Aftermath of the flooding : geomorphological evolution of the Danube delta after the black sea-mediterranean reconnection and its implications on eneolithic settlements

Jean-Michel Carozza (1) , Laurent Carozza (1) , Valentin Radu (2) , Francois Leveque (3) , Christian Micu (4) , Albane Burens-Carozza (1) , Gicu Opreanu (5) , Constantin Haita (2) , Mihaela Danu (6)

1 GEODE - Géographie de l'environnement
2 MNIR - Musée National d'Histoire de Bucarest
3 LIENSs - LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés
4 Intitutul Cercetari Eco-Muezale-Str
5 GeoEcoMar - National Institute for Marine Geology and Geo-ecology
6 Université de Iasi

In this article we document the evolution of the internal area of the Danube Delta (i.e. the blocked delta) starting from the geo-archaeological and geomorphological investigations performed at Mila 23 district, following the discovery of the oldest human settlement in the Delta. The in-site and out-site field work and coring allowed us to specify the delta's early stages of evolution from 5600 to 4000 CAL BC. During this period, the site evolves as a freshwater bay-head delta flowing into a huge lagoon isolated from the open sea by Letea-Caraorman spits. The rapid sedimentation rate in the lagoon is interpreted as a response to base-level rise and overflooding as a result of humid conditions during 6-5 ky RCC, leading to the partial submersion of the site and probably to its abandonment around 4450 CAL BC.

Mots clés: Danube; Romania; Eneolithic; Chalcolithic; bay-head delta; lagoon; submerged archaeological site; flooded landscape

Domaines: Géographie

Jean-Michel Carozza, Laurent Carozza, Valentin Radu, Francois Leveque, Christian Micu, et al.. Aftermath of the flooding : geomorphological evolution of the Danube delta after the black sea-mediterranean reconnection and its implications on eneolithic settlements. Water resources and wetlands, Sep 2012, France. pp.458-465. ⟨halshs-01069998⟩