SHORELINE RECONSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PERSIAN-GULF SINCE THE LAST GLACIALMAXIMUM

Sea-level change in the Persian Gulf since the time of the last maximu m glaciation at about 18 000 yr BP is predicted to exhibit considerabl e spatial variability, because of the response of the Earth to glacial unloading of the distant ice sheets and to the meltwater loading of t he Gulf itself and the adjacent ocean. Models for these glacio-hydro-i sostatic effects have been compared with observations of sea-level cha nge and palaeoshoreline reconstructions of the Gulf have been made. Fr om the peak of the glaciation until about 14 000 yr BP the Gulf is fre e of marine influence out to the edge of the Biaban Shelf. By 14 000 y r BP the Strait of Hormuz had opened up as a narrow waterway and by ab out 12 500 years ago the marine incursion into the Central Basin had s tarted. The Western Basin flooded about 1000 years later. Momentary st illstands may have occurred during the Gulf flooding phase at about 11 300 and 10 500 yr BP. The present shorelines was reached shortly befo re 6000 yr ago and exceeded as relative sea level rose 1-2 m above its present level, inundating the low-lying areas of lower Mesopotamia. T hese reconstructions have implications for models of the evolution of the Euphrates-Tigris-Karun delta, as well as for the movements of peop le and the timing of the earliest settlements in lower Mesopotamia. Fo r example, the early Gulf floor would have provided a natural route fo r people moving westwards from regions to the east of Iran from the la te Palaeolithic to early Neolithic.