By JOEL ROSKIN Su
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE TIMING AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PALAEOCLIMATIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LATE QUATERNARY DUNE ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE NORTHWESTERN NEGEV DESERT Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of "DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY" By JOEL ROSKIN Submitted to the Senate of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev November, 2011 Beer-Sheva THE TIMING AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PALAEOCLIMATIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LATE QUATERNARY DUNE ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE NORTHWESTERN NEGEV DESERT Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of "DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY" By By JOEL ROSKIN Submitted to the Senate of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Approved by the advisors (on May 1st 2012): Prof. Haim Tsoar Prof. Dan G. Blumberg Dr. Naomi Porat Approved by the Dean of the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies ________________________ November, 2011 Beer-Sheva This work was carried out under the supervision of: Professors Haim Tsoar and Dan G. Blumberg, The Department of Geography and Environmental Development and Dr. Naomi Porat, The Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem This work is dedicated to my late father, (Dr.) Michael Roskin (1940 – 2005) Preface I must admit that I never thought I would be interested in aeolian geomorphology. Although I was curious about land forms from an early age, I was more attracted to fluvial geomorphology, flashfloods, and mountain terrain, as a stream fisherman, an avid hiker of Israel, and an (ex)-Jerusalemite. My early academic interests evolved and revolved around understanding how the landscape of Israel developed in order to enrich the Israel hiking guides I was writing with precise geographical and geological information. My undergraduate seminar paper on lag time in Judean Desert flashfloods advised by the late Prof. Asher Schick, seemed a promo for a master’s in fluvial geomorphology. Some of my past experiences probably contributed towards my interest in sands. I have wonderful childhood and adolescent memories of staying with my late grandparents, Bubie (Pauline) and Zadie (Nathan) Roskin z"l, who around 1970, made their country house in the Indiana sand dunes their permanent home. The house, which lay only a mile south of Lake Michigan on a dead-end road and was later named Roskin Road, is nestled in a depression between vegetated "back" dunes. Lying in bed in the morning, I would often watch the sand sliding down the cut dune slopes towards the porch. In the winter these slopes were great for sledding. During the initial stages of this study, shortly before his death, my late father, (Dr.) Michael Roskin to whom I dedicate this thesis, recalled his own experiences of playing softball in dune blowouts in the 1950's, around what was locally known as "Big Tom" dune. In the past couple of decades, the National Park Service has reclaimed these lands, thereby enlarging the Indiana Dunes State Park. The dunes have been re-vegetatetd with grasses, shrubs, and trees, thus changing an environment that three generations of my family once recreated on. What could be more exciting than when during my course on Aeolian Geomorphology for my geology M.Sc degree at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev (BGU) in 1995, Professor Haim Tsoar, as part of a drill on dune landforms, handed out an aerial photograph of these dune blowouts that included my grandparent's home amongst these dunes? Some years later, when trying to understand the geomorphology and spatial patterns of the Negev dunes as part of my work as a terrain analyst, Prof. Tsoar, without being aware of my interest suggested I tackle the study of the Negev dunefield development for my Ph.D. I am very grateful to him for giving me that direction, for sharing his experience, and for his professional guidance throughout the long research process. Even today, aeolian activity and relevant palaeoclimate research has not attracted the attention it deserves. For example, despite the extremely climate-change sensitive sand dunes covering i tens of thousands of square kilometers of the Great Plains, the United State Geological Survey (USGS) does not (yet) perceive dune activity as a potential hazard. Palaeoclimate research, even of aeolian sediments, has tended strongly towards wet-dry and cold-hot paradigms and not past windiness. Today, it seems that technology is more capable of dealing with climate change problems that cause heat stress or water scarcity than coping with strong winds, excessive windiness, and of course problems due to combined windiness and dustiness. The brief 1930's Dust Bowl "window" affirms this, and regional dust hazards such as the volcanic dustfall in the western U.S. following the Mt. St. Helen eruption in 1981 may be an analogue of aeolian dust