Geomorphic response and 14C chronology of base-level changes induced by Late Quaternary Caspian Sea mobility (middle Kura Valley, Azerbaijan)

Base level changes, river avulsions and Holocene human settlement dynamics in the Caspian Sea area (middle Kura valley, South Caucasus)

“…High frequency sea-level changes have also been recorded over a short time scale (10e100 years) in delta sediments of the Volga and Kura Rivers, spitelagoon complex or coastal cores and have been clearly described (Kroonenberg et al, 1997;Mikhailov et al, 2003;Leroy et al, 2013aLeroy et al, , 2013cLeroy et al, , 2014Naderi Beni et al, 2013aHoogendoorn et al, 2005). We recently reconstructed and highlighted the inland retroactive impact of the relative Caspian Sea level variations on landscape changes and alluvial terrace organization in the middle Kura Valley over the past 30 ka (Ollivier et al, 2015). Six phases of valley floor aggradation and seven phases of fluvial incision are recorded.…”

“…Pleistocene to historical period formations were analyzed. The pattern of environmental changes proposed is compared to the isotopic data from GRIP (Andersen et al, 2006) and Sofular Cave (Fleitmann et al, 2009) to obtain a representative analysis based on two step climatic records (Ollivier et al, 2015). The paleaoshoreline localizations over time are based on the interpolation of radiochronological data and topographic altimetry of the Azerbaijan territory (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of the NASA, Farr et al, 2007) and on recent work by Kislov et al (2014).…”

“…A total of 32 radiocarbon measurements had previously been performed (Ollivier et al, 2015) on charcoal and organic matter (Table 1) to construct the pattern of landscape evolution in relation to the impact of the Caspian Sea level changes. We have now added five new radiocarbon dates from the very upstream part of the Hasensu, Tovuz and Arenji rivers located in Armenia (Table 1), and two others from the Tovuz-Arenji River and Zeyem River (perched archaeological site) from the downstream part in Azerbaijan.…”

“…5 and compared to the most representative section of the downstream part of the Zeyem River (Ollivier et al, 2015). This summary helps to correlate the various terrace levels to earlier work carried out downstream in the Shamkir, Zeyem, Tovuz, Arenji, Hasensu and Agstafa Rivers (Ollivier et al, 2015). The current upstream sedimentary sequences were chronologically framed by five radiocarbon dates.…”

“…Throughout the Quaternary, the Caspian Sea level underwent several changes. Numerous studies relating to this question reconstruct sea level oscillations, and include sea level variation curves (Kroonenberg et al, 1997;Mamedov, 1997;Rychagov, 1997;Mikhailov et al, 2003;Hoogendoorn et al, 2005;Tudryn et al, 2013;Leroy et al, 2013aLeroy et al, , 2013bLeroy et al, , 2013cLeroy et al, , 2014Naderi Beni et al, 2013aOllivier et al, 2015). About six main regression/transgression periods since 30 ka are generally recognized.…”