Lake Elji and a geological perspective on the evolution of Petra, Jordan

Nizar Abu-Jaber; Sahar Al Khasawneh; Mohammad Alqudah; Catreena Hamarneh; Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh; Andrew Murray

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109904

Lake Elji and a geological perspective on the evolution of Petra, Jordan

Nizar Abu-Jaber^*, Sahar Al Khasawneh, Mohammad Alqudah, Catreena Hamarneh, Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh, Andrew Murray

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Geoscience

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

The draining of the herein introduced ancient Lake Elji, and the subsequent erosion of its lacustrine sediments, were necessary precursors to the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and later settlement of Petra. This study investigates this geological history and relates it to human occupation of the broader region. Widespread carbonates consisting of algal mat deposits, beach rocks, and rhizoliths are consistently present at the 1060 m contour line of what is believed to be the shoreline of Lake Elji in the Petra basin. Well sorted siliciclastic fluvio-lacustrine sediments at lower elevations and human settlement patterns all indicate that a standing body of water once existed in the area. Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, as well as the fossil assemblages and the textures of the carbonate deposits, suggest that the body of water was an open lake with regular outflows. A sill has been identified at Ras Btahi, indicating a southward outflow direction, as opposed to the current drainage pattern towards the west. The lack of a basin closure towards the west at the time, as evidenced by thick, low energy sediment accumulations, suggest that tectonic movements were responsible for breaching the lake and establishing the current hydrological pattern. Results obtained from the optical stimulated luminiscence (OSL) in the palaeolake sediments indicate that the basin was closed from at least 100 Ka up to approximately 9 Ky. This timeline is also supported by the distribution of archaeological sites in the area and a previously documented massive erosional event at the end of this period. Subsequent gradual denudation of the basin sediments allowed for the settlement in the center of Petra during the Early Nabatean period.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Artikelnummer	109904
Tidsskrift	Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Vol/bind	557
ISSN	0031-0182
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109904
Status	Udgivet - nov. 2020

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title = "Lake Elji and a geological perspective on the evolution of Petra, Jordan",

abstract = "The draining of the herein introduced ancient Lake Elji, and the subsequent erosion of its lacustrine sediments, were necessary precursors to the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and later settlement of Petra. This study investigates this geological history and relates it to human occupation of the broader region. Widespread carbonates consisting of algal mat deposits, beach rocks, and rhizoliths are consistently present at the 1060 m contour line of what is believed to be the shoreline of Lake Elji in the Petra basin. Well sorted siliciclastic fluvio-lacustrine sediments at lower elevations and human settlement patterns all indicate that a standing body of water once existed in the area. Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, as well as the fossil assemblages and the textures of the carbonate deposits, suggest that the body of water was an open lake with regular outflows. A sill has been identified at Ras Btahi, indicating a southward outflow direction, as opposed to the current drainage pattern towards the west. The lack of a basin closure towards the west at the time, as evidenced by thick, low energy sediment accumulations, suggest that tectonic movements were responsible for breaching the lake and establishing the current hydrological pattern. Results obtained from the optical stimulated luminiscence (OSL) in the palaeolake sediments indicate that the basin was closed from at least 100 Ka up to approximately 9 Ky. This timeline is also supported by the distribution of archaeological sites in the area and a previously documented massive erosional event at the end of this period. Subsequent gradual denudation of the basin sediments allowed for the settlement in the center of Petra during the Early Nabatean period.",

keywords = "Holocene, Jordan, Palaeogeography, Petra, Pleistocene, Tectonics",

author = "Nizar Abu-Jaber and {Al Khasawneh}, Sahar and Mohammad Alqudah and Catreena Hamarneh and Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh and Andrew Murray",

year = "2020",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109904",

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T1 - Lake Elji and a geological perspective on the evolution of Petra, Jordan

AU - Abu-Jaber, Nizar

AU - Al Khasawneh, Sahar

AU - Alqudah, Mohammad

AU - Hamarneh, Catreena

AU - Al-Rawabdeh, Abdulla

AU - Murray, Andrew

PY - 2020/11

Y1 - 2020/11

N2 - The draining of the herein introduced ancient Lake Elji, and the subsequent erosion of its lacustrine sediments, were necessary precursors to the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and later settlement of Petra. This study investigates this geological history and relates it to human occupation of the broader region. Widespread carbonates consisting of algal mat deposits, beach rocks, and rhizoliths are consistently present at the 1060 m contour line of what is believed to be the shoreline of Lake Elji in the Petra basin. Well sorted siliciclastic fluvio-lacustrine sediments at lower elevations and human settlement patterns all indicate that a standing body of water once existed in the area. Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, as well as the fossil assemblages and the textures of the carbonate deposits, suggest that the body of water was an open lake with regular outflows. A sill has been identified at Ras Btahi, indicating a southward outflow direction, as opposed to the current drainage pattern towards the west. The lack of a basin closure towards the west at the time, as evidenced by thick, low energy sediment accumulations, suggest that tectonic movements were responsible for breaching the lake and establishing the current hydrological pattern. Results obtained from the optical stimulated luminiscence (OSL) in the palaeolake sediments indicate that the basin was closed from at least 100 Ka up to approximately 9 Ky. This timeline is also supported by the distribution of archaeological sites in the area and a previously documented massive erosional event at the end of this period. Subsequent gradual denudation of the basin sediments allowed for the settlement in the center of Petra during the Early Nabatean period.

AB - The draining of the herein introduced ancient Lake Elji, and the subsequent erosion of its lacustrine sediments, were necessary precursors to the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and later settlement of Petra. This study investigates this geological history and relates it to human occupation of the broader region. Widespread carbonates consisting of algal mat deposits, beach rocks, and rhizoliths are consistently present at the 1060 m contour line of what is believed to be the shoreline of Lake Elji in the Petra basin. Well sorted siliciclastic fluvio-lacustrine sediments at lower elevations and human settlement patterns all indicate that a standing body of water once existed in the area. Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, as well as the fossil assemblages and the textures of the carbonate deposits, suggest that the body of water was an open lake with regular outflows. A sill has been identified at Ras Btahi, indicating a southward outflow direction, as opposed to the current drainage pattern towards the west. The lack of a basin closure towards the west at the time, as evidenced by thick, low energy sediment accumulations, suggest that tectonic movements were responsible for breaching the lake and establishing the current hydrological pattern. Results obtained from the optical stimulated luminiscence (OSL) in the palaeolake sediments indicate that the basin was closed from at least 100 Ka up to approximately 9 Ky. This timeline is also supported by the distribution of archaeological sites in the area and a previously documented massive erosional event at the end of this period. Subsequent gradual denudation of the basin sediments allowed for the settlement in the center of Petra during the Early Nabatean period.

KW - Holocene

KW - Jordan

KW - Palaeogeography

KW - Petra

KW - Pleistocene

KW - Tectonics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088532509&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109904

DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109904

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85088532509

SN - 0031-0182

VL - 557

JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

M1 - 109904

ER -

Lake Elji and a geological perspective on the evolution of Petra, Jordan

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