Beachrock as evidence of sea-level lowstand during the classical period, Parion antique city, Marmara Sea, Turkey

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Geodinamica Acta

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Beachrock as evidence of sea-level lowstand

during the classical period, Parion antique city,

Marmara Sea, Turkey

Ahmet Evren Erginal

To cite this article: Ahmet Evren Erginal (2012) Beachrock as evidence of sea-level lowstand during the classical period, Parion antique city, Marmara Sea, Turkey, Geodinamica Acta, 25:1-2, 96-103, DOI: 10.1080/09853111.2013.842740

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09853111.2013.842740

Published online: 09 Jan 2014.

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Beachrock as evidence of sea-level lowstand during the classical period, Parion antique city,

Marmara Sea, Turkey

Ahmet Evren Erginal*

Faculty of Humanity and Letters, Department of Geography, Ardahan University, Ardahan 75000, Turkey (Received 31 May 2013;final version received 15 July 2013)

Results obtained from beachrock lying on the north coast of the antique city of Parion in Çanakkale province, NW Turkey, are presented based onfield data, petrographic analyses, cement fabrics, and radiocarbon dating. Extending to 20 m offshore at a depth of 2 m, the studied 50-cm thick beachrock is poorly sorted lithic sandstone. Both exposed and submerged parts are characterized by sequentially precipitated marine phreatic and vadose cements composed of micrite encrustations with micro-organism borings, pseudopeloidal aggregates of high-Mg calcites with scalenohedral habits and meniscus bridges. Radiocarbon ages point to a deposition during the classical period when the sea level was below (between 1 and 1.5 m) that of the present. The beachrock witnesses a granule- and pebble-dominated wide beach prior to cementation, suggesting that Parion’s fortification walls were behind the coastline during this lowstand and raises questions concerning the existence of a harbor north of the city.

Keywords: Beachrock; cement fabrics; Late Holocene; Parion; Marmara Sea

1. Introduction

Beachrock is a kind of coastal sandstone, conglomerate or the combination of both, and forms, in consequence of intertidal carbonate diagenesis, loose beach sediments (Bricker, 1971; Ginsburg, 1953; Neumeier, 1998). The diagenetic history and origin of the amalgamating cement of beachrock, as well as its position in relation to the pres-ent sea level, make beachrock important in understanding sea-level changes and tectonic processes (Bezerra, Lima-Filho, Amaral, Caldas, & Costa-Neto, 1998; Desruelles et al., 2009; Knight, 2007; Ramsay & Cooper, 2002). However, considering beachrock as a reliable indicator might be inappropriate when the thickness of beds exceeds the tidal range (Kelletat, 2006). In addition, cemented beach deposits may be of tsunamigenic origin (Vött et al., 2010) and thus may require care when using such cemented deposits as an indicator of sea level.

One of the environments where these cemented bea-ches have a broad distribution is the micro-tidal Mediter-ranean Sea (Vousdoukas, Velegrakis, & Plomaritis, 2007). Along the Mediterranean coasts, various expo-sures of beachrock have been reported from archeologi-cal sites as evidence of declined sea-level stands in the past (Mourtzas, 2012; Mourtzas, Kissas, & Kolaiti, in press; Scicchitanoa et al., 2011). A chronostratigraphic relationship can be well established in respect of beachrock and adjacent archeological structures, which provides important clues towards deciphering Holocene sea-level history.

Although beachrocks form extended exposures along

Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline, as pinpointed by

Avşarcan (1997), only a limited number of studies have

been undertaken until recently on their origin, age, and

implications for sea-level fluctuations (Bener, 1974;

Çiner, Desruelles, Fouache, Koşun, & Dalongeville, 2009; Desruelles et al., 2009; Erginal et al., 2008; Erginal, Kiyak, & Ozturk, 2010; Erginal et al., 2012, Erol, 1972). In this paper, a new exposure of beachrock

is presented for the first time from the Marmara Sea

coast in northwest Turkey. The studied beds lie along the northern coast of the ancient city of Parion in the southwest section of this inland sea that connects the Mediterranean to the Black Sea via the straits of Çanakkale and Istanbul. The main purpose of this study is to highlight the origin of beachrock based on lithofa-cies characteristics and radiocarbon ages. Because its thickness is within the limits of the tidal range, the studied deposit allows the evaluation of the beachrock as a reliable sea-level marker for the coastal environment of Parion during the classical period. By this means, the contradiction concerning the coexistence of beachrock and the proposed northern harbor at Parion on the same coastal zone is discussed.

