The approach combining geology and archaeology was initiated in the Somme valley in northern France at the end of the 19th century by pioneers of Palaeolithic research such as J. Boucher de Perthes (1860). Later, still in this area, the study of Quaternary sequences and palaeoenvironments was marked by the development of the first multidisciplinary studies integrating data from molluscs, micromammals, pollen and the first radiocarbon dates in the 1970s. Finally, over the last thirty years, the geoarchaeological approach has undergone an unprecedented development supported by i) the rapid development of rescue archaeology and ii) the refinement of tools such as geochronology (ESR on quartz, TL & OSL, geophysics, isotopic geology, etc.). Today, Northern France can be considered a major reference "laboratory" for geoarchaeological approaches and Quaternary research. In this area, recent work involving thousands of test pits (up to 8-10 m deep) and large archaeological excavations (> 2 000 m2) has led to a real leap forward in our knowledge of loess-palaeosols records, fluvial terrace sequences and valley-bottom fluvial environments. This provides a robust database for studying the interactions between Palaeolithic occupation and palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental change. The presentation will draw on some 30 years of fieldwork in the area, including early experience of 'rescue' archaeology such as the Channel Tunnel for high-speed rail lines. The new results to be summarised here will concern both loess-palaeosols records and fluvial sequences from the Somme terrace system. For the loess-palaeosols sequences, the last interglacial-glacial cycle that is the best preserved and widespread over the whole area, provides a detailed and robust reference stratigraphic framework with about 40 individual units detected over the whole area. With regard to the Pleistocene fluvial record and associated Palaeolithic sites, the outcome of preventive archaeological work is less important as terrace deposits are by nature more localised and therefore not often affected by rescue excavations. However, during the last 20 years two major discoveries have been made in fluvial sequences: i) in the high terrace of the Somme River at Abbeville with the rediscovery of the Moulin Quignon site now dated at about 650 ka and exhibiting the oldest evidence of Acheulean in western Europe and ii) the Eemian tufa sequence and Middle Palaeolithic site of Caours (± 123 ka) which has completely changed our perception of Neanderthal occupation of western Europe during temperate periods. In the future, the approach will be extended in the context of the Canal Seine North-Europe project*, which will cross the entire loess area of northern France and where major Palaeolithic excavations have already begun in January 2025.
* https://www.canal-seine-nord-europe.fr/en/the-channel-map/
How to cite: Antoine, P.: Combining geology and archaeology for an unprecedented improvement in the knowledge of Quaternary environments and Palaeolithic record: a northern France perspective, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6113, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6113, 2025.
Fundamental changes in the lifeways of hunter-gatherers occurred in tandem with rapid climatic changes spanning 13,000 years of the Epipaleolithic period (25-12 ka, EP hereafter), until the onset of the Holocene. Local hunter-gatherers groups showed reduced mobility causing a cascade effect manifested in demography, social organization, economy, subsistence strategies, and material culture. The transformation of western Asian mobile hunter-gatherers into a sedentary way of life is mostly investigated from the last stage of this process: the Late Epipaleolithic sedentary 'Natufian' (ca. 15-12 cal ky). Sedentarization was a long-term process that spanned the Epipaleolithic period, caused by social, economic, and demographic mechanisms. Yet, in the archeological record sedentism seems to appear abruptly in the Late Epipaleolithic (Natufian culture). However, the preceding Middle Epipaleolithic period, represented in the Mediterranean region by the mobile 'Geometric Kebaran' culture (ca. 18-15 cal ky), is still not well understood. Some pivotal issues such as precise chronology, site organization, nature of occupation, human-environment interaction and subsistence, all require additional investigation. Specifically, site occupation intensity as a proxy for the process of sedentism is lacking in the current discourse. This information is crucial for evaluating the nature and tempo of the cultural processes leading to the appearance of sedentary societies either as a rapid punctuated event or a gradual process.
Recent excavations at the site of Tahunat es-Sukkar (TeS), located in the Bet Shean Valley on the flanks of the Dead Sea Transform in Israel, provide a unique opportunity to test these archeological questions utliziling geomorphological toolkits. The site is embedded within an active spring system that deposited a massive tufa complex stretching more than 9 km from north to south, and covering a surface area of 7 km² and 30-50 meters thick that accumulated over the last 300,000 years. Geometric Kebaran findss are distributed within a 2 m thick sequence marked by stratigraphic boundaries of spring deposits over an area of ca. 100 sq. Ongoing detailed sedimentological, micromorphological and isotopic analysis together with high-resolution U-Series dating, provide a refined context for the Middle Epipaleolithic occupation within this dynamic marshy environment. Initial results provide promising prospects for the preservation of a long-term behavioral record building a bridge between geomorphology and archeological questions.
How to cite: Malinsky-Buller, A., Ben Dor, Y., Oikonomou, I., Tjallingii, R., Atar, Y., Munro, N., Levy, E., Weiss, K., Tzahi, G., and Abadi, I.: When geomorphological toolkits point at pre-sedentism occupation intensity– The case of Tahunat es-Sukkar A new Epipaleolithic sequence in Bet Shean Valley, Israel, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-7912, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-7912, 2025.
