Early to middle Holocene silicic tephra horizons from the Katla volcanic system,Iceland: new results from the Faroe Islands

Comparatively few Icelandic tephra horizons dated to the early part of the Holocene have so far been detected outside Iceland. Here, I present several tephra horizons that have been recorded in a Holocene peat sequence on the Faroe Islands. Geochemical analyses show that at least two dacitic and one rhyolitic tephra layers were erupted from the Katla volcanic system on southern Iceland between ca. 8000 and 5900 cal. yr BP. The upper two layers can be correlated with the SILK tephras described from southern Iceland, whereas the third, dated to ca. 8000 cal. yr BP, has a geochemistry virtually identical to the rhyolitic component of the Vedde Ash. The results suggest that the Late Weichselian and early Holocene eruption history of the Katla volcano was probably more complex than inferred from Iceland. A new, early Holocene rhyolitic tephra dated to ca. 10 500 cal. yr BP probably originates in the Snæfellsnes volcanic centre in western Iceland. These new findings may play an important role in developing a Holocene tephra framework for northwest Europe. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

First discovery of cryptotephra in Holocene peat deposits of Estonia, eastern Baltic

This article reports the first discovery of middle Holocene cryptotephra from a peat sequence in Estonia, eastern Baltic. Two sequences, Mustjärve and Parika (located 110 km apart), were chosen for a pilot study aimed at finding traces of tephra fallout during the middle Holocene. Peat accumulation at both sites started in the early Holocene (c. 9500–9000 ¹⁴C yr BP; c . 11 000–10000 cal. yr BP) and continued throughout the whole Holocene. The radiocarbon-dated intervals between c. 2000 and 5000 ¹⁴C yr BP (c. 2000–5500 cal. yr BP) were chosen from both sites for the study. Colourless tephra shards were identified at 312–316 cm below the peat surface in the Mustjärve peat sequence, while no tephra was found in peat of the same age at Parika. Electron microprobe analyses suggest a correlation with the initial phase of the Hekla-4 eruption (c. 4260 cal. yr BP), although the age-depth model indicated an age around 4900 cal. yr BP. Small concentrations of colourless to light brown tephra shards at 266–270 cm in the Mustjärve sequence indicate that the Kebister tephra (c. 3750 cal. yr BP) might also be present, but geochemical analyses were not possible. The low concentration and small size of the tephra particles indicate that Estonian bogs are probably on the verge of where tephrochronology is possible in northwestern Europe. Further studies of full Holocene sequences are required in order to discover traces of other ash plumes reaching as far east as the eastern Baltic area.     

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project)

It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstruction of the Late Quaternary Glaciation of the Macha Khola valley (Gorkha Himal, Nepal) using relative and absolute (C, Be, dendrochronology) dating techniques

Late Quaternary glacier fluctuations in the Macha Khola valley (Gorkha Himal, Nepal) were reconstructed using relative and absolute dating techniques. Our results indicate that younger moraine complexes were left by Late Holocene (<1.7 cal. ka BP), mid-Holocene (ca 3 cal. ka BP), and Lateglacial (ca 13 cal. ka BP) ice advances. Older Late Quaternary glacier advances occurred during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 2 and 3–4. No relics of Middle or Early Pleistocene glaciations could be found. During MIS 3–4, glaciers advanced down to an altitude of at least 2150 m a.s.l., corresponding to an ELA depression of approximately 1300 m. At about 3500 m a.s.l., the MIS 2 Macha Khola glacier reached almost the thickness of the former MIS 3–4 glacier and retreated some time before 17.9 cal. ka BP. The Lateglacial glacier advanced again several times to altitudes between 2450 and 3400 m a.s.l. The mid-Holocene glaciers extended much farther down-valley than the Late Holocene ones. Dendrochronological data of Abies spectabilis suggested several periods of unfavourable growth conditions especially at the beginning of the 19th (1820) and 20th (1905) centuries.     

Holocene vegetation history in Romanian Subcarpathians

Pollen analysis from a peat core 7.0 m in length, taken from a bog near Bisoca, in a mid-altitude area of the Buzăului Subcarpathian mountains, is used to reconstruct the postglacial vegetation history of the region. The vegetation record, which is supported by twelve ¹⁴C dates, starts at the end of the Late Glacial period. At the Late Glacial/Holocene transition, open vegetation was replaced by forest, suggesting a fast response to climatic warming. The Holocene began with the expansion of Betula, Pinus and Ulmus, followed, after 11,000 cal yr BP, by Fraxinus, Quercus, Tilia and Picea. The rapid expansion of these taxa may be due to their existence in the area during the Late Glacial period. At ca. 9200 cal yr BP, Corylus expanded, reaching a maximum after 7600 cal yr BP. The establishment of Carpinus occurred at ca. 7200 cal yr BP, with a maximum at ca. 5700 cal yr BP. Fagus pollen is regularly recorded after 7800 cal yr BP and became dominant at ca. 2000 cal yr BP. The first indications of human activities appear around 3800 cal yr BP.     

