Micro-dynamics and macro-patterns: Exploring new archaeological data for the late Holocene human-water relationship in the Murghab alluvial fan, Turkmenistan

Abstract. Lake Poerua is a small, shallow lake that abuts the scarp of the Alpine Fault on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Radiocarbon dates from drowned podocarp trees on the lake floor, a sediment core from a rangefront alluvial fan, and living tree ring ages have been used to deduce the late Holocene history of the lake. Remnant drowned stumps of kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) at 1.7–1.9 m water depth yield a preferred time-of-death age at 1766–1807 AD, while a dryland podocarp and kahikatea stumps at 2.4–2.6 m yield preferred time-of-death ages of ca. 1459–1626 AD. These age ranges are matched to, but offset from, the timings of Alpine Fault rupture events at ca. 1717 AD, and either ca. 1615 or 1430 AD. Alluvial fan detritus dated from a core into the toe of a rangefront alluvial fan, at an equivalent depth to the maximum depth of the modern lake (6.7 m), yields a calibrated age of AD 1223–1413. This age is similar to the timing of an earlier Alpine Fault rupture event at ca. 1230 AD ± 50 yr. Kahikatea trees growing on rangefront fans give ages of up to 270 yr, which is consistent with alluvial fan aggradation following the 1717 AD earthquake. The elevation levels of the lake and fan imply a causal and chronological link between lake-level rise and Alpine Fault rupture. The results of this study suggest that the growth of large, coalescing alluvial fans (Dry and Evans Creek fans) originating from landslides within the rangefront of the Alpine Fault and the rise in the level of Lake Poerua may occur within a decade or so of large Alpine Fault earthquakes that rupture adjacent to this area. These rises have in turn drowned lowland forests that fringed the lake. Radiocarbon chronologies built using OxCal show that a series of massive landscape changes beginning with fault rupture, followed by landsliding, fan sedimentation and lake expansion. However, drowned Kahikatea trees may be poor candidates for intimately dating these events, as they may be able to tolerate water for several decades after metre-scale lake level rises have occurred.

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The Ñuagapua alluvial fan sequence: Early and Late Holocene human-induced changes in the Bolivian Chaco?

Proceedings of the Geologists Association ◽

10.1016/j.pgeola.2009.11.003 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 121 (2) ◽

pp. 218-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mauro Coltorti ◽

Jacopo Della Fazia ◽

Freddy Paredes Rios ◽

Giuseppe Tito

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Induced Changes

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Alluvial fan depositional records from north and south-facing catchments in semi-arid montane terrain

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1017/qua.2017.98 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 89 (1) ◽

pp. 237-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michael J. Poulos ◽

Jennifer L. Pierce

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Source Area ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Potential Bias ◽

Landform Evolution ◽

Sediment Yields ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

South Central ◽

Valley Incision ◽

North And South

AbstractValley asymmetry reflects differences in landform evolution with aspect; however, few studies assess rates and timing of asymmetric erosion. In south-central Idaho, we combine alluvial fan volume reconstructions with radiocarbon deposit dating to compare the source-catchment normalized fan deposition rates of catchments incised into north (n=5) and south-facing (n=3) valleys, which differ during the late Holocene from 7.7 to 10.1 mm/ka, respectively, but are not significantly different. South-facing catchments produced 1.3× more fan sediment per unit source-area during the late Holocene, whereas over the last 10 Ma they have evolved to be 2.1× larger with 2.8× greater eroded volumes and 7.6° gentler slopes (24.5° versus 32.1°, average). Late Holocene differences in sediment yields with aspect cannot fully explain differences in landforms. Potential bias in sediment deposition and/or remobilization cannot fully explain the similarity of erosion rates during the late Holocene. Valley asymmetry appears to have developed primarily during different conditions. While valley asymmetry development may be quicker during glacial climates, development is likely accelerated early in a valley’s history, such as during initial valley incision, because asymmetric degradation serves as a negative feedback that reduces aspect-related differences in erosion and drives valleys towards steady state.

