Development of the marine Holocene environment in a drowned paleovalley with final anthropic influence in the Cartagena Bay (Murcia, SE Spain)

Sedimentological, paleobiological, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses of a sediment core retrieved on the seafront of Cartagena Bay were performed after high-resolution sampling. A wide series of dates obtained through radiocarbon and amino acid racemization proved that the Holocene record on t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Torres, Trinidad, Ortiz, José E., Ramallo, Sebastián, Ros, Milagros, Sánchez-Palencia, Yolanda, Blázquez, Ana, Cerezo, Felipe, López-Cilla, Ignacio, Galán, Luis A., Gómez Borrego, Ángeles, Ruiz-Zapata, Blanca, José Gil, María, Manteca, Ignacio, Rodríguez-Estrella, Tomás
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/305020
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/305020
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85126110759
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:mineralogy
landscape changes
magnetic susceptibility
paleobiology
unic and Roman port works
Sedimentology
Descripción
Sumario:Sedimentological, paleobiological, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses of a sediment core retrieved on the seafront of Cartagena Bay were performed after high-resolution sampling. A wide series of dates obtained through radiocarbon and amino acid racemization proved that the Holocene record on the analyzed core began at ca. 7300 yr cal BP. Reinterpretation of the marine seismic profiles indicated that the beginning of this transgression was channeled along erosive paleochannels excavated on a coastal plain of, at least, MIS5c age. The Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution consisted of a first period marked by marine conditions with strong inputs from a fan delta linked to the reorganized fluvial network that occurred after the sudden rise of the base level, which caused a growing sedimentary prism. Later, the full marine environment was reflected in the development of a Posidonia-Cymodocea meadow hosting a rich biodiversity of marine species (mollusks, foraminifera, ostracoda). Around 3800 yr cal BP, the area underwent a profound change and a silting process started to alter the conditions, turning the area into a paucispecific brackish marsh environment in which mud deposition was dominant. Since Carthaginian times, arrangement works locally affected the record, allowing the arrival of some marine species due to port work (dredging) undertaken to gain depth and showing anthropic influence.