- Email: [email protected]
Geology and Non-traditional resources of the Black Sea
Abstracts / Quaternary International 279-280 (2012) 9–120
formation and evolution of coastal barriers in RS during Middle and Late Holocene. DANUBE DELTA'S PROSPECTIVE PRE-PROTOHISTORIC CULTURAL HERITAGE: AN ESTIMATE
ARCHAEO-
Radu George Dimitriu. National Institute of Marine Geology and Geoecology, Romania E-mail address: [email protected]
Coastal environments, in particular those associated to large estuarine– deltaic areas, have represented, due to their rich natural resources, cores of development for many prehistoric civilizations during the Late Glacial to Early Holocene time. On the western Black Sea coast, the embayment of the Danube Estuary, around 5 ky. BC, at a past sea level close to the present one, triggered the formation of the delta. Since the beginning, the delta lobs evolution and the coastline morphology were heavily influenced by the combined effects of the regional subsidence (-2 to -4 mm/y today), the eustasy (+0.5-1.0 mm/y rise today) and the huge Danube's sedimentary discharge (over 50 mil. t/y in past). Thus, any prospective archaeo-cultural layer corresponding to Late Prehistory, located in past not too high above the sea level, could be placed today at a burial depth that exceed 4-5 m. The oldest archeological findings (100th11th Mil. BC) in the region are exclusively located on the higher topography border of the delta at Babadag, Enisala and Baia. That time, the entire area was at least 40 m above the sea level. Neolithic-Eneolithic (end of 6th-start of 4th Mil. BC) settlements belonging to Hamangia, Boian and Gumelnia cultures, all revealing at least one habitation level, have been discovered in many sites located on terraces, cliffs and promontories of the paleoseashore, today the western border of the delta plain (Istria, Baia, Ceamurlia, Lunca, Enisala, Sarichioi, Nufru, Mahmudia, etc.) and, within the plain, on higher ground (Popina Is., Taraschina Mound). All Bronze Age (3.5-1.5 ky. BC) findings known today in the area represent tumuli complexes located within the delta plain (Chilia Veche) and close proximity. Relatively numerous settlements and habitation remains of Iron Age (11th-2nd Cent. BC) have also been found on the western border of the delta plain and, within it, on the cliff of Cape Bisericuia and on the higher ground of the Caraorman beach ridge system. GEOLOGY AND NON-TRADITIONAL RESOURCES OF THE BLACK SEA Dimitar Dimitrov. Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria E-mail address: [email protected]
This paper examines the origin, properties and application of deep sea organogenic mineral sediments (DSOMS) formed during the newest ages of the geological history of the Black Sea. It examines also the natural conditions influencing the formation of the sediment complex and the mineral resources. The Black Sea is seen as a unique geobiotechnological reactor capable of generating specific geological resources. The object of this study is the Black Sea bottom and more specifically the Bulgarian economic zone and the western region of the Black Sea and the subject of the study is the origin, the properties and the distribution of deep sea organogenic mineral sediments (DSOMS) and the evaluation of the possibilities to use them as a complex raw material. The research work aims to resolve the following issues:
Examination of the oceanographic factors underlying the formation of present day and Holocene organogenic mineral sediments on the Black Sea bottom. Examination of the origin, the composition, the properties and the distribution of DSOMS and their characteristics as a raw material. Paleogeographic reconstruction of the basin and explanation of the conditions leading to the formation of mineral resources and their connection to the geocatastrophic events in the Black Sea during the Holocene. Examination of the spheres of application of DSOMS and some results from their application.
