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Polygenic Red Calcic Soils in Coastal Middle Palaeolithic Environments, Israel: Taxonomy and Pedosedimentary Reconstructions

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Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Peace ((MEDITERRAN,volume 8))

Abstract

This paper reports the results of the ongoing multidisciplinary research of the Late Pleistocene palaeosol sequences in cemented aeolianite in the Carmel coastal plain. The sequence at the Habonim quarry (Tsatskin et al. 2009) is proposed as type section for the Habonim pedocomplex, related to the Last Interglacial sensu lato at least. In other localities in the Carmel coast numerical dates obtained thus far substantially deviate from those at Habonim. Although lacking the degree of chronological resolution found at the type section, other palaeosols with Mousterian finds are also polygenetic and include several pedogeomorphic stages. This allows us to roughly correlate red calcic palaeosols with the Habonim pedocomplex. Macrorhizoliths embedded in such welded palaeosol sequences are shown to post-date the major phase of pedogenesis. The major palaeosol at the site near Atlit is taxonomically identified as polygenetic Hamra or Hamra-Husmas (Israeli classification), which developed under wetter than today climate, stronger desert dust deposition, carbonate leaching, and reddening. Before burial, the palaeosol likely developed in an unstable environment under accelerated sand accretion, plausible dust events, and incipient calcretization. Comparisons with surface sandy soils, though poorly preserved in the studied area, are attempted.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Research Authority of the University of Haifa. The author thanks Dr Tatyana S. Gendler (United Institute of Physics of the Earth, RAS, Moscow, Russia) for magnetic measurements, Prof. Amotz Dafni for help in coastal plants identification, and Prof. Avraham Ronen for persistent collaboration.

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Correspondence to Alexander Tsatskin .

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Tsatskin, A. (2014). Polygenic Red Calcic Soils in Coastal Middle Palaeolithic Environments, Israel: Taxonomy and Pedosedimentary Reconstructions. In: Kapur, S., Erşahin, S. (eds) Soil Security for Ecosystem Management. SpringerBriefs in Environment, Security, Development and Peace(), vol 8. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00699-4_7

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