2. Study area

The studied coast is located in the southwest part of the Marmara Sea (Figure 1) and is approximately 25 km from the northern entrance to the Strait of Çanakkale (Dardanelles). Beachrock formation was observed on the northern coast of Parion antique city, now an archeologi-cal site, which is close to Kemer Village, Çanakkale, Turkey. The city was founded by Greeks on a low ridge

to the north of Kemer River flowing into the Marmara

*Email: aerginal@gmail.com

–2, 96–103, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09853111.2013.842740

Sea. Its initial date of foundation has been attributed to 708 BC (Burn, 1935) or after 700 BC (Carpenter, 1948). Based on new excavations since 2005, the city has been classified geographically as belonging to the Troas (Başaran, 2008). Three-dimensional geophysical imaging studies have revealed the existence of various buried archeological structures (Ekinci et al., 2012). Main struc-tures of the city unearthed so far comprise the fortifica-tion walls, acropolis, temple, theater, altar, aqueduct,

necropolis, and baths (Başaran, 1998). The 7-km long

walls surrounding the city have been ascribed to the fourth century BC (Aydın Tavukçu, 2006). The city also had two harbors, on the south and east coasts of Cape Bodrum, according to Başaran (1998). In contrast to poor knowledge of the northern harbor, based solely on the existence of the remains of substructures similar to jetties (Ergürer & Genç, 2013), the western harbor to the

south of the cape, offering shelter against fierce winds

blowing from the north, was large enough to accommo-date 86 ships of the navy of Alkibiades in 410 BC, according to historical records (Xenophon, I. Chapter I.13).

Cape Bodrum, which is the main morphological unit of the studied coast, corresponds to a northwest-trending 700-m long protrusion with a maximum width of 300 m. This cape is composed of metamorphic rock units com-prising the Çamlıca metamorphic complex made up of schists rich in quartz and feldspar, calcschist, marble and metabasite (Aygül, Topuz, Okay, Satır, & Meyer, 2012; Okay, Siyako, & Bürkan, 1990). Based on the data from Çanakkale Meteorological Station, the area has an aver-age temperature of 14.9 °C. The total amount of yearly precipitation reaches 595 mm. The bathymetry off the

beach is characterized by water depths less than 10 m

at 100 m offshore. The 2-m isobath where submerged beds of beachrock terminate follows the present coastline approximately 20 m offshore (or slightly closer). Lying between latitudes 40°25′41′′ and 40°25′39′′ north and longitudes 27°03′55′′ and 27°04′11′′ east, the cemented

beach deposits formed along a gravel beach with abun-dant biogenic litter composed of Mytilus galloprovincial-is and brick fragments. The beach galloprovincial-is backed by various unearthed archeological structures such as fortified city walls composed of composite blocks, evidence of reno-vation during the Roman period, and a well-preserved Hellenistic tower (Ergürer & Genç, 2013).

3. Methods

3.1. Petrographic and fabric analyses

Morphologic and stratigraphic characteristics of the

beachrock beds were investigated during the field

stud-ies. The offshore submerged slabs of beachrock were also investigated to identify the seaward extent of the beds. Thin section and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-ZEISS EVO 50 EP) analyses of four samples of beachrock (see Figure 2(a) and Table 1) were carried out to determine lithofacies characteristics. Sequential gener-ations of cements were interpreted based on these analy-ses as well as multi-element concentrations obtained by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX-Bruker AXS

XFlash) analyses. Mineral compositions of finer

compo-nents, including cements, were analyzed using X-ray dif-fractometry (XRD). These analyses were conducted at the Izmir Institute of Technology. After chemical treat-ment, microscopic study of the benthic foraminiferal fauna was performed from sediment fractions over

63μm.

3.2. Radiocarbon dating

To specify the age of beachrock with significance with regard to its diagenetic history or periods of sequential cementation, four samples were dated by BETA (Miami,

USA) using the conventional radiocarbon method

applied to bulk carbonates, given the lack of shells pres-ent. The samples were extensively acid-etched to remove

any adhering or in-filled CaCO3that might have formed

Figure 1. Location map of study area (a) and closer view of studied beach on Google Earth image (b).

on the surface of the fragments by repeatedly placing them in hydrochloric acid (HCL) until clean. Samples were then rinsed until in a neutral state with deionized H2O and dried at70 °C overnight. The pretreated

mate-rials were crushed to a powder and then acid-hydrolyzed

(approximately 40–50 g each) to produce the CO2 used

for dating. The calibration of radiocarbon ages to calen-dar years is based on data-sets (IntCal09) and the math used incorporates spline-fit smoothing routine (Talma & Vogel, 1993).

