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    geology

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    7 views11 pages

    LC CoeCh3

    Uploaded by

    galvaone
    geology

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 11
    The soimentry ectd ol eolee chore 3 Sea-level change ‘Angela t. Coe and Kevin D. Church “Time and tie wait for no man.” ‘Anon, 16th century proverb, In Chapter 1 the fact that sedimentary deposits record changes in se-evel was Introduced. Inthe first par ofthis Chapter, this scenario wil be tured around We how tha scalevel as cag wilh the iene of humans, because such changes have been recorded, and in some cass directly measured with insieuments. Understanding the effect of these recent sea-level changes on the sedimentary record gives us cles for interpreting sea-level ehanges from the geological record. This Chapter ends by using some of thee clues to show how an example of eycle sediment fom the Carboniferous car be interpreted in terms of eyles of sealevel change. This example is revisited in Chapters 4 and fer further techniques have been introduced. 3.1 Noah’s flood: a record of sea-level change [Noah's ood is one ofthe most widely reported changes in sea-level inthe historical record. Is deseribed most famously in the Old Testament ofthe Bible but similar accounts exist in ancient Greek and Middle Faster literature However, neither the timing nor geapraphical location ofthe flood is clear and several explanations forthe flood hive Been proposed. Traditionally, the area of Noah's flood has been proposed as ing in lower Mesopotamia (Figure 3.1) on top ofthe recently built-up delta ara of the Euphrates, Tiris and Kurun rivers. Fr many thousands of years, this aea has been a marshy lat, low-lying plain few fet above se-level inthe Aratian Gulf. The tale ofthe flood is supposed (0 have beea told by the inhabitants of the rea (Sumerians) from atleast 4000 BC Many historians believe that twas he same event that was later recorded on clay tablets engraved around 2000 BC tat ecount the tale of Gilgamesh, an ancient Babylonian king thas been postusted that flooding of lower Mesopotamia by the sea occurred because of an earthquake in the area, which generated a large ‘sunami (tidal wave). The narrownes of the Arabian Gulf would have increased the height and therefore the destructive power af such a wave. However, itis aso possible thatthe deta could have been flooded by: @) a storm surge from the sea, (Gooding ofthe rivers due to heavy rainfall oF (i arse in se-leve when placiers melted, although the later would have caused only a gradual inundation ofthe area because the Arabian Gul is open tothe ocean, The problem with all these theories is that because Mesoyotania is such a low-lying area they ae all ‘events tht are likely to have happeaed a numberof times and thus do not necessarily stand ou as particularly dramatic and worthy of being recorded, ‘More recently, two American scents, Bill Ryan and Walter Pitman, hive ‘uncovered and published (Ryan ad Pitman, 1998) new evidence tha the water level inthe Black Sea (Figre 3.1) nse dramatically about 7600 years ago (ce bout $600 BC). They postulate thatthis Nosed moce than 100000 ka of land ina mater of months, and most staring of ll tha this great volume of water could have only poured into the Black Sea through anarow valley called the Bosporus (Figure 3.1) ina flow that probably reached the equivalent of 200, Niagara Falls! Prior to this flood, thee is good evidence from fossils thatthe Black ‘Sea' was actually afreshotater lake isolated from the sine waters ofthe ‘Meaterranean (Figures 3.1, 3.2). Atthe time of the flood, sea-level in the Sea of ‘Marmara (Figure 3.1) is interpreted io have gradually risen uni it was poised to 5 2 Seolevl change 38, invade the Bospoms valley. Air the Seawater would have swept through the Bosporus valley carrying wit tthe soil and debris that once dammed it before plunging 150m down into the Black Sea, The debris-laden fast-fowing torent ‘would have rapidly eroded the bedrock ofthe Bosporus valley the deeper it eutthe faster it flowed, andthe faster it lowed the deeper it cat until there was a channel ‘upto 85m wide and 45 m deop. Ryan and Pitman hypothesize that this was the ‘ood that walter recounted in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians and recorded ir the tals of Gilgamesh. Certainly, it seems probable that sucha dramatic event would be {old ind cto al would Inve eventually evolved into the Biblical tory [esate ints Had [see atest toce Linear emeresine [Fler tetre toot ser vere } Bova ore Figure 3.1. Fresntdoy mop ofthe Ile Ee ond arr ope oie ial cite irsbien Galt Betas map shown the ea be bo