TY - JOUR ID - TI - POLLEN EVIDENCE OF LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATION AND INFERRED CLIMATIC CHANGES OF LAKE RAZZAZA, WESTERN IRAQI DESERT AU - Yehya T. Al-Rawi AU - Balsam S. Al-Tawash AU - Thamer K. Al-Ameri PY - 2005 VL - 1 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 13 JO - Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining مجلة الجيولوجيا والتعدين العراقية SN - 18114539 AB - Palynological analysis of a sediment core of two meters depth from the eastern shore of Razzaza Lake (Karbala Governorate, Iraq) provides the first late Quaternary palaeoclimatic record for the western Iraqi desert region. The lake sediments contain pollen and spore taxa including Graminidities, Palmaepollenites, Polypodium, Onobrychis, Convolusia, Artemisia, Quercus, Retitricolpites tuberosus, Alnus, Chenopodiacea, Plantago, Cuscuta, Pinus, Laevigatosporites ovatus, Laevigatosporites discordant, Littorella uniflora and Anthemis maritimum as well as foraminiferal test linings, acritarch, dinoflagellates and fungi. The pollen diagram suggests eight palaeoecological zones for the late Quaternary period in this area. The palaeoclimate seems to have changed during the last 40000 years through periods of warm and wet climate with Mediterranean savanah forest, pluvial periods with summer rainfall, semi-arid cold climate with steppe vegetation and warm arid desertic climate. Dense vegetation once occupied the catchment area of this depression and at times it was filled with water to form a lake that reached a depth of 16 m. as its level stood at 32 m. (a.s.l.).

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