Geología y Arqueología del Terremoto-Tsunami de finales del Siglo IV a.C. que destruyó la ciudad Romana de Baelo Claudia (Cádiz, Sur España)

  1. Silva Barroso, Pablo Gabriel 1
  2. Reicherter, Klaus 2
  3. García-Jiménez, Iván 3
  4. Prados-Martínez, Fernando 4
  5. Pérez-Tarruella, Javier 5
  6. Sánchez-Sánchez, Yolanda 5
  1. 1 Universidad de Salamanca
    info

    Universidad de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02f40zc51

  2. 2 Neotectonics and Natural Hazards, Dept. of Geosciences and Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Alemania.
  3. 3 Conjunto Arqueológico de Baelo Claudia (CABC), Agencia Andaluz de Instituciones Culturales, Ensenada de Bolonia, Tarifa, Cádiz, España.
  4. 4 Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico. Univ. de Alicante. Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig. 03690 Alicante.
  5. 5 Dpto. Geología, Universidad Salamanca, Facultad de Ciencias, Salamanca, 37008-Salamanca, España.
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Journal:
Cuaternario y geomorfología: Revista de la Sociedad Española de Geomorfología y Asociación Española para el Estudio del Cuaternario

ISSN: 0214-1744

Year of publication: 2023

Volume: 37

Issue: 3-4

Pages: 37-57

Type: Article

DOI: 10.17735/CYG.V37I3-4.102693 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Cuaternario y geomorfología: Revista de la Sociedad Española de Geomorfología y Asociación Española para el Estudio del Cuaternario

Abstract

This paper summarizes the set of new geological and archaeological studies that certify the occurrence of a powerful earthquake-tsunami event that devastated the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia (Strait of Gibraltar) in the second half of the 4th century AD. Apart from the important coseismic deformations documented in the in the architectural remains (EAEs), the present study focuses on the effects and sedimentary record of the subsequent tsunami. Analysis of tsunami deposits in drill cores and outcrops along the lower part of the city indicate that the tsunami reached a minimum height of + 8m above sea level and penetrated at least 250 m inland reaching the base of the temples above the Forum area. However, in the small creeks around the area and in the ancient eastern littoral lagoon, flooding could have penetrated up to about one kilometre. The tsunami layer is a dark cohesive sandy deposit (28 to 52 cm thick) containing fragments of pottery, fish and animal bones, glassware, bricks and large boulders of masonry blocks and column drums. The layer also contains microfaunal assemblages with a mixture of benthic and planktonic foraminifera as well as lagoonal brackish-water gastropods and numerous shell debris and broken reworked foraminifera. Data presented in this work indicate that the tsunami layer is mainly composed of well-rounded fine-medium sands originating from the reworking of aeolian and littoral beach deposits of the old roman spit-bar enclosing the ancient embayment. We interpret most of the tsunami layer as backwash deposits trapped within the ruins of the city after the earthquake destruction, as testified by recent excavations along de decumanus maximum, Termas Marítimas and the funerary mausoleum of Iunia Rufina in the eastern necropolis. The archaeological findings in this funerary monument toppled by the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami allow to establish the age of this event between 350 - 390 AD. Key words: Archaeoseismology, Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAEs), Tsunamite, Baelo Claudia, Gibraltar Strait, South Spain.

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Data source: Dialnet