Paleoclimate reconstruction of the quaternary sediments near the Gulf of Aqaba (Southern Jordan)
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Paleoclimate reconstruction of the quaternary sediments near the Gulf of Aqaba (Southern Jordan) Mahmoud Abbas 1 & Bety Al-Saqarat 2 & Ahmad Al-Shdaifat 3
Received: 30 June 2015 / Accepted: 20 January 2016 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016
Abstract In this paper, the BAqaba Formation^ formed at the margins of the Aqaba Gulf, during the Quaternary, is sedimentologically studied. This formation consists mainly of clayey beds intercalated with friable silty, medium to coarse-grained sandstones, commonly with planar cross bedding, bioturbated by vertical burrows, and poorly cemented polymict conglomerate. It is also comprised of beds of clay-supported conglomerates occasionally displaying intertonguing relationships. The age of the formation is from Lower Pleistocene. Due to the presence of greenish clay layers within the Aqaba Formation, this means that it was deposited under a stream fresh water environment. It is also noticed that the overlain Pleistocene sediments are rich in Ostracods suggesting a fresh water environment, too. Generally, wetter climatic conditions were prevailing at this period as indicated by the absence of evaporite deposits (e.g., halite and/or gypsum). The clay mineral constituents (kaolinite and illite/smectite intermixed layers) and the absence of palygorskite are supported by the wetter conditions. It is worth to mention that the essential non-clay minerals are quartz and feldspars. This study presents the developments of the margins of the Gulf of Aqaba during Quaternary and reflects the climatic changes during this period.
* Bety Al-Saqarat [email protected]
1
Ministry of Education, Amman 11942, Jordan
2
Department of Geology, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
3
Water, Energy and Environment Center, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Keywords Gulf of Aqaba (South Jordan) . Pleistocene sediments . Lithology . Paleoclimate . Wetland
Introduction Quaternary period is a very good example for the succession and changes of glacial, interglacial, and dry periods. It is considered as the most important period of the Earth history, despite its short duration, about 2.6 Ma. The Quaternary period is the most recent period, so its materials cover the landscape and support the soil for agriculture and other human activities (Bowen 1978). Stratigraphically, the Quaternary period includes the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs, as well as the latest chapter of the Earth history (Gradstein et al. 2012). It was a period of major climatic and environmental changes in the last 2.6 million years. Nevertheless, an understanding of the climatic changes during the Quaternary period is essential not only to appreciate significance features of the natural environment today but also to better comprehend our present climate (Bradley 1999). The Quaternary deposits of Jordan are widely distributed throughout the country. As a result, they are not recorded in a specific geological group, except those located in the Jordan Rift Valley BJordan Group^ (Abed 2000). The Q
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