Differences in pollen and macrophytic remains in sediments from various depths in a small kettle-hole lake in southern Finland

Stratigraphical analyses from four locations within the same lake revealed differential dispersal of pollen in sediment, and horizontal movement and focusing of sediment, but revealed only slight differences in pollen and macrofossil assemblages. Between 9,000 and 8,000 B.P., organic sediments focused into the central depth of the basin and no sediment accumulated in the littoral sites in water < 7.5 m deep. From around 5,000 to 4,500 B.P., deposition took place more or less continuously at all four sites. After 1,600 B.P., the marked change in lithology is due to a heavy rise in organic and minerogenic input from the unforested watershed. The littoral cores show that not only does the water depth cause rcdeposition and focusing of sediment, but also the morphometry of the basin. The comparison between macrofossils and pollen, both produced primarily by the same vegetation around the lake, confirmed the reconstruction of local environmental short-term changes which occurred after the clearance of forest vegetation by man.     

Preparing pollen concentrates for AMS dating – a methodological study from a hard-water lake in southern Sweden

Dating pollen concentrated from sediment samples is a way to improve lake-sediment chronology. The predominantly terrestrial origin of pollen assemblages minimizes, for example, the reservoir effect inherent in bulk sediment samples, especially from hard-water lakes. Pollen can be concentrated for dating by a combination of sieving and chemical treatment (Brown et al . 1989). This study illustrates the difficulty in applying a single, standard procedure, and demonstrates the need for flexibility depending on lake sediment characteristics and the particular pollen flora. Samples taken at the Ulmus decline were prepared and AMS-dated following different steps of the pollen concentration procedure. The results showed that both sieving and chemical treatment were needed to obtain an age close to the expected age for the Ulmus decline. The pollen concentrate dated c . 1000 years younger than a bulk date from the same level, but is close to the expected age based on correlation with dates for the Ulmus decline from Sphagnum peat sequences in north-western Europe. A compilation of bulk dates at the Ulmus decline implies that pollen concentrates would be a better material for dating than bulk samples for many lake sediments, not only for those from hard-water lakes.     

Exotic pollen as an indicator of variable atmospheric circulation over the Labrador Sea region during the mid to late Holocene

Variability in the abundance of exotic (non‐native) pollen in sediment cores has long been considered as a potential proxy for changing atmospheric circulation, but the difficulty of gaining sufficient total exotic pollen and the incomplete understanding of atmospheric pollen transport patterns has hindered its application. In light of recent advances in the study of pollen transport, we present an exotic pollen record from two fjord sediment cores taken from the west (Placentia Bay, Newfoundland) and east (Narsaq Sund, Greenland) Labrador Sea as a basis for studying variations in regional atmospheric circulation. The two cores cover the last ca. 5500 years and indicate a shift in dominant spring/summer air masses at ca. 2000 (southern Greenland) and 3000 cal a BP (Newfoundland) transporting reduced concentrations of pollen from southerly and south‐westerly vegetation zones. This may suggest a shift away from more dominantly zonal atmospheric circulation (a feature of positive North Atlantic Oscillation years) to more frequent meridional circulation. These results support sea ice/sea‐surface temperature proxy reconstructions from Newfoundland, investigated as part of the same project, which also suggest increased winter atmospheric circulation during the early part of the time period studied. In this region, more positive North Atlantic Oscillation years, and therefore more zonal atmospheric circulation, are associated with increased atmospheric circulation in both the winter and the summer seasons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄河兰州段河水搬运花粉与累积花粉组合特征初步研究*

对从2011年9月至2012年6月在黄河兰州段采集的24个水样进行了孢粉分析,并探讨了河流搬运花粉组合随时间变化的特征以及累积花粉的组合状况。结果表明,河流中花粉组合和花粉浓度随时间具有明显的变化,春夏时段花粉组合以榆属、杨属、柳属和桦属等乔木花粉为主,秋冬时段以蒿属、藜科等草本花粉为主,且花粉浓度和河流含沙量有较好的正相关关系。根据河水流量与花粉浓度积分计算得出样品采集时段的累积花粉通量,其组合特征与各时间点的花粉组合具有明显的差异,表明单个时间节点花粉组合由于影响因素较多不能够反映流域植被状况,而累积花粉组合可以指示泥沙和花粉源区的植被状况。本研究中黄河兰州段河水搬运花粉可能指示黄河兰州段以上至刘家峡水库之间黄土区的植被情况。     

