EG Quaternary Science Journal最新文献

{"title":"Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction on the basis of Quaternary palaeo dune sequences on Fuerteventura","authors":"Christopher-Bastian Roettig","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-161-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-161-2020","url":null,"abstract":"The volcanic origin of the Canarian Archipelago widely determines the landscape of these islands. Partially near coastal areas the volcanic rocks are covered by dune fields. The eastern Canary Islands show the largest areas of sand deposits. On northern Fuerteventura sandpits and deep incised gully systems allow broader insight into generations of these archives. The dune material originates from the shallow shelf. Hence, the mineral composition is dominated by calcite and aragonite. The outcrops show the layering of several generations of biogenic carbonate sands which are separated by palaeosurfaces. These surfaces suggest soil-forming processes with their (often) reddish colour. Generally, the occurrence of several palaeosurfaces promises a high potential of those Quaternary dune archives on northern Fuerteventura. Former studies focussed on just few quarries being situated in close distances. Differing formation concepts and contradicting chronologies (Middle to Late Pleistocene versus Late Pleistocene) suggest the need for further investigation of landward palaeo dune sections, resulting in a German Research Foundation-funded project (FA 239/18-1) with regard to palaeo dune sequences within the catchments of two barrancos on northern Fuerteventura. Firstly, the project called for defining representative sections of the two catchments for the purpose of working out a correlation and deducing a standard profile; both should be based on stratigraphic findings. Luminescence dating shall contribute to finally establishing a chronostratigraphy. Besides the carbonate sands, the dune archives are influenced by the imprint of volcanic material (tephra, lapilli, and basaltic rock) and Saharan dust. Generally, the archives’ composition and appearance raise several further questions. Are periods of surface formation dependent on reduced sand supply or on changes in climatic conditions? Which soil forming processes contribute to the characteristics of palaeosurface layers? What is the influence of Saharan dust? As dating of lava flows on northern Fuerteventura revealed Middle to Late Pleistocene ages, a further question refers to the relationship between dune formation and volcanic activity. Mainly deduced from findings in the field but also by use of grain size distribution, elemental composition, content of CaCO3, determination of Fed (pedogenic iron), measurements of rock magnetic parameters, analyses of gastropod associations, micromorphological analyses, determination of quartz content via automatic static image analysis with a Malvern Morphologi G3-ID, XRD analyses, and IRSL dating, this thesis provides a chronostratigraphy of palaeo dune archives of northern Fuerteventura deduced from a correlation of sections close to the western coast and sections close to the eastern coast. The derived standard profile shows","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"109 6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117221770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental variability based on an inter-comparison of four lacustrine archives on the Peloponnese (Greece) for the last 5000 years","authors":"J. Seguin, P. Avramidis, A. Haug, Torben P. Kessler, A. Schimmelmann, I. Unkel","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. A high quantity of well-dated, high-resolution, continuous geoarchives is\u0000needed to connect palaeoenvironmental reconstructions with\u0000socio-environmental and cultural transformations in a geographically\u0000heterogeneous region such as southern Greece. However, detailed and\u0000continuous palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental archives from the NE\u0000Peloponnese are still sparse. Here, we present two new palaeolake archives\u0000of Pheneos and Kaisari covering the last 10 500 and 6500 years,\u0000respectively. For the last 5000 years, we compare them with sediment\u0000records from adjacent Lake Stymphalia and the Asea valley by applying the\u0000same set of sedimentological, geochemical, and statistical analyses to all\u0000four lacustrine archives. Continuous geochemical X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning records\u0000provide evidence for hydrological variations and environmental changes since\u0000the Early Helladic period (5050 BP), the beginning of the Bronze Age in\u0000Greece. We hereby focus on different spatial scales to estimate the validity\u0000range of the proxy signals. Ten elements were selected (Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti,\u0000Mn, Fe, Rb, Sr, Zr) for a principal component analysis. The clr( Ca∕Ti ) was\u0000chosen as the most meaningful proxy, reflecting varying input of\u0000carbonaceous vs. clastic input, which may be linked to changes in the\u0000hydrological conditions. Our results show phases when permanent lake water\u0000bodies existed (ca. 5000–3600 cal BP) as well as phases with