The Archaeology of Underwater Caves

Abstract

During the last 1 million years the global sea level fluctuated between 130m lower than at present to a few metres above present level due to changes in the volume of ice caps. During low sea levels Tertiary karsts were exposed on the continental shelf of the Mediterranean, new karstic solution occurred on others shelves, and new cliffs and caves were eroded on topography that is now submerged. When the coastal terrestrial water table was lowered subterranean drainage and karstic features were reworked to the new base level, with freshwater discharging onto the continental shelf. Caves eroded into cliffs by waves usually exploit weaknesses in the rock such as intersections of joints or fault planes, while karstic solution often follows the same weaknesses. Shoreline caves also form in igneous rock cliffs at joints and cooling cracks, as well as in dykes. Submerged caves often have composite origin, with erosion features near the seaward entrance, and solution or karstic features further back. Speleothems are common.

Full text

Figure 2.1. 
   

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Early Phases of Submerged Cave Archaeology

     
    
   

          








   
        
      
         
et al.
        

        
         

        
        
      
       
        
        
       
       
      et al. 
et al.




       
       

         
      
        
        
        

      
et al.       et al.


 et
al.et al.  
       et al. 
       et
al.
 
  et al.   
      
 



        
        
        
    
        

       
       
       

      







    et al.   et al.

  et al.

        
 
  

   

Chapter 2
Prehistoric Archaeology, Palaeontology, and Climate Change Indicators
Indicators from Caves Submerged by Change of Sea Level
Nic Flemming and Fabrizio Antonioli

24
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
      
   
 
      


         
   
        
         


        
  
       


    
    
        


  


   



et al.








et al.




       
        

          
      
   







        
      
    
       
      
      


    


 


        
      
        
       

 

     

 





      

        
        

        
      
       
    
      


      
       

         
      
  
     

       

       

      



      
      

25
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors
        


       


      
        
         




        
      
 

     

 
     
        




        






   
         
         


       
et al.et al.
  et al    

       
        




Caves on the Coast of Italy

 
  
          


         
     

  

et al        

       
et al.


  
      



       




       








      
      
     et al.
et al.
  


 

  

      

      

et al.
      
      


        
       
         

        

26
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
Figure 2.2.


27
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors
Figure 2.3.      



Figure 2.4.


      
        


     

Gibraltar
       
       
     

     
      
      
 
      
  
et al


    
    et al. 
     
       
       
       

    


28
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
Figure 2.5.

Figure 2.6.


29
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors


 




         

et al.

         
        


         
et al.
et
al


        
        
et al.        
      




   
et al.

 

Figure 2.7.



30
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
       
 
        




Marseille Area and the Alpes Maritimes
       
     
      
      
       
       

  

       

        


           
         

        
   
    
  
     

 



   
       
 
         
        

        

Malta

        
        



      
Figure 2.8.


31
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors
Figure 2.9.


Figure 2.10.



32
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
et al.


 



Eastern Adriatic
       

       
       
      
       
      

        

       

           


et al.
         






  






Greece
       
         
 
      

          
 
    

        
       






  Elephas chaniensis    

       




et al






       
  

et al
    

Red Sea


        
     

        
        
       
et al. et al. et al


 
  
       
         





      
   

 

       
     
        
        
      
     



33
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors


       

 
       
       

    



        


Australia
      
et al.
      
    
        
       
       

    

      
 

       
         
        

          




South Africa
        
       

        
       
et al.  et al
et alet al.





           


Figure 2.11.



34
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves
      
  
        

in situ
      
   


      
         
   et al.

  

                  




       


  

Conclusions: How should we conduct logical searches now
that we have reached the present state?
       
