Vertical displacement trends in the Aegean coastal zone (NE Mediterranean) during the Holocene assessed by geo-archaeological data

Abstract

Trends in the vertical displacement (i.e. uplift or subsidence) of the Aegean Sea coastal zone have been assessed by comparing observational data with those derived from the predictive glacio-hydro-isostatic model of Lambeck and Purcell (2005) for a period spanning from the Mesolithic to the late Roman times. The data base comprises published studies that use both geomorphological (with associated biological material) and archaeological sea level indicators/markers. Localities demonstrating uplift of high amplitude were detected in front of the Hellenic Arc (Antikythira, Crete, Rhodes, Nisyros) and in the northeast Aegean region (Thrace), whilst areas experiencing tectonic subsidence were mainly observed in the central Aegean region which is characterized by an extensional tectonic domain. However, regional-scale tectonic particularities have caused uplift in parts of the west and east coast of central Aegean. Tectonically ‘stable’ sites can be found in the Cyclades Plateau, however, this is due to a balance between uplifting and subsiding movements. Sediment compaction and sediment loading may have affected districts with high sedimentation rates such as the Thessaloniki Plain-Thermaikos Gulf (NW Aegean). Finally, tectonic fragmentation of the coastal area in Minor Asia is responsible for localised uplifting and subsiding events.

Formation of Late Quaternary paleoshorelines in Crete, Eastern Mediterranean

“…Blue line marks the boundary between east and west Crete adopted for the purposes of this paper. Str.2011 = Strasser et al (2011). for the central Mediterranean with sea-level rise of ∼1 m/1000 yr since 4 kyr BP and a total of 6-7 m in the last 5 kyr, which is consistent with the drowning of many archaeological sites throughout the Mediterranean (e.g., Antonioli et al, 2007;Auriemma and Solinas, 2009;Pavlopoulos, 2010Pavlopoulos, , 2012. Sea-level rise during the last ∼4 kyr is supported by the drowning of numerous archaeological sites in central and eastern Crete, as recorded by detailed underwater surveys (e.g., Leatham and Hood, 1959;Betancourt et al, 2005;Pavlopoulos, 2010;Mourtzas, 2012) (Fig.…”

“…3e). The proposed Late Holocene eustatic rise in sea-level in the Mediterranean is supported by a number of studies based on paleoshoreline and archeological data together with numerical modelling (Laborel et al, 1994;Lambeck and Purcell, 2005;Antonioli et al, 2007;Auriemma and Solinas, 2009;Pavlopoulos, 2010Pavlopoulos, , 2012. For example, Antonioli et al (2007) modelled an eustatic sea-level curve Fig.…”

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstruction and paleoclimatic implications of the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) based on paleoceanographic indexes and stable isotopes

“…The termination of this humid phase as reflected by the positive average d 13 C values support the idea of a general trend to climatic aridification over the Late Holocene, which is in accordance with the salinity increase and oligotrophic and dry nature of the water column of the modern Aegean Sea. This is further associated with the reduction in the rate of sea-level rise at about 4.0 ka in the Aegean Sea (Pavlopoulos et al, 2011), the northern Hemisphere rapid climate cooling at 4.2 ka mega drought event (Mayewski et al, 2004), the concomitant reduction of Black Sea surface water outflow (Sperling et al, 2003), and the termination of the African Humid Period at 3.8 ka (Jung et al, 2004).…”

Natural contamination by As and heavy metals in soil, their bio-accumulation and potential sources: the case of a travertine limestone quarry, Greece

“…Many coastal sites in the central Aegean region, including Attica, have followed the longterm subsidence trend of the Aegean Sea from the Middle to Upper Pleistocene and are characterized by an extensional tectonic regime [14]. A spatial distribution of uplift and subsidence in the coastal areas of the Aegean Sea has been demonstrated, as well as a relationship between this distribution and tectonic and sedimentary processes operating within the Aegean region [15]. East Attica is composed by two major units: (a) The lower group of the NE Attica comprising the autochthonous unit or crystalline basement, forming a large anticline with the axis oriented in the NNE-SSW direction, composed of metamorphic rocks (Triassic schists, metabasic, quartz-feldspathic rocks) and (b) an overlying carbonate sequence, ranging from upper Triassic to Upper Cretaceous and NeogeneQuaternary deposits [11] (Fig.…”