International audienceAn original karstic system in a coastal alluvial plain located in a carbonate environment (Cassis, Provence -- SE France) was studied using a multi-method approach (electrical resistivity tomography, gravimetric, passive seismic survey), combined with geomorphologic methods, surface observations and drilling. Limestone dissolution and/or cavity collapse led to the development of a polje, which was filled rapidly by erosion of Aptian marls. The combination of several dating and paleoenvironmental proxies indicates that the polje was filled during a glacial period (MIS 6, 8 or 10, i.e. in the 130-360 ka age range). This discovery has implications for the understanding of karst processes. The connection between the polje and the three km-long Bestouan underwater karstic conduit with submarine outlet is strongly suggested by sedimentological studies and geophysical prospections

We developed a fully automated magnetic field scanner dedicated to uniaxial magnetic field measurements to determine remanent magnetization intensities and their variations in sedimentary U‐channels. A fluxgate magnetometer located as close as possible to the sedimentary section is used to perform uniaxial measurements of magnetic fields generated by the isothermal remanent magnetization of the sediment. This artificial magnetization, which is known to be a powerful proxy in environmental magnetism, is produced perpendicular to the U‐channel long axis, and parallel to the fluxgate axis, using a Halbach cylinder prior to the measurement. The present magnetic scanner offers a maximal spatial resolution of 5.8 mm for point sources. A spatial resolution of 14 mm is obtained for U‐channel samples. The magnetic scanner presents a reliable magnetic field range over about 3 orders of magnitude allowing measurement of magnetizations that saturate the Superconducting Rock Magnetometer in its classical configuration. The estimation of remanent magnetization intensities along the U‐channel is based on a modeling approach that uses successive uniformly magnetized prisms. In lacustrine laminated sections, comparison between modeling results based on prisms of a constant thickness, on prisms determined from sedimentary facies, and on prisms determined from X‐ray fluorescence data helps to understand the detrital versus diagenetic history of the sedimentary succession.

International audienceThis paper is based on a multidisciplinary study using both paleoenvironmental methods (biological, sedimentological, magnetic and geochemical) and archaeological data in order to characterize landscape and hydrological network changes as well as human impact on a littoral catchment in the Western Mediterranean area. Sedimentary records obtained around a coastal alluvial plain (Cassis, Southeastern France) reveal local environmental changes and human activities since the Neolithic (ca. 6000 cal. BP). Anthropogenic impact is already noticeable in the earliest record, and we follow its evolution through time. According to biological markers, the Holocene landscape of the Calanques is dominated by a mosaic of open herbaceous formations partly generated by human activity. The prevalence of Cernuella virgata in malacofauna successions and of coprophilous fungal spores in the pollen record testifies to the spread of agro-pastoral activities. Two increases of anthropogenic impact are highlighted during the Roman (ca. 2000 cal. BP) and Modern (from ca. 1450 to today) periods. Lead isotope analyses indicate an anthropogenic release of lead, possibly originating from the Greek Cyclades (ca. 2000 cal. BP). Hydrographic and agricultural work is also enhanced during the Roman period. Magnetic parameters and lead isotopes indicate that the Modern anthropogenic impact may be associated with high temperature activities (e.g. lime kiln, fossil fuel)