Scientists from Tel Aviv University have discovered traces of an ancient ecological disaster caused by human activity. Analysis of samples taken from the bottom of the Dead Sea showed that the rate of erosion, which occurred more than 11 thousand years ago, cannot be explained by natural processes. This is reported on the Phys.org website.
The study was carried out as part of the Dead Sea Deep Drilling project. Scientists have drilled a well in the sea bottom sediments about 450 meters deep. The analysis of the extracted cores allowed the researchers to reconstruct the geological processes that have taken place over the past 220 thousand years.
Experts have discovered traces of erosion that date back to the period of the Neolithic Revolution - the transition of primitive people who were engaged in hunting and gathering to agriculture. According to scientists, grazing of domesticated animals and deforestation to create agricultural land led to intensive leaching of soil and accelerated sedimentation processes in the Dead Sea.
The presence of large amounts of fine sand in the samples cannot be attributed to natural erosion alone, the researchers said. The climatic conditions and tectonic processes of the Holocene, which has lasted for the last 12 thousand years, could not lead to such a result.
In the future, scientists plan to find traces of earthquakes in the samples they mined, since seismic activity at the bottom of the sea should lead to displacements in the sedimentary layers.