periodic\u0000desiccation of the lakes during younger times. While Pheneos and Kaisari\u0000show a drying trend during the transition phase from the Late Helladic\u0000period to the Proto-Geometric period (ca. 3200–2800 cal BP), Stymphalia\u0000and Asea show a rather short dry peak around 3200 cal BP followed by a\u0000wetter phase. Although all our geoarchives show evidence for drier phases, their timing\u0000and duration display considerable site-to-site differences which may be\u0000explained by site-specific responses in individual ecosystems. Age\u0000uncertainties, however, may likewise explain some deviations, as the dating\u0000is based on bulk sediment samples including potential unknown reservoir\u0000effects. The high regional geographical diversity within the Peloponnese combined\u0000with the dating challenges in the limestone-rich area and the variation in\u0000our data testify that any hypothetical mono-causal connection between\u0000palaeoenvironmental changes in a single geoarchive and contemporaneous\u0000societal transformations across the Peloponnese would be an\u0000oversimplification.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117003278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A 2600-year high-resolution climate record from Lake Trichonida (SW Greece)","authors":"J. Seguin, P. Avramidis, W. Dörfler, A. Emmanouilidis, I. Unkel","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-139-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-139-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. This paper aims at reconstructing the palaeoclimatic changes during the last\u00002600 years in southern Greece based on a proxy record from Lake Trichonida.\u0000For the first time, we provide a reliable age-depth model and continuous\u0000geochemical data for the largest and deepest lake in Greece. We use X-ray\u0000fluorescence (XRF) geochemical data supported by discrete mineral analysis\u0000based on X-ray diffraction (XRD), grain size distribution, and organic\u0000matter content to investigate changes in the lake sedimentary system and\u0000identify the major forcing mechanisms. A principal component analysis based\u0000on the XRF geochemical composition identifies the variation between\u0000carbonate-rich material, precipitating predominantly under drier and/or\u0000warmer conditions, and terrigenous sediment input, with it being more prominent\u0000during wetter and/or colder conditions. The first principal component (PC1)\u0000shows a very strong correlation with the weathering proxy log (Rb∕Sr) , and we\u0000interpret both proxies as depicting fluctuations in the hydrological\u0000conditions. A cluster analysis, conducted on the continuous geochemical and\u0000colour parameters, highlights the similarities in the sediment\u0000characteristics deposited during wetter phases, notably during 1850–1750, 1500–1400, ca. 1100, and ca. 100 cal BP. When comparing the PC1 Trichonida record to independent records from the\u0000Balkans, we find generally concurring patterns on a multi-decadal to\u0000centennial scale. We show that phases with wetter conditions at Lake\u0000Trichonida coincide with a more negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)\u0000index, suggesting that the precipitation variability in southern Greece is\u0000linked to changes in the NAO atmospheric pattern, as one major driving\u0000force. The 2600-year-long sedimentary record of Lake Trichonida contributes\u0000to a better understanding of Late Holocene palaeohydrological changes in an\u0000important climatic transitional zone in the eastern Mediterranean.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128088459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropogenic and climate signals in late-Holocene peat layers of an ombrotrophic bog in the Styrian Enns valley (Austrian Alps)","authors":"Wolfgang Knierzinger, Ruth Drescher-Schneider, K. Knorr, Simon Drollinger, A. Limbeck, L. Brunnbauer, Felix Horak, D. Festi, M. Wagreich","doi":"10.5194/EGQSJ-69-121-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/EGQSJ-69-121-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Using peat bogs as palaeoenvironmental archives is a well-established\u0000practice for reconstructing changing climate and anthropogenic activity in\u0000the past. In this paper, we present multi-proxy analyses (element\u0000geochemistry, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, stable Pb isotopes,\u0000humification, ash content) of a 500 cm long, 14 C-dated peat core\u0000covering the past ∼5000  years from the ombrotrophic\u0000Purgschachen Moor in the Styrian Enns valley (Austrian Alps). Early indications of low\u0000settlement and agricultural activity date to ∼2900  cal BCE. An\u0000early enrichment of Cu was found in peat layers corresponding to the late\u0000Copper Age ( ∼2500  cal BCE). These enrichments are attributed\u0000to Cu mining activities in the Eisenerz Alps. More pronounced increases in\u0000cultural indicators (cultivated plants, shrubs, herbs, charcoal) in the\u0000pollen record and enrichments of trace metals suggest significant human\u0000impact in the vicinity of Purgschachen Moor in the middle Bronze Age ( ∼1450 –1250 cal BCE), in the late Bronze Age ( ∼1050 –800 cal BCE) and in the period of the late La Tene culture ( ∼300  cal BCE–1 cal CE). The greater part of the Iron Age and the Roman\u0000imperial period are each characterized by a general decline in anthropogenic\u0000indicators compared to previous periods. Distinct enrichments of Pb and Sb\u0000in the sample that corresponds to ∼900  cal CE are attributed\u0000to medieval siderite mining activity in the immediate vicinity of\u0000Purgschachen Moor. The results of this interdisciplinary study provide evidence that strong,\u0000climate-controlled interrelations exist between the pollen record, the\u0000humification degree and the ash content in an ombrotrophic environment.