hazards. This thesis, I believe, will help to further our understanding of the environments which are conducive to aeolian sand and dune mobilization as well as periods of sand and dune stabilization. ii Acknowledgements I offer my thanks, above all, to the Creator of the Universe for giving me the interest, a suitable and supporting environment, and the resources, health and mazal (luck) to start and complete this study. Human researchers spend the best of their days trying to understand what amounts to one "grain" of the infinitely immense world that the Creator has constructed; "In his hands are the deep places of earth and strength of the hills is his also" (Psalms, 95:4). I dedicate this thesis to my dear late father (Dr.) Michael Roskin, may he rest in peace, who passed away during the early stages of my Ph.D. I cannot describe the love, support, ideas, tips, and advice that I received from my Dad in these few lines. My dear mother, Lessa, may she enjoy many, many more years of sharpness in mind and health in body and fruitful activities, has always taken a keen interest in my progress. Her unvarying willingness to support and help in so many ways has been crucial to this project’s success. In a sense, a PhD candidate researcher in Quaternary geology needs to be research project manager, data analyst, technician, and blue-collar worker all rolled into one. His advisors are the board of directors. His family and often friends are his fans. To complete the field and laboratory work, he needs a substantial group of supportive people and professionals. If one element goes awry, it can seriously affect the whole research. Not every Ph.D. candidate has three advisors. And they certainly don’t have the team or board that I had, in which each advisor willingly gave of his or her unique professional expertise, patience, and support to my Ph.D. I therefore offer my grateful thanks to Prof. Haim Tsoar, who set this project on its path and talked to me about it first, and for his kind support and invaluable expertise in aeolian geomorphology. To Prof. Dan (Danny) G. Blumberg, who despite being promoted to key positions at BGU during my Ph.D. always still found time to chat, advise, suggest, support, and solve problems. To Dr. Naomi Porat, Head of the Luminescence Laboratory at the Geological Survey of Israel in Jerusalem, who joined the board following Haim and Danny’s request and became a key figure. Naomi led me through the luminescence laboratory work and analysis and facilitated the production of an unprecedented amount of OSL ages. I am beyond words to acknowledge Naomi’s knowledge, advice, guidance, and most helpful supervision of my scientific thinking and writing. It is not advisable to go into the field single-handed and therefore I thank Yair Amiel and Hagi Etinger for the 4X4 criss-crossing reconnaissance rides through the northwestern Negev dunefield, and my able research assistants Daniel Zamler and Ofer Rozenstein, whose efforts facilitated the success of fieldwork that raised novel technical issues. My thanks too to my many family members and friends who assisted me as one-time field helpers, including Asaf Maimon, Aviya Roskin, Eitam Roskin, Dr. Eli Argaman, Eitan Aharoni, Erel Goldenberg, Avital Goldner, iii Ori Gopas, Shimrit Maman, and Dr. Hai Cohen. And my warm thanks to the geologists and Negev researchers, Dr. Ram Ben-David and Dr. Ezra Zilberman, for taking a day to examine the field finds, advise and answer questions. I sincerely thank Zehava Siegal for her interest and for sharing data and Professor Arnon Karnieli and Professor Noam Levin for their encouragement and advice, especially during the earlier parts of the research. Thanks too to Prof. Yosef Ashkenazi for discussion on palaeoclimate. I greatly appreciate the assistance provided by Dr. Uri Basson (GEOSENSE) with the ground- penetrating-radar (GPR) survey, and his interest, time, and patience in interpreting the complex results. Thanked are Rimon Wenkart for sharing his dunefield data and Dr. Rivka Amit and Dr. Onn Crouvi for offering me free access and guidance on the Malvern Mastersizer at the GSI. Warm thanks too to helpful graduate students of the EPIF and the administrative staff of the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at BGU, Rachel Zimmerman and Sigalit Gurevitch for their helpfulness in answering questions, solving problems and dealing with the bureaucracy. Thanks to Yehoshua Ratzon, the department’s technical wizard, for the start-up of the Drillmite and other drilling tools and technical advice, and Roni Bluestein, who besides drawing several maps also gave me solid advice. My warm thanks to Dr. Dan R. Muhs (USGS–Denver), a prominent aeolian scientist and great person, for being a very active and friendly Bi-National Science Foundation (BSF) research partner in the field, both in Israel and in aeolian USA, and for his very helpful data, analysis, and comments. I also greatly appreciate the support of Yohanan Ra'anan, a past head of the SC terrain branch (2000-2005), for pushing towards official permission of the Ph.D.