Testing the mid-Holocene relative sea-level highstand hypothesis in North Wales, UK

Rushby, Greg T.; Richards, Geoff; Gehrels, W. Roland; Anderson, William; Bateman, Mark D.; Blake, William

doi:10.1177/0959683619854513

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Whether the development of GIA models based on the BRITICE-CHRONO ice-sheet reconstruction improves the data-model misfit in West Donegal and other critical regions around the former BIIS (e.g. North Wales, Rushby et al, 2019) remains to be tested.…”

Section: Comparison With Gia Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the British-Irish and the larger Fennoscandian ice sheets) and subject to the influence of proglacial forebulge collapse, the British Isles occupies a complex and isostatically transitional area between uplift and subsidence, providing a key testing ground for GIA models. Holocene relative sea-level data from geological archives in regions which straddle the boundaries between uplift and subsidence arguably provide the most sensitive tests for these models (Rushby et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models

2023

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The late-Quaternary relative sea-level (RSL) history of Ireland is complex, positioned at the margins of the former British-Irish Ice Sheet, and subject to the influence of ice unloading and forebulge collapse. Geophysical models of post-glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) provide estimates of the pattern of RSL change since deglaciation which may be tested and validated with empirical data from proxy records. For the region of northwest Ireland, there is a paucity of high-quality RSL data and, therefore, equivocal evidence to support the GIA models that predict a mid to Late-Holocene RSL highstand of between +0.5 and +2 m above present. This study aims to investigate this model-data discrepancy by reconstructing RSL change from a near continuous salt-marsh sequence at Bracky Bridge, Donegal, spanning the last ca. 2500 years. We develop a transfer function model to reconstruct the vertical position of sea level using a regional diatom training set to quantify the indicative meaning and predict the palaeomarsh elevation of the core samples. A chronology is provided by a combination of 14C and 210Pb data, with sample specific ages derived from an age-depth model using a Bayesian framework. Our reconstruction shows ca. 2 m of relative sea-level rise in the past 2500 years. This is not compatible with some previously published sea-level index points from the region, which we re-interpret as freshwater/terrestrial limiting data. These results do not provide any evidence to support a Mid-Holocene RSL highstand above present sea level. Whilst none of the available GIA models replicate the timing and magnitude of the Late-Holocene RSL rise in our reconstruction, those which incorporate a thick and extensive British-Irish Sea Ice Sheet provide the best fit.

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Section: Comparison With Gia Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models

2023

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“…Relative sea-level highstands with spatial, temporal, and amplitude variabilities are recorded during the mid-Holocene (between 7.0 and 4.5 ka), followed by sea-level fall to the present-day level [13,[54][55][56][57][58][59]. Following the last post-glacial sea-level rise, sea-level fluctuations during the Holocene have had a profound influence on the Red Sea's coastal evolution.…”

Section: Holocene Climate and Sea Level In The Red Sea Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depositional Setting and Cementation Pattern of Al-Mejarma Beachrocks, Saudi Arabia: A Proxy for the Late Quaternary Red Sea Coastal Evolution

Ghandour

Al-Washmi

Khan

et al. 2021

JMSE

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This study utilizes lithofacies characteristics, petrographic, XRD, and stable isotope data of Al-Mejarma beachrocks, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, to interpret its depositional setting, origin of cement, and coastal evolution. The beachrock is 1.15 m thick, medium to very coarse-grained sandstone with scattered granules. It shows massive to graded bedding, horizontal, ripple, and shore parallel to slightly oblique planar cross-laminations, with a remarkable absence of bioturbation. It was deposited by shore-parallel longshore currents in a relatively high-energy beach environment. The framework comprises quartz, feldspars, and lithic fragments admixed with biogenic remains of algae, mollusca, foraminifera, corals, and echinoids. They are cemented by high magnesium calcite in the form of isopachous rims and pore-filling blades, and rarely, as a meniscus bridge. The mean values of δ18OVPDB and δ13CVPDB are 0.44‰ and 3.65‰, respectively, suggesting a seawater origin for the cement. The framework composition, facies geometry, and association with back-barrier lagoon impose a deposition as a shoreface-beach barrier through two stages corresponding to the middle and late Holocene. The first stage attests landward migrating sediment accumulation and rapid marine cementation. The sediments stored offshore during the early and middle Holocene humid periods migrated landward from offshore and alongshore by onshore waves and longshore drift during the middle and late Holocene sea-level highstand. They were cemented to form beachrock and subsequently emerged as the late Holocene sea-level fell.

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Sea-level changes and human economic development in the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta during the Middle to Late Holocene

Du,

Feng,

et al. 2024

The Holocene

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The environmental dynamics in coastal regions are inevitably influenced by fluctuations in sea levels and human interventions. Evidence derived from archeological site remains and sediment cores indicates that sea-level change has been the primary driving force behind the continuous relocation of human settlements since the Holocene epoch. However, the understanding of the Holocene land formation process and its relationship with human activities in the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta remains limited. The Guoqing Temple, located in southwest Juegang and serving as a hub for sea salt production during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, was established in the Tang Dynasty and served as one of the pivotal points along the Maritime Silk Road. A sedimentary core was obtained in close to the Guoqing Temple, and the sedimentological and micropalaeontological data were analyzed to investigate the process of sedimentary evolution from marine to terrestrial environments, as well as the environmental factors facilitating the development of the salt industry. Analysis results explained that: Between 6360 and 1750 cal yr BP, the study area was situated in a shallow sea on the outermost periphery of the sandbank, with a maximum water depth of 20 m. After 1750 cal yr BP, it underwent a transition to a supratidal low-salinity shallow marsh environment that continued to be influenced by marine conditions. The climate in the study area is primarily influenced by the Asian monsoon: Before 3000 cal yr BP, the overall climatic conditions were characterized by warm and humid conditions; After 3000 cal yr BP, climate stability prevailed in the region. Meanwhile, due to the newly formed wetlands that facilitated extensive salt production, economic shifts toward southern regions, and reforms in salt laws during the Tang Dynasty, Juegang emerged as a flourishing commercial trade hub and a prosperous center for Buddhist culture.

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Testing the mid-Holocene relative sea-level highstand hypothesis in North Wales, UK

Cited by 3 publications

References 51 publications

Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models

Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models

Depositional Setting and Cementation Pattern of Al-Mejarma Beachrocks, Saudi Arabia: A Proxy for the Late Quaternary Red Sea Coastal Evolution

Sea-level changes and human economic development in the northern flank of the Yangtze River Delta during the Middle to Late Holocene

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