On the far left is an image of what the core looks like when before the sediment is removed. The shell hash beside it is what remains after sieving and rinsing out the muddy sediments.
The cores cut through many difffernt environments that represetnt the history of the area. Some sections are terrestrial deposits (on land). They are generally devoid of mollusks with the exception of land snails. They also contain rocky sediments and plant material.
Many of the samples from the core expose marine environments. There are a few species that are found primarily in shallow environments, such as Lentidium mediteraneum, a bivalve that is the most common species found through out our cores. Other shallow water genera include Donax and Abra. There are also samples from deeper marine waters, recognized by the presence of genera such as Pitar, Euspira, and Nucula.
Since these species still exist today, we know there prefered environment and likely depth range. This allows us to track environment and water depth in the past using our cores.
No comments:
Post a Comment