The Tagus Basin, located in the central Iberian Peninsula and shared by Spain and Portugal, represents a pivotal region for understanding the interplay between paleo-environmental processes and past human living and adaption. The Tagus River, the longest in the Iberian Peninsula, originates from the transition of the Cenozoic basins from an endorheic drainage system to an exorheic system flowing into the Atlantic Ocean in the Plio-Pleistocene (Solè Sabaris, 1951; Vaudour, 1979; Silva et al., 1988; Pérez-González, 1994; Cunha et al., 2008; Benito-Calvo and Pérez-González, 2010; Silva et al., 2017; Karampaglidis et al.,2020). In the Tagus Basin, following the transition, the capture and dissection from the Atlantic drainage system resulted in the formation of a Quaternary staircase fluvial system, comprising up to twelve levels in the western part of the MCB, up to twenty-three terrace levels in the eastern part of the MCB, and up to six levels in the Lower Tajo Basin (Pérez-González, 1994; Cunha et al., 2008). In this terrace sequence is preserved a unique and fundamental archive for the European Paleolithic sites (Santonja, M. & Villa, P., 2006; Rubio-Jara & Panera., 2019). The location of the Tagus Basin constitutes a strategic spot in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula and preserve one of the largest assemblages of Pleistocene sites in Europe (Santonja & Querol, 1978; Panera & Rubio-Jara, 2002; Rubio-Jara et al., 2016; Rubio-Jara & Panera, 2019). Research on the Pleistocene and the Palaeolithic of the Tagus Basin has started since 1862 and has continued up to now with plentiful discoveries of Pleistocene lithic industry and faunal remains (Verneuil & Lartet, 1863; De Prado, 1864; Obermaier 1916; 1925; Santonja & Querol, 1978; Santonja et al., 1980; Cobo et al., 1980; Gamazo et al., 1983; Querol, 1984; Rus and Vega, 1984; Pérez González & Manuel Santonja, 2000; Santonja & Pérez González, 2001; Vega Toscano & Santonja Gómez, 2002; Panera & Rubio-Jara, 2002; Baena & Baquedano, 2004; Silva et al., 2008; Panera, 2009; Baena et al., 2010; De los Arcos et al., 2010; López-Recio et al., 2010; Manzano et al., 2010; Santonja Gómez, 2010; Rubio-Jara, 2011; Pérez González & Manuel Santonja, 2014; Rubio-Jara & Panera, 2019).
However, further geomorphological studies are essential to unravel the dynamics of sedimentation, erosion, formation, alteration, and preservation of the Paleolithic record, as well as the environmental contexts in which hominins lived and interacted. The geological setting of the Tagus Basin makes it an ideal natural laboratory for examining how tectonic activity, lithological diversity, and climatic fluctuations have shaped terrain formation and landscape evolution. Comprehensive geomorphological mapping of major landforms, combined with morpho-sedimentary analyses and advanced dating techniques will establish a robust geospatial-temporal framework. This framework will serve as a unified database, facilitating an understanding of the primary mechanisms driving landscape evolution over the last 1 Ma. Moreover, it will provide critical insights into the processes of sedimentation, erosion, and preservation of the Paleolithic record, offering a detailed perspective on the environmental conditions that shaped hominin behavior and adaptation in this region.
How to cite: Karampaglidis, T., Alonso Azcárate, J., Benito Calvo, A., Braucher, R., Cunha, P., Fenn, K., Fernández Lozano, J., Gallardo Milián, J. L., Gomes Porto Gouveia, M. M., Mallinsky Buller, A., Martins, A., Moreno Garcia, D., Pedraza, J., Pérez Garrido, C., Rodríguez Gómez, G., Sánchez Romero, L., Vásquez Vizcaíno, J., and Carrasco, R. M.: 1 Ma of long-term landscape reconstruction of the River Tagus (Iberia): a record of tectonics, climatic changes, sea-level fluctuations and past human occupation., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15988, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15988, 2025.
While the dynamics of central European fluvial systems were originally controlled mainly by climatic perturbations, a transition occurred to anthropogenically-controlled systems during the Middle to Late Holocene. When exactly this transition of fluvial systems took place and to what degree different anthropogenic practices played a role is not yet fully understood. It is an important hiatus to address in our understanding of riverine landscapes and the search for sustainable future scenarios in light of the changing climate.
Floodplains constitute an ideal setting to address this issue, as their sediments record past river dynamics and human activities (e.g., settling, milling, mining, logging, agriculture). In contrast to the extensively studied Upper Rhine plain, it remains largely unclear how human alteration of fluvial systems climbed up the Rhine tributaries. Here, we use a combination of geophysical surveys, sedimentological investigations, luminescence dating, and heavy metal analysis at three sites to investigate how and when anthropogenic land use changes shifted the rhenian meso-scale Kinzig river from a natural to an anthropogenically-dominated fluvial system.
Our sedimentological analyses reveal three distinct phases (Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene till 9.00 ka BP, Mid/Late Holocene 9.00-0.82 ka BP, modern 0.81-0 ka BP) of floodplain accumulation, characterized by increasing accumulation rates (ca. 0.09 mm/a, 0.33 mm/a, 1.07 mm/a) and decreasing grain sizes. Concomitantly with the increase of mining activity that peaked between the 16th and 18th centuries, and heavy metal concentrations in the floodplain rise (enrichment factors of Ba, Pb, and Cu peaking at ca. 2.5, 4.0, and 3.0), suggesting a close link between these sediment contaminations and historic land use and mining records from the catchment.
Hence, cross-referencing the floodplain stratigraphy with catchment land use history allows for argumentation of a gradual shift from a somewhat natural to an anthropogenically altered system. It implies a time-conform response to later human settlement relative to the Upper Rhine plain and an intensification of anthropogenic impact in the floodplain stratigraphy over the last ca. 2500 years, in line with the unprecedented high floodplain accumulation rates relative to pre-human presence.
How to cite: Engelmann, C., Blöthe, J., Preusser, F., Fülling, A., Wilk, J., Eiche, E., and Quandt, D.: Silts with a human touch: Transition from naturally- to anthropogenically-controlled fluvial dynamics revealed by OSL dating and heavy-metal analysis, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10166, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10166, 2025.
