Over my academic career, I have specialized in the theoretical and practical aspects of surface processes in the ever-changing terrestrial, coastal landscape, and shallow marine zone. My research interests include unraveling sea-level fluctuations and climate changes over the last interglacial-glacial cycle as are imprinted in the sedimentary record. I am also fascinated by the complexity of environmental–human interactions and use my geoscience background to explore both the social vulnerability to climate and environmental change and anthropogenic influence on the natural environment. Accordingly, my studies rely on amalgamations of remote sensing technics, methodological analysis of texture, structure, composition, distribution of lithologies, and radiometric datings. This approach is carried out in order to incorporate the produced sequence stratigraphy data sets providing a large-scale 4-D (X,Y,Z,t) understanding. Supervisors: Prof. Thomas E. Levy and Prof. Richard D. Norris
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2024
Where are the harbour structures of the thriving Hellenistic and Roman city of Dor? Recent underw... more Where are the harbour structures of the thriving Hellenistic and Roman city of Dor? Recent underwater and coastal surveys and excavations, together with geoarchaeological and geophysical studies, provide strong evidence of the devastating impact of a sea level rise in Hellenistic Dor, as well as of recovery and renewed resilience in the Roman Period. This evidence includes two previously unknown new harbour installations: a very large maritime structure, tentatively identified as a Roman quay (in the North Bay), and a Hellenistic coastal fortification system protecting an anchorage (in the South Bay).
Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significan... more Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significant impacts on coastal communities. Here, we describe the impact of early to late Holocene sea-level variations on the coastal environment and human settlements of the Carmel Coast, Israel. One of these ancient communities, Tel Dor, was settled initially during the Late Pottery Neolithic (ca. 7 ka) on a wetland surface and then abandoned for ca. 1.5 ka before resettlement occurred on the adjacent aeolianite ridge from the Middle Bronze Age to the Crusader period (4.3e0.9 cal Ka BP). For the first time, high resolution chrono-bio-chemo-stratigraphy of sediment cores collected landward of the current shoreline at Dor are presented capturing a record of poorly sorted sand mixed with marine shells, well sorted aeolian sand and silty clay deposits. The record represents a series of brackish-freshwater wetlands formed in the coastal area of Dor between ca. 15 to 7 ka in response to relative sea-level rise and resulting rise of the coastal aquifers. After 7 ka, due to rising sea level and a transgressing shoreline, sand largely derived from the Nile Delta, reached the coast including the coastal wetland. Landward from the current shoreline, the period between ca. 7 to 4 ka is represented by alternating sand-silt facies consisting of reworked marine shells and brackish-fresh water biota. These lithological cycles reflect fluctuations between coastal and wetland environments governed by the response of the coastal aquifer to sea-level rise. Rapid sea-level rise led to a rise in the groundwater table and inundation of the area around Tel Dor, while periods with slower rates of sea-level rise resulted in coastal sand deposition. The settlement gap at Dor between 7 and 5.6 ka possibly reflects the behavioral response of the coastal settlers to sea-level fluctuation, and sediment depositional variation instigating aquifer inundation coastal marsh development and mobilization of sand bodies. This study provides a record of beach profile build-up along the Mediterranean coast of Israel and serves as an example of how sea-level rise affect unconfined coastal aquifers and the formation of wetlands due to rising water tables in low elevation coasts. Coastal inundation is a long-term risk factor for densely populated low-lying coastal regions that require a proactive approach for solving cascading impacts of sea-level rise.
Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significan... more Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significant impacts on coastal communities. Here, we describe the impact of early to late Holocene sea-level variations on the coastal environment and human settlements of the Carmel Coast, Israel. One of these ancient communities, Tel Dor, was settled initially during the Late Pottery Neolithic (ca. 7 ka) on a wetland surface and then abandoned for ca. 1.5 ka before resettlement occurred on the adjacent aeolianite ridge from the Middle Bronze Age to the Crusader period (4.3e0.9 cal Ka BP). For the first time, high resolution chrono-bio-chemo-stratigraphy of sediment cores collected landward of the current shoreline at Dor are presented capturing a record of poorly sorted sand mixed with marine shells, well sorted aeolian sand and silty clay deposits. The record represents a series of brackish-freshwater wetlands formed in the coastal area of Dor between ca. 15 to 7 ka in response to relative sea-level rise and resulting rise of the coastal aquifers. After 7 ka, due to rising sea level and a transgressing shoreline, sand largely derived from the Nile Delta, reached the coast including the coastal wetland. Landward from the current shoreline, the period between ca. 7 to 4 ka is represented by alternating sand-silt facies consisting of reworked marine shells and brackish-fresh water biota. These lithological cycles reflect fluctuations between coastal and wetland environments governed by the response of the coastal aquifer to sea-level rise. Rapid sea-level rise led to a rise in the groundwater table and inundation of the area around Tel Dor, while periods with slower rates of sea-level rise resulted in coastal sand deposition. The settlement gap at Dor between 7 and 5.6 ka possibly reflects the behavioral response of the coastal settlers to sea-level fluctuation, and sediment depositional variation instigating aquifer inundation coastal marsh development and mobilization of sand bodies. This study provides a record of beach profile build-up along the Mediterranean coast of Israel and serves as an example of how sea-level rise affect unconfined coastal aquifers and the formation of wetlands due to rising water tables in low elevation coasts. Coastal inundation is a long-term risk factor for densely populated low-lying coastal regions that require a proactive approach for solving cascading impacts of sea-level rise.
The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually compl... more The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually complete stratigraphic record that reveals human–environmental interactions throughout the Holocene. Interpretation of new seismic profiles collected from shallow marine geophysical transects across the bay show five seismic units were correlated with stratigraphy and age dates obtained from coastal and shallow-marine sediment cores. This stratigraphic framework permits a detailed reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ca. 77 ka as well as an assessment of environmental factors that influenced some dimensions of past coastal societies. The base of the boreholes records lowstand aeolian deposits overlain by wetland sediments that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. The earliest human settlements are submerged Pottery Neolithic (8.25–7 ka) structures and tools, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth...
<p>The Tel-Dor embayment located along the Carmel coast provides a valuable... more <p>The Tel-Dor embayment located along the Carmel coast provides a valuable opportunity to study environmental and human interaction due to its protecting geomorphic properties that are unique for the generally linear Israeli coast. Interpretations of seismic profiles collected from transects across the bay show five seismic units that have been correlated to dated and well-analyzed sediment units in coastal cores, enabling a detailed deep time reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ~77 ka. The earliest borehole deposits are low-stand aeolian followed by terrestrial sediments including wetland remains that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. Evidence of the earliest human settlement submerged Pottery-Neolithic (8.25-7 ka) remains, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth of the bay. The wetland deposits and Pottery-Neolithic settlement remains are at present buried by coastal sand recording middle Holocene sea-level rise and thus, suggesting that these coastal communities were displaced by sea-level transgression ca. 7.6–6.5 ka. The sedimentological and archaeological evidence identified in the stratigraphical sequence of the sheltered bay is a good example of better understanding the essential environmental changes on the shallow shelf and the coastline migration especially in bays and the human settlement adaptations to these changes. This high-resolution reconstruction based on seismic methods in the shallow water and core analysis on land combined with detailed archaeological data from the studied area provides an important addition to the puzzle of the Mediterranean story, the cradle of Western Civilizations.</p>
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. ...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500–1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around -2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500–2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200–1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sea-level indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative s...
This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tecto... more This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tectonically-stable, micro-tidal Galilee coast, Israel, southeastern Mediterranean, since they can serve as past sea-level indicators. The characteristics of the notches, height (H), vertex (D) – distance of maximum retreat point from cliff face, height of retreat point from the floor and roof (H F and H R , respectively), etc., were surveyed using LIDAR and a digital laser rangefinder, and elevations were measured using DGPS. Rock resistance was measured by Schmidt hammer tests, which show that the most developed and best preserved notches were formed within the more resistant host rocks of the Cenomanian chalk and the Pleistocene aeolianite sandstone. The elevations of the abrasive floors of the exposed notches indicated a sea level slightly higher than at present at the beginning of MIS5e, with an upper limit between + 0.5 and + 0.75 m. The morphometry of the MIS5e notches, which are larger than modern notches in the study area, suggests mechanical erosion by broken waves, where an energetic wave-dominant sea batters a sheltered coastal cliff. Two sub-units of MIS5e (the Yasaf Mb.) were deposited within the notches: (a) a conglomerate containing the diagnostic fossil Strombus bubonius which was found on the notch floor, and (b) a younger bioclastic sandstone sub-unit which fills and covers parts of the notches. These unique field relationships link the formation of the notches to the beginning of MIS5e, indicating an erosive phase which parallels large-scale MIS5e sea level evidence, suggesting relatively long standstills at an elevation of about +1 m. The early MIS5e erosive phase was followed by a depositional phase during the later stage of MIS5e.