\u0000Human activity, in contrast, is mainly reflected in the pollen record and by\u0000enrichments of heavy metals. The study indicates a dry period in the region\u0000of the bog around ∼1950  cal BCE.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124652687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Der späteiszeitliche Tüttensee-Komplex als Ergebnis der Abschmelzgeschichte am Ostrand des Chiemsee-Gletschers und sein Bezug zum „Chiemgau Impakt“ (Landkreis Traunstein, Oberbayern)","authors":"R. Huber, Robert Darga, H. Lauterbach","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-93-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-93-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Anhand von sedimentologischen und\u0000gelandemorphologischen Untersuchungen wird die Abschmelzgeschichte des\u0000sudostlichen Chiemsee-Gletschers beschrieben. Mit dem Trockenfallen\u0000der Bad Adelholzen-Erlstatter Rinne im Verlaufe des Spatwurm\u0000entwickelt sich aus dem Abschmelzen des Eislappens in der Grabenstatter\u0000Bucht eine sich standig tiefer legende konzentrische Abfolge von\u0000zunachst peripheren Entwasserungsrinnen, wobei die altesten\u0000Rinnen dieser Phase bei Chieming, die jungeren dann entsprechend weiter\u0000im Suden, in die zentripetale Richtung umschwenken. Die Entstehung des Tuttensee-Komplexes ist im Kontext dieser Entwicklung\u0000zu sehen. Er ist das Ergebnis der glazifluvialen und glazilakustrinen\u0000Sedimentation im Einflussbereich des sukzessiven Eisabbaus in der\u0000Grabenstatter Bucht in Kombination mit einer Toteisbildung im Bereich\u0000des heutigen Tuttensees. Dafur sprechen die stufenartige Abfolge der\u0000beschriebenen peripheren Abflussrinnen mit ihren immer tiefer liegenden\u0000Abflussniveaus, die Hohengleichheit von drei dieser Rinnen mit den\u0000Tuttensee-Terrassen sowie die fur die jeweilige Terrassenentstehung\u0000typische glazifluviale bzw. delta-artige Sedimentstruktur und -reife. Dieses\u0000Ergebnis stellt ein Korrektiv zur Hypothese des Chiemgau-Impakts dar, wonach\u0000der Tuttensee ein Impaktkrater sein soll. Da diese nun falsifizierte\u0000Annahme vor allem im deutschsprachigen Raum von zahlreichen Medien\u0000propagiert wird, ist der folgende Artikel auf Deutsch verfasst, um einer\u0000breiten Leserschaft zuganglich zu sein.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116451199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Luminescence dating of eolian and fluvial archives in the middle and lower Danube catchment and the paleoenvironmental implications","authors":"J. Bösken","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-89-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-89-2020","url":null,"abstract":"The presented doctoral dissertation uses luminescence dating techniques to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions in the middle and lower Danube catchments, especially during the period of anatomically modern humans’ emergence in Europe. The thesis is embedded in the CRC806 “Our Way to Europe” project. To increase one’s understanding of the environmental and climatic conditions during the last 150 ka, four loess-paleosol sequences (LPS) and one fluvial section were investigated (Fig. 1). The research area is located at the junction of Atlantic, Mediterranean and continental climatic regimes, which makes it sensitive to climatic changes. Moreover, the geographical position between Asia, Near East and Central Europe and the vast river network connecting these regions make the area a favorable pathway for anatomically modern human migration. The sediments of the five investigated sites cover various time frames from the penultimate interglacial to the Holocene. The methodological approach focused on optically stimulated luminescence dating, but for some of the sections the geochronological methods were combined with physical, biological and geochemical proxy data to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions. In the middle Danube basin three sites were investigated. The Ságvár LPS is located in the central basin and its sediments accumulated during the last glacial maximum (LGM) from approximately 25–17 ka (Bösken et al., 2018). The sequence can be correlated to two Gravettian occupation layers. Paleoenvironmental conditions changed rapidly and Gravettian occupation took place during a typically cold LGM phase. This shows that environmental conditions were not uniform during MIS 2 and that paleoenvironmental changes can be observed even on short (millennial) timescales within rather pure loess formation. The Bodrogkeresztúr LPS