147-10 Fire History in Jordan （Dead Sea Edge） for the Late Pleistocene and Holocene: Long-Term Evolution and Abrupt Events

Session: Climate, Ocean and Environmental Changes Through Earth History: From Marine and Terrestrial Proxies to Model Assessments (Posters)

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Understanding how Earth’s climate has changed over time is essential for preparing for future environmental challenges. In regions like the northeastern margin of the Dead Sea in Jordan, an area especially sensitive to climate shifts, scientists turn to natural evidence preserved in the landscape to learn about past conditions.

In this study, the fire history is used as a window into past climate patterns. By analyzing microscopic charcoal particles preserved in a sediment core taken from an ancient wetland (core EDS8), which enabled to trace fire events over tens of thousands of years, from the Late Pleistocene through the Holocene.

Charcoal, produced by vegetation fires, offers valuable clues about past environments. Periods with high charcoal levels often indicate drier or more variable climate conditions that promoted wildfires. In total, 65 sediment samples were processed to isolate and count charcoal fragments, allowing researchers to build a detailed timeline of fire activity.

The results revealed four major phases of increased fire occurrence. The first three aligned with colder, drier periods, times when vegetation patterns and seasonal drying likely made fires more frequent. The fourth phase, however, occurred during a time of extreme dryness without any clear natural climate trigger, suggesting the influence of early human activity, such as land clearing or farming.

By using fire as a proxy for past climate, this research helps paint a clearer picture of how the environment in the Dead Sea region has responded to natural and human forces over time. These insights are especially valuable today, as we face similar challenges under global climate change.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-6713

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