This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tecto... more This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tectonically-stable, micro-tidal Galilee coast, Israel, southeastern Mediterranean, since they can serve as past sea-level indicators. The characteristics of the notches, height (H), vertex (D) – distance of maximum retreat point from cliff face, height of retreat point from the floor and roof (H F and H R , respectively), etc., were surveyed using LIDAR and a digital laser rangefinder, and elevations were measured using DGPS. Rock resistance was measured by Schmidt hammer tests, which show that the most developed and best preserved notches were formed within the more resistant host rocks of the Cenomanian chalk and the Pleistocene aeolianite sandstone. The elevations of the abrasive floors of the exposed notches indicated a sea level slightly higher than at present at the beginning of MIS5e, with an upper limit between + 0.5 and + 0.75 m. The morphometry of the MIS5e notches, which are larger than modern notches in the study area, suggests mechanical erosion by broken waves, where an energetic wave-dominant sea batters a sheltered coastal cliff. Two sub-units of MIS5e (the Yasaf Mb.) were deposited within the notches: (a) a conglomerate containing the diagnostic fossil Strombus bubonius which was found on the notch floor, and (b) a younger bioclastic sandstone sub-unit which fills and covers parts of the notches. These unique field relationships link the formation of the notches to the beginning of MIS5e, indicating an erosive phase which parallels large-scale MIS5e sea level evidence, suggesting relatively long standstills at an elevation of about +1 m. The early MIS5e erosive phase was followed by a depositional phase during the later stage of MIS5e.
The stratigraphic architecture of coastal plains is determined by the interactions between local ... more The stratigraphic architecture of coastal plains is determined by the interactions between local (e.g. fluvial processes and topography), regional (e.g. climate) and global (e.g. sea level) forcing factors, primarily during the Late Quaternary Period. Detailed stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses of boreholes, cored between coastal ridges in the lowlands, coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, and integrated with existing onshore and offshore databases, has enabled a 4-D reconstruction of the evolution of the coast of Israel during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. This model revealed that Nilotic-sourced littoral sand, intermittently transported inland by wind, has either been lithified into aeolianite or pedogenized into orange–brown palaeosol from about 100 ka to 8 ka. Dark silty clay wetlands were deposited between the aeolian coastal ridges adjacent to streams which cut the Israeli coastal plain and flow westward, from the Last Glacial Maximum until the onset of the Holocene. These units are topped by beach and aeolian quartz sand dated to 6.6–0.1 ka. Diachronous thicknesses and lithological dissimilarities were identified between the sections studied and previous reports on adjacent coastal aeolianite ridges. Streams were found to be a dominant control on the stratigraphical composition and related facies architecture due to fluvial-induced erosion. Consequently, the relief variations between the lowland and cliff controlled aeolian pedogenesis as well as alluvial processes from about 80 to 5 ka. Climate, mainly influenced by precipitation and dust input, induced pedogenic processes; while sea level lowstand during the Last Glacial Maximum is shown to have hindered sediment deposition in the shallow offshore , which in turn affected aeolian transport, reducing sediment accumulation on the palaeo-coastal plain. The palaeoenvironmental model presented in the current study serves as an example for understanding the evolution of similar low-latitude siliciclastic-rich low-gradient shelf-coastal areas during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Furthermore, it demonstrates the influence of local to global forcing factors on these environments.
