Abstract:
Sedimentological, macro- and micropaleontological analyses on sediment cores were carried out in the lower section of the Mirna and Neretva River valleys, in order to study depositional facies and environmental evolution during Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The Holocene marine transgression reached river valleys several kilometers upstream from the present-day coast, while in the last 7000 – 6000 years it was followed by progradation of the Mirna and Neretva intra-estuarine deltas. Sediment cores recorded these changes and each depositional environment contains distinctive sedimentary characteristics and fossil assemblages which reflect conditions in which sedimentation and life were occurring. This study highlights the potential role of hand augering in sampling and describing the subsoil for reconstruction of the geomorphological evolution of the area and supporting the study of past relative sea levels, climate changes, and impact of anthropogenic activities.