Abstract
The mineralogical, grain size and geochemical properties (e.g., Nd and Sr isotopes, Mg/Al ratios) of fine detritus that accumulated in the Dead Sea during the late Glacial to early Holocene time (∼22–7 ka) are used to identify its sources and modes of transport and to reconstruct the hydroclimate conditions in the Dead Sea watershed. Samples were retrieved from the DSDDP -5017-1A core that was drilled in the deep floor of the lake, and from various exposures of surface cover in the lake's watershed. The data show that during most of the late glacial, detrital particles were either directly blown mostly from the north Sahara Desert or were washed from the surface cover (loessial soils) of the north Negev Desert and Judea Desert. This picture changed during the end of the last glacial to the early Holocene (∼14 - 7 ka) when the fine detritus showed evidence for contribution from surface cover that contained basaltic soils. The contribution of basaltic soils to the fine detritus inventory of the Dead Sea and to terraces in the Jordan Valley, indicates a period of intense erosion in the northern highlands of the Dead Sea watershed, at an interval that partly coincides with Sapropel S1. In contrast, during the last interglacial Sapropel S5, fine detritus was mostly mobilized to the lake from southern and eastern region of the watershed. The formation and accumulation of terraces from this basaltic-derived material could be an important factor in the establishment of early agriculture settlements in the Jordan Valley.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 395-405 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Quaternary Science Reviews |
Volume | 218 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 15 Aug 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Ahuva Almogi-Labin from the Geological Survey of Israel for providing basaltic soil samples used in this study, Mr. Ofir Tirosh from the Hebrew University for his assistance with preparations and analytical procedures. We thank Dr. Amir Sandler and Dr. Onn Crouvi from the Geological Survey of Israel for XRD and grain size analysis. The study was funded by the Dead Sea Deep Drill Center of Excellence (COE) of the Israel Science Foundation (grants # 1736/11 and 1436/14 to YE).
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