Modern pollen assemblages from surface lake sediments and their environmental implications on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau

The relationships amongst modern pollen assemblages, vegetation, climate and human activity are the basis for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental changes using pollen records. It is important to determine these relationships at regional scales due to the development of vegetation under different climatic conditions and human activities. In this paper, we report on an analysis of modern pollen assemblages of 31 surface lake samples from 31 lakes (one sample per lake) on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau where the knowledge of modern pollen and their relationships with vegetation, climate and human activities is insufficient. The region includes five vegetation zones: sub‐alpine shrub steppe, alpine steppe, alpine meadow and steppe ecotone, mountain desert and alpine desert. The lakes span a wide range of mean annual precipitation (50–500 mm) and mean annual temperature (?8 to 6 °C). Modern pollen assemblages from our samples mainly consist of herb taxa (Artemisia, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, etc.) and some tree taxa (Pinus, Fagaceae, Alnus, etc.). The results indicate that modern pollen assemblages are able to reflect the main vegetation distribution. Redundancy analysis for the main pollen types and environmental variables shows that precipitation is the leading factor that influences the pollen distribution in the study area with the first axis capturing 13.7% of the variance in the pollen data set. The Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae ratio is valid for separating the desert component (<2) from the steppe and other vegetation zones (>2) but is unable to distinguish moisture variations. The Artemisia/Cyperaceae ratio is able to identify meadows (<1) and steppes (>1) and can be used as a moisture index on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that an appropriate range is needed for a modern pollen data set in order to perform pollen‐based quantitative climate reconstructions in one region. It is essential to perform modern studies before using pollen ratios to reconstruct palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate at a regional scale.     

Diamictic sediments within high Arctic lake sediment cores: evidence for lake ice rafting along the lateral glacial margin

Sediment cores from six small lake basins in the Canadian high Arctic reveal a gravel‐rich (≤30% by weight) to gravel‐poor (≥2%) diamict facies underlying massive, post‐glacial, clayey silt. Ten other lakes contain a second diamict facies within what are interpreted to be glaciolacustrine sedimentary assemblages. The sedimentology, clast fabrics and fossil remains (diatoms, ostracodes and chironomid head capsules) within both diamict facies suggest that these deposits are not tills. Clast fabrics yielded low S₁ (0·41–0·57) and high S₃ (0·09–0·22) eigenvalues, placing them within the range of ice‐rafted diamictons and glacigenic sediment flows. The high percentage of clast dip angles >45° (15–61%), random clast azimuth and lower diamict contacts conformable to underlying current‐bedded sediment favours an origin as a rain‐out or settling deposit. Samples of the matrix and scrapings of clasts from the diamicts revealed a diatom assemblage dominated by littoral and planktonic forms, such as are found in the littoral regions of the lakes today. This contrasts sharply with the assemblages within the overlying clayey silt, in which benthic forms predominate. Clasts are thus interpreted to have been rafted from the littoral areas of the lake. The process proposed to explain this is rafting by the lake ice cover in a glacial‐marginal environment. Early season meltwater, impounded along the lateral margin of retreating cold‐based glaciers, would buoyantly lift the lake ice cover and any adfrozen lake sediment. Higher lake levels and increased areal extent of seasonal freeze‐on between the lake ice cover and the lake bed would allow the redeposition of littoral sediments to the benthic regions through greater lateral shifting of the ice cover as it broke up. Incision by meltwater streams into the lateral glacial margins would later isolate the lake, allowing seasonal warming of lake water, enough to support the growth and maturation of the ostracode and chironomid species found as fossils within the diamicts.     

From pollen percentage to vegetation cover: evaluation of the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm in western Norway

The Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) with the two models REVEALS and LOVE is developed to transform pollen percentage data to vegetation cover. This paper presents the first study to evaluate LRA in a region with large topographic variations within a short distances. The REVEALS model estimates regional vegetation abundance based on pollen assemblages from large lakes (100–500 ha). Pollen surface samples from one large and 28 small lakes are used together with a combination of regionally derived pollen productivity estimates and available estimates from other regions of Europe. The results show a good relationship between REVEALS‐estimated forest cover and vegetation abundance based on the CORINE land‐cover data. The REVEALS results using various sets of pollen assemblages from small lakes were comparable to those using one large lake. Local vegetation abundance using the LOVE model was estimated around 26 lakes. For common taxa, such as Pinus and Poaceae, the LOVE‐based estimates of plant abundance match well with the distance‐weighted plant abundances based on vegetation maps. Our results indicate that the LRA approach is effective for reconstruction of long‐term vegetation changes in western Norway and other regions with high topographic relief when no major gradients exist in the pollen data.     

