Taking a break from our trip, I thought I would post some pictures from back in Ashkelon.
The week before I left, I had the chance to go with Ben, a geoarchaeologist to the beach of the Mediterranean Sea (our dig site was only about 50 yards from the beach, it was pretty great). While there, he explained how the sea has caused erosion over time to the beach front. To prevent this, jetties were put in to stop some of the fast moving water (click here to see a picture of a jetty)-but in doing this, the deposition levels of different areas has changed.
Question of the day:
I know my 6th grade class has looked at how this happens and have designed ways to slow erosion on beaches. Think about a time that you have been to a beach-is the level of sand and rocks the same all across it? What other ways can you think of to stop the erosion of sand and rocks from beaches besides just putting a wall up?
Junior Archaeologist Assignment:
Watch this video as Ben explains erosion, then check out the pictures below. One man made way of slowing rock erosion is to reuse ancient Roman columns and lay them down under walls. This stops the water from washing away rock layers because the columns break the waves! Draw in your log book other ways you can think of to stop water from eroding the seashore. What positive and negatives might your addition change on the beach? What do you think the beach front will look like after you add your addition?
