Chronostratigraphy of aeolianites from the Sharon Coastal Plain of Israel

Abstract

The Sharon Coastal Plain in Israel is composed mainly of sand dune fields and aeolianite ridges. Three major sand accumulation periods are documented in the terrestrial record along the cliffs of the Sharon Coastal Plain, between 65 to 50 ka, from 7 to 5 ka and from 5 to 0.2 ka. These seem to correlate with the periods of sapropel formation in the Mediterranean Sea and so with periods of strongly increased African monsoon activity. The accumulation of the stratigraphically oldest aeolianite (Kurkar, Unit 5) appears to correlate with sapropel S2, formed about 55 ka BP. The uppermost aeolianite (calcareous sandstone, Unit 2) seems to correlate with sapropel S1, formed at about 7.8±4.0 ka BP. Major soil formations occurred between 35 and 25 ka resulting in a Rhodoxeralf soil/Grumusolic Dark Brown soil, and between 15 and 12 ka resulting in a Rhodoxeralf (hamra) soil. At least seven weak weathering horizons (regosol-type soils) are intercalated in the aeolianite of Unit V and two regosols are present in the Holocene aeolian sand of Unit I.