CCPortal
DOI10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.03.026
Peritidal stromatolites as indicators of stepping-stone freshwater resources on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain landscape
Rishworth G.M.; Cawthra H.C.; Dodd C.; Perissinotto R.
发表日期2019
ISSN0277-3791
英文摘要Natural sources of freshwater are a limiting feature to the distribution of terrestrial species that rely on regular hydration, especially in coastal environments. Early modern humans would similarly be restricted by water supply and likely would have congregated or settled in close proximity to permanent water bodies such as beyond the estuarine extent of large rivers. However, along the modern south coast of southern Africa, for example, distances between freshwater from rivers can exceed what would be convenient daily walking limits. In the absence of alternative water supply, or a means of water storage, these distances would preclude human settlement beyond river borders. Recent discovery of living peritidal stromatolites forming along the southern South African coastline suggest a potential alternative water source. These unique ecosystems form only at locations where groundwater rich in calcium carbonate meets periodic marine intrusion along the coastal margin. Calcium carbonate is precipitated by cyanobacteria and sediment is trapped by diatoms, primarily, to form layered deposits that preserve into the fossil record. Critical to the formation and growth of these stromatolites is a fresh, uninterrupted supply of groundwater. During their growth, the peritidal stromatolites accumulate and retain this freshwater through the formation of rimstone dams and barrage pools at the seaward margin of neocoastal geological outcrops. Recognising the presence of permanent water sources other than rivers for early humans is challenging; however, these stromatolites provide a clear signature of an alternative water resource. Here we review the modern prevalence of peritidal stromatolites in this region, of which approximately 540 are known along a 200 km stretch of South Africa's southern coastline featuring only 11 estuaries. This is linked to features (cf. rimstone dams and barrage pools) resembling peritidal stromatolites in the adjacent Palaeo-Agulhas Plain landscape using multibeam echosounder and side-scan sonar data and contextualised as a possible water resource for early modern humans. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
英文关键词Coastal geomorphology; Coastal resources; Drinking water; Early modern humans; Groundwater; Microbialites; Palaeoceanography; Quaternary; Southern africa; Upper shoreface
语种英语
scopus关键词Calcium carbonate; Dams; Digital storage; Groundwater; Groundwater resources; Rivers; Sedimentology; Water supply; Coastal resources; Early modern humans; Microbialites; Palaeoceanography; Quaternary; Southern africa; Upper shoreface; Potable water
来源期刊Quaternary Science Reviews
文献类型期刊论文
条目标识符http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/152063
作者单位DST/NRF Research Chair: Shallow Water Ecosystems, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research (CMR), Nelson Mandela University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa; Geophysics and Remote Sensing Unit, Council for Geoscience Western Cape Office, PO Box 572, Bellville, 7535, South Africa; African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa; Department of Geosciences, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa
推荐引用方式
GB/T 7714
Rishworth G.M.,Cawthra H.C.,Dodd C.,et al. Peritidal stromatolites as indicators of stepping-stone freshwater resources on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain landscape[J],2019.
APA Rishworth G.M.,Cawthra H.C.,Dodd C.,&Perissinotto R..(2019).Peritidal stromatolites as indicators of stepping-stone freshwater resources on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain landscape.Quaternary Science Reviews.
MLA Rishworth G.M.,et al."Peritidal stromatolites as indicators of stepping-stone freshwater resources on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain landscape".Quaternary Science Reviews (2019).
条目包含的文件
条目无相关文件。
个性服务
推荐该条目
保存到收藏夹
导出为Endnote文件
谷歌学术
谷歌学术中相似的文章
[Rishworth G.M.]的文章
[Cawthra H.C.]的文章
[Dodd C.]的文章
百度学术
百度学术中相似的文章
[Rishworth G.M.]的文章
[Cawthra H.C.]的文章
[Dodd C.]的文章
必应学术
必应学术中相似的文章
[Rishworth G.M.]的文章
[Cawthra H.C.]的文章
[Dodd C.]的文章
相关权益政策
暂无数据
收藏/分享

除非特别说明,本系统中所有内容都受版权保护,并保留所有权利。