The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually compl... more The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually complete stratigraphic record that reveals human-environmental interactions throughout the Holocene. Interpretation of new seismic profiles collected from shallow marine geophysical transects across the bay show five seismic units were correlated with stratigraphy and age dates obtained from coastal and shallow-marine sediment cores. This stratigraphic framework permits a detailed reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ca. 77 ka as well as an assessment of environmental factors that influenced some dimensions of past coastal societies. The base of the boreholes records lowstand aeolian deposits overlain by wetland sediments that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. The earliest human settlements are submerged Pottery Neolithic (8.25-7 ka) structures and tools, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth of the bay. The wetland deposits and Pottery Neolithic settlement remains are buried by coastal sand that records a middle Holocene sea-level rise ca. 7.6-6.5 ka. Stratigraphic and geographic relationships suggest that these coastal communities were displaced by sea-level transgression. These findings demonstrate how robust integration of different data sets can be used to reconstruct the geomorphic evolution of coastal settings as well as provide an important addition to the nature of human-landscape interaction and cultural development.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2024
Where are the harbour structures of the thriving Hellenistic and Roman city of Dor? Recent underw... more Where are the harbour structures of the thriving Hellenistic and Roman city of Dor? Recent underwater and coastal surveys and excavations, together with geoarchaeological and geophysical studies, provide strong evidence of the devastating impact of a sea level rise in Hellenistic Dor, as well as of recovery and renewed resilience in the Roman Period. This evidence includes two previously unknown new harbour installations: a very large maritime structure, tentatively identified as a Roman quay (in the North Bay), and a Hellenistic coastal fortification system protecting an anchorage (in the South Bay).
Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significan... more Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significant impacts on coastal communities. Here, we describe the impact of early to late Holocene sea-level variations on the coastal environment and human settlements of the Carmel Coast, Israel. One of these ancient communities, Tel Dor, was settled initially during the Late Pottery Neolithic (ca. 7 ka) on a wetland surface and then abandoned for ca. 1.5 ka before resettlement occurred on the adjacent aeolianite ridge from the Middle Bronze Age to the Crusader period (4.3e0.9 cal Ka BP). For the first time, high resolution chrono-bio-chemo-stratigraphy of sediment cores collected landward of the current shoreline at Dor are presented capturing a record of poorly sorted sand mixed with marine shells, well sorted aeolian sand and silty clay deposits. The record represents a series of brackish-freshwater wetlands formed in the coastal area of Dor between ca. 15 to 7 ka in response to relative sea-level rise and resulting rise of the coastal aquifers. After 7 ka, due to rising sea level and a transgressing shoreline, sand largely derived from the Nile Delta, reached the coast including the coastal wetland. Landward from the current shoreline, the period between ca. 7 to 4 ka is represented by alternating sand-silt facies consisting of reworked marine shells and brackish-fresh water biota. These lithological cycles reflect fluctuations between coastal and wetland environments governed by the response of the coastal aquifer to sea-level rise. Rapid sea-level rise led to a rise in the groundwater table and inundation of the area around Tel Dor, while periods with slower rates of sea-level rise resulted in coastal sand deposition. The settlement gap at Dor between 7 and 5.6 ka possibly reflects the behavioral response of the coastal settlers to sea-level fluctuation, and sediment depositional variation instigating aquifer inundation coastal marsh development and mobilization of sand bodies. This study provides a record of beach profile build-up along the Mediterranean coast of Israel and serves as an example of how sea-level rise affect unconfined coastal aquifers and the formation of wetlands due to rising water tables in low elevation coasts. Coastal inundation is a long-term risk factor for densely populated low-lying coastal regions that require a proactive approach for solving cascading impacts of sea-level rise.
Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significan... more Future sea-level rise is expected to affect coastal aquifers and environments and have significant impacts on coastal communities. Here, we describe the impact of early to late Holocene sea-level variations on the coastal environment and human settlements of the Carmel Coast, Israel. One of these ancient communities, Tel Dor, was settled initially during the Late Pottery Neolithic (ca. 7 ka) on a wetland surface and then abandoned for ca. 1.5 ka before resettlement occurred on the adjacent aeolianite ridge from the Middle Bronze Age to the Crusader period (4.3e0.9 cal Ka BP). For the first time, high resolution chrono-bio-chemo-stratigraphy of sediment cores collected landward of the current shoreline at Dor are presented capturing a record of poorly sorted sand mixed with marine shells, well sorted aeolian sand and silty clay deposits. The record represents a series of brackish-freshwater wetlands formed in the coastal area of Dor between ca. 15 to 7 ka in response to relative sea-level rise and resulting rise of the coastal aquifers. After 7 ka, due to rising sea level and a transgressing shoreline, sand largely derived from the Nile Delta, reached the coast including the coastal wetland. Landward from the current shoreline, the period between ca. 7 to 4 ka is represented by alternating sand-silt facies consisting of reworked marine shells and brackish-fresh water biota. These lithological cycles reflect fluctuations between coastal and wetland environments governed by the response of the coastal aquifer to sea-level rise. Rapid sea-level rise led to a rise in the groundwater table and inundation of the area around Tel Dor, while periods with slower rates of sea-level rise resulted in coastal sand deposition. The settlement gap at Dor between 7 and 5.6 ka possibly reflects the behavioral response of the coastal settlers to sea-level fluctuation, and sediment depositional variation instigating aquifer inundation coastal marsh development and mobilization of sand bodies. This study provides a record of beach profile build-up along the Mediterranean coast of Israel and serves as an example of how sea-level rise affect unconfined coastal aquifers and the formation of wetlands due to rising water tables in low elevation coasts. Coastal inundation is a long-term risk factor for densely populated low-lying coastal regions that require a proactive approach for solving cascading impacts of sea-level rise.
The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually compl... more The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually complete stratigraphic record that reveals human–environmental interactions throughout the Holocene. Interpretation of new seismic profiles collected from shallow marine geophysical transects across the bay show five seismic units were correlated with stratigraphy and age dates obtained from coastal and shallow-marine sediment cores. This stratigraphic framework permits a detailed reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ca. 77 ka as well as an assessment of environmental factors that influenced some dimensions of past coastal societies. The base of the boreholes records lowstand aeolian deposits overlain by wetland sediments that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. The earliest human settlements are submerged Pottery Neolithic (8.25–7 ka) structures and tools, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth...
<p>The Tel-Dor embayment located along the Carmel coast provides a valuable... more <p>The Tel-Dor embayment located along the Carmel coast provides a valuable opportunity to study environmental and human interaction due to its protecting geomorphic properties that are unique for the generally linear Israeli coast. Interpretations of seismic profiles collected from transects across the bay show five seismic units that have been correlated to dated and well-analyzed sediment units in coastal cores, enabling a detailed deep time reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ~77 ka. The earliest borehole deposits are low-stand aeolian followed by terrestrial sediments including wetland remains that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. Evidence of the earliest human settlement submerged Pottery-Neolithic (8.25-7 ka) remains, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth of the bay. The wetland deposits and Pottery-Neolithic settlement remains are at present buried by coastal sand recording middle Holocene sea-level rise and thus, suggesting that these coastal communities were displaced by sea-level transgression ca. 7.6–6.5 ka. The sedimentological and archaeological evidence identified in the stratigraphical sequence of the sheltered bay is a good example of better understanding the essential environmental changes on the shallow shelf and the coastline migration especially in bays and the human settlement adaptations to these changes. This high-resolution reconstruction based on seismic methods in the shallow water and core analysis on land combined with detailed archaeological data from the studied area provides an important addition to the puzzle of the Mediterranean story, the cradle of Western Civilizations.</p>
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. ...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500–1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around -2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500–2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200–1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sea-level indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative s...
