Young Danube delta documents stable Black Sea level since the middle Holocene: Morphodynamic, paleogeographic, and archaeological implications

Abstract

Research Article| September 01, 2006 Young Danube delta documents stable Black Sea level since the middle Holocene: Morphodynamic, paleogeographic, and archaeological implications Liviu Giosan; Liviu Giosan 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeffrey P. Donnelly; Jeffrey P. Donnelly 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stefan Constantinescu; Stefan Constantinescu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Florin Filip; Florin Filip 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ionut Ovejanu; Ionut Ovejanu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe; Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Emil Vespremeanu; Emil Vespremeanu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geoff A.T. Duller Geoff A.T. Duller 3Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Liviu Giosan 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Jeffrey P. Donnelly 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Stefan Constantinescu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Florin Filip 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Ionut Ovejanu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Emil Vespremeanu 2Department of Geography, University of Bucharest, North Balcescu No. 1, Bucharest, Romania Geoff A.T. Duller 3Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 08 Jan 2006 Revision Received: 22 Apr 2006 Accepted: 25 Apr 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (9): 757–760. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22587.1 Article history Received: 08 Jan 2006 Revision Received: 22 Apr 2006 Accepted: 25 Apr 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Liviu Giosan, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Stefan Constantinescu, Florin Filip, Ionut Ovejanu, Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe, Emil Vespremeanu, Geoff A.T. Duller; Young Danube delta documents stable Black Sea level since the middle Holocene: Morphodynamic, paleogeographic, and archaeological implications. Geology 2006;; 34 (9): 757–760. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22587.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract New radiocarbon and optical dates show that the Holocene Danube delta started to build out of a Black Sea embayment ∼5200 yr ago. Delta lobe development phases differ by as much as 5 k.y. from previously proposed ages. The new chronology allows for a better understanding of the Danube delta paleogeography, including the demise of Istria, the main ancient Greek-Roman city in the region. Prior reconstructions of sea level in the Black Sea inferred fluctuations to 15 m in range; however, stratigraphy of beach ridges in the delta shows that the relative Black Sea level for the past 5 k.y. was stable in the Danube delta region within −2 m and +1.5 of the current level. Hydroisostatic effects related to a proposed catastrophic reconnection of the Black Sea to the World Ocean in the early Holocene may have been responsible for the sea level reaching the highstand earlier than estimated by models. The new sea-level data suggest that submergence at several ancient settlements around the Black Sea may be better explained by local factors such as subsidence rather than by basin-wide sea-level fluctuations. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.