New evidence for the Holocene sea-level high from the inner shelf, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Beaman, Robin J;Larcombe, Piers;Carter, Robert M

Abstract

Radiocarbon dates from fossil oyster beds of intertidal origin on Magnetic Island, north Queensland indicate that the local Holocene maximum of relative sea-level was attained no later than 5660 +/- 50 B.P. (conventional uncorrected age) and remained at 1.6-1.7 m above modern levels until 4040 +/- 50 B.P. Given the tectonic stability of the area, this implies that eustatic sea-level remained at its Holocene peak for at least ca. 1600 yr. The new high-precision sea-level data indicate sea levels 1-5 m higher than those of the same age inferred from buried mangrove deposits on the inner shelf in north Queensland. Uncertainties in deriving relative sea-level from such mangrove deposits may be a significant source of error in worldwide attempts to distinguish the eustatic and crustal warping components off relative sea-level change, especially in the tropics.

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Journal of Sedimentary Research

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1527-1404

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Society for Sedimentary Geology

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