Coastal caves

The reverse interpretation can be applied to presently air-filled coastal caves that contain speleothems with the rough textured overgrowths characteristic of deposition under water. Such dated deposits observed on Mallorca were correlated with sea level highs on the Mediterranean coast (Vesica et al, 2000). 

Is Aruttas is the only coastal site tested. Skeletal materials were recovered in a cave a few hundred meters from the shore, located in a marshy and sandy area on the central-west coast of Sardinia. The stratigraphic context was disrupted by looters, and potteiy sherds found associated were attributed to the final phase of the Late Neolithic. One radiocarbon date, though, shifted the chronology to the Middle Bronze Age (1600-1300 B.C.). From the physical fitness and low caries of the recovered human remains, a well balanced diet has been inferred (43, 50, 51). 

The character of the coastal zone defines the morphology and type of the coasts. In mountainous areas, abrasive coasts dominate. In many cases, they are complicated owing to the development of intensive landslide and caving processes and thus may be referred to as the abrasive-denudational type. In plain and low areas, the coasts are mostly accumulative. Lagoonal and deltaic coasts are confined to the areas near river mouths. 

The coasts of Odessa Bay are presently eroded and their condition is defined by landslide and caving processes widely developed on the steep coastal slopes. Here, the heights of the cliffs sometimes exceed 30 m. Intensive engineering coastal protection is performed. 

Abrasive coasts are mostly composed of clayey deposits, poorly-cemented rocks, or limestones. The cliff heights range from 15 to 35 m. The abrasion rate is controlled by the composition of the coastal rocks and the cliff heights. The recession of the cliffs is also caused by the development of landslide and caving processes, especially under the conditions of strong storms. The length of individual sliding blocks reaches 500 m at a width of up to 15 m. Deep surf niches are formed in the lower parts of the cliffs. 

---