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Holocene landscape evolution of an estuarine wetland in relation to its human occupation and exploitation: Waasland Scheldt polders, northern Belgium

Netherlands Journal of Geosciences – Geologie en Mijnbouw ◽

10.1017/njg.2016.24 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 96 (1) ◽

pp. 35-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Missiaen ◽

I. Jongepier ◽

K. Heirman ◽

T. Soens ◽

V. Gelorini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Landscape Evolution ◽

Late Glacial ◽

Human Occupation ◽

Archaeological Data ◽

The North ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Regional Landscape ◽

Map Series ◽

Time Frames

AbstractThis paper describes the landscape evolution of the Waasland Scheldt polders in the north of Belgium from the Late Glacial – early Holocene to the present time, and the effects of this changing landscape on the human settlement. The regional landscape evolution has been visualised in a series of palaeogeographical maps for successive time frames. Two different map series were produced: a series of Holocene palaeogeographical reconstructions (11,000–950 cal BP) based on geotechnical, geological and archaeological data, and a series of post-Medieval landscape reconstructions (16th- to 19th-century) based on historical maps, land registers and soil data. Additional palaeoenvironmental information from fossil pollen and plant remains allowed reconstruction of the vegetation and wetland changes, particularly for the middle to late Holocene. Peat growth was the main key to understanding the landscape evolution of the Waasland Scheldt polders. Whereas the landscape evolution during the Holocene was mainly sea-level driven, the transformation of the landscape during the last millennium was largely due to human interventions.

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Reconstruction of the mid-to Late- Holocene history of vegetation and land-use in Petrešiūnai, north-east Lithuania: Implications from palaeobotanical and archaeological data

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/j.quaint.2018.09.029 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 516 ◽

pp. 5-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M. Stančikaitė ◽

A. Simniškytė ◽

Ž. Skuratovič ◽

L. Gedminienė ◽

V. Kazakauskas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Archaeological Data ◽

North East ◽

History Of Vegetation ◽

History Of

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The role of eolian-fluvial interactions and dune dams in landscape change, late Pleistocene–Holocene, Mojave Desert, USA

Geological Society of America Bulletin ◽

10.1130/b35434.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 132 (11-12) ◽

pp. 2318-2332 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark R. Sweeney ◽

Eric V. McDonald ◽

Lucas P. Chabela ◽

Paul R. Hanson

Keyword(s):

Landscape Change ◽

Mojave Desert ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

State Theory ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Sediment Supply ◽

Alluvial Fans ◽

Fluvial Deposits

Abstract The formation of the Kelso Dunes in the eastern Mojave Desert, California, was a landscape-changing event triggered by an increase in sediment supply that followed the incision of Afton Canyon by the Mojave River ca. 25 ka. Eastward migration of sand dunes occurred along a well-defined eolian transport corridor. Dunes temporarily blocked washes resulting in substantial aggradation of eolian and fluvial sediments. Stratigraphic exposures reveal numerous fining-up sequences with interbedded eolian sands that provide evidence of dune dams and subsequent aggradation. Luminescence ages reveal that dune blocking and aggradation correspond to a regional pulse of alluvial fan sedimentation that occurred ca. 14–9 ka. Meanwhile, relative landscape stability occurred downstream of dune dams, resulting in the formation of a moderately developed soil on abandoned fluvial deposits. The next pulse of alluvial fan activity ca. 6–3 ka likely resulted in the breaching of the dune dams, followed by incision. Eolian system sediment state theory suggests that eolian activity in the Mojave Desert is closely tied to enhanced sediment supply, primarily related to the Mojave River–Lake Mojave system. Our data suggests that Intermittent Lake Mojave I, ca. 26–22 ka, triggered a large dune-building event that impounded massive amounts of sediment derived from alluvial fans deposited during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Breaching of dune dams and sediment recycling may have also increased sediment supply that contributed to late Holocene eolian activity. This profound impact on the regional geomorphology highlights the critical importance of eolian-fluvial interactions in desert environments.

