Progress in Oceanography 44 (1999) 369–386 Palaeo-environmental variations in eastern Mediterranean sediments: a multidisciplinary approach in a prehistoric setting Gert J. De Lange a,* , P.J.M. Van Santvoort a , C. Langereis a , J. Thomson b , C. Corselli c , A. Michard d , M. Rossignol-Strick e , M. Paterne f , G. Anastasakis g a Department of Geochemistry, Institute Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands b Southampton Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK c Department Scienze della Terra, University of Milan, Italy d GJosciences de l’Environnement, Aix-en-Provence, France e University P. & M. Curie, Paris VI, France f CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France g National and Capodistrian University of Athens, Greece Abstract Not only the occurrence of distinct organic-rich intervals (sapropels), but also the relative contents of key major and minor elements and isotopes in the sediments of the eastern Mediter- ranean, appear to be cyclic and to be astronomically associated. Interpretations of the environ- mental conditions leading to sapropel formation are based on results from sedimentological, micropalaeontological and geochemical studies of the dark-coloured layers and the cream/brownish sediments that occur above and below them. Part of the signal may be removed by early diagenetic processes. The extent and direction of these processes are ulti- mately controled by the amount and reactivity of organic matter. The interval of dark colour associated with a sapropel is often somewhat thicker than that defined by the 2% C org definition and usually has a sharp colour change at upper and lower boundaries. A grey so-called ‘proto-sapropel’ layer of variable thickness underlies most sapro- pel layers. A few centimeters above the most recent sapropel S1, is usually found a clear dark- brown layer 2–3 cm thickness is usually found, which has a diffuse, often mottled, upper boundary and a relatively abrupt colour transition at its lower boundary. The colour is charac- * Corresponding author. Tel.: + 30-535034. E-mail address: gdelange@geo.uu.nl (G.J. De Lange) 0079-6611/99/$ - see front matter  1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S0079-6611(99)00037-3