EGU22-6973, updated on 28 Mar 2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6973
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

An interdisciplinary approach for reconstructing environmental evolution since the mid Holocene, in Agia (Lemnos Island, Greece)

Nikolaos Theocharidis1, Olga Koukousioura1, Katerina Kouli2, Myrsini Gkouma3, Elina Aidona1, Georgios Syrides1, and Nikos Efstratiou4
Nikolaos Theocharidis et al.
  • 1Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Geology, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece (okoukous@geo.auth.gr)
  • 2National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, 15784, Athens, Greece
  • 3M. H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 54 Souidias Street, 106 76, Athens, Greece
  • 4Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of History and Archaeology, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

Lemnos Island (NE Aegean Sea) was inhabited since the Paleolithic times, as is suggested by archaeological evidence from the hunting campsite of Ouriakos (~12.000 BP). The Agia Bay, in the vicinity of Ouriakos site, is located on the southeastern coast of Lemnos Island. The coastal area today is characterized by aeolian sandy deposits (dunes), while a small river is discharging in the bay. The systematic investigation of a 15.5-m long sediment core from the coastal plain of Agia aims to set light to the paleoenvironmental evolution of the area. The exhaustive study of the faunal and floral remains of the deposits, including benthic foraminifera, ostracoda, molluscs, pollen and NPPs was further supported by sedimentological, micromorphological and elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements and radiocarbon dating.

Four main evolutionary stages are identified: (1) at the base of the sequence the fluvial activity is dominating the sedimentation in the area, while progressively seawater intrusions are observed as suggested by reworked marine foraminifera and mollusc specimens (2) before ~7000 BP a restricted fresh water wetland is formed, characterized by land snails, Cyperaceae and the presence of aquatic plant seeds (3) after ~7000 and until ~5000 BP a connection of the wetland to communication to the sea is established as indicated by the occurrence of euryhaline foraminifera (Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica), ostracoda (Cyprideis torosa, Cyprinotus salinus) and mollusc (Cerastoderma glaucum, Abra sp., Hydrobia sp.) assemblages accompanied by marine dinoflagellate cysts and charophytes (4) after ~5000 BP a nearshore environment is developed due the sea-level rise, characterized by Peneroplis pertusus, rotaliids and miliolids as well as Loxoconcha sp., Cerithium sp. and reworked foraminifera and mollusc specimens. Pollen assemblages record the occurrence of mixed deciduous oak forest with Ulmus and Carpinus/Ostrya in the island interior, while agricultural activities are inferred by pollen indicator species.

How to cite: Theocharidis, N., Koukousioura, O., Kouli, K., Gkouma, M., Aidona, E., Syrides, G., and Efstratiou, N.: An interdisciplinary approach for reconstructing environmental evolution since the mid Holocene, in Agia (Lemnos Island, Greece), EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-6973, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6973, 2022.