Stormwater drainage is a primary pathway through which urbanisation degrades physical channel form and ecologically relevant in-stream attributes, such as the presence of large wood. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding methods or study designs that effectively isolate the specific effect of stormwater from those of catchment context, geology and other geomorphic controls. The main goal of this study is to examine how stream geomorphology, characterised through variables such as bankfull cross-sectional area, relates to stormwater drainage inputs from urban areas. To achieve this, we employed a combination of historical data reviews, GIS techniques, and field observations to assess morphological changes along a stream channel (Toomuc creek, Melbourne, Australia), with a particular focus on the differences between upstream and downstream of stormwater inputs. Two key hypotheses were tested: (i) stream bankfull cross-sectional area increases with catchment urbanisation and (ii) significant differences in geomorphic attributes or response variables exist between upstream and downstream of stormwater outfalls. However, contrary to our expectations, stream channel capacity or cross-sectional area did not follow a systematic downstream increase with catchment urbanisation due to arrays of factors. Nonetheless, some outfall locations did show clear evidence of disturbance, confirming that widening, deepening, and a combination of both occur locally and in a spatially discontinuous manner. These findings point to two important directions for future research. Firstly, to properly isolate urban influences on stream geomorphic adjustments, controlled study designs should prioritise sites with minimal historical disturbance and no hardpoint interventions. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the conditioning influence of past channel corridors management and channel evolution on contemporary geomorphic responses needs to be specifically studied in urban settings. Understanding the complex interplay between urbanisation, channel morphology, historical land-use context, and in-stream features is vital for developing more accurate predictive models that could inform effective and broad management strategies.
How to cite: Soboyejo, L., Russell, K., and Fletcher, T.: Can changes in geomorphic responses to urbanisation be predicted from stormwater outfalls?, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1553, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1553, 2025.
Land degradation in East Africa poses significant challenges to ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing. While traditional monitoring approaches focus on direct land-use changes, we present DeltaSense, an innovative remote sensing tool that utilises inland lake deltas as sensitive indicators of regional landscape degradation. This newly funded project aims to expand the tool's coverage across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Mozambique, building upon a pilot study in the Lake Kivu region.
Our approach combines satellite time series analysis with ground-truth data to detect and monitor environmental changes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Through collaboration with key regional institutions, including the Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma (OVG), Université catholique de Bukavu (UCB), Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), and the Nelson Mandela-African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), the project will establish a comprehensive monitoring network throughout the Great Lakes region. This multi-institutional approach ensures robust local expertise and sustainable implementation across the target countries.
By analysing delta dynamics over 40 years, DeltaSense provides insights into the spatiotemporal patterns of land degradation. The tool integrates multiple satellite data sources with field measurements, including UAV imagery and bathymetric surveys, to validate and calibrate degradation assessments. This methodology enables the identification of degradation hotspots and evaluation of remediation practices.
Initial results from the Lake Kivu region demonstrate the tool's capability to detect various degradation drivers, including deforestation, agricultural expansion, violent conflicts and mining activities. The open-source platform facilitates collaboration between researchers, government agencies, and local communities, promoting evidence-based environmental management decisions.
This research represents a significant advancement in environmental monitoring by providing near real-time, actionable data for sustainable resource management. The approach's scalability and adaptability make it particularly valuable for regions facing similar environmental challenges globally, with potential applications extending beyond East Africa.
How to cite: Lizaga, I., Latorre, B., Bagalwa, M., Cizungu, L., Musana, B., Bizimana, E., Okello, J., Munishi, L., Van Oost, K., Blake, W., Navas, A., and Boeckx, P.: DeltaSense: Africa's remote sensing guardian of landscape degradation, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-8212, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8212, 2025.
Soil aggregation as reflected in the size distribution and stability of aggregates is a critical factor influencing soil erodibility by wind and/or water. Wind erosion leads to significant soil resource loss of clays and nutrients, and contributes to air pollution from dust. This study provides quantitative insights into the role of soil aggregation in wind erosion in a semi-arid region based on both field and laboratory experiments. The soil erosion was explored in natural soils and in areas subjected to various land uses, including agricultural fields, open areas, grazing plots, and road constructions. A boundary-layer wind tunnel was employed to simulate soil erosion and dust emissions. The results clearly demonstrate the impact of human-induced topsoil disturbances on soil aggregation and erosion. It reveals that soil erodibility under wind stress is primarily controlled by dry aggregate characteristics, aggregate size distribution (ASD) and aggregate density, rather than other soil properties. Substantial loss of fine-dust particles (clays and nutrients) was recorded under most experimental conditions due to aggregate disintegration during the erosion. Such reduction in ASD in response to wind erosion subsequently impacts the dust emission potential in future wind events. With increasing population growth, changes in land use, and the scenarios of climate change, soil erosion rates may rise, potentially triggering desertification processes in disturbed semi-arid soils.
How to cite: Katra, I. and Ben-Hur, M.: Reduced soil aggregation and increased wind erosion in disturbed semi-arid loess soils , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-12437, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12437, 2025.
On 5-6 July 2017, during the rainy season, heavy rainfall battered northern Kyûshû (Japan), breaking previous records, with 516mm in 24 hours and a maximum intensity of 129.5 mm/h at the Asakura station in the lowlands. In mountainous areas, the total rainfall was between 600 and 800mm in 24 hours. As a result, hundreds of landslides were triggered, mobilizing large quantities of sediment and driftwood, with a regional estimation of respectively 10 million and 210 000 cubic meters (KRDB, 2017). These floods caused 42 casualties and extensive material damage, as well as multi-meters deposits in several valley bottoms. This is a «Low Frequency / High Magnitude» (LFHM) event with an estimated probability of occurrence of 1/200 (KRDB, 2017).
This event produced major landscape changes mainly linked to the triggering of landslides, which constitute a sudden and massive opening of sedimentary sources whose contribution to the sediment cascade is 1) facilitated by the very high general sediment connectivity and 2) goes beyond the 2017 event.
To mitigate the vulnerability of populations, Japan has undertaken major countermeasures works to stabilize slopes and develop rivers (check dams, sedimentation basins, recalibration), relying heavily on engineering and concrete. The outcome is profound geomorphological changes, reinforced by human intervention through the development and management of these hydrosystems, which modify 1) the sediment cascade and the connectivity settings from a structural and process-based perspective and 2) the specific socio-ecological system of these rural mountain areas called «Satoyama» (Indrawan et al., 2014). The main example is the change of function of areas, changing from a living space with agricultural production area to a sedimentary storage area. Therefore, these elements illustrate a complex process-response feedback loop in a coupled humain-geomorphic system (Poeppl et al., 2017).
