Soil map of Khnifiss lagoon and GIS mapping of 2nd-order depressions in southwestern Morocco

<p>The geology and geomorphology of Moroccan Atlantic Sahara are dominated by a tabular coastal platform at altitudes of 30-35 m and a Hamada carbonate tableland with altitudes between 200 to 250 m. The coastal platform is marked by the presence of many depressions like sabkhas, lagoons while 2<sup>nd</sup>-order depressions (dayas) locally known as Grara dominate the tableands. The studied region is situated in the Saharan bioclimatic level characterized by the scarcity of precipitation.</p><p>Khnifiss, the biggest lagoon in the Moroccan Atlantic coast is the most important wetland in the Atlantic Moroccan desert. Former studies focused on sedimentary, hydrology, pollution and ecology of the lagoon, but its soil has not been mapped. Here we map the subaqueous sediment and soils of the submerged area and the soil of its surrounding areas based on remote sensing completed by field work and laboratory analysis. The soil classification system is the French Référentiel Pédologique 2008 (RP 2008). We also present a landscape map, which constitutes the first step toward a soil map, and a regional soil map at the scale of 1:150,000. The soil map shows the dominance of weakly developed soils both in fluvio-marine and aeolian dominated environments.</p><p>We also present GIS- mapped shape, morphology, size and land use of about 300 2<sup>nd</sup>-order depressions in a defined 100 sq km of a carbonate plateau. The mapping identified different types of geomorphic, hydrological and agricultural activity that lead to different types of Graras. The total area occupied by Grara covers only 3.2% of the studied area.</p>

São Julião da Branca (Albergaria-a-Velha) - Investigação e valorização de um povoado do Bronze Final

The archaeological site of São Julião is a Late Bronze Age settlement, located on the coastal platform between Douro and Vouga rivers, which has been the subject of systematic research projects since 2014. Its most striking structures are the stone wall that delimited the enclosure and a megalithic mound, violated or reused in modern or contemporary times. The archaeological collection includes a significant set of ceramics, objects in stone and metals, with emphasis on a pair of gold earrings, perhaps related to the evidence of metallurgy that is observed in the place. Currently, a site’s archeological conservation and enhancement program is underway, with the support of the Municipality.

A estátua-menir do Pedrão ou de São Bartolomeu do Mar (Esposende, noroeste de Portugal) no contexto arqueológico da fachada costeira de entre os rios Neiva e Cávado

The statue-menhir of Pedrão was studied and revaluated in 2018 and it was found that it had a head, a rounded base and engravings, some of them destroyed by the anthropic action. It was found that the arrangement of the eight cup-marks on the south face, if joined, would form the typical rectangular motif of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula statues-menhirs, so it should be included in this group and in the same generic age. This statue-menhir is out of place, although testimonies and popular traditions indicate that it would be close to its original context: on the coastal platform in front of Mount of Sanfins. It will has functioned as a symbol of identity and power marking a geostrategic place of encounter between populations for religious, social and exchange purposes.

Geomorphological observations on Sermersôq. A contribution to the geomorphology of S. Greenland

On the island of Sermersôq four erosion surfaces have been recognized, which are of regional importance in S Greenland. Their development is related to three cycles of erosion, interrupted by two glacial stages. The high-level erosion surface at altitudes above 1000 m is the remnant of an old peneplane, which was formed during the oldest erosion cycle and uplifted in late Cretaceous or early Tertiary times. This uplift initiated a second erosion cycle in the course of which a main glacial stage intervened. In this glacial stage the icelevel in the main valleys (the present fjords) acted as the effective base level of erosion and this resulted in the formation of stretches of an intermediate-level erosion surface, which now occur along the main fjords at altitudes between 400 m and 650 m. An important lowering of effective base level of erosion occurred when in the subsequent interglacial stage the sea-level resumed its role as the effective base level of erosion. This event initiated a third erosion cycle in the course of which the low-level erosion surface, between 100 m and 250 m altitude, and the strandflat, a coastal platform below 50 m, were formed. The third erosion cycle was interrupted by a second glacial stage, which on Sermersôq has the localized character of a mountain glaciation; it is during this second glacial stage that the present day fretted upland morphology of central Sermersôq originated. Post-glacial vertical movements causing the emergence of the strandflat induced a rejuvenation of erosion and consequently the incision of this coastal platform and valley floors by recent rivers.