The geodynamic and limnological evolution of Balkan Lake Ohrid, possibly the oldest extant lake in Europe
Tauber, Paul
Francke, Alexander
Leicher, Niklas
Binnie, Steven A.
Cvetkoska, Aleksandra
Jovanovska, Elena
Just, Janna
Lacey, Jack H.
Levkov, Zlatko
Lindhorst, Katja
Kouli, Katerina
Krastel, Sebastian
Panagiotopoulos, Konstantinos
Ulfers, Arne
Zaova, Dušica
Donders, Timme H.
Grazhdani, Andon
Koutsodendris, Andreas
Leng, Melanie J.
Sadori, Laura
Scheinert, Mirko
Vogel, Hendrik
Wonik, Thomas
Zanchetta, Giovanni
Wilke, Thomas
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12601
Persistent URL: http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/11248
Tauber, Paul; 1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany
Francke, Alexander; 2 Department of Earth Science University of Adelaide Adelaide 5005 South Australia Australia
Leicher, Niklas; 1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany
Binnie, Steven A.; 1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany
Cvetkoska, Aleksandra; 3 Department of Physical Geography Utrecht University Utrecht 3584 CB The Netherlands
Jovanovska, Elena; 5 Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics Justus Liebig University Giessen Giessen 35392 Germany
Just, Janna; 1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany
Lacey, Jack H.; 8 National Environmental Isotope Facility, British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham NG12 5GG UK
Levkov, Zlatko; 9 University Ss Cyril and Methodius, Institute of Biology Skopje 1000 North Macedonia
Lindhorst, Katja; 10 Institute of Geosciences, Christian‐Albrechts‐University Kiel Kiel 24118 Germany
Kouli, Katerina; 11 Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 15784 Zographou Athens Greece
Krastel, Sebastian; 10 Institute of Geosciences, Christian‐Albrechts‐University Kiel Kiel 24118 Germany
Panagiotopoulos, Konstantinos; 1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne Cologne 50674 Germany
Ulfers, Arne; 12 Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) Hannover 30655 Germany
Zaova, Dušica; 9 University Ss Cyril and Methodius, Institute of Biology Skopje 1000 North Macedonia
Donders, Timme H.; 13 Department of Physical Geography Utrecht University Utrecht 3508 TC The Netherlands
Grazhdani, Andon; 14 Faculty of Geology and Mineralogy University of Tirana Tirana 1000 Albania
Koutsodendris, Andreas; 15 Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University Heidelberg 69120 Germany
Leng, Melanie J.; 8 National Environmental Isotope Facility, British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham NG12 5GG UK
Sadori, Laura; 17 Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale Università di Roma “La Sapienza” Rome 00185 Italy
Scheinert, Mirko; 18 Institute of Planetary Geodesy, Technical University Dresden Dresden 01069 Germany
Vogel, Hendrik; 19 Institute of Geological Sciences & Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern Bern 3012 Switzerland
Wonik, Thomas; 12 Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) Hannover 30655 Germany
Zanchetta, Giovanni; 20 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra University of Pisa Pisa 56126 Italy
Wilke, Thomas; 5 Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics Justus Liebig University Giessen Giessen 35392 Germany
Abstract
Studies of the upper 447 m of the DEEP site sediment succession from central Lake Ohrid, Balkan Peninsula, North Macedonia and Albania provided important insights into the regional climate history and evolutionary dynamics since permanent lacustrine conditions established at 1.36 million years ago (Ma). This paper focuses on the entire 584‐m‐long DEEP sediment succession and a comparison to a 197‐m‐long sediment succession from the Pestani site ~5 km to the east in the lake, where drilling ended close to the bedrock, to unravel the earliest history of Lake Ohrid and its basin development. 26Al/10Be dating of clasts from the base of the DEEP sediment succession implies that the sedimentation in the modern basin started at c. 2 Ma. Geophysical, sedimentological and micropalaeontological data allow for chronological information to be transposed from the DEEP to the Pestani succession. Fluvial conditions, slack water conditions, peat formation and/or complete desiccation prevailed at the DEEP and Pestani sites until 1.36 and 1.21 Ma, respectively, before a larger lake extended over both sites. Activation of karst aquifers to the east probably by tectonic activity and a potential existence of neighbouring Lake Prespa supported filling of Lake Ohrid. The lake deepened gradually, with a relatively constant vertical displacement rate of ~0.2 mm a−1 between the central and the eastern lateral basin and with greater water depth presumably during interglacial periods. Although the dynamic environment characterized by local processes and the fragmentary chronology of the basal sediment successions from both sites hamper palaeoclimatic significance prior to the existence of a larger lake, the new data provide an unprecedented and detailed picture of the geodynamic evolution of the basin and lake that is Europe’s presumed oldest extant freshwater lake.
Subjects
Balkan PeninsulaLake Ohrid
DEEP sediment succession
Pestani succession
evolutionary dynamics
regional climate history