African humid periods triggered the reactivation of a large river system in Western Sahara
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2015-11 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Skonieczny Charlotte2, 10, Paillou P.3, Bory A.2, Bayon Germain1, 4, Biscara L.5, Crosta X.6, Eynaud F.6, Malaize B.6, Revel M.7, Aleman N.8, Barusseau J-P.8, Vernet R.9, Lopez S.3, Grousset F.6 | ||||||||
| Affiliation(s) | 1 : IFREMER, Unite Rech Geosci Marines, F-29280 Plouzane, France. 2 : Univ Lille, CNRS, Univ Littoral Cote Opale, UMR8187,LOG, F-59000 Lille, France. 3 : Univ Bordeaux, LAB, CNRS, UMR 5804, F-32271 Florac, France. 4 : Royal Museum Cent Afr, Dept Earth Sci, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium. 5 : SHOM, F-29200 Brest, France. 6 : Univ Bordeaux, EPOC, CNRS, UMR 5805, F-33615 Talence, France. 7 : Univ Nice Sofia Antipolis, GEOAZUR, CNRS, UMR 7329, F-06560 Valbonne, France. 8 : Univ Via Domitia, CEFREM, F-66860 Perpignan, France. 9 : IMRS, Nouakchott, Mauritania. |
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| Source | Nature Communications (2041-1723) (Nature Publishing Group), 2015-11 , Vol. 6 , N. 8751 , P. 6p. | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.1038/ncomms9751 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 69 | ||||||||
| Abstract | The Sahara experienced several humid episodes during the late Quaternary, associated with the development of vast fluvial networks and enhanced freshwater delivery to the surrounding ocean margins. In particular, marine sediment records off Western Sahara indicate deposition of river-borne material at those times, implying sustained fluvial discharges along the West African margin. Today, however, no major river exists in this area; therefore, the origin of these sediments remains unclear. Here, using orbital radar satellite imagery, we present geomorphological data that reveal the existence of a large buried paleodrainage network on the Mauritanian coast. On the basis of evidence from the literature, we propose that reactivation of this major paleoriver during past humid periods contributed to the delivery of sediments to the Tropical Atlantic margin. This finding provides new insights for the interpretation of terrigenous sediment records off Western Africa, with important implications for our understanding of the paleohydrological history of the Sahara. | ||||||||
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