de la macro-secuencia estratigráfica paleógena de La Ojeda, que registró las primeras erosiones continentales justo tras el levantamiento de la secuencia marina del Cretácico superior por el inicio de la compresión alpina. Posteriormente, durante la compresión alpina principal (Eoceno y el Oligoceno superior) se debieron producir como mínimo otras cuatro reactivaciones del relieve que dieron lugar a la formación de las superficies de erosión S2-S5. Estas fases de desmantelamiento del relieve habrían quedado registradas en el tramo superior de la macrosecuencia paleógena, formada por potentes depósitos aluviales acumulados en las pequeñas cuencas de antepaís que marcaron los estadios iniciales de la cuenca del Duero. La última superficie paleógena en relación con la compresión principal puedo ser la superficie S5 (Oligoceno-Mioceno inferior). Entre los arrasamientos ya plenamente neógenos, destaca la superficie de mayor extensión, S6, que presenta una conexión directa con los abanicos aluviales de la formación Alar del Rey (Astaraciense, Mioceno medio), y está deformada por una fase tectónica al final del Mioceno medio que causó la reactivación del frente cantábrico. Las superficies más recientes, S7 y S8, forman planos menores que enrasan con unidades siliciclásticas de piedemonte, las cuales representarían, respectivamente, las fases de colmatación (Turoliense, Mioceno superior) y primer vaciado (Plioceno) de la cuenca del Duero.
Multiple Close-Range Geomatic Techniques for the Kinematic Study of the La Paúl Rock Glacier, Southern Pyrenees Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Enrique Serrano, José Juan de Sanjosé Blasco, Manuel Gómez-Lende, Manuel Sánchez-Fernández, Alfonso Pisabarro, Alan Atkinson Remote Sensing, 2024 Rock glaciers are one of the most representative elements of mountain permafrost. Their study can contribute to modelling climate change and its effect on natural and anthropogenic environments. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the evolution and quantify the changes in these periglacial landforms at a global level. This study aims to present the monitoring work carried out on the Pyrenean rock glacier of La Paúl (42°39′40″N, 0°26′34″E) from 2013 to 2020, employing in situ geomatics techniques to determine the landform surface kinematics accurately. For this purpose, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), terrestrial laser scanners (TLS), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) photogrammetry techniques were used simultaneously to evaluate their compatibility in quantifying displacements. Based on 2D and 3D analyses, the results demonstrate the high surface activity of the rock glacier, with mean variations reaching 36 cm/year (GNSS) and a distribution of deformations that, although intensified on its western side, are present on the entire surface of La Paúl. This study uses state-of-the-art geomatics techniques to present dependable and updated quantitative data on a periglacial landform’s recent development in under-researched areas, such as the Pyrenean temperate high mountain.
The final countdown? Monitoring the rapid shrinkage of the Maladeta glacier (2010–2020), Southern Pyrenees A. Martínez‐Fernández, E. Serrano, J. J. de Sanjosé, M. Gómez‐Lende, M. Sánchez‐Fernández, J. I. López‐Moreno, I. Rico, A. Pisabarro Land Degradation and Development, 2023 Small glaciers are one of the best indicators of climatic variations and their short‐term effects. Located in the Spanish Pyrenees, the Maladeta is one of these glaciers. Its systematic observation began in the 1980s, being one of the few Pyrenean glaciers with a tongue‐shaped front. This study presents the evolution of the Maladeta glacial tongue over a decade (2010–2020) through multiple geomatic techniques. Surveys have ranged from Total Stations and Global Navigation Satellite System devices to massive data capture techniques such as Terrestrial Laser Scanners or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles photogrammetry. The aim is to analyze in detail the loss of surface area and thickness of the glacier and its transition from being a glacier with a tongue partially determined by climate to a topoclimatically determined cirque glacier. The results reveal a tongue retreat of over 5 m/yr and area losses of over 0.2 ha/yr, along with ice thickness and volume losses of −1.7 m/yr and over −21 × 103 m3/yr, respectively. If this trend continues, the tongue, and possibly the Maladeta glacier, could disappear by the end of the 2030s.
The Influence of Image Properties on High-Detail SfM Photogrammetric Surveys of Complex Geometric Landforms: The Application of a Consumer-Grade UAV Camera in a Rock Glacier Survey Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Enrique Serrano, Alfonso Pisabarro, Manuel Sánchez-Fernández, José Juan de Sanjosé, Manuel Gómez-Lende, Gizéh Rangel-de Lázaro, Alfonso Benito-Calvo Remote Sensing, 2022 The detailed description of processing workflows in Structure from Motion (SfM) surveys using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is not common in geomorphological research. One of the aspects frequently overlooked in photogrammetric reconstruction is image characteristics. In this context, the present study aims to determine whether the format or properties (e.g., exposure, sharpening, lens corrections) of the images used in the SfM process can affect high-detail surveys of complex geometric landforms such as rock glaciers. For this purpose, images generated (DNG and JPEG) and derived (TIFF) from low-cost UAV systems widely used by the scientific community are applied. The case study is carried out through a comprehensive flight plan with ground control and differences among surveys are assessed visually and geometrically. Thus, geometric evaluation is based on 2.5D and 3D perspectives and a ground-based LiDAR benchmark. The results show that the lens profiles applied by some low-cost UAV cameras to the images can significantly alter the geometry among photo-reconstructions, to the extent that they can influence monitoring activities with variations of around ±5 cm in areas with close control and over ±20 cm (10 times the ground sample distance) on surfaces outside the ground control surroundings. The terrestrial position of the laser scanner measurements and the scene changing topography results in uneven surface sampling, which makes it challenging to determine which set of images best fit the LiDAR benchmark. Other effects of the image properties are found in minor variations scattered throughout the survey or modifications to the RGB values of the point clouds or orthomosaics, with no critical impact on geomorphological studies.
