Quaternary Journal of Iran

Paleoenvironment Changes in the Sediment of Kaji Namakzar Playa, North of Nehbandan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hassan Shahdadi 1
Samad Fotoohi 2
Javad Darvishi Khatooni 3
Sahar Maleki 4

1 PhD student in Geomorphology, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

3 PhD in Geomorphology, Geological and Mineral Exploration Organization of the Country

4 PhD in Climatology, Geological and Mineral Exploration Organization of the country

10.22034/irqua.2024.729113
Abstract
Introduction:
This study investigates paleoenvironmental changes and sediment dynamics in the Kaji Namakzar Playa, a rhomboidal pull-apart basin north of Nehbandan, eastern Iran. The main goal is to reconstruct late Holocene hydroclimate by integrating geomorphology, sedimentology, and stratigraphic analysis of three undisturbed sediment cores (average depth about 8 meters; maximum about 8.8 meters).
Method:
Fieldwork yielded intact cores that were logged for texture, clay coatings, color, fossil content, evaporite minerals, and sediment consolidation, with photographic records and stratigraphic columns. Core sampling was designed to capture the maximum possible thickness of playa-bed sediments, ensuring representative sampling across homogeneous units. Grain-size analyses used a combination of wet sieving (Analysette 3, Fritsch, Germany) and laser diffraction for particles finer than 63 microns. About half of the samples were processed at Iran’s Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration Organization; the rest were archived. This meticulous sampling and analysis enabled a high-resolution reconstruction of depositional environments within the playa over roughly 13,000 years.
Result:
Seven sedimentary facies were identified across the cores, corresponding to three broad depositional environments: lacustrine, playa, and alluvial-fan (floodplain) settings. The facies show a dynamic interplay among evaporative playa conditions, episodic lacustrine phases, and influx from adjacent alluvial fans. The stratigraphic record spans late Pleistocene through Holocene, with the deepest sections capturing a ~13,000-year window.
Regional syntheses indicate coherent Holocene lake-level fluctuations across Iran, with multiple dry phases and humid intervals. At Maharloo, a notable dry phase occurred between 4300 and 5250 cal BP (about 950 years), with additional less-documented dry intervals around 1800 and 2000 cal BP. Zarivar records warmer phases at about 21,000, 12,600–15,400, ~12,000, and ~11,700 cal BP, while diatom assemblages point to salinity increases at several intervals (17,500–17,700, 12,000–12,600, 5,900–6,400, and ~2,500 cal BP). Dry periods are also reported at 7,500–7,800 and 3,800–4,500 cal BP, with more ambiguous evidence in places. Mi’arabad’s Holocene climate shows dry spells around 5,400 cal BP and ~1,500 cal BP. In Urmia, a major dry episode is dated to ~13,000 years ago, with Heshtilan, Zarivar, Gahar, Abazlo, and Meharlu lakes showing lag or lead relationships in the timing of dry/wet phases.
Within Kaji Namakzar, the stratigraphy reveals pronounced lateral and vertical variability linked to proximity to climate-influenced zones. Core 1 exhibits peat-marsh deposits, indicating a comparatively wetter interval and greater facies diversity than the other cores. From depths of 860 to 600 cm (roughly 15–22 ka), silty and sandy sediments with organic matter dominate, suggesting favorable climatic conditions preceding the Last Glacial Termination. This interval terminates with the Older Dryas, a period of cooling in the Northern Hemisphere. Cores 2 and 3 show more consistent playa or distal-deltaic conditions in western and eastern sectors, respectively, with brownish facies and secondary gypsum in core 3 reflecting arid, low-energy depositional environments.
Discussion and Conclusion:
The Holocene onset brought warmer temperatures (estimates up to ~10°C) that promoted deposition of playa, alluvial, and fluvial sediments and inland progression toward the center of the Namakzar playa. After the Younger Dryas (~11,600–12,800 cal BP), playa sediments initially expanded along the shoreline toward the lake, followed by westward fluvial inputs that reworked older playa deposits and transported some nodular brown clays toward the southern basin (depth ~500–450 cm). Between 295 and 460 cm in Core 1, brown-green clays with nodules imply a cool, dry period around 10–5.7 ka, a phase that likely coincides with the global 8.2 ka event and regional manifestations in the Near East and North Atlantic. In Core 2 (western) and Core 3 (eastern), deposition reflects continued arid-to-semi-arid conditions with less hydrological input and more distal deposition, consistent with reduced lake extent and stronger aeolian influence.
From roughly 40 to 120 cm depth (1–3 kyr BP), a relatively stable and arid-to-cool playa environment prevailed, aligning with the Cohen (2003) model linking Holocene lake-level shifts in North Africa and South Asia. The near-surface interval (40 cm to present) records gradual facies changes with the appearance of silty sediments containing patches of organic matter and plant remains, and the presence of grayish-red sediments indicating low-pluvial, shallow-water conditions.
Overall, the Namakzar playa sequence documents a Holocene record in which arid episodes tend to begin abruptly and end gradually, whereas humid periods tend to terminate more gradually, producing a sawtooth-like climate pattern typical of late Quaternary fluctuations. In a basin where influx from the western alluvial fans (brown sediments) and eastern margins (brown with clay) interplays, the preserved record records both rapid dry onsets and comparatively longer wetter intervals. The seven identified facies—comprising varied clay, silt, and sand combinations with plant and organic matter—record lacustrine, playa, and alluvial-fan environments, highlighting the dynamic interplay among hydrologic regimes, sediment supply, and wind-driven processes.
The Kaji Namakzar Playa thus provides a long, high-resolution archive of Holocene hydroclimate in eastern Iran. Its 13,000-year record reveals three sustained humid periods, multiple arid episodes, and several short-lived or seasonal fluctuations, consistent with the broader late Quaternary sawtooth climate signal driven by global climate oscillations. The study’s integration of detailed sedimentology, facies analysis, and grain-size measurements yields a robust framework for regional paleoclimate reconstructions and offers a valuable reference for comparative studies with other Iranian playas and arid-region basins. The findings underscore the value of playa sediments as archives of regional paleoenvironments and as tests for broader climatic hypotheses in Iran and adjacent arid environments.

Keywords

Paleoclimate
Kaji Namakzar Playa
Holocene
Sediment Core
Paleogeography
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Quaternary Journal of Iran
Volume 10, 1 , 2
September 2025
Pages 171-189

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