This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tecto... more This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tectonically-stable, micro-tidal Galilee coast, Israel, southeastern Mediterranean, since they can serve as past sea-level indicators. The characteristics of the notches, height (H), vertex (D) – distance of maximum retreat point from cliff face, height of retreat point from the floor and roof (H F and H R , respectively), etc., were surveyed using LIDAR and a digital laser rangefinder, and elevations were measured using DGPS. Rock resistance was measured by Schmidt hammer tests, which show that the most developed and best preserved notches were formed within the more resistant host rocks of the Cenomanian chalk and the Pleistocene aeolianite sandstone. The elevations of the abrasive floors of the exposed notches indicated a sea level slightly higher than at present at the beginning of MIS5e, with an upper limit between + 0.5 and + 0.75 m. The morphometry of the MIS5e notches, which are larger than modern notches in the study area, suggests mechanical erosion by broken waves, where an energetic wave-dominant sea batters a sheltered coastal cliff. Two sub-units of MIS5e (the Yasaf Mb.) were deposited within the notches: (a) a conglomerate containing the diagnostic fossil Strombus bubonius which was found on the notch floor, and (b) a younger bioclastic sandstone sub-unit which fills and covers parts of the notches. These unique field relationships link the formation of the notches to the beginning of MIS5e, indicating an erosive phase which parallels large-scale MIS5e sea level evidence, suggesting relatively long standstills at an elevation of about +1 m. The early MIS5e erosive phase was followed by a depositional phase during the later stage of MIS5e.
This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tecto... more This study investigates the morphometry and structure of abrasive notches exposed along the tectonically-stable, micro-tidal Galilee coast, Israel, southeastern Mediterranean, since they can serve as past sea-level indicators. The characteristics of the notches, height (H), vertex (D) – distance of maximum retreat point from cliff face, height of retreat point from the floor and roof (H F and H R , respectively), etc., were surveyed using LIDAR and a digital laser rangefinder, and elevations were measured using DGPS. Rock resistance was measured by Schmidt hammer tests, which show that the most developed and best preserved notches were formed within the more resistant host rocks of the Cenomanian chalk and the Pleistocene aeolianite sandstone. The elevations of the abrasive floors of the exposed notches indicated a sea level slightly higher than at present at the beginning of MIS5e, with an upper limit between + 0.5 and + 0.75 m. The morphometry of the MIS5e notches, which are larger than modern notches in the study area, suggests mechanical erosion by broken waves, where an energetic wave-dominant sea batters a sheltered coastal cliff. Two sub-units of MIS5e (the Yasaf Mb.) were deposited within the notches: (a) a conglomerate containing the diagnostic fossil Strombus bubonius which was found on the notch floor, and (b) a younger bioclastic sandstone sub-unit which fills and covers parts of the notches. These unique field relationships link the formation of the notches to the beginning of MIS5e, indicating an erosive phase which parallels large-scale MIS5e sea level evidence, suggesting relatively long standstills at an elevation of about +1 m. The early MIS5e erosive phase was followed by a depositional phase during the later stage of MIS5e.
The stratigraphic architecture of coastal plains is determined by the interactions between local ... more The stratigraphic architecture of coastal plains is determined by the interactions between local (e.g. fluvial processes and topography), regional (e.g. climate) and global (e.g. sea level) forcing factors, primarily during the Late Quaternary Period. Detailed stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses of boreholes, cored between coastal ridges in the lowlands, coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, and integrated with existing onshore and offshore databases, has enabled a 4-D reconstruction of the evolution of the coast of Israel during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. This model revealed that Nilotic-sourced littoral sand, intermittently transported inland by wind, has either been lithified into aeolianite or pedogenized into orange–brown palaeosol from about 100 ka to 8 ka. Dark silty clay wetlands were deposited between the aeolian coastal ridges adjacent to streams which cut the Israeli coastal plain and flow westward, from the Last Glacial Maximum until the onset of the Holocene. These units are topped by beach and aeolian quartz sand dated to 6.6–0.1 ka. Diachronous thicknesses and lithological dissimilarities were identified between the sections studied and previous reports on adjacent coastal aeolianite ridges. Streams were found to be a dominant control on the stratigraphical composition and related facies architecture due to fluvial-induced erosion. Consequently, the relief variations between the lowland and cliff controlled aeolian pedogenesis as well as alluvial processes from about 80 to 5 ka. Climate, mainly influenced by precipitation and dust input, induced pedogenic processes; while sea level lowstand during the Last Glacial Maximum is shown to have hindered sediment deposition in the shallow offshore , which in turn affected aeolian transport, reducing sediment accumulation on the palaeo-coastal plain. The palaeoenvironmental model presented in the current study serves as an example for understanding the evolution of similar low-latitude siliciclastic-rich low-gradient shelf-coastal areas during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Furthermore, it demonstrates the influence of local to global forcing factors on these environments.
