141:). After 5500 years ago, sea level rise slowed down to a rate of 0.15 meters per century. This allowed sedimentation to catch up and fill in the estuary. Tidal inlets further to the west were blocked by sediment by 3300 years ago. However the Boorne remained open and gradually eroded further and further south and then branched west south of what is now Westergo. People started living adjacent to the channels about 600 BC. The tidal channel moved to the east to what would become the Middelzee. Before the year 900, the new tidal channel scoured deeper and deeper and flooding extended even further inland. After 900 the flooding reached its maximum extent, and it became known as the Middelzee. The southwestern extremity joined up with the
17:
149:
164:
At the beginning of the 10th century people became more organised and worked to prevent the further encroachment of the
Middelzee. Levees and natural marsh bars were raised along the shore north of Steins on the western coast of Oostergo. This also happened on the north west facing coast of Westergo
132:
time period, and the mouth of the river was forced more and more easterly, until it was heading in a north-northwest direction from Akkrum. In the
Holocene, the sea rose flooding the valley to form an estuary. Before 7000 years ago, the sea was rising at a rate of 0.75 meters per century, and the
172:
The southwestern arm of the
Middelzee was progressively sectioned off by building dykes across the arm, in four stages. Around 1200 AD a dyke near Rauwerd finished the closure of the arm. This turned what was a mud flat into a salt marsh, and silt gradually collected to fill the areas in.
206:. It can still be recognized as new land since there are only a small number of villages lying in the area of the former Middelzee. The fertile sea clay bottom is mostly used as meadow land but also
229:
By the fifteenth century the
Middelzee was reduced to a funnel shape along Frisia's north coast and further silting of the remaining part rendered it unusable. From the early sixteenth century the
116:
in
Friesland, Drenthe, and Groningen. It flowed from Saalien glacial till plateau in a southwest direction, and met the sea west of Het Bildt. The Boorne passed the current location of
191:
Leeuwarden and the trading terp villages along the coast of
Middelzee lost their ability to trade with watercraft when they became isolated from the route to the Wadden Zee.
348:
van der Spek, A. J. F. (11 August 1995). "Reconstruction of Tidal Inlet and
Channel Dimensions in the Frisian Middelzee, a Former Tidal Basin in the Dutch Wadden Sea".
307:
275:
165:
along the Reid. During the 10th century a dyke was established along the east coast of
Westergo along the coast of the Middelzee. The mother
188:. The 12th century also saw land reclamation along the north west shore of Oostergo, shrinking the funnel shaped part of the Middelzee.
133:
rising sea was faster than the sedimentation There are still estuary sediments west of
Jorwerd, that were deposited during 6400-5300
367:
418:
202:, literally meaning "new land", and also there are several villages where the lands formerly of the Middelzee are still called
240:
The name
Middelzee is still used as a name for an administrative coalition between the so-called Middelzee municipalities of
210:
is situated on the new lands. The border between Eastergoa and Westergoa in the former Middelzee is now drained by the River
237:
was formed in that funnel, and is now a Frisian municipality that fills the mouth of what once was the Middelzee.
314:
282:
383:
33:
207:
363:
138:
355:
211:
153:
49:
249:
142:
180:
was dyked off in the first half of the 13th century, and by 1300 it was reclaimed up to
245:
134:
113:
29:
412:
349:
253:
129:
109:
57:
359:
219:
177:
125:
69:
16:
241:
234:
223:
81:
77:
61:
402:
199:
73:
185:
121:
45:
401:
This text is based on an article on the West Frisian Knowledge (XXG):
148:
230:
181:
166:
117:
169:
were established as regions of land completely encircled by dykes.
147:
65:
15:
84:(Oostergo). Other historical names for the Middelzee include
152:
Map of the former Middelzee in West Frisian showing dates of
351:Tidal Signatures in Modern and Ancient Sediments
194:Gradually the Middelzee silted up, forming the
176:The northern section of the Middelzee, passing
384:"Cultural Entities (The Netherlands) Westergo"
222:, but which once reached the southern edge of
8:
270:
268:
100:. The names like Bordine, mean "border".