Mid-Holocene Glacier Peak and Mount St. Helens We Tephra Layers Detected in Lake Sediments from Southern British Columbia Using High-Resolution Techniques

A Glacier Peak tephra has been found in the mid-Holocene sediment records of two subalpine lakes, Frozen Lake in the southern Coast Mountains and Mount Barr Cirque Lake in the North Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. The age–depth relationship for each lake suggests an age of 5000–5080 ¹⁴C yr B.P. (5500–5900 cal yr B.P.) for the eruption which closely approximates the estimated age (5100–5500 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) of the Dusty Creek tephra assemblage found near Glacier Peak. The tephra layer, which has not been reported previously from distal sites and was not readily visible in the sediments, was located using contiguous sampling, magnetic susceptibility measurements, wet sieving, and light microscopy. The composition of the glass in pumice fragments was determined by electron microprobe analysis and used to confirm the probable source of this mid-Holocene tephra layer. Using the same methods, the A.D. 1481–1482 Mount St. Helens We tephra layer was identified in sediments from Dog Lake in southeastern British Columbia, suggesting the plume drifted further north than previously thought. This high-resolution method for identifying tephra layers in lake sediments, which has worldwide application in tephrachronologic/paleoenvironmental studies, has furthered our knowledge of the timing and airfall distribution of Holocene tephras from two important Cascade volcanoes.     

The Holocene tephrostratigraphic record of Lake Shkodra (Albania and Montenegro)

Two cores were recovered in the southeastern part of Lake Shkodra (Montenegro and Albania) and sampled for identification of tephra layers. The first core (SK13, 7.8 m long) was recovered from a water depth of 7 m, while the second core (SK19, 5.8 m long) was recovered close to the present‐day shoreline (water depth of 2 m). Magnetic susceptibility investigations show generally low values with some peaks that in some cases are related to tephra layers. Naked‐eye inspection of the cores allowed the identification of four tephra layers in core SK13 and five tephra layers in core SK19. Major element analyses on glass shards and mineral phases allowed correlation of the tephra layers between the two cores, and their attribution to six different Holocene explosive eruptions of southern Italy volcanoes. Two tephra layers have under‐saturated composition of glass shards (foiditic and phonolitic) and were correlated to the AD 472 and the Avellino (ca. 3.9 cal. ka BP) eruptions of Somma‐Vesuvius. One tephra layer has benmoreitic composition and was correlated to the FL eruption of Mount Etna (ca. 3.4 cal. ka BP). The other three tephra layers have trachytic composition and were correlated to Astroni (ca. 4.2 cal. ka BP), Agnano Monte Spina (ca. 4.5 cal. ka BP) and Agnano Pomici Principali (ca. 12.3 cal. ka BP) eruptions of Campi Flegrei. The ages of tephra layers are in broad agreement with eight ¹⁴C accelerator mass spectrometric measurements carried out on plant remains and charcoal from the lake sediments at different depths along the two cores. The recognition of distal tephra layers from Italian volcanoes allowed the physical link of the Holocene archive of Lake Shkodra to other archives located in the central Mediterranean area and the Balkans (i.e. Lake Ohrid). Five of the recognised tephra layers were recognised for the first time in the Balkans area, and this has relevance for volcanic hazard assessment and for ash dispersal forecasting in case of renewed explosive activity from some of the southern Italy volcanoes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and climate records from Lake Kotokel, central Baikal region

Climatically driven Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation changes were reconstructed based on pollen records from the sediments of Lake Kotokel and Cheremushka Bog, located on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. The described paleoenvironmental record has higher resolution than records collected from Lake Baikal and unites individual events identified in prior studies of bottom and onshore cores. Remarkable shifts in landscapes and expansions of index plants are as follows. Forest tundra and/or forest steppe landscape with birch, spruce, Artemisia, and Poaceae prevailed at ca. 50–25 ¹⁴C kyr BP. Tundra and/or steppe vegetation dominated by Artemisia and Poaceae was typical for the Last Glacial Maximum. The expansion of shrub birch and willow occurred at ca. 15.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP. Two peaks of spruce expansion at ca. 47.5–42.4 ¹⁴C kyr BP (Karginian time) and at ca. 14.5–13 ka (Bølling-Allerød warm intervals) suggest that the condition were more humid than today. A slight increase in Artemisia at ca. 11–10.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP (13–12 ka) was indicative of the Younger Dryas event. An expansion of birch forests with fir at ca. 12–6.4 ka suggests higher humidity. The currently dominant Scots and Siberian pine forests with birch expanded since 6.4 ka.     

