The Importance of Glacio-Hydro-Isostasy Within the Late Quaternary/Holocene Sea-Level History of the Gulf of Mexico: Lessons for Stratigraphic Correlation

SynopsisThe Upper Palaeozoic bedrock, which is of sedimentary and volcanic origin, is briefly described. The origin of the Forth as a series of depressions in the bedrock surface probably owes much to erosion of a pre-existing Tertiary landscape during phases of Quaternary glaciation. The late Quaternary history of the area is described, relating the distribution of the sediments deposited in the Forth to climatic events and changes in relative sea-level. Since the acme of the last main glaciation about 20,000 years ago, late Devensian marine and estuarine sediments have been deposited on the underlying glacial till sheet at altitudes ranging from more than 120 m below O.D. to at least 46 m above O.D. Similarly, raised and buried beaches and their deposits occur at altitudes from 40 m above O.D. down to around 10 m below O.D. in the estuary. During the Flandrian, sea-level has fluctuated, reaching its maximum (about 11 to 15 m above O.D.) about 6500 years ago. The typical deposit of this period is the carse clay which forms a series of extensive, fertile raised mudflats around the estuary. The calcareous marine faunas of the carse clay and older deposits are outlined.

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Holocene sea-level history of the Canadian Beaufort shelf

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/e93-009 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 103-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Philip R. Hill ◽

Arnaud Héquette ◽

Marie-Hélène Ruz

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Coastal Zone ◽

Marine Sediments ◽

Tidal Marsh ◽

Relative Sea Level ◽

The Holocene ◽

Single Piece ◽

History Of ◽

Holocene Sea Level

New radiocarbon ages pertaining to the Holocene sea-level history of the Canadian Beaufort shelf are presented. The ages were obtained on samples of freshwater and tidal-marsh peat beds from offshore boreholes and shallow cores in the coastal zone and on molluscs and a single piece of wood deposited in foraminifera-bearing marine sediments. Although none of the samples record directly the position of relative sea level, the suite of ages constrains the regional curve sufficiently to suggest a faster rate of mid Holocene sea level rise (7–14 mm/a) than previously thought. The rate of relative rise slowed markedly in the last 3000 years, approaching the present at a maximum probable rate of 2.5 mm/a.

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Whole-Rock Aminostratigraphy and Quaternary Sea-Level History of the Bahamas

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1006/qres.2000.2164 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 163-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 80

Author(s):

Paul J. Hearty ◽

Darrell S. Kaufman

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Sea Level ◽

Late Quaternary ◽

Radiometric Dating ◽

Glacial Cycles ◽

The Bahamas ◽

Stratigraphic Sequence ◽

Sequence Of Events ◽

History Of ◽

Mis 5E

The surficial geology of the tectonically stable Bahamian archipelago preserves one of the most complete records of middle to late Quaternary sea-level-highstand cycles in the world. However, with the exception of deposits from marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e, fossil corals for radiometric dating of this rich stratigraphic sequence are rare. This study utilizes the previously published, independent lithostratigraphic framework as a testing ground for amino acid racemization in whole-rock limestone samples. At least six limestone–soil couplets provide a relative age sequence of events that encompass as many interglacial–glacial cycles. D-Alloisoleucine/L-isoleucine data fall into six clusters, or “aminozones.” On the basis of independent dating and the inferred correlation with global MIS, the ages of several aminozones are known, while the ages of others are calculated from calibrated amino acid geochronology. This study demonstrates the utility of the whole-rock aminostratigraphy method for dating and correlating widespread emergent marine deposits, constitutes the first regional geochronological framework for the Bahamas, and highlights major sea-level events over the past half million years.

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Sea-level history of past interglacial periods from uranium-series dating of corals, Curaçao, Leeward Antilles islands

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2012.05.008 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 78 (2) ◽

pp. 157-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Daniel R. Muhs ◽

John M. Pandolfi ◽

Kathleen R. Simmons ◽

R. Randall Schumann

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Late Quaternary ◽

Tectonic Setting ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Lower Terrace ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

Uranium Series Dating ◽

Uplift Rates ◽

History Of

AbstractCuraçao has reef terraces with the potential to provide sea-level histories of interglacial periods. Ages of the Hato (upper) unit of the “Lower Terrace” indicate that this reef dates to the last interglacial period, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5.5. On Curaçao, this high sea stand lasted at least 8000 yr (~ 126 to ~ 118 ka). Elevations and age of this reef show that late Quaternary uplift rates on Curaçao are low, 0.026–0.054 m/ka, consistent with its tectonic setting. Ages of ~ 200 ka for corals from the older Cortalein unit of the Lower Terrace correlate this reef to MIS 7, with paleo-sea level estimates ranging from − 3.3 m to + 2.3 m. The estimates are in agreement with those for MIS 7 made from other localities and indicate that the penultimate interglacial period was a time of significant warmth, on a par with the present interglacial period. The ~ 400 ka (MIS 11) Middle Terrace I on Curaçao, dated by others, may have formed from a paleo-sea level of + 8.3 to + 10.0 m, or (less likely) + 17 m to + 20 m. The lower estimates are conservative compared to previous studies, but still require major ice sheet loss from Greenland and Antarctica.

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A 5700-year-old beach-ridge set at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and its implication for Holocene sea-level history in the southeastern USA

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/09596836211049975 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095968362110499

Author(s):

Kathleen Rodrigues ◽

Frank W Stapor ◽

William J Rink ◽

James S Dunbar ◽

Glen Doran

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

High Water ◽

South Florida ◽

Beach Ridge ◽

Beach Ridges ◽

The Past ◽

History Of ◽

Depositional Age ◽

Holocene Sea Level

The Cape Canaveral Peninsula is the largest Holocene coastal sand deposit composed of beach ridges on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is composed of 16 beach-ridge sets that are separated by erosional surfaces. Despite its prominence as a Holocene coastal depocenter, there are a limited amount of chronological data constraining the timing of its formation. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz and radiocarbon dating on individual marine shells to develop a refined chronology of the Cape Canaveral beach-ridge plain with particular focus on constraining the depositional age of the northwesterly-most, and geographically oldest, beach-ridge set on the peninsula. We obtain an average OSL age of 5680 ± 240 years ( n = 4) for the initiation of coastal deposition at Cape Canaveral. The new ages, and the organization of beach ridges into 16 distinct sets indicates that the Cape Canaveral beach-ridge plain experienced an ~5700-year history of alternating deposition and erosion, with 75% of present-day Cape Canaveral (Beach-ridge Sets 5–16) deposited over the past 2000 years and Beach-ridge Sets 8–16 comprising 50% of the area over the past 1000 years. Because the minimum swale elevations of the ~5700-year Beach-ridge Set 1, and those of all the younger beach-ridge sets, are within several decimeters of present-day mean higher high water, we hypothesize that all the beach ridges present at Cape Canaveral could have been deposited at or within decimeters of present-day sea level. There is no evidence for Holocene “highstand” events over the past 5700 years in the published sea level curves from northeast and south Florida, which are based on subsurface estuarine foraminifera/leaf litter and mangrove peat data, respectively. This dichotomy illustrates the need to integrate both subaerial and subsurface data to produce a more realistic Holocene sea-level curve for the southeastern United States.

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