Near‐surface paleosols in coastal sands at the outlet of Hadera stream (Israel) in the light of archeology and luminescence chronology

Abstract

Catenary changes, archeology, micromorphology, and magnetic mineralogy of paleosols in coastal sands, Israel, were investigated under chronostratigraphic control by available luminescence datings from adjacent sites. At the outlet of Hadera stream, eolianites (Hebrew: "kurkar") underlie paleosols with Epipaleolithic (approx. 17-20 ky) artifacts at the top and occasional Mousterian (>40 ky) artifacts in the subsoil. The optically stimulated-luminescence/infrared stimulated-luminescence (OSL/IRSL) dates (>50-12 ky) from adjacent sites roughly agree with the archeological findings. The paleosols show a magnetically depleted Vertisol superimposed on a magnetically enhanced cumulative Chromic Luvisol (WRB) (USDA: Rhodoxeralf, Israeli class.: Hamra). The latter contain approx. 0.25 mm thick, isotropic clay infillings distinctly separated from the soil matrix. These infillings are tentatively interpreted as the result of strong environmental disturbances, such as surface desiccation, subsequent waterlogging, and enhanced dust deposition, presumably at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum. In addition to the massive accumulation of eolian dust, diverse pedogeomorphic changes lagging in time from the onset of climatic deterioration may have taken place in coastal settings. Recurrent desiccation cracks may have exposed subsurface materials repeatedly to sunlight, consequently resetting the luminescence signal. The eolianite sequences are thus distinct from loess/paleosol sequences from temperate climates and have to be treated more rigorously at a site-specific level.

New perspectives on coastal landscape reconstruction during the Late Quaternary: A test case from central Israel

“…3). The MS values correlate with the varying silt-clay percent and ferro-magnetic minerals, which point to fine aeolian dust, deposited by rain into the unconsolidated and porous sand profile, driving the pedogenic processes (Gvirtzman and Wieder, 2001;Tsatskin et al, 2008Tsatskin et al, , 2015. CaCO 3 content is derived from shell fragments which have been transported inland from the coastal zone/beach.…”

“…These sediments pedogenised into Netanya palaeosol across most of Israel's coastal plain ( Fig. 5; Gvirtzman et al, 1983;Gvirtzman and Wieder, 2001;Neber, 2002;Tsatskin et al, 2008). The MS values (80-250 × 10 − 8 m 3 kg − 1 ), which are high compared to the other units found in the Quaternary sequence, and the red-dark brown hues are the result of continuous enrichment by aeolian dust and illuviation of the clay's associated magnetic iron-rich minerals (Fig.…”

“…5a). Based on a correlation conducted across most of Israel's coastal plain and in two shallow shelf locations (depth shallower than − 40 mILSD) located offshore, the southern (Ashkelon; Porat et al, 2003) and central (Hadera; Shtienberg et al, 2016) coasts of Israel, it is evident that this sand sheet pedogenised into Netanya Palaeosol (Gvirtzman et al, 1983;Gvirtzman and Wieder, 2001;Neber, 2002;Tsatskin et al, 2008). The sedimentological and petrophysical characteristics of Netanya Palaeosol suggest a unit which is fully pedogenised (Yaalon, 1997;Gvirtzman and Wieder, 2001) along most of the palaeo-coastal plain of Israel.…”

Towards understanding paleosols in Southern Levantine eolianites: Integration of micromorphology, environmental magnetism and mineralogy

“…The hamra is overlain by a vertisol with calcareous nodules which formed ~11± 0.5 ka ago on loess material. However, the Netanya pedocomplex occasionally shows welding of paleosols spanning a broader time interval than previously thought (Frechen et al 2004, Tsatskin et al 2008. For example, the pedocomplex in an interdune depression of the Habonim quarry is dated to luminescence ages of 130-45 ka , i.e., to a time span including and preceding the stratigraphic level marked by the Netanya hamra.…”

Changing environments and human interaction during the Pleistocene–Early Holocene from the shallow coastal area of Dor, Israel

“…Based on the chronology of this unit, it seems that F1/Sb1 mostly correlates to Israel's coastal plain Netanya paleosol (40-20 ka; Fig. 11) (Tsatskin et al, 2008), and represents extensive soil formation during the last glacial period along the coast of Israel (Fig. 11; Mauz et al, 2013;Shtienberg et al, 2017) as well as at other locations in the Mediterranean Basin (Muhs et al, 2010) and elsewhere (e.g., Canary Islands;von Suchodoletz et al, 2010).…”