Abstract
The Chott el Djerid is a large, salt-covered depression in southern Tunisia (Fig. 1). The late nineteenth century idea that the basin had been invaded by the sea1,2 has been superseded by the view that any Quaternary flooding of the Chott must have resulted from climatic changes, as the fossils found in its sediments are not exclusively marine and there is no indication of the fluctuations in sea level or of the crustal movements that would be required to fill and then empty the basin2,3. We report here evidence for a marine connection 35,000-25,000 years ago and show that it implies subsequent uplift by some 80 metres in an area long regarded as either stable2 or prone to subsidence throughout the Quaternary4.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 54-55 |
Journal | Nature |
Volume | 295 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1982 |
Externally published | Yes |