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Stratigraphy, composition, and cement fabrics

The beachrock beds extend for about 400 m in a north-west–southeast direction (on average N80°W) on the northern coast of Cape Bodrum (Figure 2(a)). The maxi-mum thickness of beds is about 50 cm. Besides the lim-ited area of exposed slabs, many of the beds are submerged. Underwater observations showed that the submerged parts, which have been colonized extensively

by seaweed, stretch to 20 m offshore and terminate at a

maximum depth of 2 m. Both exposed and submerged

slabs have seaward dips ranging between 4° and 16°. There is no evidence of tectonically induced displace-ment either offshore or backshore. The most landward extent of the beds is found on the edge of two jetty-like remains of a substructure made of marble (Ergürer & Genç, 2013). However, offshore parts of these remains are completely eroded by sea waves and do not show

any underwater extension. Hence, flat layers of

sub-merged beachrock were possibly misinterpreted by Aydın Tavukçu (2006) as forming part of a northern harbor.

Petrographic composition of the beachrock is similar to the beach, consisting offlattened gravels of schist and marble with their angular fragments (Figure 2(b) and (c)). This can be defined petrographically as lithic sand-stone. Thin-section images demonstrated the presence of polycrystalline quartz and lithic fragments of quartzite, micaschist, metagranite and marble amalgamated by weak calcitic cement as well as iron-oxides (Figure 3). All the components were derived from neighboring land

Figure 2. General view of northern coast of Parion showing exposed and submerged beachrock (a), and closer views from exposed beds (b, c).

Table 1. Radiocarbon ages obtained from beachrock samples.

Sample Code Laboratory code Material dated Elevation from sea-level 14 C Yr BP (measured age) 14 C Yr BP (conventional age) Calibrated age (BP) (2σ)a δ13 C/12C (o/oo) P1 BETA-338680 Bulk carbonate 200 cm 2110 ± 30 2530 ± 30 2270–1980 +0.7 P2.1 BETA-338681 Bulk carbonate +50 cm 2650 ± 30 3060 ± 30 2850–2690 0.1 P2.2 BETA-338682 Bulk carbonate +10 cm 2710 ± 30 3140 ± 30 2950–2730 +1.1 P3 BETA-338683 Bulk carbonate +10 cm 460 ± 30 880 ± 30 510–320 +0.9

a_{Calibration of samples is based on calibration database information (MARINE09 from INTCAL09) (Stuiver & Reimer, 1993 and Reimer et al.,} 2009).

and show evidence of short-distance drift by coastal cur-rents. In many places, great (>1 m) marble blocks detached from the archeological structures are found to have cemented onto the surface of beds. Calsimetric analyses point to a low amount of connective carbonate ranging between 11 and 17%. Measurements of the cemented components, after dismissing carbonates with HCL (10%), revealed that the predominant component is pebbles (78%). The remainder comprises materials from granules to veryfine sands, attesting to poor sorting.

SEM analyses together with multi-element determina-tions using EDX were undertaken to shed light on the cementation history of the beachrock and the origin of its cement.

The samples (P2.1 and 2.2) collected from the 50-cm thick beds of beachrock near the shoreline contained a wide array of minerals such as quartz, magnesium cal-cite, covellite, chalcocal-cite, stishovite, carobbiite, and

northupite. Its components are very fine sand, coarse

sand, and granules covered partly by thin micrite encrus-tations followed by bridging cements. The most remark-able feature is that these coatings are exclusively encased in pseudopeloidal aggregates of high-Mg calcite crystals

mostly smaller in size than 5μm. These crystals are

mainly random-oriented and have scalenohedral habits

(Figure 4(a) and (b)). Such a pattern, which is generally associated with micritic pore fills (Vieira & Ros, 2007), is suggestive of precipitation due to biological processes (Chafetz, 1986; Moore, 1973) or crystal nucleation (Alexandersson, 1972; Macintyre, 1985). The broad exis-tence of micro-organism borings on micritic crystal sur-faces (Figure 4(b)) is likely an indicative of biological influence on precipitation of the connective carbonate cement, as elsewhere (Kneale & Viles, 2000). Besides

intertidal precipitates, the intertidal cements are

prominently pursued by weak micrite bridges as with those in the submerged outer beds of beachrock, which is explained above. This second-generation fabric was observed more specifically in thin-section micrographs (Figure 3(a) and (b)), suggesting a vadose environment (Calvet et al., 2003; Dunham, 1971).