119
An estimate of the volume of the raw material, the mining and technical conditions, the equipment and technology for their extraction, that will make possible the development of marine mining industry. IMPACT OF CHANGES IN UNGULATE COMMUNITIES ON THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN GROUPS AND HYENAS FROM MIS 5 TO MIS 3 Emmanuel Discamps. Université Bordeaux 1, UMR 5199 PACEA, France E-mail address: [email protected]
From MIS 5 to 3, Western Europe has witnessed dramatic climate changes that shaped the environments inhabited by past societies. Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic men did belong to the past ecosystems and recent works have shown that in spite of numerous technological and cultural innovations, they were affected by environmental constraints like every predator. Remarkably, large predators are impacted by changes in herbivore communities because they result in fluctuations of the ecosystem's carrying capacity. This communication proposes to investigate the links that might have existed between climate changes, faunal dynamics and the history of two large predators: humans and cave hyenas. Changes in ungulate communities could have affected the demography of these predators and their level of competition for large game. A detailed analysis of the available data from southwestern France permits to highlight key factors that shaped the interactions between humans and hyenas. For this purpose, we built a database that includes both archeological and paleontological sequences, spanning MIS 5 to 3, with quantitative faunal lists and absolute dates. Analysis was made possible through the combination of a wide array of methods (archeostratigraphy, Bayesian and multivariate statistics, GIS) and the confrontation with independent paleoclimatic data (ice and deep sea cores). Interesting parallels between the demographic history of hyenas and fluctuations in carrying capacity can be identified. The model built in southwestern France is then compared with the specificity of other regions, by exploiting an extended database of hyena occurrences in Western Europe. Notably, analysis of the faunal record brings new insights on the environmental changes of MIS 3, a period that has seen the demise of the last Neandertals and the arrival of the first modern humans in Europe. IGNEOUS AFFINITIES OF GEOMATERIALS USED IN EARLY BATAWANA POTTERY Sorcha Diskin. ORI, University of Botswana, Botswana E-mail address: [email protected]
The geology of Botswana is highly varied and often covered by great thicknesses of Kalahari Sands. Here we considered the relationship of the material culture of the BaTawana to the geology of Botswana. The Khwebe Hills of Northern Botswana are home to a relatively short-lived (ca. 20 Years) settlement following the migration of the early BaTawana into the area before moving to their new capital at Toteng, some 30km to the north. Recorded in local oral history as the first occupation site of the incoming BaTawana, this site has been subject to excavation and planning/survey in conjunction with the National Museum of Botswana. Material culture remains consists primarily of ceramics, much of which conform to a typical Tswana style. Three types of pottery were identified based on fabric from a midden at this site. A selection of materials were analysed using XRD and ICP techniques and the results analysed using standard whole rock geochemical sediment provenance techniques. One fabric type is not further discussed based on its mineralogy as it was found to comprise mainly bone, the other fabric types comprise quartz, feldspar and clays. One of these shows a strong felsic affinity and the other a strong mafic affinity. The materials used in the felsic type show similarities to modern clay sources in the Khwebe Hills, likely derived from Proterozoic rhyolites and metasandstones. While there are some minor mafic intrusions into the Khwebe Hills, it is more likely that the mafic affinity materials were brought from outside, considering the short timespan of habitation at this site and the defensive nature of the site suggesting people were not likely to travel any significant distance looking for raw
formation and evolution of coastal barriers in RS during Middle and Late Holocene. DANUBE DELTA'S PROSPECTIVE PRE-PROTOHISTORIC CULTURAL HERITAGE: AN ESTIMATE
ARCHAEO-
Radu George Dimitriu. National Institute of Marine Geology and Geoecology, Romania E-mail address: [email protected]
Coastal environments, in particular those associated to large estuarine– deltaic areas, have represented, due to their rich natural resources, cores of development for many prehistoric civilizations during the Late Glacial to Early Holocene time. On the western Black Sea coast, the embayment of the Danube Estuary, around 5 ky. BC, at a past sea level close to the present one, triggered the formation of the delta. Since the beginning, the delta lobs evolution and the coastline morphology were heavily influenced by the combined effects of the regional subsidence (-2 to -4 mm/y today), the eustasy (+0.5-1.0 mm/y rise today) and the huge Danube's sedimentary discharge (over 50 mil. t/y in past). Thus, any prospective archaeo-cultural layer corresponding to Late Prehistory, located in past not too high above the sea level, could be placed today at a burial depth that exceed 4-5 m. The oldest archeological findings (100th11th Mil. BC) in the region are exclusively located on the higher topography border of the delta at Babadag, Enisala and Baia. That time, the entire area was at least 40 m above the sea level. Neolithic-Eneolithic (end of 6th-start of 4th Mil. BC) settlements belonging to Hamangia, Boian and Gumelnia cultures, all revealing at least one habitation level, have been discovered in many sites located on terraces, cliffs and promontories of the paleoseashore, today the western border of the delta plain (Istria, Baia, Ceamurlia, Lunca, Enisala, Sarichioi, Nufru, Mahmudia, etc.) and, within the plain, on higher ground (Popina Is., Taraschina Mound). All Bronze Age (3.5-1.5 ky. BC) findings known today in the area represent tumuli complexes located within the delta plain (Chilia Veche) and close proximity. Relatively numerous settlements and habitation remains of Iron Age (11th-2nd Cent. BC) have also been found on the western border of the delta plain and, within it, on the cliff of Cape Bisericuia and on the higher ground of the Caraorman beach ridge system. GEOLOGY AND NON-TRADITIONAL RESOURCES OF THE BLACK SEA Dimitar Dimitrov. Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria E-mail address: [email protected]
This paper examines the origin, properties and application of deep sea organogenic mineral sediments (DSOMS) formed during the newest ages of the geological history of the Black Sea. It examines also the natural conditions influencing the formation of the sediment complex and the mineral resources. The Black Sea is seen as a unique geobiotechnological reactor capable of generating specific geological resources. The object of this study is the Black Sea bottom and more specifically the Bulgarian economic zone and the western region of the Black Sea and the subject of the study is the origin, the properties and the distribution of deep sea organogenic mineral sediments (DSOMS) and the evaluation of the possibilities to use them as a complex raw material. The research work aims to resolve the following issues:
Examination of the oceanographic factors underlying the formation of present day and Holocene organogenic mineral sediments on the Black Sea bottom. Examination of the origin, the composition, the properties and the distribution of DSOMS and their characteristics as a raw material. Paleogeographic reconstruction of the basin and explanation of the conditions leading to the formation of mineral resources and their connection to the geocatastrophic events in the Black Sea during the Holocene. Examination of the spheres of application of DSOMS and some results from their application.
