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A reconstruction of Quaternary pluvial environments and human occupations using stratigraphy and geochronology of fossil‐spring tufas, Kharga Oasis, Egypt
Author(s) -
Smith Jennifer R.,
Giegengack Robert,
Schwarcz Henry P.,
McDonald Mary M. A.,
Kleindienst Maxine R.,
Hawkins Alicia L.,
Churcher Charles S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.20004
Subject(s) - tufa , pluvial , geology , quaternary , geochronology , spring (device) , fluvial , paleontology , chronology , stratigraphy , archaeology , hydrology (agriculture) , structural basin , geography , mechanical engineering , materials science , geotechnical engineering , engineering , carbonate , metallurgy , tectonics
We carried out a geologic survey and a preliminary archaeological survey of four fossil‐spring tufa localities in Kharga Oasis, Egypt, to constrain the timing of pluvial episodes in the Western Desert, and to document prehistoric occupation contemporaneous with times of increased rainfall. Uranium‐series dating of the tufas confirms that at least five episodes of tufa deposition are represented in Kharga, although not every event is represented at each locality. Across the region studied, tufas were most frequently deposited as part of a fluvial barrage system, characterized by terraced, vegetated pools impounded by arcuate tufa dams and separated by small waterfalls. Available water resources during pluvial phases would have included not only spring‐fed streams but also small freshwater lakes. While Earlier Stone Age (ESA) and Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic artifacts may be found either as surficial lags on tufas, or, less commonly, encased within tufas, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic artifacts are generally found in or on silts within surface deflation depressions in the tufas, principally at Wadi Midauwara. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.