The sample (P1) collected from the most seaward extent of the beachrock, where submerged beds are about 40 cm in thickness, is characterized petrographically by very poorly sorted lithic sandstone with quartz, magne-sium calcite, and other accessory minerals such as mel-anophlogite and monetite, according to XRD data. As such, in the thin sections, the void ratio is very high and angular components with sizes 100–300 μm fill cavities between larger silisiclastic granules and small pebbles.

Figure 3. Thin-section images obtained from exposed (a, b) and submerged (c, d) sections of beachrock. Images show lithic fragments and polycrystalline quartz encircled by calcite cements and iron-oxide rings forming the most prominent features.

Figure 4. SEM images of beachrock samples showing micro-organism borings, pseudopeloidal aggregates of random-oriented high-Mg calcite crystals with scalenohedral habits within exposed beachrock near coastline (a, b); very thin (<10μm) envelopes of micrite (c) followed by meniscal bridges (d) within submerged beachrock; micritic porefills composed of pseudopeloidal aggregates (e), and broken foraminiferafilled with these aggregates (f) within locally exposed younger beds.

The periphery of grains is densely entwisted byfilaments of marine algae. The cement made up of very thin (<10μm) envelopes of micrite (Figure 4(c)) is an indica-tive of early diagenesis characteristic of an intertidal environment and is widespread in beachrocks on various coastal environments (Bricker, 1971; Meyers, 1987; Neumeier, 1998; Vousdoukas et al., 2007). Grain-to-grain meniscal bridges following micrite encrustations are quite common (Figures 3(c), (d) and 4(d)), likewise implying vadose conditions.

Lastly, the third type of cement comprises micritic

pore fills composed of pseudopeloidal aggregates

(Fig-ure 4(e)), which alsofill the cores of broken foraminifera (Figure 4(f)). Composed of quartz, magnesium calcite, oldhamite, tridymite, and albite, this sample (P3) was taken from the most landward extremity to have devel-oped, in front of the structural remains of the purported northern harbor of Parion. These archeological residuals are made of marble and are presently found near sea level (Ergürer & Genç, 2013). Vieira and Ros (2007) suggest that this type of fabric is an indicative of later stages in the diagenetic sequence and is associated with rapid precipitation from near-surface waters. Microfossil analyses of this sample (33 g weight) showed that these younger beds contain various types of benthic foraminif-era in varied quantities, such as Patellina corrugata (592 individual), Bolivina sp. (50 individual), Sigmoilinita costata (25 individual), and, albeit in trace amounts,

Quinqueloculina seminula, Massilina sp., Ammonia

parkinsoniana, Ammonia sp., Elphidium macellum,

Elphidium sp., Cribroelphidium poeyanum, Sigmoilina sp., Quinqueloculina oblonga, Pseudotriloculina laevig-ata, and Rosalina sp. P. corrugata as the predominating species is known to be a characteristic of shallow waters off the Gulf of Naples (Sgarrella & Moncharmont-Zei,

1993) as well as the infralittoral zone in the

Mediterranean.

4.2. Sea-level lowstand during classical period and

discussion on presumed northern harbor

Four bulk samples of beachrock were dated using the conventional radiocarbon method in default of any date-able shells. Notwithstanding the fact that bulk carbonate ages may not represent the age of the cement, they may be, at least, an indicative of the depositional age since there was not a strong disturbance of sediments from the deposition to the cementation phase. Dating was carried out from the same samples collected from the most sea-ward and near-landsea-ward edges. The bulk ages obtained fall into the date range from 2950 to 320 cal. year BP considering limit values.

The two samples (P2.2 and 2.1) collected from the lower and upper levels of a 50-cm thick exposure were dated at 2950–2730 cal. year BP and 2850–2690 cal. years BP, respectively. These results indicate that near-shore sections of the beds lying in front of the Hellenis-tic tower and fortification walls repaired during the

Roman period with picking materials (Ergürer & Genç, 2013), are older than the outer (offshore) ledges below stated, and match the period immediately preceding the founding of Parion. When cement fabrics are taken into account, these beds, deposited between 2950 and 2690 cal. years BP, indicate a sea level close to that of present which was followed by a lowstand, as confirmed by the existence of sequential marine phreatic and vadose cements. The sea level at this stage might have been 1–1.5 m lower than today when the thickness of beds and tidal range are considered. There is no sea-level marker on the archeological structures to assume a higher sea level than existing at present, either during or after this period.