In a climate change context, heavy rainfall events are expected to increase, including in East Asia and the Japanese archipelago (MEXT JMA, 2020; MLIT, 2020). Related hazards such rapid-moving landslide is predicted to increase along with the population exposed to landslide risk (Gariano and Guzzetti, 2016).
This raises the question of the relaxation time of geomorphological systems between two disturbance phenomena like LFHM events, in a context of sometimes increased sensitivity. The torrential rain of 10 July 2023 is a significant example in our case, as it was the 2nd record for maximum hourly intensity with 72.5 mm/h and third for cumulative rainfall over 24 hours with 290.5mm (behind 2018 with 295.5mm) (JMA, 2024). The newly-built countermeasures were therefore put to the test and proved their effectiveness overall, but the increased sensitivity of these systems combined with the magnitude of the 2023 LFHM event exceeded the countermeasure system's absorption capacity calibrated for a specific return period. As a result, most of the check dams have been filled up massively, leading to flooding and massive sediment deposits in several valley bottoms, which provides some insight into the real extent of human-induced disturbance to the sediment cascade.
How to cite: Siccard, V., Dumont, M., Lissak, C., Gomez, C., and Arnaud-Fassetta, G.: Landscape coevolution in a Japanese human-geomorphic system induced by the July 2017 heavy rainfall in northern Kyûshû , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-12564, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12564, 2025.
The Himalayan rivers, characterized by high sediment flux and dynamic morphology, are increasingly threatened by intensive in-channel sand mining. This study investigates the spatio-temporal morphodynamic responses of the Gaula River, an ephemeral Himalayan River in northwestern India to anthropogenic disturbances, using a combination of satellite imagery and UAV-based high-resolution data. The study utilized satellite-based morphometric indices and UAV-generated pre- and post-sand mining DEM of Difference (DoD) to assess the impact of sand mining on channel morphology, sediment transport and net sediment aggradation/extraction. The satellite-based study reveals significant channel narrowing, and loss of wet channels and vegetated bars leading to a reduction in geomorphic diversity, particularly in mining-impacted middle reaches. The UAV-based high-resolution data shows notable changes in bed morphology and slope, knickpoint migration and increased stream power, exacerbating geomorphic degradation, triggering downstream adjustments and altering the sediment regime. Analysis of longitudinal and cross profiles reveal the extent of channel incision, sediment depletion, and their cascading effects on geomorphic processes. The DoD results when compared with reported data on sand mining reveal a discrepancy, with extraction rates exceeding reported figures. By integrating remote sensing techniques with geomorphological principles, this research presents a process-response framework to characterize the geomorphic impacts of sand mining revealing that the Gaula River exhibits a positive feedback response to sand mining. The outcomes of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of the impacts of sand mining on the morphodynamics of the Himalayan rivers and emphasize the need for sustainable management strategies.
How to cite: Akuria, M. and Sinha, R.: Spatio-temporal Morphodynamics of Himalayan River in consequence of sand mining using satellite and UAV remote sensing, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-533, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-533, 2025.
Posters on site: Tue, 29 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | Hall X3
Understanding the environment within which archaeological sites are situated is crucial to accurately interpret mobility and activity patterns of past hunter-gatherers. During the late Pleistocene, an enormous influx of eolian loess was deposited and reworked simultaneously in the northern Negev Desert, filling the valleys with fluvial loess deposits up to 20 m thick. The largest valley filled with fluvial loess is the lower Besor basin. The extensive erosion of loess over the past 12,000 years led to badlands morphology and exposure of numerous paleolithic sites. An interdisciplinary study has been initiated to combine excavations of the Paleolithic sites and a study of the loess depostional sequence. The goal is to better understand diachronic shifts in the local environment and changes in cultural material from the late Middle Paleolithic to the late Upper Paleolithic/Early Epipaleolithic (~80-12 ka). As a result of slow accumulation of the fluvial loess, these archives open windows onto short habitation events, exhibiting archaeological sites with minimal spatial movement of finds, preservation of structures as well as faunal and botanical remains.
In this talk we will present initial results of a paleoenvironmnetal reconstruction of the northern Negev loess badlands in the lower Besor basin combining results from excavations at five sites dating between ~70 to 27 ka.
How to cite: Goder-Goldberger, M., Boaretto, E., Edeltin, L., López-Bultó, O., Kolska-Horowitz, L., Lavi, R., Porat, N., Toffolo, M., Zilberman, T., Jacobi, Y., and Crouvi, O.: Loess archives and Paleolithic hunter-gatherers at the desert margins, northern Negev, Israel, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-5055, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-5055, 2025.
Particle shape properties, such as aspect ratio, circularity and convexity, can be utilised as indicators for textural maturity, encapsulating the means to assess similarities and differences among sediment populations from variable depositional settings. The characterisation of sediment particle morphologies can provide insights into the transportation mechanisms and depositional environments of sedimentary sequences, including anthropo-sedimentary strata from archaeological sites. Here we present a new approach on the quantification shape from sediment samples, implementing dynamic image analysis through the of the Analysette 28 ImageSizer (Fritsch). The grain shape study is conducted in conjunction to micromorphological characterisation of particle surface topographies (SEM), granulometric and mineralogical (XRD) analyses. Chemical treatment and mechanical sieving are incorporated in the sample preparation process, while a standard operational procedure is suggested. Preliminary results from samples originating from differential geomorphological settings, including sandy soils, coastal and dune deposits from the coastal plain of Israel, provide the basis for the establishment of the proposed approach. Further integration of this methodological framework to Palaeolithic archaeological sites will provide additional analytical pathways in deciphering complex archaeological site formation processes.
How to cite: Oikonomou, I., Ben Dor, Y., Karampaglidis, T., Jacobi, Y., Crouvi, O., and Malinsky-Buller, A.: Exploring Depositional Environments through Particle Morphologies: Grain Shape Analysis and its Application in Sedimentology and Archaeology, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17331, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17331, 2025.