343:
341:
339:
337:
335:
264:
198:("new lands"). One village is called
313:. CultGIS. 3 May 2015. Archived from
308:"Aandachtsgebied 87: Middelzee-Marne"
276:"Aandachtsgebied 87: Middelzee-Marne"
7:
128:became blocked by sand dunes in the
72:and marked the border between main
20:An 1834 map of the former Middelzee
112:the Boorne was a river that had a
14:
64:. It ran from as far south as
1:
218:), that runs from Sneek to
435:
360:10.1002/9781444304138.ch16
281:. CultGIS. Archived from
124:. The connection to the
419:Geography of Friesland
156:
37:
21:
151:
19:
354:. pp. 239–258.
320:on 15 February 2017
288:on 15 February 2017
208:Leeuwarden Air Base
48:mouth of the River
157:
32:for "middle sea";
22:
68:northward to the
426:
395:
394:
392:
390:
380:
374:
373:
345:
330:
329:
327:
325:
319:
312:
304:
298:
297:
295:
293:
287:
280:
272:
154:land reclamation
434:
433:
429:
428:
427:
425:
424:
423:
409:
408:
398:
388:
386:
382:
381:
377:
370:
347:
346:
333:
323:
321:
317:
310:
306:
305:
301:
291:
289:
285:
278:
274:
273:
266:
262:
250:Leeuwarderadeel
214:(West Frisian:
162:
145:near Bolsward.
106:
80:(Westergo) and
52:(West Frisian:
40:), also called
12:
11:
5:
432:
430:
422:
421:
411:
410:
407:
406:
397:
396:
375:
368:
331:
299:
263:
261:
258:
246:Ferwerderadiel
161:
158:
135:before present
114:drainage basin
105:
102:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
431:
420:
417:
416:
414:
404:
400:
399:
385:
379:
376:
371:
369:9781444304138
365:
361:
357:
353:
352:
344:
342:
340:
338:
336:
332:
316:
309:
303:
300:
284:
277:
271:
269:
265:
259:
257:
255:
251:
247:
243:
238:
236:
232:
227:
225:
221:
217:
213:
209:
205:
201:
197:
192:
189:
187:
183:
179:
174:
170:
168:
159:
155:
150:
146:
144:
143:Marne Estuary
140:
136:
131:
127:
123:
119:
115:
111:
103:
101:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
63:
59:
56:) now in the
55:
51:
47:
43:
39:
35:
31:
27:
18:
403:fy:Middelsee
387:. Retrieved
378:
350:
322:. Retrieved
315:the original
302:
290:. Retrieved
283:the original
254:Menameradiel
239:
228:
215:
203:
195:
193:
190:
175:
171:
163:
139:Mid-Atlantic
108:Back in the
107:
97:
93:
89:
85:
60:province of
53:
41:
34:West Frisian
25:
23:
292:15 February
196:nije lannen
160:Reclamation
130:Weichselian
110:Pleistocene
104:Pre-history
76:regions of
260:References
220:Leeuwarden
178:Leeuwarden
126:Wadden Sea
70:Wadden Sea
44:, was the
242:Het Bildt
235:Het Bildt
224:Het Bildt
204:it Nijlân
82:Eastergoa
78:Westergoa
62:Friesland
38:Middelsee
26:Middelzee
413:Category
389:23 March
324:24 March
94:Boerdiep
90:Borndiep
186:Beetgum
167:polders
122:Rauwerd
98:Bordena
74:Frisian
46:estuary
42:Bordine
366:
252:, and
231:polder
216:Swette
212:Zwette
200:Nijlân
182:Stiens
118:Akkrum
96:, and
86:Bordaa
50:Boorne
318:(PDF)
311:(PDF)
286:(PDF)
279:(PDF)
66:Sneek
58:Dutch
54:Boarn
30:Dutch
391:2018
364:ISBN
326:2018
294:2017
184:and
120:and
24:The
356:doi
233:of
415::
362:.
334:^
267:^
256:.
248:,
244:,
226:.
92:,
88:,
36::
405:.
393:.
372:.
358::
328:.
296:.
137:(
28:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