Towards the steady state? A long-term river incision deceleration pattern during Pleistocene entrenchment (Upper Ebro River, Northern Spain) Alfonso Benito-Calvo, Davinia Moreno, Toshiyuki Fujioka, Gloria I. López, Fidel Martín-González, Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Isabel Hernando-Alonso, Theodoros Karampaglidis, José María Bermúdez de Castro, Francisco Gutiérrez Global and Planetary Change, 2022 Pleistocene fluvial incision acceleration resulting in narrow and deeply entrenched valleys has been widely described and is generally attributed to uplift rate increase or greater climatic severity. In this paper, the long-term downcutting pattern of the Upper Ebro River and driving mechanisms are assessed, and we reconstruct the valley incision recorded by an outstanding sequence of 22 river terraces. Dating of 8 fluvial levels by means of the ESR, TCN, and OSL techniques, spanning the last 1.2 Ma, reveals a long-term incision deceleration pattern. The estimated age-incision model indicates a decrease in the incision rates, showing a long-term deceleration during the final Early Pleistocene (from 0.42 to 0.18 m/ka), and a tendency towards a steady state or base level stabilization from the Middle Pleistocene (0.15–0.03 m/ka) to the Late Pleistocene (0.03 m/ka). This incision pattern does not support climate change as a long-term incision-acceleration driver by itself, demonstrating the need for base level lowering effects to have operated. Upper Ebro deceleration incision is explained by the headward attenuation of the incision wave induced by the opening of the Ebro Cenozoic Basin in a geodynamic context characterized by an absence of significant uplift over the last million years. This trend could have changed the aggressor-victim roles of the rivers involved in fluvial captures at the drainage divide. The documented incision deceleration pattern differs from that reported for other valleys in the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting that the degree of maturity of the fluvial systems depends on their relative position with respect to the capture point, in addition to tectonic and lithostructural factors. In the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, a short-lived incision rate increase is recorded, corresponding to the last terrace dissection phase, during the transition from the last glacial MIS 2 to the interglacial MIS 1.
Shedding Light On Pre-Columbian Crania Collections Through State-Of-The-Art 3d Scanning Techniques Gizéh Rangel-de Lázaro, Adrián Martínez-Fernández, Armando Rangel-Rivero, Alfonso Benito-Calvo Virtual Archaeology Review, 2021 <p class="VARAbstract">During the 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> centuries, numerous museums, scientific societies, and royal academies were founded in Europe and America. In this scenario, the Anthropological Museum Montané was founded in Havana, Cuba. Its collection has grown over the years, thanks to researchers, antiquarians, and amateurs. Since its foundation, the Museum Montané has become an essential institution for anthropological and archaeological research in the region. Nowadays, the Museum Montané, like other museums in developing countries, faces a challenge in the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies to digitizing exhibits and the creation of innovative projects to attract visitors. The current possibilities of virtualization of cultural heritage using digital technologies have a favorable impact on the preservation, access, and management of museum collections. The use of three-dimensional (3D) models fosters engagement with visitors, stimulates new forms of learning, and revalorizes the exhibits. In the current study, we use a hand-held structured light scanner to create 3D reality-based models of pre-Columbian crania from the Caribbean and South American collection of the Anthropological Museum Montané. The resulting 3D models were used for producing 3D printing replicas and animated videos. The 3D resources derived will encourage new knowledge through research, and provide broader access to these pre-Columbian crania collection through learning and outreach activities. The significance of digitizing these specimens goes beyond the creation of 3D models. It means protecting these fragile and valuable collections for future generations. The methodology and results reported here can be used in other museums with similar collections to digitally document, study, protect, and disseminate the archaeological heritage. Going forward, we seek to continue exploring the application of novel methods and digital techniques to the study of the pre-Columbian crania collections in Latin American and the Caribbean area.</p><p class="VARAbstractHeader">Highlights:</p><ul><li><p>A hand-held structured light scanner was used to acquire 3D reality-based models of pre-Columbian crania. The 3D models resulting were used for 3D printing replicas and 3D animations.</p></li><li><p>This study provides unprecedented 3D reconstructions of pre-Columbian crania in the Caribbean area, and new 3D reconstructions of artificially deformed crania from South America.</p></li><li><p>The 3D resources created will encourage new knowledge through research, and provide broader access to these pre-Columbian crania collection through learning and outreach activities.</p></li></ul>
