Description
Haplogroup H3 is the second most common H subclade in Western Europe after H1, with its highest frequencies in the Iberian Peninsula and Sardinia. Like H1, it expanded dramatically from a southwestern European glacial refugium after the Last Glacial Maximum. H3 is a characteristic lineage of Atlantic-facing European populations and is commonly found in the British Isles, France, and North Africa. It was present among Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and expanded with the post-glacial Mesolithic recolonisation before being partially displaced by Neolithic farming populations.
Interesting Fact
H3 and H1 together represent the two founding mtDNA lineages of the western European re-expansion after the last Ice Age. Their concentration in Iberia and highest modern frequencies among Basques and Sardinians — who have been relatively isolated from later population movements — preserve the genetic signature of Ice Age Western Europe.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sardinians | Southern Europe | n=500 | |
| Basques | Western Europe | n=300 | |
| Iberians (Spain/Portugal) | Western Europe | n=1000 | |
| Berbers | North Africa | n=300 | |
| British / Irish | Western Europe | n=800 |
Tags
References
- Achilli et al. (2004) — The molecular dissection of mtDNA haplogroup H confirms that the Franco-Cantabrian glacial refuge was a major source for the European gene pool. American Journal of Human Genetics 75(5), 910–918.