Wednesday, March 2, 2016

That Y-chromosome (part 3)

Since our Y-chromosome found its way out of Africa, a number of pathways were followed.  The Mediterranean Sea placed a coast line which provided a road to split that Y-chromosome east to west.  The northwestern coastal group soon ran into other geographic boundary's with the Black Sea being northwest, and Caspian Sea being northeast, and the Caucasus Mountains in between.  It was around this 550 mile mountainous system that our R-haplogroup is thought to have first appeared.  I suspect that the ice curtain that kept going up and down also had something to do with the next migration groups.  The R1-haplogroup scattered about leaving this Y-chromosome as far northeast as the slopes of the S. Ural mountains [Bashkirs]  and the Basque area of western Europe.

Central Europe seemed to be one place that the R1b - haplogroup settled around those salt mines that were so important for early human survival.    For our JONES surname things [genetically] took roots both in culture and language.  Expanding their horizons they moved about the Iberian peninsula [and other places] and finally found their way up St. George's channel to place their Y-chromosome among the islands.  For R1b1a - haplogroup [roughly 75% of us with the JONES surname ] the Welsh (Anglesey) at 89%, and Basque area (French, Spanish) at 88%, and the Turkic people (Bashkirs) were found with 86%. [confines of S.Ural mountains]

For those interested: 1) Irish = 82% , 2) Scots = 77%, 3) Spanish (Minorca) = 73% , 4) Dutch (Germanic west) = 70%.  What a deal...that same Y-chromosome is found among most of those with the JONES surname of Welsh descent.