The interaction between humans and climate has been a main focus of research in recent years, with many studies relying on contemporary data and modeling approaches. However, understanding the dynamics of this interaction over long timescales necessitates the integration of paleoclimate records with archaeological data. Paleoclimate records provide a window into the Earth's long-term climatic fluctuations, while archaeological evidence offers insights into human responses to these changes. The Amuq Valley is an exceptional study area for investigating these interactions, as it features a rich dataset derived from systematic archaeological research and hosts two lakes that serve as natural archives of climatic changes. This study utilizes a combination of paleoclimatic proxies, including isotopic, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and radiocarbon dating, to investigate sedimentological records of paleoclimatic fluctuations and identify significant drought episodes, specifically the 8.2 ka, 5.2 ka, 4.2 ka, and 3.2 ka events. For this purpose, a total of 206.2 meters of undisturbed sediment cores were collected from Amuq and Toprakhisar Lakes and adjacent floodplain deposits near the archaeological sites of Tell Aççana, Tell Tayinat, and Tell Kurdu. These cores, ranging in length from 7 to 20 meters, provide a valuable archive of environmental changes in the region. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements were performed on the split cores with a Bartington MSE2 surface device, offering initial insights into variations in sediment composition and environmental conditions. Selected cores underwent further detailed analyses. Geochemical properties were assessed using ITRAX micro XRF scanning and ICP-MS/ICP-OES techniques, enabling high-resolution identification of elemental compositions. Additionally, mineralogical assessments were conducted with X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify changes in sediment composition related to climatic variability. A robust chronological framework was established using radiocarbon (14C) dating of microcharcoal samples extracted from the sediments. This approach allowed for precise dating of sedimentary layers, facilitating the correlation of environmental changes with known climatic events. The study focuses on the durations and characteristics of key drought episodes, specifically those occurring at 3.2 ka, 4.2 ka, 5.2 ka, and 8.2 ka, as inferred from sedimentary evidence. By combining sedimentological, geochemical, and chronological data, this research aims to enhance our understanding of paleoclimatic variability and its implications for human societies in the region. The findings contribute to broader discussions on how ancient communities demonstrated resilience and adapted to climatic stress, providing valuable insights for tackling contemporary environmental challenges.
How to cite: Bektaş, Z., Avşar, U., Akar, M., Toksoy Köksal, F., Yavuz, N., Pişkin, E., Hubert-Ferrari, A., and Pearson, C.: Reconstructing Ancient Human-Climate Interactions: Paleoclimatic Evidence from the Amuq Valley, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1050, 2025.
The integration of archaeological and geological methodologies is an essential aspect for the study of human activity, landscape evolution, and resource procurement. This approach emphasizes the strong relationship between human activity and various geomorphological and sedimentological processes, offering valuable insights into geomorphological and paleoenvironmental evolution, as well as the adaptation of hominins to these ancient landscapes.
This study focuses on the Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites of Los Aljezares and La Coca, two open-air settlements located in Aspe (Alicante) in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. The study area is located in the NE sector of the Betic Cordillera, within an intra-mountain area currently dissected by the Vinalopó River. Both sites are linked to the Quaternary deposits of this fluvial system. Various archaeological campaigns have identified significant Middle Paleolithic lithic assemblages at these sites, but a more comprehensive understanding of their depositional context and paleoenvironmental framework requires a thorough geomorphological reconstruction.
Based on detailed geomorphological and geological mapping and a sedimentological analysis, the depositional evolution of the Pleistocene sediments that contain this archaeological record has been reconstructed. The Los Aljezares and La Coca sites would form part of small and connected semi-endorheic basins with fluvio-lacustrine deposits and alluvial fans and colluvial sediments from the surrounding reliefs during the Upper Pleistocene. The fluvio-lacustrine system, now being eroded by the Vinalopó River dynamic, is consistent with a previous co-genetic highstand stage, resulting in a base level and a relief remarkably different from the nowadays landscape.
It is important to note that Los Aljezares site has been excavated and studied in detail while the findings from La Coca consist of a collection from the surface without further geological or archaeological context. However, by integrating geological data (e.g. sedimentary facies or geomorphological features) in the archaeological interpretation, we can improve our understanding of the formation of La Coca site and attributing a preliminary chronology.
Comparing these nearby sites highlights the challenges, but also the achievements, of integrating geological and archaeological data and the importance of collaborative efforts in the reconstruction of the landscape. Although both sites show evidence of Middle Paleolithic occupation, understanding their connections and temporal relationships is essential, as the recognition of similar stages in the basin infilling at both sites suggests a shared geological evolution.
How to cite: Mendez-Chazarra, N., Civieta, O., Cuevas-González, J., Díez-Canseco, D., and Eixea, A.: Geoarchaeological approaches for geomorphological and paleoenvironmental reconstruction during the Middle Paleolithic: Insights from the Vinalopó valley (Alicante, SE Spain), EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-9370, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9370, 2025.
Since the Late Holocene the impact of human activity on fluvial systems in Central Europe has reached unprecedented levels, reshaping riverine landscapes and their floodplains. This led to a change in the sedimentary system, causing a transformation of the fluvial morphology. The Wiesent River catchment in northern Bavaria, Germany, serves as a case study for understanding this transition from natural to human-dominated floodplain systems since the Early Middle Ages. Utilizing sedimentological, (chrono)stratigraphical, and geophysical analyses, we investigate how direct interventions (e.g. hydrotechnical installations) as well as indirect influences (e.g. catchment-wide agriculture) have collectively changed the fluvial geomorphology and sedimentary dynamics of the area.
Here we present a detailed examination of floodplain architecture, highlighting thick overbank deposits and changes in sediment dynamics that serve as proxies for anthropogenic activity. Our results, derived from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, reveal significant shifts in sedimentation rates that correlate with the intensification of human activities, such as deforestation for agriculture and the establishment of hydrotechnical installations. Concurrently, we explore paleoenvironmental indicators, including phytoliths, biomarkers and ostracods, to assess ecological responses within the floodplain over time.
