Palaeoclimates in Israel

Evidence from Weathering Patterns of Stones in and near Archaeological Sites

Bibliographic Data

ID15912746
AuthorsAvinoam Danin (corresponding author)
Year1985
Volume259
Pages33-43
Publication date1985-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-097X • E-ISSN: 2161-8062
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/1356796
OpenAlexW2312890617
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited7

Rocks and stones of massive limestone are inhabited by microorganisms that cause typical weathering patterns. The distribution of the lithobiont communities is influenced by environmental conditions. When a rock or stone is covered by soil or put into a wall of a building, the organisms die and decompose, but their weathering pattern may be preserved on the rock surface for thousands of years. Knowing the climatic affinities of the lithobiont communities, one can use fossil patterns on stones and rocks that were buried in the past as a climate recorder. Weathering patterns on stones and rocks by microorganisms near 26 archaeological sites in Israel and fossil patterns buried in these sites were studied. The study concluded that: 1) the period preceding the Neolithic was drier than the present; 2) the climate of the Neolithic was wetter than the present; and 3) since the Chalcolithic period the climate of Israel has been about the same as the present

Archaeology · Bronze Age · Chalcolithic · Earth science · Geochemistry · Geography · Period (music · Weathering · Building materials and conservation · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils

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