Corinth Publication: Morhange, et al. Geoarchaeology 27:3, 2012 | Collection: | | Corinth | | Name: | | Morhange, et al. Geoarchaeology 27:3, 2012 | | Title: | | Late Holocene Tectonic Uplift and the Silting Up of Lechaion, the Western Harbor of Ancient Corinth, Greece | | Author: | | Morhange, C.; Pirazzoli, P. A.; Evelpidou, N. & Marriner, N. | | Series Title: | | Geoarchaeology | | Volume: | | 27:3 | | Date: | | 2012 | | Abstract: | | Lechaion's ancient harbor is now a coastal swamp filled with sediments. Two natural factors explain the harbor's abandonment: (1) tectonic uplift during historical times and (2) the location of the harbor basin in a serpentine depression protected from the sea. Although it undoubtedly functioned as a very efficient sediment trap, only modest sedimentation rates 1 mm/yr) have been measured in the basin. This paradox suggests that the basin was dredged and that the extracted sediments were dumped, forming a number of mounds around the harbor edges. The transition from marine organics to silt is dated to 750-400 cal. B.C. and precedes the 1.2 m uplift of the harbor at around 340 B.C., which underscores the minimal impact of tectonic forcing factors. The presence of fine-grained sediments is consistent with an increasingly protected environment. The macrofauna indicate a low-energy environment enriched with organic matter and brackish conditions. All data suggest that this environment became isolated from the sea. Although a seismic uplift around 340 B.C. played a partial role in the evolution of the harbor, it is not the sole natural forcing agent involved in the silting up of the basin. 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. | | Page: | | 278-283 | | URL: | | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gea.21388/abstract |
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