Clay mineralogy of three sediment cores from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

During African Humid Periods of the last 200 kyr, smectite-rich suspension load was provided by the Nile river and by palaeo-rivers discharging into the Gulf of Sirte. After the termination of the African Humid Periods, kaolinite- and palygorskite-rich clay was mobilised from desiccated soils, lake and river beds, and delivered in form of dust pulses to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Magnitude and abruptness of the dust pulses depend on the distance of the accumulation sites from the dust sources. Proximal sites experienced large amounts of dust from local sources, while more distal sites received dust from the wider Saharan region, documenting the time- transgressive termination of the humid periods. The strengths of individual dust pulses reflect the in- tensity of the preceding humid periods.