Seasonal controls on sediment transport and deposition in Lake Ohau,South Island,New Zealand: Implications for a high‐resolution Holocene palaeoclimate reconstruction

Laminated sediments in Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand, offer a potential high‐resolution climate record for the past 17 kyr. Such records are particularly important due to the relative paucity of detailed palaeoclimate data from the Southern Hemisphere mid‐latitudes. This paper presents outcomes of a study of the sedimentation processes of this temperate lake setting. Hydrometeorological, limnological and sedimentological data were collected over a 14 month period between 2011 and 2013. These data indicate that seasonality in the hydrometeorological system in combination with internal lake dynamics drives a distinct seasonal pattern of sediment dispersal and deposition on a basin‐wide scale. Sedimentary layers that accumulate proximal to the lake inflow at the northern end of the lake form in response to discrete inflow events throughout the year and display an event stratigraphy. In contrast, seasonal change in the lake system controls accumulation of light (winter) and dark (summer) laminations at the distal end of the lake, resulting in the preservation of varves. This study documents the key processes influencing sediment deposition throughout Lake Ohau and provides fundamental data for generating a high‐resolution palaeoclimate record from this temperate lake.     

呼伦湖表层沉积物花粉空间分布特征及影响因素探讨

对呼伦湖29个表层沉积物花粉组合和环境影响因子进行主成分分析(PCA)和冗余分析(RDA),探讨呼伦湖表层沉积物花粉组合的空间分布特征及造成空间分异的现代过程机制.研究结果表明,呼伦湖表层沉积物花粉组合空间分布差异显著,藜科和松属等花粉在湖泊东侧近岸地带百分含量较高,蒿属与桦属花粉在湖泊中部和西部百分含量较高.呼伦湖东岸盐生非地带性植被、主导风向形成的漂流、与水深相关的二次悬移再沉积过程以及河流搬运作用是影响呼伦湖表层沉积物花粉空间分异的主要因素,其中湖泊东岸盐生非地带性植被造成了藜科花粉百分含量在近东岸地带偏高,主导风向形成的由西向东的漂流作用可能导致了松属花粉百分含量在近东岸地带偏高.     

Seasonal succession and microlamina formation in a meromictic lake displaying varved sediments

In a small meromictic lake near Toronto, Canada, a mass mortality of photosynthetic bacteria followed the ventilation of the chemocline during fall (autumn) and resulted in 3–8 g m^-2 day^-1 of organic matter being deposited as a dark layer in sediment traps which were suspended in the permanently anaerobic zone. This mass mortality of photosynthetic bacteria occurred in late autumn following the annual thermal destratification of the lake's mixolimnion. Wind mixing during this period of homeothermy resulted in the introduction of low levels of dissolved oxygen into the lake's chemocline. The ensuing mass mortality of photosynthetic bacteria resulted in the release of elemental sulphur as the sulphur-rich bacteria decomposed and sank to the bottom of the lake. The ferrous ions in the water below a depth of 15 m in Crawford Lake reacted with this sulphur to form black ferrous sulphides and pyrite which formed a dark microlamina on the lake floor. Each dark microlamina was overlain by a light coloured (calcite-rich) layer which was deposited each spring and summer during the 3 yr period of this study. The mechanism of microlamina formation elucidated here has been based on the examination of bi-weekly sediment trap information. This approach has permitted an explanation of the mechanisms by which specific events such as calcite precipitation and phytoplankton seasonal succession are transcribed into the sediment record.     

