The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geol... more The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geological area as regards extreme wave events. It underwent a significant and sudden decline and reorganisation between the second and third centuries AD. The few explanations that have been hitherto offered for this abrupt transformation range from political and economic disruptions to vague speculations on natural causes. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on determining the possibility of an extreme wave event as the cause behind the restructuring of this industry. For this purpose, the results of 3 years of archaeological and geoscientific field research in Boca do Rio (Vila do Bispo, Algarve) are presented and evaluated. Although far-reaching changes in the building stock of this Roman industrial settlement have been dated to between the second and third centuries AD, and a short series of high energy events has been identified, there is no evidence of the direct influence of a single event (a flood, storm surge, tsunami, etc.) as a trigger for the changes in the settlement and the local Roman economy. Rather, medium-term environmental changes seem to have been the driving force behind them. Additionally, a previously unknown late medieval event layer is described in detail.
Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made in tsunami research. Be that as it may,... more Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made in tsunami research. Be that as it may, little is still known about tsunami deposits and their related depositional mechanisms in coastal areas in historical and archaeological contexts. In particular, the Phoenician, Greek and Roman trade and military networks along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, with their cities, harbours and additional facilities, are susceptible to serving as archives for extreme wave events. The ruins of the Roman city of Baelo Claudia, located on the Bay of Bolonia Bay (southern Spain), offer a unique environment for studying historical tsunamis in the Gulf of Cadiz. Baelo Claudia suffered at least two earthquakes in Roman times, namely, in the first and fourth centuries CE. The latter, associated with a tsunami, led to the city’s destruction and subsequent decline. Accordingly, three tsunami deposits in Baelo Claudia, dated to ca. 4000 cal BP (2000 BCE), ca. 400 CE and 1755 CE, the last corresponding to the Lisbon tsunami, are described here. The multi-disciplinary research conducted on the sedimentary, archaeological and palaeontological records has revealed event deposits, together with major landscape changes in the environs of the bay after tsunami landfall. Furthermore, the significant archaeoseismic damage detected in recently excavated buildings has been dated to the end of the fourth-century CE. The results presented here serve to supplement the earthquake and tsunami record of coastal Iberia
This study presents results from two sediment cores collected on the southern Portuguese shelf at... more This study presents results from two sediment cores collected on the southern Portuguese shelf attempting to, partially, fill the knowledge gap of the offshore record of high-energy events. The results were obtained based on description of cores, microtextural analysis of quartz grains and foraminiferal taphonomy. The lithostratigraphy, corresponding to late Holocene sedimentation, with intercalations of medium sand-rich in bioclastic fragments with erosive basal contact. In terms of microtextures, a high degree of mechanical marks on the grains associated with tsunami deposition was observed and reflects the high-energy hydrodynamic processes. In compositional terms the higher presence of quartz grains in these units favours the increase of mechanical marks, because grain-to-grain contact is more intense. Additionally, the geomorphological setting of the coring sites determined the degree and type of mechanical microtextures observed. Furthermore, post-depositional changes and char...
Multibeam bathymetry raw data was recorded in the North Atlantic during cruise M152 that took pla... more Multibeam bathymetry raw data was recorded in the North Atlantic during cruise M152 that took place between 2018-11-02 and 2018-11-13. The data was collected using the ship's own Kongsberg EM 710. This data is part of the DAM (German Marine Research Alliance) underway research data project.