The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually compl... more The protected Tel-Dor coastal embayment in the eastern Mediterranean preserves an unusually complete stratigraphic record that reveals human-environmental interactions throughout the Holocene. Interpretation of new seismic profiles collected from shallow marine geophysical transects across the bay show five seismic units were correlated with stratigraphy and age dates obtained from coastal and shallow-marine sediment cores. This stratigraphic framework permits a detailed reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ca. 77 ka as well as an assessment of environmental factors that influenced some dimensions of past coastal societies. The base of the boreholes records lowstand aeolian deposits overlain by wetland sediments that were subsequently flooded by the mid-Holocene transgression. The earliest human settlements are submerged Pottery Neolithic (8.25-7 ka) structures and tools, found immediately above the wetland deposits landward of a submerged aeolianite ridge at the mouth of the bay. The wetland deposits and Pottery Neolithic settlement remains are buried by coastal sand that records a middle Holocene sea-level rise ca. 7.6-6.5 ka. Stratigraphic and geographic relationships suggest that these coastal communities were displaced by sea-level transgression. These findings demonstrate how robust integration of different data sets can be used to reconstruct the geomorphic evolution of coastal settings as well as provide an important addition to the nature of human-landscape interaction and cultural development.
Along the Levantine coast, ancient anchorages facilitated urban center establishment by enabling ... more Along the Levantine coast, ancient anchorages facilitated urban center establishment by enabling travel between sites and civilizations, leading to expanding trade networks. Various scholars have hypothesized that growing maritime economic prosperity during the Bronze and Iron Ages was permitted along the Israeli coast in Yaffo, Dor, Tel Naami, Tel Akko, and Tel Achziv due to natural processes in the marine-terrestrial interface and subsequent development of lagoonal systems. Once formed, these natural, protected aquatic systems were postulated to have been utilized by the coastal inhabitants as inland harbors constructed adjacent to the settlement. Here the complex long-term relationships between sea-level rise, sedimentation variation, and resulting coastal morphogenesis are examined in the area of Tel Dor in order to assess if an inland anchorage existed adjacent to the Middle Bronze – Iron age site. This investigation relies on a high-resolution spatial and temporal paleoenvironmental record combining dated terrestrial and shallow marine sediment cores with sedimentological and faunal analyses as well as seismic profiles collected from the shallow marine South Bay of Dor. The current stratigraphic framework indicates that the coast of Dor has undergone morphological changes during the Holocene. These consist of a brackish wetland environment (ca. 9 ₋ 7 ka) that changed to a high energy beach (ca. 7 ₋ 4 ka) and finally became a backshore influenced by anthropogenic activity of the coastal inhabitants (4 ka ₋ present). The Holocene stratigraphy, the surface elevation of each lithological unit, and association with sea level variation over the last 9 ka rule out the existence of a lagoon. As a result, it is unlikely that the area facilitated an inland anchorage, making previous hypotheses on this matter unplausible. Our holistic approach at Dor provides a unique opportunity for studying ancient coastal processes, which are essential for properly understanding the interplay between the varying environment and coastal settlers.
The Mediterranean coast reflects complex long-term relationships between natural marine, terrestr... more The Mediterranean coast reflects complex long-term relationships between natural marine, terrestrial, and aeolian processes that shape this dynamic environment and have affected human settlement over time. Tel-Dor, northwest Israel, is a city mound adjacent to a bay that evolved from coastal paleosols into a marine marsh and finally a largely enclosed bay from the late-Pleistocene to present. Sediment and archaeologic records preserved at this site provide an opportunity to investigate environmental change and human-coastal interactions. Interpretations of seismics collected from transects across the bay show six seismic-units that have been correlated to dated and described sediment units in boreholes, enabling a detailed a deep-time reconstruction of the coastal system over the last ~75kyr. The earliest borehole deposits are low-stand aeolian and terrestrial sediments that were subsequently flooded by mid-Holocene transgression. Underwater excavation conducted in Dor’s south bay reveals, similar to other underwater Carmel coast sites, a submerged Pottery-Neolithic (PN; 8,250-7,800 YBP) site situated on the Holocene wetland surface. It seems that Dor’s south bay PN habitats settled on the dry wetland surface landward of an aeolianite mound benefiting from the organic rich wetland surface as well as the protective properties of the bay. The wetland deposits are buried by beach sand recording sea level rise in mid and later Holocene. The results of this study provide a framework for other coastal settings aimed at assessing the impact of natural processes on coastal societies.