Pollen distribution in large freshwater lake of arid region: a case study on the surface sediments from Bosten Lake,Xinjiang, China

The interpretation of the pollen records from lake sediments is always hampered by a lack of information relating to different pollen production, transportation, deposition, and preservation. It is important to understand the modern process of pollen sedimentation and its climatic implications. This paper presents results from a palynological study on 61 surface sediments samples from Bosten Lake, the largest inland freshwater lake in China. Our results suggest that Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia dominate the modern pollen assemblages and have stable percentages at most sites of the lake basin except for the estuary area. Pollen Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae ratio is about 0.5, indicating the dry climate of the region. Principle Components Analysis (PCA) of pollen data can identify the pollen samples as several ecological groups from different parts of the lake. Pollen transportation dynamics and the mixing effect of lake currents and waves on pollen deposition have affected the pollen assemblages. The distribution of Typha pollen seems to be affected by the location where the parent plants grow. Picea pollen has higher percentages at estuary area, suggesting fluvial transport. Pollen concentration has high values at the central part of the lake basin due to the sedimentation focusing process effect. Our results suggest that the pollen assemblages of the sediment core from the central part of the lake can potentially record the regional vegetation history.     

Age limit and age underestimation using different OSL signals from lacustrine quartz and polymineral fine grains

As part of a systematic palaeohydrological reconstruction of lake level fluctuations during the Last Glacial Maximum, a transect of cores from ancient Lake Xinias in central Greece has already been studied with respect to pollen, sediment and mineral magnetic analyses. The chronology was based on ¹⁴C AMS dating of terrestrial plant macrofossil remains from peat and clayey peat (Palaeogeog. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 158 (2000) 65). This site thus provides an opportunity for the comparison of fine grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of water–lain sediments with an independent chronology. We present here infrared (IR), post-IR blue and blue OSL characteristics of the fine grain sediments from Lake Xinias and a preliminary comparison with independent ages. The equivalent doses based on the IR results are about 40% of those based on post-IR blue stimulation, which in turn are 10–15% below those based on quartz OSL. We discuss the ages derived from the 3 signals in terms of the independent chronology, and draw conclusions about initial bleaching of the quartz and feldspar components, and the reliability of the post-IR blue signal as a chronometer.     

Changes in the parkland-boreal forest boundary in northwestern Ontario over the Holocene

Changes in vegetation were tracked from a well-dated sediment core from a boreal lake, Lake 239, at ～200-year resolution over the Holocene. This presently oligotrophic lake is located ～100-km east from the present-day parkland-forest ecotone in northwestern Ontario. Near-shore sediment core transects from Lake 239 have previously shown this lake was at least 8-m lower than present in the mid-Holocene, or ～58% less lake volume in comparison to today. Large shifts were expected in the terrestrial vegetation if the low lake levels were related to climate. The core from Lake 239 shows increases in the relative abundance and concentration of pollen such as Cupressaceae and Ambrosia, indicating a more open boreal forest between ～4500–8000 cal yr BP. Pollen-based inferences of average, summer and winter temperatures suggest that temperatures were on average up to 1–2 °C warmer than today, with winter temperatures up to 4 °C warmer. The pollen inferences also suggest enhanced precipitation, likely in the summer, but with an overall increase in evaporation and evapotranspiration resulting in reduced effective moisture. To assess regional climate changes, pollen-based reconstructions of temperature and precipitation were developed and synthesized from sediment cores from eight previously published lakes, from which pollen sites were available to both the west and east of Lake 239, spanning present-day prairie lakes to forested lakes up to 300 km east of the prairie-boreal ecotone. All sites show shifts in pollen assemblages that indicate a warm mid-Holocene period; prairie sites west of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) show mid-Holocene decreases in precipitation relative to today, whereas sites near or east of ELA show consistent increases in precipitation, but with increased temperatures and enhanced evaporation during the mid-Holocene.     

Diagenetic cycling of arsenic in the sediments of eutrophic Baldeggersee,Switzerland

Sedimentation and benthic release of As was determined in Baldeggersee, a eutrophic lake in central Switzerland. Sediment traps recorded As sedimentation during 1994, including a flood event in spring. Diagenetic processes were studied using porewater profiles at the sediment–water interface and in deeper sediment strata deposited in the mesotrophic lake (before 1885). Sediment cores were used to calculate the accumulation and to construct the balance of sedimentation and remobilisation. The results showed that the lake sediment acts as an efficient sink for As. Only 22% of the particulate As flux reaching the sediment surface was remobilised at the sediment–water interface. The As accumulation in the recent varved section of the eutrophic lake was 40 mg As m⁻² a⁻¹. Iron reduction in older sediment caused a remobilisation of 1.2 mg As m⁻² a⁻¹. This upward flux from the deeper sediment was quantitatively immobilised in the recent sulfidic sediments. The flood event in spring contributed about 34% of the yearly sediment load and led to distinct peak profiles of dissolved As in the porewater. This evidence for rapid remobilisation disappeared within months.     