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Timing and distribution of alluvial fan sedimentation in response to strengthening of late Holocene ENSO variability in the Sonoran Desert, Southwestern Arizona, USA

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2010.01.004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 425-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Steven N. Bacon ◽

Eric V. McDonald ◽

Todd G. Caldwell ◽

Graham K. Dalldorf

Keyword(s):

Sonoran Desert ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Alluvial Plain ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Alluvial Deposits ◽

Geomorphic Mapping ◽

Precipitation Record ◽

Precipitation Records

The integration of geomorphic mapping, soil stratigraphy, and radiocarbon dating of alluvial deposits offers insight to the timing, magnitude, and paleoclimatic context of Holocene fan sedimentation near Yuma, Arizona. Mapping of 3400 km2 indicates about 10% of the area aggraded in the late Holocene and formed regionally extensive alluvial fan and alluvial plain cut-and-fill terraces. Fan deposits have weakly developed gravelly soils and yielded a date of 3200–2950 cal yr BP from carbonized wood. Alluvial plain deposits have weakly developed buried sandy soils and provided a date of 2460–2300 cal yr BP from a terrestrial snail shell. Precipitation records were analyzed to form historical analogues to the late Holocene aggradation and to consider the role of climatic variability and extreme hydrologic events as drivers of the sedimentation. The historical precipitation record indicates numerous above-average events correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) in the region, but lacks any significant reactivation of alluvial fan surfaces. The timing of aggradation from 3200 to 2300 cal yr BP correlates well with other paleoclimatic proxy records in the southwestern U.S. and eastern Pacific region, which indicate an intensification of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climatic pattern and rapid climate change during this period.

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A Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of Elkwater Lake, Alberta

Géographie physique et Quaternaire ◽

10.7202/009111ar ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 56 (2-3) ◽

pp. 279-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dion J. Wiseman ◽

Garry L. Running ◽

Andrea Freeman

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Water Levels ◽

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽

Lake Levels ◽

Mass Wasting ◽

The West ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Lake Formation ◽

Elevation Model

AbstractCores retrieved from two slump blocks at the west end of Elkwater Lake, Alberta were used to determine which of two mass wasting events was responsible for impounding the lake and to establish a maximum age of lake formation. A high resolution Digital Elevation Model of the study area was used to estimate the volume of material involved in each mass wasting event, recreate pre-slump topographic conditions, determine the probable extent and elevation of the lake at different periods in time, and evaluate the viability of alternative outlets. Results suggest that the lake formed no more than 9440 BP as a result of impoundment by the eastern slump block. The lake rose to its highest mid-Holocene elevation prior to 7245 BP, establishing an outlet through Feleski Creek 3.5 km northeast of the present shoreline. Lake levels then dropped during the comparatively dry Altithermal, concurrent with a period of rapid sediment influx and the development of the alluvial fan on which the Stampede site is located. As water levels rose during the late Holocene, and with the former outlet cut off by progradation of the alluvial fan, Elkwater Lake established its present outlet though Ross Creek.

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Las Quemas Rockshelter: Understanding Human Occupations of Andean Forests of Central Patagonia (Aisén, Chile), Southern South America

Latin American Antiquity ◽

10.7183/1045-6635.27.2.207 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 207-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

César Méndez ◽

Omar Reyes ◽

Amalia Nuevo Delaunay ◽

Héctor Velásquez ◽

Valentina Trejo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Archaeological Site ◽

Scale Model ◽

Human Dynamics ◽

Southern South America ◽

Archaeological Data ◽

Lithic Assemblage ◽

Forest Sites ◽

Incomplete Picture

Hunter-gatherer occupations of the forests of Patagonia are still not well understood compared to those of the open steppe and the coasts. The paucity of forest sites with a thorough chronological framework and the incomplete picture of climate-human dynamics in such environments pose a challenge to understanding the occupations of such habitats. This paper presents recent work at the Las Quemas rockshelter, an archaeological site located in the Andean forests of the Aisén region (44°38’ S) dating between 6100 and 2400 cal B.P. We examine the context of the site, its rock art, and the technological and functional dimensions of its lithic assemblage. By comparing these records with local environmental reconstructions that report forest area fluctuations after the Post-Glacial period, this study provides novel data for a comprehensive regional-scale model of human occupations in central Patagonian forests. Following an initial mid-Holocene occupation, recurring occupational events at the site coincide with a significant contraction of forested area in the region during the late Holocene. The results are discussed in regard to regional archaeological data and current models of forest occupation in Patagonia.

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