Multidisciplinary Study of Cores From the Wetland of El Melah, Southwestern Tunisia

Saline systems are candidates to be threatened by climatic change. In terms of methodology and materials, color identification, geochemistry, and mineralogy analysis were used. The spectral analysis of data of the amount of active K and Na firstly shows the individualization of a cycle stretching along with 1000 yr. Then, a less pronounced cycle of 2500 years is marked with a lower intensity. Also, on the spectral analysis of K data, the drowned cycles of 650 and 500 years are marked by weak intensities not reaching the threshold level. These two comparable cycles may be artifacts due to analysis errors or variability in the rate of sedimentation resulting in the bifurcation of two hybrid cycles from one real cycle. This work confirmed the cycles found by color studies through real analyses such as geochemical and magnetic measurements. As a matter of fact, the majority of cycles found out by the spectral analysis of colors data are confirmed through analyses.