Heavy metals as indicators for Holocene sediment provenance in a semi-arid Mediterranean catchment in northern Tunisia

Abstract

Investigation of sediment provenance supports geoarchaeological and geomorphological studies of Holocene palaeoenvironments and fluvial change in northern Tunisia. Information on sediment provenance is derived from heavy metal contents that are preserved in overbank floodplain deposits of the Medjerda River and its tributaries. The results show that the sedimentary successions in the mid-Medjerda valley mainly consist of sediments originating from the subcatchments of the semi-arid South. Although climate changes occurred during the Holocene, which could have an influence on sediment yield, this relationship remains constant over time. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.