The sample extracted from the farthermost part of

the submerged beds (P1) at 2 m, however, yielded an

age range of 2270–1980 cal. years BP. This age is

possibly underestimated as a result of contamination by young carbon under the sea water in that it is unli-kely we can assume a lower sea level in this period. The dated beds are as thin as 40 cm, similar to the exposed parts, and have angles of dip of about 5°. However, contrary to the hard-cemented marble blocks on the exposed beds, the submerged beds do not con-tain any archeological materials. As in the older exposed beds, the diagenetic sequence is composed of sequentially precipitated marine phreatic and vadose cements, the latter of which is attributed to the incor-poration of freshwaters through subaerial exposure of beds when the level of the sea-water falls (Goldstein, Anderson, & Bowman, 1991). Given the fact that such a decline took place, the retreating sea might have left

an emerged beach of approximately 20-m width,

resulting in Parion’s fortification walls being more dis-tant from the retreated shoreline.

Lastly, however, the youngest generation of beach-rock, which lies in front of the substructure remains of the presumed harbor, yielded a very young age range of 510–320 cal. years BP. Great marble blocks detached from the city walls are cemented onto the surface of beds. These slabs suggest a locally developed young generation of beachrock that resembles the preserved remains of a jetty-like marble platform built to withstand the impact of sea waves.

When the presumed lowstand confirmed by diagene-sis and the bulk ages of Parion beachrock are appraised with respect to sea-level curves for the last 5 ka, our results appear feasible. Notably, many authors are agreed upon a low but slowly rising sea level during the last 5 ka years. Poulos, Ghionis, and Maroukian (2009) sug-gest for the tectonically stable Attico-Cycladic Massif that the sea level was 1.5–2.5 m lower than that of pres-ent between 2000 and 2500 years BP. Overlapped curves for the Aegean Sea (Poulos et al., 2009) show that many authors (Kambouroglou, Maroukian, & Sampson, 1988; Lambeck, 1996; Van Andel, 1990; Vouvalidis, Syrides, & Albanakis, 2005) are consistent regarding a 2-m decline in sea level in comparison to the present. Similar

low-magnitude fallen sea levels during Roman times have been recently documented based on various sub-merged archeological structures in Sicily and Calabria (Scicchitanoa et al., 2011), Tyrrhenian Sea (Lambeck, Anzidei, Antonioli, Benini, & Esposito, 2004), eastern Crete (Mourtzas, 2012), and geomorphological and archeological evidence from the western Anatolian coast of Turkey (Kayan, 1988).

Considering the cemented beach, the seafront of ancient Parion from the perspective of a paleogeographic reconstruction, it can be stated that it was a granule-dom-inated high-energy beach prior to cementation. During the lowstand between about 3 and 2 ka, the beach, entirely submerged today, was approximately 20-m wide

close by the 2 m isobath. Considering the micro-tidal

conditions not exceeding 0.3 m and the beds of the thick-ness of 50 cm, and assuming the accuracy of our radio-carbon ages, the northern walls of the city, near the beachfront today, were protected from violent northern sea waves during the formation of the beachrock. In con-trast to the harbor in a sheltered area on the south coast of Cape Bodrum, the north coast was unsuitable for har-bor construction. The limited remains of a jetty-like mar-ble structure interpreted as substructure remains of a harbor (Ergürer & Genç, 2013) might have been built there for a different purpose.

5. Conclusions

Based on diagenetic characteristics and radiocarbon ages obtained from beachrock lying in front of the walls of the antique city of Parion, we arrived at the following results.

The early stage of beachrock formation on the north-ern coast of Parion coincides with a close stage to the late classical period, immediately before the date when

the city is known to have been first established. During

the construction of defensive structures such as city walls

and towers, the sea level was likely between 1 and

1.5 m compared to that of today. This is confirmed by intertidal cement fabrics composed of consecutively pre-cipitated coatings, pseudopeloidal aggregates of micritic high-Mg calcite crystals with traces of micro-organism borings, and ensuing supratidal vadose cements com-posed of meniscus bridges with dissolution pits caused by seeping meteoric waters. The extensive submergence of the beds offshore and destruction of the exposed slabs are associated with an ensuing rise in sea level up to the present. Our data from cement fabrics suggest that the water depth offshore was inappropriate for building a harbor on the northern coast of the city. Beachrock formation is at odds with the assumption of a northern harbor existing at Parion.

Acknowledgments

Graham Lee is warmly thanked for his help with English correction of the earlier version of the manuscript. Muhammed Zeynel Ozturk, Erdal Oztura, and Mustafa Avcioglu are

thanked for the field assistance. Mustafa Bozcu and Elmas Kirci Elmas provided great support in carrying out the thin-section analyses and the determination of microfossils. Appreciation is expressed for support of the research project (code: 112Y217) by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK).

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Xenophon, Hellenica, Book I, Chapter, I, Section: 13.