is located in the foothills of the Carpathians in the northern edge of the basin. Its sediments accumulated between 33.5 ± 2.5 and 28.0 ± 2.1 ka, and the site is characterized by a well-developed MIS 3 paleosol indicating humid paleoclimatic conditions (Bösken et al., 2019). Also during loess deposition, relatively mild paleoclimatic conditions prevailed. Measurements of the anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility revealed that the loess likely originated from the Tisza floodplain from a northeastern wind direction. The findings highlight the unique microclimatic con-","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122167050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revisiting Late Pleistocene glacier dynamics north-west of the Feldberg, southern Black Forest, Germany","authors":"F. Hofmann, Florian Rauscher, W. Mccreary, Jan-Paul Bischoff, F. Preusser","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-61-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-61-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The southern Black Forest was temporarily covered by a\u0000 ∼1000  km 2 large ice cap during the Late Pleistocene.\u0000However, during the last glaciation maximum in the Alps the atmospheric\u0000circulation over Europe was presumably characterised by the advection of\u0000humid air masses from the Mediterranean Sea. As a consequence, the ice cap\u0000of the Black Forest was likely in a leeward position due to its location\u0000north of the Alps. This raises the question of whether it reached its last\u0000maximum extent simultaneously with the glaciers in the Alps. As modern\u0000dating techniques have hitherto not been applied to the southern Black\u0000Forest, the timing of the last local glaciation maximum remains poorly\u0000constrained. As a first step towards an independent regional glacier\u0000chronology, we present a critical re-examination of glacial landforms in the\u0000area north-west of the highest summit of the Black Forest (Feldberg,\u00001493 m a.s.l.). It relies on both the analysis of remote sensing data and field\u0000mapping. The review of previous studies highlights important disagreements\u0000regarding the location of ice-marginal positions and their correlation. In\u0000addition, our findings challenge earlier studies on the glaciation of the\u0000Black Forest: some previously described ice-marginal positions could not be\u0000confirmed, whereas some of the newly identified moraines are described for\u0000the first time. This highlights the need for detailed geomorphological\u0000investigations prior to the application of geochronological methods. A\u0000multi-ridged series of terminal moraines in one of the studied valleys,\u0000Sankt Wilhelmer Tal, is proposed as the main target for future dating. Due\u0000to discrepancies with earlier studies, future efforts should reinvestigate\u0000other key areas related to the last glaciation of the southern Black Forest.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125741328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The genesis of Yedoma Ice Complex permafrost – grain-size endmember modeling analysis from Siberia and Alaska","authors":"Lutz Schirrmeister, E. Dietze, H. Matthes, G. Grosse, J. Strauss, Sebastian Laboor, M. Ulrich, F. Kienast, S. Wetterich","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The late Pleistocene Yedoma Ice Complex is an ice-rich and organic-bearing\u0000type of permafrost deposit widely distributed across Beringia and is\u0000assumed to be especially prone to deep degradation with warming\u0000temperature, which is a potential tipping point of the climate system. To better\u0000understand Yedoma formation, its local characteristics, and its\u0000regional sedimentological composition, we compiled the grain-size\u0000distributions (GSDs) of 771 samples from 23 Yedoma locations across the\u0000Arctic; samples from sites located close together were pooled to form 17\u0000study sites. In addition, we studied 160 samples from three non-Yedoma\u0000ice-wedge polygon and floodplain sites for the comparison of Yedoma samples\u0000with Holocene depositional environments. The multimodal GSDs indicate that\u0000a variety of sediment production, transport, and depositional processes were\u0000involved in Yedoma formation. To disentangle these processes, a robust\u0000endmember modeling analysis (rEMMA) was performed. Nine robust grain-size\u0000endmembers (rEMs) characterize Yedoma deposits across Beringia. The study\u0000sites of Yedoma deposits were finally classified using cluster analysis. The\u0000resulting four clusters consisted of two to five sites that are distributed\u0000randomly across northeastern Siberia and Alaska, suggesting that the\u0000differences are associated with rather local conditions. In contrast to\u0000prior studies suggesting a largely aeolian contribution to Yedoma\u0000sedimentation, the wide range of rEMs indicates that aeolian sedimentation\u0000processes cannot explain the entire variability found in GSDs of Yedoma\u0000deposits. Instead, Yedoma sedimentation is controlled by local\u0000conditions such as source rocks and weathering processes, nearby\u0000paleotopography, and diverse sediment transport processes. Our