Sea-level fluctuations are a dominant and dynamic mechanism that control coastal environmental th... more Sea-level fluctuations are a dominant and dynamic mechanism that control coastal environmental through time. This is especially the case for the successive regressions and transgressions over the last interglacial cycle, which have shaped the deposition, preservation and erosion patterns of unconsolidated sediments currently submerged on continental shelves. The current study focuses on an integrated high-resolution marine and terrestrial litho-stratigraphic and geophysical framework of the north-central Mediterranean coastal zone of Israel. The interpretation enabled the reconstruction of the coastal evolution over the last ∼130 ka. A multidisciplinary approach was applied by compiling existing elevation raster grids, bathymetric charts, detailed lithological borehole data-sets, a dense 110 km long sub-bottom geophysical survey and seven continuous boreholes sediment records. Based on seismic stratigraphic analysis, observed geometries, and reflective appearances, six bounding surfaces and seven seismic units were identified and characterized. Meanwhile, the chronostratig-raphy of the terrestrial side was constructed through integration of magnetic susceptibility, sedimentological and geochemical analysis with 17 new OSL ages. The seismic units were correlated with the available terrestrial borehole data and then associated to the retrieved terrestrial chronostratigraphy to produce a 4D reconstruction model of the paleo-landscape. The entire unconsolidated sequence overlies a calcareous aeolianite (locally named Kurkar unit) dated from ∼131-∼104 ka, which represents the top of the last interglacial cycle dune sediments. The lower unconsolidated unit consists of a red silty loam dated to ∼71 ka. This Red-Paleosol unit is overlaid by a dark brown clayey silty loam This Brown-Paleosol unit dates to ∼58-∼36 ka and is overlaid by a dark silty clay wetland deposit dated to ∼21-∼10 ka. The wetland unit is topped by a quartz sand dated to ∼6.6-0.1 ka. This approach allowed us to investigate the relationship between the lithological units and sea-level change and thus enable the reconstruction of the coastal evolution over the last ∼130 ka. This reconstruction suggests that the stratigraphy is dominated by a sea level lowstand during which aeolian, fluvial and paleosol sediments were deposited in a terrestrial environment. The coastal-terrestrial landscape was flooded by the early to middle Holocene transgression. The results of this study provide a valuable framework for future national strategic shallow-water infrastructure construction and also for the possible locations of past human settlements in relation to coastal evolution through time.
This study reviews the architecture, geo-archaeology and chronologies of the aeolian morphologie... more This study reviews the architecture, geo-archaeology and chronologies of the aeolian morphologies of the dunefields along the Mediterranean coast of Israel in order to: (a) Date the timings of sand and dune incursions (b) Identify the transitions between different and changing drivers of sand incursion and dune growth with time and along different segments of the coast (c) Discriminate between climatic, environmental, historic and modern human-induced forcing factors of sand mobilization and stabilization (d) Present a conceptual and physical model of the incursion stages (e) Assess scenarios of sand mobilization/stabilization in the future. Inquiry of the beach buildup and sand and dune incursion and growth chronology is achieved through a combination of luminescence ages, radiocarbon dates and relative ages from previously published geological and archaeological papers and reports, historical texts, together with new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages combined with stratigraphic and sedimentological data. The chronologies are analyzed with respect to marine and coastal processes, aeolian geomorphology, climate and connections to human occupations. Three main stages and controlling forms of sand and dune mobilization are identified: (1) environmentally driven (2) controlled by historic land-use intensity and (3) mainly stabilization by modern land-use/negligence practices.
Uploads
Papers by Gilad Shtienberg