<p>Tsunamis and other extreme wave events draw a severe threat to coastal populations today... more <p>Tsunamis and other extreme wave events draw a severe threat to coastal populations today and in historic times. The ancient settlement of <em>Cerro del Villar </em>located in present-day M&#225;laga, southern Spain, was built by Phoenicians around the second quarter of the 8<sup>th</sup> century BCE on a small sand bar (island) in the wide estuary of the Guadalhorce River. Later, the sand bar connected to the southern river bank and alluvial plane. Due to the low height above mean sea level, the site has been prone to river floodings, as well as extreme wave events of the Mediterranean Sea.&#160;In order to understand the palaeoenvironmental evolution and settlement history, as well as its vulnerability, it is important to analyse the nature of the events by dating and interpretation of the sedimentary record.</p><p>Here, we present first results of a short field campaign carried out in October 2019 at the western end of the Guadalhorce River palaeo-estuary, outside the boundaries of the archaeological zone. Two sediment cores (MAL-CV-1; <em>ca.</em> 3.70&#160;m length and MAL-CV-2, <em>ca.</em>&#160;4.69&#160;m) were drilled southwest of the Phoenician site. A total of eight non-invasive ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles were carried out in the surroundings of the cores, and additional GPR profiles close to the beach were taken to understand the changes in the depositional environment along the coast. The cores cover a stratigraphy of three different sediment units: a basal sand unit representing a palaeo-beach, followed by a large silt and clay unit developed in a lagoon environment, and topped by another silt and clay unit representing floodplain conditions. At MAL-CV-1 two possible high-energy event units (Ey and Ez) interrupt the low-energy silt and clay units. At MAL-CV-2 event unit Ey is preserved as well, the other event unit Ez is concealed by an anthropogenic unit rich in ceramic, brick and glass fragments. GPR profiles show the same stratigraphy and allow a lateral continuation of the different units and event deposits. With the help of these GPR profiles, event unit Ez can be traced in-between the anthropogenic unit of MAL-CV-2. In terms of chronology, two radiocarbon dates establish the transition between the basal palaeo-beach and the lagoon at 4352-4325&#160;cal.&#160;BC (6274-6301&#160;cal.&#160;BP) and the anthropogenic layer to be younger than 2201-2126&#160;cal.&#160;BC (4075-4150&#160;cal.&#160;BP). The establishment of coastal freshwater lagoons with plentiful Hydrobia gastropods and ostracods resembles the last stage of post-glacial sea level rise in the Mediterranean. In the future, these promising first results will be extended by additional radiocarbon dates and a palynological study to better understand the climate and palaeoenvironmental evolution.</p>
Abstract The Santo Andre lagoon is located on the southern west coast of Portugal, about 80 km so... more Abstract The Santo Andre lagoon is located on the southern west coast of Portugal, about 80 km south of Lisbon. Although the beach barrier separating the lagoon from the open sea was occasionally breached in the past and has artificially been opened on an annual basis for the last decades, the lagoon still represents an appropriate geo-bio-archive for reconstructing the Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution. For this purpose, a 10-m-long sediment core was taken from the centre of the lagoon by using a floating platform. Sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological analyses were performed in order to unravel past sedimentological, environmental and climatic conditions. Due to the lagoon's exposure to storms from the Atlantic and possible tsunamis triggered by earthquakes along the Eurasian-African plate boundary south of Portugal, it is of high interest to identify short-term high energy events that might have crossed or breached the shielding barrier, leaving their footprint in the sedimentary record of the lagoon. The sediment core archived the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Santo Andre lagoon for at least the last eight millennia. The sandy deposits of the core's lowermost part most likely represent a former coastal flood plain that developed when the postglacial marine transgression had reached the area. The continued sea-level rise deposited alternating layers which indicate varying environmental conditions, characterized by peat growth, stagnant-water areas, as well as disconnections from and reconnections with the open sea. Since approximately 5000 BP, the longshore transport had formed a beach barrier, separating the marine embayment from the open sea and creating a lagoon. In addition, four sudden significant marine inundations between ~8500 and 6000 BP are indicated by the sedimentary and macrofaunal analyses. Two of these layers can be correlated to extreme wave events (unit B-II), while for the other two layers an ingression caused by sea-level rise or extreme wave events remains debatable.
The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geol... more The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geological area as regards extreme wave events. It underwent a significant and sudden decline and reorganisation between the second and third centuries AD. The few explanations that have been hitherto offered for this abrupt transformation range from political and economic disruptions to vague speculations on natural causes. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on determining the possibility of an extreme wave event as the cause behind the restructuring of this industry. For this purpose, the results of 3 years of archaeological and geoscientific field research in Boca do Rio (Vila do Bispo, Algarve) are presented and evaluated. Although far-reaching changes in the building stock of this Roman industrial settlement have been dated to between the second and third centuries AD, and a short series of high energy events has been identified, there is no evidence of the direct influence of a single event (a flood, storm surge, tsunami, etc.) as a trigger for the changes in the settlement and the local Roman economy. Rather, medium-term environmental changes seem to have been the driving force behind them. Additionally, a previously unknown late medieval event layer is described in detail.
Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made in tsunami research. Be that as it may,... more Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made in tsunami research. Be that as it may, little is still known about tsunami deposits and their related depositional mechanisms in coastal areas in historical and archaeological contexts. In particular, the Phoenician, Greek and Roman trade and military networks along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, with their cities, harbours and additional facilities, are susceptible to serving as archives for extreme wave events. The ruins of the Roman city of Baelo Claudia, located on the Bay of Bolonia Bay (southern Spain), offer a unique environment for studying historical tsunamis in the Gulf of Cadiz. Baelo Claudia suffered at least two earthquakes in Roman times, namely, in the first and fourth centuries CE. The latter, associated with a tsunami, led to the city’s destruction and subsequent decline. Accordingly, three tsunami deposits in Baelo Claudia, dated to ca. 4000 cal BP (2000 BCE), ca. 400 CE and 1755 CE, the last corresponding to the Lisbon tsunami, are described here. The multi-disciplinary research conducted on the sedimentary, archaeological and palaeontological records has revealed event deposits, together with major landscape changes in the environs of the bay after tsunami landfall. Furthermore, the significant archaeoseismic damage detected in recently excavated buildings has been dated to the end of the fourth-century CE. The results presented here serve to supplement the earthquake and tsunami record of coastal Iberia
This study presents results from two sediment cores collected on the southern Portuguese shelf at... more This study presents results from two sediment cores collected on the southern Portuguese shelf attempting to, partially, fill the knowledge gap of the offshore record of high-energy events. The results were obtained based on description of cores, microtextural analysis of quartz grains and foraminiferal taphonomy. The lithostratigraphy, corresponding to late Holocene sedimentation, with intercalations of medium sand-rich in bioclastic fragments with erosive basal contact. In terms of microtextures, a high degree of mechanical marks on the grains associated with tsunami deposition was observed and reflects the high-energy hydrodynamic processes. In compositional terms the higher presence of quartz grains in these units favours the increase of mechanical marks, because grain-to-grain contact is more intense. Additionally, the geomorphological setting of the coring sites determined the degree and type of mechanical microtextures observed. Furthermore, post-depositional changes and char...
Multibeam bathymetry raw data was recorded in the North Atlantic during cruise M152 that took pla... more Multibeam bathymetry raw data was recorded in the North Atlantic during cruise M152 that took place between 2018-11-02 and 2018-11-13. The data was collected using the ship's own Kongsberg EM 710. This data is part of the DAM (German Marine Research Alliance) underway research data project.
<p>Tsunamis and other extreme wave events draw a severe threat to coastal populations today... more <p>Tsunamis and other extreme wave events draw a severe threat to coastal populations today and in historic times. The ancient settlement of <em>Cerro del Villar </em>located in present-day M&#225;laga, southern Spain, was built by Phoenicians around the second quarter of the 8<sup>th</sup> century BCE on a small sand bar (island) in the wide estuary of the Guadalhorce River. Later, the sand bar connected to the southern river bank and alluvial plane. Due to the low height above mean sea level, the site has been prone to river floodings, as well as extreme wave events of the Mediterranean Sea.&#160;In order to understand the palaeoenvironmental evolution and settlement history, as well as its vulnerability, it is important to analyse the nature of the events by dating and interpretation of the sedimentary record.</p><p>Here, we present first results of a short field campaign carried out in October 2019 at the western end of the Guadalhorce River palaeo-estuary, outside the boundaries of the archaeological zone. Two sediment cores (MAL-CV-1; <em>ca.</em> 3.70&#160;m length and MAL-CV-2, <em>ca.</em>&#160;4.69&#160;m) were drilled southwest of the Phoenician site. A total of eight non-invasive ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles were carried out in the surroundings of the cores, and additional GPR profiles close to the beach were taken to understand the changes in the depositional environment along the coast. The cores cover a stratigraphy of three different sediment units: a basal sand unit representing a palaeo-beach, followed by a large silt and clay unit developed in a lagoon environment, and topped by another silt and clay unit representing floodplain conditions. At MAL-CV-1 two possible high-energy event units (Ey and Ez) interrupt the low-energy silt and clay units. At MAL-CV-2 event unit Ey is preserved as well, the other event unit Ez is concealed by an anthropogenic unit rich in ceramic, brick and glass fragments. GPR profiles show the same stratigraphy and allow a lateral continuation of the different units and event deposits. With the help of these GPR profiles, event unit Ez can be traced in-between the anthropogenic unit of MAL-CV-2. In terms of chronology, two radiocarbon dates establish the transition between the basal palaeo-beach and the lagoon at 4352-4325&#160;cal.&#160;BC (6274-6301&#160;cal.&#160;BP) and the anthropogenic layer to be younger than 2201-2126&#160;cal.&#160;BC (4075-4150&#160;cal.&#160;BP). The establishment of coastal freshwater lagoons with plentiful Hydrobia gastropods and ostracods resembles the last stage of post-glacial sea level rise in the Mediterranean. In the future, these promising first results will be extended by additional radiocarbon dates and a palynological study to better understand the climate and palaeoenvironmental evolution.</p>
