Rafael Baena Escudero

Sedimentation and soil formation phases in the Ghardimaou Basin (northern Tunisia) during the Holocene

Chronological and stratigraphical interpretations as well as 14C-dates and geoarchaeological investigations of detailed profiles from the mid-Medjerda valley (northern Tunisia) allow us to reconstruct one late Pleistocene and four Holocene sedimentation cycles within the floodplain area. Initial results from pedological examinations, including thin sections, indicate a latest Pleistocene and three Holocene soil formation periods. Our observations from the Medjerda valley are discussed in relation to current research in the southwestern Mediterranean region. The Crise Romaine—shown in the headwaters of the Medjerda river system by thick cobble accumulations—is exhibited in the basin region by a clear accentuation of the water level amplitude. Catastrophic flooding can be observed for the first time in the late Roman period. After soil formation during Middle Ages, ending at about 450 BP, flooding again increased.