The paleoclimate of the eastern desert of Jordan during marine isotope stage 9

Two Cardium horizons from the topmost Azraq Formation in the eastern desert of Jordan were investigated and dated by U/Th at 330 ka; MIS 9. Fossil diversity and abundance, especially for Charophytes and gastropods with the absence of palygorskite, dolomite and evaporites, suggest the presence of a f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quaternary research 2008-05, Vol.69 (3), p.458-468
Main Authors: Abed, Abdulkader M., Yasin, Suha, Sadaqa, Rushdi, Al-Hawari, Zayed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Azraq
Cardium
Eastern desert of Jordan
Gastropoda
Jordan
Marine
MIS 9
Original Articles
Paleoclimate
Quaternary
Umari
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Summary:Two Cardium horizons from the topmost Azraq Formation in the eastern desert of Jordan were investigated and dated by U/Th at 330 ka; MIS 9. Fossil diversity and abundance, especially for Charophytes and gastropods with the absence of palygorskite, dolomite and evaporites, suggest the presence of a fresh water lake changing to a brackish environment at certain time intervals. A lake or possibly several smaller and shallower lakes occupied an area of about 50 km wide within the Azraq Basin. The present-day arid climate cannot support the presence of lakes in the eastern desert of Jordan, and thus MIS 9 in Jordan must have been much wetter. The source of humidity was most probably more intense Mediterranean cyclones associated with warmer than present MIS 9. However, the possibility of summer monsoon rain from the south cannot be fully excluded.
ISSN:0033-5894
1096-0287
DOI:10.1016/j.yqres.2008.02.006