Reconstructing the paleoshoreline of Bukit Choras based on geochemical and microfossil studies

Abstract

The archaeological findings in Bukit Choras are among the best preserved structural remains of Bujang Valley. Previous studies have revealed sacred buildings made of laterite blocks, ancient water reservoirs, as well as a Buddhist inscription which can be dated back to the 6th/7th Century C.E. Although Bukit Choras is currently located 8 km inland, in ancient times, it could have been nearer to the shoreline similar to other pre-14th Century coastal sites of Bujang Valley. Thus, this research attempts to reconstruct the paleoshoreline of the area by determining whether the dryland surrounding Bukit Choras was once submerged under the sea. In this study, hand-augered soil samples from the surrounding areas of Bukit Choras were analysed by using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and digital microscopy, while 14C dating was carried out on two organic samples extracted from the sediments. The possible locations of the paleoshoreline were deduced based on the analysis of geochemical and microfossil contents of the sediments while taking into account the sea-level fluctuations and the geomorphology of the area. Thus, it is concluded that Bukit Choras was once a coastal site, surrounded by a marine and swampy environment, while the archaeological site functioned as one of the coastal settlements of the Bujang Valley.