     
  

          



        

  

      


       
     

      
  


       
     


     


          
       
        

 
      
      
       

       
       
       

       
     
      
    

        
     
     
      
    

 
       
  

 



         



          
      

References

 Sunda and Sahul: Prehistoric studies in Southeast
Asia, Melanesia and Australia  


 Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Speleologia 6
(Serie II)


Memorie della Società Speleologica Italiana


35
chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors

        Speleologia


       

   Memorie Descrittive del
Servizio Geologico Nazionale
          

         
Global and Planetary Change 




        
     Journal of Field
Archaeology

      
    
 Quaternary Science Reviews 


 


       
        


Atlal. Journal of
Saudi Arabian Archaeology
    
         






      
Libyan Studies



      
   
Antiquity





         


      
Submerged
Prehistory

 

R.C. Reale Accademia d’Italia

  
    Physio-Géo
   


     
Gallia Préhistoire

     
       
 Le Quaternaire Stratigraphie et
Environment, 



L’homme préhistorique
et la mer    


 Submerged Prehistory Papers presented at the
2009 Conference of the European Archaeologists’
Association

        
Report of the 34th meetingof the British Association
for the Advancement of Science   


Grotte marine d’Italia 50 anni di ricerche



Journal of Field Archaeology


       
Science

        

Beneaththe Waters of Time








 Bassin de Marseille, topographie du plateau
continental (topography of the continental shelf)


36
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves

     

Quaternary Science Reviews 

 The Palaeolithic of the Balkans 


      


         
   
     Quaternary
Geochronology 

        

Eurasian Prehistory


 Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental Shelf



       
 Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des
Séances de l’Academie des Sciences Paris

       

 Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 

, 


       
Quaternary International

 Man and the Sea in the Mesolithic 


Oceans


     Report of Second
World Congress of Underwater Activities1962


     
Nature 


 Journal of Geology


The Sirius Expedition, Cootamundra Shoals Survey
1982
     


         
     
Proceedings of the 7th International Diving
Science Symposium of CMAS 1983 
       




       





     CR Académie des
Sciences, Paris

    

C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris


Mitkufat Haeven


      
    
   Soc. Hist. Nat. Balears
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
      
Journal of Human Evolution


      
      
Journal of Human Evolution
           

      
     
Journal of Human Evolution



      

    Journal of Archaeological
Science


      
  
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chApTer 2 - prehisToric ArchAeology, pAlAeonTology, And climATe chAnge indicATors
      

       
      
 Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences
         

     


Journal of Human Evolution
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

Comptes Rendus. Acad. Scie

       
 Ber. Rijksdienst
Oudheidk Bode-Monderz
 

 
      
  Quaternary Science Reviews


The Haua Fteah (Cyrenaica) and the Stone Age of
the South-East Mediterranean


      
    Zookeys



   
 
     


    
   Comptes-rendus de l’Académie des
Sciences

 Quaternary Coastlines and Marine Archaeology


      Symposium of the
Underwater Association
.


      
     
   Marine Geology


       
Grottes et Karsts de France


     per ascensum  

Bulletin
de la Societée géologique de la France


IKUWA3: Beyond Boundaries, The 3rd
International Congress on Underwater Archaeology


 The last global warming? Archaeological survival
in Australian waters   

       Prehistoric
Archaeology on the Continental Shelf,   




  
The Archaeology of Prehistoric Coastlines,
     



        
      



Nature

     

      
   Investigaciones
Recientes (2003-2007) en Geomorfologia Litoral, 
       

       

 
Geomorphology

     
   Under the Sea: Archaeology and
Palaeolandscapes, Final Conference of COST Action
TD0902,       
       


       
  Atti della Societa Romana di
Antropologia


38
The ArchAeology of UnderwATer cAves

Science


      
Antikvariske Studier

       
      Quaternary
Coastlines and Marine Archaeology: Towards the
prehistory of land bridges and continental shelves



       

Acta Carslogica

      
      
     
Marine Geology


      
Marine Geology 




Zeitschrift
für Geomorphologie


 
   
     Earth
Surface Processes and Landforms


Journal
of Field Archaeology 

       
      
     South African
Journal of Science


      
Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental
Shelf,        