This research underscores the critical role of geomorphology in the broader context of the interaction between human agency and environmental processes. By contrasting natural and anthropogenically influenced systems, we aim to enhance the understanding of mechanisms driving the fluvial geomorphic change. Thereby we contribute to the discourse on sustainable landscape management and restoration practices in the face of ongoing environmental challenges.
How to cite: Grimm, B., Voigt, A., Dix, A., Schreg, R., Kolb, T., Pauly, N., Profe, J., and Fuchs, M.: From natural- to human-dominated fluvial landscapes: sediment dynamics & anthropogenic interaction of the Wiesent River catchment (NE-Bavaria, Germany), EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-7934, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-7934, 2025.
Pottery is a key material for understanding archaeological cultures, offering valuable insights into origins, production techniques, and recipes through its chemical and mineralogical composition. However, when archaeological pottery is exposed to waterlogged sediments, it often undergoes chemical and mineralogical alterations, complicating its classification and archaeometric analysis. The extent and consistency of these changes remain poorly understood due to a lack of systematic studies on the effects of waterlogging. A better understanding of these transformations is essential to enable reliable interpretations of pottery recovered from such environments.
To address this issue, we have adopted an interdisciplinary approach that combines expertise from archaeometry, mineralogy, and geochemistry. Initially, different types of pottery are mineralogically and geochemically characterized to establish baseline data before conducting leaching experiments in controlled laboratory environments. Key factors influencing alteration mechanisms such as the chemical composition of ceramics and water (e.g., saline vs. freshwater), pH, temperature, diffusive soil gases (e.g., CO₂), and exposure time—are systematically investigated.
Leaching experiments with powdered pottery are conducted to simulate long-term exposure to waterlogged sediments. Both the eluate and the residual solid are analyzed after the experiments to identify which elements are leached and whether new mineral phases have formed, potentially altering the ceramics
How to cite: Schauer, M., Aßbichler, D., and Saskia, T.: Impact of Waterlogging on Archeaological Ceramics , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-16998, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16998, 2025.
Calcareous tufas are exceptional sedimentary archives for retracing the evolution of past environments and detect the impact of human activities on geomorphological processes in piedmont areas.
The analysis of the sedimentary dynamics of six natural sequences located in southeastern France, in close proximity to archaeological sites, has has enabled the identification of direct and indirect signs of occupation at the watershed scale. This analysis has also revealed the influence of these activities on surface formations characteristic of calcareous environments, and their development.
The multi-proxy approach, at the interface between geomorphology, sedimentology, and archaeology, integrates sedimentological and physicochemical analyses with paleoenvironmental, chronological, and archaeological data. This approach aims to discretize the geomorphological agents responsible for the evolution of sedimentation patterns from the Late Glacial to the Medieval periods.
A notable finding is the variation in the nature and geochemical composition of the facies, as well as the frequency and amplitude of the periodicity of the tufa sedimentation cycle. These variations intensify from the Late Neolithic period onwards, a time when human impact on the environment was particularly significant. Prior to the Late Neolithic period, these indicators do not appear systematically in the studied sequences, suggesting a heterogeneous occupation of the territory, as also detected by the paleoenvironmental analyses. The proposed analytical framework is of a dual nature, with the objective of 1) detecting potential occupations at the watershed scale ; and 2) highlighting the influence of these occupations on sedimentary deposition processes and modalities.
In the end, the contribution of this work reaffirms the key role of these sedimentary archives in understanding landscape evolution and their ability to record anthropogenic modulations during their sedimentation. This geomorphological approach, when applied to the Provence tufa systems, offers new perspectives for understanding human-environment interactions during the Holocene. Moreover, it also possesses strong potential for generalization to other geographical and chronological contexts, including more recent periods.
How to cite: Sirdeys, N., Ollivier, V., Bellier, O., and Bracco, J.-P.: Human or climate: which geomorphological agent?The example of Holocene tufa systems in Provence (Southeastern France) as a tool for analysis, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-18880, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-18880, 2025.
Tailings dams, designed to store mining by-products, can significantly alter the landscape and, if not properly maintained, can pose long-term environmental risks. There is a wealth of research on the rapid/sudden failure of tailings dams, but comparatively little on how they may gradually fail over time, due to natural erosional processes. This issue is paramount if tailings storage is left unmanaged, especially within an environment with high background rates of erosion and sediment transport. This study investigates the Antamok Valley Fill Tailings Dam in Benguet (the Philippines), unused for tailings storage from large-scale mining since 1998, which has become susceptible to continued infilling, overtopping, and potential erosion of its dam wall. Using state-of-the-art numerical modelling, this research assesses the long-term integrity and geomorphological impacts of the dam, including changes in dam storage capacity due to infilling and the downstream impact of potential release of tailings through overtopping and erosion of the dam wall. We used an IfSAR digital elevation model (DEM), observed hourly rainfall, and field-derived grain size distribution as inputs to a CAESAR-Lisflood to numerically simulate centennial changes in the dam and their impact on local topography. Our preliminary results indicate that dam infilling leads to a progressive reduction in water storage, causing increased episodes of overtopping that accelerate erosion along the dam wall and the deposition of tailings in the surrounding area downstream. This study highlights the importance of regular monitoring and maintenance of legacy tailings dams to mitigate their potential environmental impacts. Given the risks of continued infilling, overtopping, and erosion, long-term management strategies are necessary to prevent further structural degradation and associated hazards.
Keywords: Tailings Dam; Sediment transport; Geomorphology; Philippines
How to cite: Thapa, S., Coulthard, T. J., Vasilopoulo, G., and Williams, R. D.: Assessing the long-term integrity of the tailings dam in the dynamic tropical landscape of the Philippines, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19255, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19255, 2025.
We have jungle in mountains and desert of Iran in the places that are located in very dry climate, why ???
