Scholarly record

SEDIMENTOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE DANUBE DELTA-S HALMYRIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE, ROMANIA: PALEOENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

Andrei Briceag

Abstract

Since ancient times, the coastal areas were natural habitats that host a wide variety of fauna and flora species and which, from an anthropological point of view, are the most populated areas of the planet. At the same time, these areas, which include deltas, lagoons and marshlands, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of global change (climate modification, sea level rise and fluctuation of sediment input) that may be triggered by anthropogenic activities (global warming due to greenhouse gases produced during the industrial period, changes in sediment intake, pollutants, etc.). The aim of this study is to understand the paleoenvironmental changes that took place in Danube Delta evolution during Late Holocene times. The studied area includes the archaeological site Halmyris, located in the N of Dobrogea, at the northern end of the Dunav?? Promontory which separates the dry area from the N Saint George branch of Danube Delta. According to our results the entire area is subsiding with amplitude up to 4-5 mm/yr. For this study, two cores (2016 / F1 - Halmyris, 6 m long and 2016 / F2 - Halmyris, 5 m long) were analyzed from multiple proxies point of view. The cores were collected in September 2016 using a percussion corer. This study presents the main biostratigraphical and geochemical characteristics of the drilled sediments from the two cores, for identifying the depositional paleoenvironment.

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