findings\u0000support the hypothesis of a polygenetic Yedoma origin involving alluvial,\u0000fluvial, and niveo-aeolian transport; accumulation in ponding waters; and\u0000in situ frost weathering as well as postdepositional processes of\u0000solifluction, cryoturbation, and pedogenesis. The characteristic rEM\u0000composition of the Yedoma clusters will help to improve how\u0000grain-size-dependent parameters in permafrost models and soil carbon\u0000budgets are considered. Our results show the characteristic properties of ice-rich Yedoma\u0000deposits in the terrestrial Arctic. Characterizing and quantifying\u0000site-specific past depositional processes is crucial for elucidating and\u0000understanding the trajectories of this unique kind of ice-rich permafrost in\u0000a warmer future.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114844528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sediment-filled karst depressions and riyad – key archaeological environments of south Qatar","authors":"M. Engel, Stefanie Rückmann, Philipp Drechsler, D. Brill, S. Opitz, J. Fassbinder, A. Pint, Kim T. Peis, Dennis Wolf, C. Gerber, Kristina Pfeiffer, Ricardo Eichmann, H. Brückner","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Systematic archaeological exploration of southern Qatar started in the\u00001950s. However, detailed local and regional data on climatic fluctuations\u0000and landscape changes during the Holocene, pivotal for understanding and\u0000reconstructing human–environment interactions, are still lacking. This\u0000contribution provides an overview on the variability of geomorphic\u0000environments of southern Qatar with a focus on depression landforms, which\u0000reveal a rich archaeological heritage ranging from Palaeolithic(?) and Early\u0000Neolithic times to the Modern era. Based on a detailed geomorphic mapping\u0000campaign, sediment cores and optically stimulated luminescence data, the\u0000dynamics of riyad (singular rawdha; shallow, small-scale, sediment-filled karst\u0000depressions clustering in the central southern peninsula) and the\u0000larger-scale Asaila depression near the western coast are studied in order\u0000to put archaeological discoveries into a wider environmental context.\u0000Geomorphic mapping of the Asaila basin shows a much greater geomorphic\u0000variability than documented in literature so far with relict signs of\u0000surface runoff. An 8 m long sediment core taken in the sabkha-type sand\u0000flats of the western basin reveals a continuous dominance of aeolian\u0000morphodynamics during the early to mid-Holocene. Mounds preserved by\u0000evaporite horizons representing capillarites originally grown in the vadose\u0000zone are a clear sign of groundwater-level drop after the sea-level\u0000highstand ca. 6000–4500 years ago. Deflation followed the lowering of the\u0000Stokes surface, leaving mounds where the relict capillarites were\u0000able to fixate and preserve the palaeo-surface. Abundant archaeological\u0000evidence of Early and Middle Neolithic occupation – the latter with a clear\u0000focus inside the central Asaila basin – indicate more favourable living\u0000conditions than today. In contrast, the sediment record of the investigated riyad in the south\u0000is very shallow, younger and controlled by surface discharge, deflation and\u0000the constantly diminishing barchan dune cover in Qatar over the Middle and\u0000Late Holocene. The young age of the infill (ca. 1500 to 2000 years) explains\u0000the absence of findings older than the Late Islamic period. Indicators of current\u0000net deflation may relate to a decrease in surface runoff and sediment supply\u0000only in recent decades to centuries. In the future, geophysical prospection\u0000of the riyad may help to locate thicker sedimentary archives and the analysis of\u0000grain size distribution, micromorphology, phytoliths or even pollen spectra\u0000may enhance our understanding of the interplay of regional environmental\u0000changes and cultural history.","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132852449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preface: Special Issue “Geoarchaeology and past human–environment interactions”","authors":"H. Suchodoletz, S. Berg, E. Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, C. Zielhofer","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020","url":null,"abstract":"Hans von Suchodoletz1,2, Stefanie Berg3, Eileen Eckmeier4, Lukas Werther5, and Christoph Zielhofer2 1Institute of Geography, University of Technology Dresden, Helmholtzstrasse 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany 2Institute of Geography, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 19, 04103 Leipzig, Germany 3Bavarian State Department of Cultural Heritage, Hofgraben 4, 80539 Munich, Germany 4Chair of Physical Geography and Land Management Systems, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Luisenstrasse 37, 80333 Munich, Germany 5Institute of Prehistory, Early History and Archaeology of the Middle Ages, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany","PeriodicalId":227489,"journal":{"name":"EG Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127923396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}