As Archeogeologist since 2001 I started researching to find that what mechanism mead this jungles model . and after 21 years we found great discovery. The trees were not natural ,they were man-made and Terraces farming was the model. after this discovery we want to find expansion of this mechanism and was unbelievable, not only in Iran mountains but also in
mountains of Southwest and Central part to east of Asia,North and Northeast part to west of Africa, and the Andes Mountains, in South America to north American, from espain to Lebanon, shows that, since thousands or tens thousands years ago, peoples by making billions of water dams (traces farming)and planting trees, they have had mead the biggest desertification, and by planting trees in millions of square kilometers, they created suitable vegetation and sufficient humidity that caused decrease the weather temperature .
In this very efficient system, at first, the mountains are cut, and by stacking stone walls, terraces are built to retain soil and water, and then, trees are planted. (Terrace Farming)
Why this mechanism was very useful ?
Because 1-The roots of the Trees have also caused the dams stability. 2-The roots of the trees, penetrating into the ground, and have created enough space for water to sink into the ground.
3- every year, trees by left the leaves and fruit improved the quality of the soil and cover the earth surface
4- the trees shadow on the ground, have prevented the soil and stones from heating up,
5- the leaves of the trees have caught the sun's rays, and stored them in the form of organic matter.
So controled the temperature (global warming)
This model had made ( positive climate changing )
How to cite: Baghbani, H., Baghbani, F., Bahrami, Z., and Baghbani, H.: Ancient dedesertification and climate changing , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-2537, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-2537, 2025.
As a significant emblem of human civilization, the emergence and development of early cities represents a pivotal milestone in the chronicles of human history. However, the environmental mechanisms underlying the rise of early cities are still ambiguous. In this study, we have selected the upper Jialu River basin in Central China as our research area, which holds significance for the origin and development of Chinese civilization, with a multitude of Neolithic-Bronze city sites dispersed throughout. Using comprehensive field surveys, OSL dating, and grain size analysis, we have reconstructed the river's geomorphic evolution since the late Pleistocene. The influence of landforms on the intensive distribution of early city sites was also discussed. The results showed that the Jialu and its tributaries had been established during the early Pleistocene. At 80-16 ka BP, there was continuous accumulation in the area. From 15-9.8 ka BP, the river incision resulted in the formation of the expansive T3 terrace. Between 9.8-4 ka BP, the regional geomorphology stabilized. After 4 ka BP, tectonic uplift and subsidence resulted in the formation of the T2 terrace. After a minor accumulation, the T1 terrace was formed during the late historical period. The unique trough-shaped landform in the region played a pivotal role in the origin and development of early cities. The landscape stability resulting from the river incision facilitated early urbanization and the expansion of urban areas. The river incision also fixed river channels in the plain areas, which were previously occupied by swamps and wetlands that gradually transformed into land, providing a foundation for the establishment of Zhengzhou Shang City, the capital of the early Shang Dynasty.
How to cite: Ye, L., Duowen, M., Peng, L., and Panpan, C.: Landform basis for the rise of early cities：A case from the upper Jialu River basin in Central China, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4046, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4046, 2025.
Open-pit mining of sand, clay, gravel, and other mineral resources in quarries is quite common in Ukraine. As a result of such activities, specific landscape systems are formed. After the cessation of quarry exploitation, stagnant water bodies are formed in their place, and targeted reclamation or natural succession leads to the formation of new ecosystems, which are considered important centers of local biodiversity conservation.
During the quarries’ exploitation, their conditions are determined mainly by technological processes. The intervention of external forces during the operation of quarries can cause significant ecological and economic consequences. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the ecological state and functional characteristics of quarries. The object of the study was the quarry of the Ozerniansky marl deposit located in the Kyiv region. Clay and sand are mined here by the company "Slobozhanska Building Ceramics", which used these resources for the production of ceramic blocks and bricks at the local plant.
As a result of the occupation by the RF troops in February 2022, the plant ceased its activities, and the quarry operation was suspended. After the liberation of the Kyiv region in March 2022, it was not possible to resume the quarry operation due to the destruction of technological equipment and the lack of electricity. 50 m deep quarry began to fill with water and it resulted in the formation of the significant lake-type non-flowing reservoir in April 2022. Analysis of the factors influencing the current state of the quarry showed that the main ones are hydrogeological. The quarry is located in the feeding zone of watercourses flowing into the Irpin River, a tributary of the Dnipro River. It was found that the groundwater level in this area is relatively high. During the operation of the quarry, water was pumped out of it, so after the cessation of technological processes, its flooding was inevitable. However, the inflow of water was exacerbated by at least two circumstances. The first was climatic factors associated with precipitation. Short-term but intense precipitation in 2022-2024 not only affected the groundwater level but also intensified erosion processes on the slopes of the quarry. The second factor was the collapse of the dam that separated the Irpin River from the Kyiv Reservoir. It happened as a result of hostilities on February 26, 2022, and caused flooding of the Irpin River valley, which in turn increased groundwater pressure and affected groundwater flow in the quarry area. Calculations show that the impact of this factor is significant.
Restoration of productive quarry operations requires significant investments. Ongoing quarry monitoring indicates a slow succession of this system: the slopes of the quarry are overgrown with pioneer species, there are areas with tree species dominated by Robinia pseudoacacia, white poplar (Populus alba), black poplar (Populus nigra), and some others. At the same time, the main threat to the ecological state and operation of the quarry is hydrogeological factors.
How to cite: Karamushka, V., Derevska, K., Boychenko, S., Havrilyuk, R., Khlobystov, I., and Sova, L.: Ecological condition of mineral resource quarries under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13486, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13486, 2025.
Since Eugène Dubois’ discovery of the first Homo erectus fossils at Trinil, Central and East Java have been recognized as a ‘hominin hotspot’ in Southeast Asia. The Early Pleistocene record, documenting the earliest known Homo erectus presence in the region, is well-studied, particularly in the fossil-rich Sangiran Dome, which offers laterally traceable exposures that are analyzed through chronological and palaeoenvironmental methods.