Behaviour and dynamics of a hydrothermal plume in Lake Banyoles, Catalonia, NE Spain

A hydrothermal plume forms in Lake Banyoles, NE Spain, as a result of convection above a springwater-fed suspension cloud ponded on the lake floor. The plume propagates upwards reaching a level of neutral buoyancy from where a turbidity current spreads out laterally. Two-dimensional temperature and particle concentration measurements show the fate of the hydrothermal plume and its associated turbidity current and reveal its seasonal development. Silt particles transported by the plume have been used as tracers to determine the maximum and equilibrium heights of the plume. When the lake is stratified, the vertical transport of sediment is confined to the lake hypolimnion, as the thermocline limits the vertical propagation of the plume. In contrast, when the lake water column is mixed, the plume reaches the surface of the lake. The field measurements have been compared with models for thermal convection from finite isolated sources. Measurements of the flow velocity at the source of the hydrothermal plume (i.e. the rim current velocity) indicate that cold hypolimnetic water is entrained by the plume. Sedimentation rates measured from sediment traps at the zone where the turbidity current develops vary between 10 and 25 g m⁻² day⁻¹, and result from continuous silt particle sedimentation from the turbidity current. Sedimentation rates in traps are higher for stations situated close to the source than those further away (<5 g m⁻² day⁻¹). Moreover, the results demonstrate that double diffusive sedimentation from the turbidity current was dominant over grain-by-grain settling, causing a mixed distribution of sediments in the region where the turbidity current spreads. The deposition of silt particles could explain the occurrence of silt layers interbedded with biocalcarenites in the littoral zones of the lake and the stratigraphy identified by seismic profiles and cores taken from the lake floor.     

Fingerprint of tropical climate variability and sea level in sediments of the Cariaco Basin during the last glacial period

High‐resolution palaeorecords of climate are critical to improving current understanding of climate variability, its sensitivity and impact on the environment in the past and in the future. Sediments from the Cariaco Basin off the coast of Venezuela have proven to be sensitive recorders of tropical palaeoclimate variability down to an annual scale. However, the fingerprint of climate and sea level in the sediments of the last glacial period is still not completely understood. In this study, lamination analysis of sediments from the Cariaco Basin is extended to the last glacial period. Detailed sedimentological and geochemical analysis (laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry) reveals couplets of light‐coloured, terrigenous‐rich and dark‐coloured, biogenic opal‐rich laminae, which are interpreted to reflect the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. In addition, a previously undescribed, nearly pure terrigenous lamina type is observed, which is referred to hereafter as a ‘C‐layer’. The C‐layers in the sedimentary sequence are interpreted as flood layers that originate from local rivers. The occurrence of these C‐layers is investigated for two core locations in the Cariaco Basin over the last 110 kyr by continuous X‐ray fluorescence scanning. Dansgaard–Oeschger oscillations are most clearly traced by proxies reflecting productivity and marine organic matter content of the sediment. In contrast, the abundance of terrigenous material differs at times between the two sites. On an interglacial to glacial timescale, the ability to record events causing C‐layers is likely to be influenced by changes in sea level and source proximity. On a millennial scale, both sediment cores contain more C‐layers during warmer interstadials compared with colder stadials during Marine Isotope Stage 3. This finding implies that interstadials were not only wetter than stadials, but probably also characterized by increased rainfall variability, leading to an enhanced frequency of flooding events in the hinterland of the Cariaco Basin.     