Abstract The Santo Andre lagoon is located on the southern west coast of Portugal, about 80 km so... more Abstract The Santo Andre lagoon is located on the southern west coast of Portugal, about 80 km south of Lisbon. Although the beach barrier separating the lagoon from the open sea was occasionally breached in the past and has artificially been opened on an annual basis for the last decades, the lagoon still represents an appropriate geo-bio-archive for reconstructing the Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution. For this purpose, a 10-m-long sediment core was taken from the centre of the lagoon by using a floating platform. Sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological analyses were performed in order to unravel past sedimentological, environmental and climatic conditions. Due to the lagoon's exposure to storms from the Atlantic and possible tsunamis triggered by earthquakes along the Eurasian-African plate boundary south of Portugal, it is of high interest to identify short-term high energy events that might have crossed or breached the shielding barrier, leaving their footprint in the sedimentary record of the lagoon. The sediment core archived the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Santo Andre lagoon for at least the last eight millennia. The sandy deposits of the core's lowermost part most likely represent a former coastal flood plain that developed when the postglacial marine transgression had reached the area. The continued sea-level rise deposited alternating layers which indicate varying environmental conditions, characterized by peat growth, stagnant-water areas, as well as disconnections from and reconnections with the open sea. Since approximately 5000 BP, the longshore transport had formed a beach barrier, separating the marine embayment from the open sea and creating a lagoon. In addition, four sudden significant marine inundations between ~8500 and 6000 BP are indicated by the sedimentary and macrofaunal analyses. Two of these layers can be correlated to extreme wave events (unit B-II), while for the other two layers an ingression caused by sea-level rise or extreme wave events remains debatable.
Historical Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Archaeology in the Iberian Peninsula, 2022
The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geol... more The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geological area as regards extreme wave events. It underwent a significant and sudden decline and reorganisation between the second and third centuries AD. The few explanations that have been hitherto offered for this abrupt transformation range from political and economic disruptions to vague speculations on natural causes. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on determining the possibility of an extreme wave event as the cause behind the restructuring of this industry. For this purpose, the results of 3 years of archaeological and geoscientific field research in Boca do Rio (Vila do Bispo, Algarve) are presented and evaluated. Although far-reaching changes in the building stock of this Roman industrial settlement have been dated to between the second and third centuries AD, and a short series of high energy events has been identified, there is no evidence of the direct influence of a single event (a flood, storm surge, tsunami, etc.) as a trigger for the changes in the settlement and the local Roman economy. Rather, medium-term environmental changes seem to have been the driving force behind them. Additionally, a previously unknown late medieval event layer is described in detail.
Historical Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Archaeology in the Iberian Peninsula, 2022
The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geol... more The Roman fish-salting industry in the Western Mediterranean was concentrated in a high-risk geological area as regards extreme wave events. It underwent a significant and sudden decline and reorganisation between the second and third centuries AD. The few explanations that have been hitherto offered for this abrupt transformation range from political and economic disruptions to vague speculations on natural causes. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on determining the possibility of an extreme wave event as the cause behind the restructuring of this industry. For this purpose, the results of 3 years of archaeological and geoscientific field research in Boca do Rio (Vila do Bispo, Algarve) are presented and evaluated. Although far-reaching changes in the building stock of this Roman industrial settlement have been dated to between the second and third centuries AD, and a short series of high energy events has been identified, there is no evidence of the direct influence of a single event (a flood, storm surge, tsunami, etc.) as a trigger for the changes in the settlement and the local Roman economy. Rather, medium-term environmental changes seem to have been the driving force behind them. Additionally, a previously unknown late medieval event layer is described in detail.
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