Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T19:41:30.986Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late Quaternary Evolution of the Northern Aegean Shelf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

C. Perissoratis  and
D. Mitropoulos
C. Perissoratis
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, 70 Mesoghion Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
D. Mitropoulos
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, 70 Mesoghion Str., 11527 Athens, Greece
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A dense network of 3.5 kHz and Uniboom seismic profiles revealed the geological evolution of the Ierissos-Alexandroupolis Shelf area of the northern Aegean during the latest sea-level rise. Near the end of the Pleistocene, ca. 14,000 yr B.P., the sea was at about − 120 m, and almost 5300 km2 of shelf was exposed to subaerial erosion. Two permanet lakes existed in the Ierissos and Kavalla Gulfs, as well as a number of ephemeral lakes scattered throughout the rest of the area. Kavalla Gulf was drained by the Nestos River which joined the Strymon River at the outer Strymonikos Plateau. On the flat Samothraki Plateau were dune fields, marshes, and a number of minor seasonal rivers, while the Evros River flowed east of the plateau. By ca. 13,000 yr B.P. the sea had risen to − 70 m and covered 30% of the previously exposed shelf. The lakes at Ierissos and Strymonikos Gulfs were shallower and the sea approached to within about 5 km of them. Kavalla Gulf and the adjacent eastern Strymonikos Plateau lay 10 m above sea level, while the sea intruded along river mouths at the Samothraki Plateau. During this transgression of the sea river-bed gravels and sands were covered by silts and clays. At the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, ca. 10,500 yr B.P., the sea lay at about − 50 m and in areas of steep slope the coast was close to its present position. At Kavalla Gulf, the sea advanced along the paleochannel of the Nestos River, and the island of Samothraki was separated from the mainland. By ca. 7500 yr B.P. the sea was only 15 m below its present level and the northeastern Aegean shelf assumed nearly its present morphology. The Nestos River changed course to the east and Thassos Island was separated from the mainland. Coarse sediment formed wedges nearshore, whereas fine-grained sediments were distributed widely by current action. In many areas, relict sediments are present.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , July 1989 , pp. 36 - 50
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bloom, A.L., (1977). Atlas of Sea Level Curves Cornell University Ithaca, NY International Geological Correlation Programme, Project 61 Google Scholar
Bornovas, I. Rondoyannis, Th., (1983). IGME, Geological Map of Greece Scale 1:500,000 Google Scholar
Curray, J.R., (1964). Transgressions and regressions Miller, R.L. Papers in Marine Geology: Shepard Commemorative Volume MacMillan Co New York 175–203 Google Scholar
International Bathymetric Map of the Mediterranean (1981). IOC Publ Lenigrad Scale 1:1,000,000, Sheet No. 4 Google Scholar
Konispoliatis, N., (1984). Study of Recent Sediments of the Strymonikos Gulf Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation National Technical University [In Greek] Google Scholar
Lalechos, N. Savoyat, E.D., (1977). La sedimentation dans la Fosse Nord Ageen VI Colloquium on the Geology of the Aegean Region Vol. 2, 591–609 Google Scholar
Milliman, J. Emery, K.O., (1968). Sea level during the last 35,000 years Science 162, 1121–1123 Google Scholar
Perissoratis, C., (1986). Sedimentology of Samothraki Plateau 3rd Congress, Greek Geological Society 25 [In Greek] Google Scholar
Perissoratis, C. Moorby, S.A. Papavasiliou, C. Cronan, D.S. Angelopoulos, I. Mitropoulos, D. Sakellariadou, F., (1987). Geology and geochemistry of the surficial sediments off Thraki, Northern Greece Marine Geology 75, 209–224 Google Scholar
Perissoratis, C. Angelopoulos, I. Mitropoulos, D., (1987). Exploring the offshore area of NE Greece for placer deposits: Geologic framework and preliminary results Teleki, P. et al. Marine Minerals: Resource Assessment and Strategies Reidel Dordrecht 57–70 Google Scholar
Perissoratis, C. van Andel, Tj.H., (1988). A late Pleistocene unconformity in a gravity core taken in the Kavalla Gulf, Northern Aegean Marine Geology 81, 53–61 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perissoratis, C. Angelopoulos, I. Matarangas, D. Konispoliatis, N., (1984). Bathymetry, morphology, and characteristics of the surface sediments in the area Ierissos-Alexandroupolis (preliminary results) Panhellenic Symposium on Ocean Fisheries 437–445 [In Greek] Google Scholar
Pechlivanoglou, C., (1986). Evros Delta: Evolution of continental shelf sediments Commission International pour l'Exploration de la Mediterranee 30, 2 65 Google Scholar
Psilovikos, A. Vavliakis, E. Lagallis, O., (1986). Natural and anthropogenic processes in the recent evolution of Nestos Delta 3rd Congress of the Greek Geological Society 43–44 Abstracts Google Scholar
Ruddiman, W.F. Duplessy, J.C., (1985). Conference on the last deglaciation: Timing and mechanism Quaternary Research 23, 1–17 Google Scholar
Stournaras, G., (1984). Evolution du comportement d' un systeme aquifere heterogene. Geologie et hydrologie du delta du Nestos (Grece) et de ses bordures These de Spec. Universite de Grenoble Google Scholar
van Andel, Tj.H. Lianos, N., (1984). Highresolution seismic reflection profiles for the reconstruction of postglacial transgressive shorelines: An example from Greece Quaternary Research 22, 31–45 Google Scholar
van Andel, Tj.H. Shackleton, J.C., (1982). Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic coastlines of Greece and the Aegean Journal of Field Archaeology 9, 445–454 Google Scholar
Velegrakis, A., (1985). Study of Recent Sediments of the Area of Thassos Channel (N. Aegean) Diplom. Thesis Oceanography Department, Athens University Google Scholar