内蒙古岱海表层沉积物中孢粉的分布及来源

岱海位于半干旱区东部边缘及东亚夏季风的尾闾区，生态环境体系脆弱，气候和环境变化敏感，是研究环境变化的理想地区。65个湖泊表层及入湖河流冲积物样品的孢粉分析揭示了岱海表层孢粉沉积特征及孢粉来源。岱海表层孢粉主要来源于区域性植被的孢粉，其总体特征反映了区域植被的组成，但不同部位孢粉组合的差异反映了湖滨当地植被的变化。受沉积环境的影响，岱海湖区孢粉浓度总体上要低于入湖河流孢粉浓度，湖区中部孢粉浓度最高。岱海孢粉以河流携带的为主，同时受风力传播的影响。蒿、藜科、桦、虎榛子等花粉和蕨类孢子以河流搬运的为主，松、禾本科及莎草科花粉可能还受风力传播的影响。一些仅在个别样品中出现且百分比很低的花粉类型如豆科、十字花科等还有可能是昆虫、鸟类或人类活动携带而来。     

Seasonality of modern pollen and sediment deposition in an estuarine context: the Severn Estuary Levels,southwest England

Recent sedimentological and palynological research on subfossil Holocene banded sediments from the Severn Estuary Levels suggested seasonality of deposition, registered by variations in mineral grain‐size and pollen assemblages between different parts of the bands. Here we provide data that strengthen this interpretation from sampling of modern sediments and pollen deposition on an active mudflat and saltmarsh on the margin of the Severn Estuary, and comparison with a vegetation survey and contemporary records of climate, river and tidal regimes. The results of grain‐size analysis indicate deposition of comparatively coarse‐grained silts during the relatively cool and windy conditions of winter and comparatively fine‐grained sediments during relatively warm and calm summer months. Pollen analysis demonstrates the significance of long‐term storage of pollen grains and fern spores in the estuarine waterbody, superimposed on which seasonal variations in pollen inputs from local and regional vegetation remain detectable. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The lithostratigraphy of the Les Echets basin, France: tentative correlation between cores

Two new long sediment cores (EC1 and EC3), recovered from different locations within the infilled basin at Les Echets, France, provide a new high-resolution record of terrestrial and lacustrine responses to climatic changes during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3 and 2. The lithologies of the cores are described in detail and correlated with each other by stratigraphic marker horizons, fluctuations in organic matter and AMS radiocarbon ages. The tentative correlation of the new cores to those described and analysed by de Beaulieu et al. (1980) and de Beaulieu & Reille (1984a) provides a preliminary chronostratigraphic framework. Sedimentation during MIS3 started with accumulation of sands and silts and was followed by alternating gyttja and clayey gyttja silts. Exceptionally high sedimentation rates during MIS2 led to the infilling of the basin. Alternating organic-rich and minerogenic-rich sediments appear to coincide with changes in pollen assemblages (de Beaulieu & Reille 1984a) and suggest that millennial-scale climatic changes controlled lake productivity and catchment stability during most of MIS3.     

Depositional history and evolution of the Paso del Indio site,Vega Baja,Puerto Rico

Potshards discovered during excavation of bridge pilasters for a major expressway over the Rio Indio floodplain, a stream incised within the karsts of north‐central Puerto Rico, required large‐scale archaeological excavation. Five‐meter‐deep bridge pilaster excavations in the alluvial valley provide a 4500‐year history of deposition. Stratigraphic analysis of the exposed pilaster walls in combination with textural and organic carbon analyses of sediment cores obtained over a much broader area suggest a fluvial system dominated by overbank deposition. Six sequences of alternating light and dark layers of sediment were identified. The darker layers are largely composed of silts and clays, whereas the lighter layers are rich in sand‐sized sediment. Archaeological evidence indicates the organic‐rich dark layers, believed to be buried A horizons, coincide with pre‐historic occupation by Cedrosan Saladoid, Elenan Ostionoid, and Chican Ostionoid, extending from A.D. 450 to A.D. 1500. Lighter layers below the dark soil horizons are interpreted as overbank deposits from large magnitude flood events. The floodplain aggraded discontinuously with rapid deposition of sand followed by gradual accumulation of silt, clay, and organic material. An approximately 1‐m‐thick layer of coarse sand and gravel halfway up the stratigraphic column represents an episode of more frequent and severe floods. Based on radiocarbon ages, this layer aggraded between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1100, which is well within the Elenan Ostionoid era (A.D. 900–1200). Rates of sedimentation during this period were approximately 8 mm per year, ten times greater than the estimates of sedimentation rates before and after this flood sequence. The cause for the change in deposition is unknown. Nonetheless the Elenan Ostionoid would have had to endure frequent loss of habitation structures and crops during these events. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.