shor toes do on ers ound he Black Sa ote tote food ‘onpored ike sea upponedly ‘ose by Nott he wat vel Sethe Read nt Black Se woe Tikention he resent oy Bed ops Mel 1997) ‘The sedimartar ecard of ole change Y 2. Saoleel change Figure 3.2 Sth of sone ofthe {tres fore! pr lhe ‘ck eo donor ooo ond ‘Sone om fethwat' to mare ‘pain 7600 yar ago bed on irs ee rr Fron (999) 6) 6B woe tear heroes che Br er (gue i 78m wre deo Serva daphne he moo he Bribe on ma rs fig 1 The lower secretory Send el acorn et ‘Seppo slimy deport ond Catan teme oninee Cater (4) aang of on shal rom hevery bos ofke obeory Remogenous ay ndases oe of 7600 yes (© So,what evidence could you look for to establish if there was a rapid rise in ‘wat level in the Black Sea thousands of years ago? Several different lines of evidence could be used: a change inthe ‘sedentary record a the bottom of the Black Ses: buried shorelines nearer ‘hema ote Blck Sea than te corent day shoreline acing in eae teeter nk nt foot men sens “This is exactly what Ryan and Pitman looked for in the summer of 1993. They ated: Rosan sp competing chr wes search nth Black Sn The sets ny shi coe Sms) tose ene does thea ata wed an inset ha sds sod waves don the thw an slimy depois op ot tee A amma of ce ft cy rosin tee Was ssnen ood in th Black Sea 100 yes ‘gos shown in Figure 3.2. © What common festure marks the flood event? (© A biguitons layer ofolve-grey homogeneous mud that drapes over all the previous deposits sight mossy sanctone sSeeecoo spat a (© Whats the evidenoe that here was change in salinity inthe lake from Freshwater “© The sitferen types of molluse found (© How did the scientists determine the timing ofthe ood? {© By dating the mollse shells using MC radiometric dating “The results fal thie coring and surveys demonstrated that prior othe flooding the Teretof the Black Sea shoreline was somewhere between 160 and 170m below is ‘Rxsent sea-level The rapid ise in water level is estimated to have been up 15em per <_Tejcand to have moved inland by as muchas amie a day this would have had a eebstatingefect on any local communities that lived close tothe shores ofthe ake owover Ryan and Pitman also discuss evidence to show tha this was not ll ‘doom and ‘loon and that the flood probably led tothe migration of people and spread of farming sooo Middle Bast and Easter Europe into Central and Wester Europe, Asi Egypt aed Mesopotamia, thes marking an important event in te history of civilization, “Two key questions emain: (9 what was the primary cause ofa sea-level sen the ‘Muditeranean a 7600 years ago? and i) was there a documented global event atthe Jie? Climate proxies indicate the flooding event occured about 200 years afte the {auation of porculetly marked increase in global temperature (Figure 3.3) whit aeiainted inthe Holocene thermal maximum (.. the warmest par ofthe Holocene) ‘Thos, what appears to ave happened is that during the Holocene thermal maximum ’ sae ciently warm to cause global sea-level (rise (Chrough melting of ice caps) 0 Tan hel tha the sea in the Mediterranean Mone over the tp of the Bosporus aly treshol, created chanel and poured into the Black Sea, During this and other var interglacial periods, the climate was both warmer and wetter. Tis may wel be the q re thatthe legend mentions 40 nights and days of rain, though clearly sin many Tegends, the time-scale seems to have been somewhat fresbortened. =a felts oom. = a | ‘graced masseurs z aa = ¥ i +00} sa? wh Sok : “= : Figure 3.2. Reatonshie betoon FeBain olhe Bock So, snygn topes veer end ge Joka epee arp cto Slory ea forthe a TB gh ‘Selene sacs emperor ody TSC. Ongentorpe sages 1 ond 5 vere worn pena ge 3 wet ‘memos ond hee wore cosh are, Not ta he maxim ond ‘mem oeygenicone ves define to ‘pe Hoot and he Bowed SSRREEREy ce ake ote moe ESieer monn aed mina ‘etna, tren hole bordory then nope sages con vory bret (Frere cad bose te ample ot heigl were om cardio record ‘Son 3.2. fre cin of Suygen topes lowe ond Weer, 5985 selon Manan oo, 1987 ‘ght Do. 1994) Ryan and Pitman end ther book on the flood by reflecting that although the scientific evidence fr Black Sea flooding is good, ax yet no direct evidence has ‘been foun for Neolithic settlements and human occupation in the area, mainly because the area hasbeen flooded. However, the Sunday Times of 17 June 2001 reported that beams, fraginents of walls, stone tols and a rubbish dump had been ‘Sea, indicating the ares was probably inhabited at the time of the flood. This evidence was found bythe same team who located the weeck of the Titanic. They are now searching for further evidence that significant numbers of people lived in fairly permanent

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