In contrast, the Middle Pleistocene is less understood, relying largely on fragmented exposures along the northern margin of the Madiun Basin. Here, the riverine nature of the Early and Middle Pleistocene deposits that are eroded and exposed by the modern Solo River resulted in discontinuous and short stratigraphies, as e.g. at the famous Trinil site. The fragmented and complex nature of the Middle Pleistocene record complicates efforts to assess the impact of the period's high-amplitude global glacial-interglacial cycles on the local environment and their effects on local fauna. This includes Homo erectus, which persisted in the region until ~120 ka.
A new Pleistocene locality along the Solo River, Sogen, marks a significant step forward. Here, the Solo river exposes Early to Middle Pleistocene deposits over a distance of at least 1.3 km, comprising approximately 57 meters of inclined strata. The lower 20 meters are predominantly lahars, dated to the Early Pleistocene through correlation and palaeomagnetic data. The overlying 20 meters represent a low-energy flood-plain deltaic environment with fining-upward sequences capped by paleosols with carbonate concretions and vertic properties, indicating seasonally dry conditions. Fossils, though sparse overall, are concentrated at the paleosol interfaces and overlying carbonate-rich layers. These include Bovidae, Cervidae, Suidae, Proboscidea, Crocodylidae, Gavialidae, and aquatic fauna such as catfish, freshwater gastropods, and bivalves. A hominin parietal, possibly from Homo erectus, was found in secondary position and likely derives from one of these fossiliferous intervals. Stone artifacts from this period on Java are rare, but were found too. The upper 17 meters suggest a shift to wetter conditions, with conglomerates and lake deposits tentatively correlated with OIS 11 or 9. These inclined deposits are capped horizontally by Late Pleistocene terrace deposits.
The sedimentary cycles observed in the middle, fossiliferous part of the section raise questions about their origin. Are they autogenic, resulting from lateral shifts in fluvial systems and/or tectonic activity within the basin? Or are they allogenic, driven by glacial-interglacial eustatic sea-level cycles? If allogenic, what is the relationship between specific lithologies (and pedogenesis) and glacial-interglacial periods? Finally, what caused the apparent transition from relatively dry to wetter conditions in the upper section?
To address these questions, we present chronological, stable isotope, and palaeoenvironmental data, and consider the implications for the fossil and archaeological evidence contained in this record. We also examine the limitations of basin-margin context for interpreting hominin behavior and environmental conditions, including the effects of discontinuous sedimentation on fossil and artifact preservation and representation, as well as the lithology-dependent preservation of palaeoenvironmental proxies. Finally, we consider future directions for research, specifically regarding the scientific potential of deeper facies of the Madiun Basin.
How to cite: Pop, E., van der Lubbe, J., Hafsari, M., Veldkamp, T., Haribuana, P. Y., Shidqi, B. P., Schoorl, J., Khurniawan, S., Arjanto, D. Q., Joordens, J., Sutisna, I., Berghuis, H., Hilgen, S., Huisman, H., Kuiper, K., Krijgsman, W., Fajari, N. M. E., Smit, M., and Noerwidi, S.: Unraveling Java’s Middle Pleistocene: the palaeoanthropological Sogen site (Indonesia) as a sedimentological and environmental archive , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19960, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19960, 2025.
Portable/pulsed-photon Optically Stimulated Luminescence (pOSL) readers measure luminescence signals from sediments, providing practical and preliminary chronostratigraphic insights for studying late Quaternary depositional systems. Vertical, horizontal, and 2D-matrix port-OSL profiling has proven useful for interpreting sedimentary sections during fieldwork. This method can also target field sampling to prioritize full OSL dating samples, particularly where sediments share similar mineralogy and particle size.
Based on approximately 100 archaeological excavations in Israel, spanning prehistoric to pre-modern periods, we briefly review the methodological approaches, utilities, and complexities of port-OSL profiling for geomorphic and chronological research, specifically in archaeological and environmental archaeological contexts.
We demonstrate how port-OSL, even in non-uniform sediment and thin units often characterizing archaeological sites, can help detect cryptostratigraphic boundaries, interpret aeolian, fluvial, and slope depositional processes, and attribute them to anthropogenic or natural forcing and relative age. Altogether, port-OSL appears to be a valuable tool for site and landscape excavations spanning short to broad temporal ranges.
How to cite: Ackermann, O., Robins, L., and Roskin, J.: Outlining the Potential of Port-OSL Profiling in Service of Prehistoric to Pre-Modern Archaeological Research, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-8026, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8026, 2025.
The longitudinal variations in grain size of the surface sediments of the sub-Himalayan River in India were studied to ascertain the effect of anthropogenic activity on grain size alteration and hydraulic conditions. The grain size was measured on 49 gravel bars along a 25-km anthropogenically modified river. The channel exhibits four unique segments, which have been delineated through the morphological pattern of the channel. The upper sector-A of the channel features a relatively steeper bed slope, enhancing sediment flux connectivity and promoting abrasion and sorting. This is evidenced by the rapid fining of sediments downstream. The deep channel incision in sector-B is produced from the bed material extraction, led to decreased water surface slope, stream power, and bed shear stress, accompanied by an extensive reduction in grain size. Section-C exhibits the densely populated riverbanks and extensive bank stabilisation, resulting in reduced channel width with increased stream power and transport stage along with a modest rise in granulometric size and drop in sorting. This has led to riverbed erosion and increased channel depth. Additionally, the concentration of flood flows in a narrower and deeper channel may have increased their potential, posing a threat to the foundation walls of bridges. In the terminal sector-D, comparatively substantial bars were noted, where the mining activity again amplified, and as a consequence, the river bed degraded. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the grain size dynamics of the Himalayan river corridor, with comparisons drawn to similar anthropogenically influenced mountain rivers worldwide.
How to cite: Saha, K., Sarkar, S., Nandy, A., and Bhutia, K. W.: Assessing the effects of bed material extraction and channelization on the surface grain size and hydraulic conditions in a Sub-Himalayan river in India, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-266, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-266, 2025.