119
An estimate of the volume of the raw material, the mining and technical conditions, the equipment and technology for their extraction, that will make possible the development of marine mining industry. IMPACT OF CHANGES IN UNGULATE COMMUNITIES ON THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN GROUPS AND HYENAS FROM MIS 5 TO MIS 3 Emmanuel Discamps. Université Bordeaux 1, UMR 5199 PACEA, France E-mail address: [email protected]
From MIS 5 to 3, Western Europe has witnessed dramatic climate changes that shaped the environments inhabited by past societies. Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic men did belong to the past ecosystems and recent works have shown that in spite of numerous technological and cultural innovations, they were affected by environmental constraints like every predator. Remarkably, large predators are impacted by changes in herbivore communities because they result in fluctuations of the ecosystem's carrying capacity. This communication proposes to investigate the links that might have existed between climate changes, faunal dynamics and the history of two large predators: humans and cave hyenas. Changes in ungulate communities could have affected the demography of these predators and their level of competition for large game. A detailed analysis of the available data from southwestern France permits to highlight key factors that shaped the interactions between humans and hyenas. For this purpose, we built a database that includes both archeological and paleontological sequences, spanning MIS 5 to 3, with quantitative faunal lists and absolute dates. Analysis was made possible through the combination of a wide array of methods (archeostratigraphy, Bayesian and multivariate statistics, GIS) and the confrontation with independent paleoclimatic data (ice and deep sea cores). Interesting parallels between the demographic history of hyenas and fluctuations in carrying capacity can be identified. The model built in southwestern France is then compared with the specificity of other regions, by exploiting an extended database of hyena occurrences in Western Europe. Notably, analysis of the faunal record brings new insights on the environmental changes of MIS 3, a period that has seen the demise of the last Neandertals and the arrival of the first modern humans in Europe. IGNEOUS AFFINITIES OF GEOMATERIALS USED IN EARLY BATAWANA POTTERY Sorcha Diskin. ORI, University of Botswana, Botswana E-mail address: [email protected]
The geology of Botswana is highly varied and often covered by great thicknesses of Kalahari Sands. Here we considered the relationship of the material culture of the BaTawana to the geology of Botswana. The Khwebe Hills of Northern Botswana are home to a relatively short-lived (ca. 20 Years) settlement following the migration of the early BaTawana into the area before moving to their new capital at Toteng, some 30km to the north. Recorded in local oral history as the first occupation site of the incoming BaTawana, this site has been subject to excavation and planning/survey in conjunction with the National Museum of Botswana. Material culture remains consists primarily of ceramics, much of which conform to a typical Tswana style. Three types of pottery were identified based on fabric from a midden at this site. A selection of materials were analysed using XRD and ICP techniques and the results analysed using standard whole rock geochemical sediment provenance techniques. One fabric type is not further discussed based on its mineralogy as it was found to comprise mainly bone, the other fabric types comprise quartz, feldspar and clays. One of these shows a strong felsic affinity and the other a strong mafic affinity. The materials used in the felsic type show similarities to modern clay sources in the Khwebe Hills, likely derived from Proterozoic rhyolites and metasandstones. While there are some minor mafic intrusions into the Khwebe Hills, it is more likely that the mafic affinity materials were brought from outside, considering the short timespan of habitation at this site and the defensive nature of the site suggesting people were not likely to travel any significant distance looking for raw