Late‐glacial and Holocene palaeoceanography of the North Icelandic shelf

High‐resolution gravity cores and box cores from the North Icelandic shelf have been studied for palaeoceanographic history based on lithological and biostratigraphical foraminiferal data. Results from two outer shelf cores covering the last 13.6 k ¹⁴C yr BP are presented in this paper. The sediments accumulated in north–south trending basins on each side of the Kolbeinsey Ridge at water depths of ca. 400 m. Sedimentation rates up to 1.5 m kyr⁻¹ are observed during the Late‐glacial and Holocene. The Vedde and Saksunarvatn tephras are present in the cores as well as the Hekla 1104. A new tephra, KOL‐GS‐2, has been identified and dated to 13.4 k ¹⁴C yr BP, and another tephra, geochemically identical to the Borrobol Tephra, has been found at the same level. At present, the oceanographic Polar Front is located on the North Icelandic shelf, which experiences sharp oceanographic surface boundaries between the cold East Icelandic Current and the warmer Irminger Current. Past changes in sedimentological and biological processes in the study area are assumed to be related to fluctuations of the Polar Front. The area was deglaciated before ca. 14 kyr BP, but there is evidence of ice rafting up to the end of the GS‐1 (Greenland Stadial 1, Younger Dryas) period, increasing again towards the end of the Holocene. Foraminiferal studies show a relatively strong GS‐2 (pre‐13 kyr BP) palaeo‐Irminger Current, followed by severe cooling and then by unstable conditions during the remainder of the GI‐1 (Greenland Interstadial 1, Bølling–Allerød) and GS‐1 (Younger Dryas). Another cooling event occurred during the Preboreal before the Holocene current system was established at about 9 kyr BP. After a climatic optimum between 9 and 6 kyr BP the climate began to deteriorate and fluctuate. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Holocene tephrochronology of the northern Antarctic Peninsula

Andesitic and basaltic andesitic tephra layers are abundant in Holocene deposits from the Antarctic Peninsula. Visually discernible tephra horizons occur in three lakes on Livingston Island. Tephra in two other lakes and in a moss bank on Elephant Island, with very low ash concentrations, were detected magnetically. Deception Island is the most likely volcanic source for the tephra. With direct ¹⁴C dating, age/depth curves, and cross-correlations at least 14 tephra horizons dating to between ca. 4700 and 250 yr B.P. were identified and now form the basis for a preliminary regional tephrochronology that will be a valuable dating tool for investigating the Holocene climatic history of Antarctica.     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene environments in Valle Carbajal, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

The authors discuss Late Pleistocene–Holocene depositional environments in one of the Fuegian Andes valleys on the basis of palynological, geomorphological, and sedimentological analyses from two sites located near the Beagle Channel. The results obtained at these localities reinforce and refine the Late Pleistocene–Holocene climatic pattern previously recorded there. A colder period, associated with the Younger Dryas stadial event, is suggested by low Nothofagus pollen frequency, and communities of grass, low scrub, and shrub heath expanded into the low/middle slopes (10,310 ¹⁴C yr BP). By ca. 9500 ¹⁴C yr BP, warmer and drier conditions occurred, as evidenced by the development of open-grown vegetation in the valley floors (pollen zone O-3), followed by the expansion of open Nothofagus woodland (pollen zone O-2) in the middle Holocene. The milder climate subsequently changed, as indicated by the spreading of the closed forest and mire (pollen zone O-1), to more humid and cooler conditions during the last ca. 5000 yr BP.     

Late Quaternary distal tephra-fall deposits in lacustrine sediments, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Tephra-fall deposits from Cook Inlet volcanoes were detected in sediment cores from Tustumena and Paradox Lakes, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, using magnetic susceptibility and petrography. The ages of tephra layers were estimated using 21 ¹⁴C ages on macrofossils. Tephras layers are typically fine, gray ash, 1-5 mm thick, and composed of varying proportions of glass shards, pumice, and glass-coated phenocrysts. Of the two lakes, Paradox Lake contained a higher frequency of tephra (0.8 tephra/100 yr; 109 over the 13,200-yr record). The unusually large number of tephra in this lake relative to others previously studied in the area is attributed to the lake's physiography, sedimentology, and limnology. The frequency of ash fall was not constant through the Holocene. In Paradox Lake, tephra layers are absent between ca. 800-2200, 3800-4800, and 9000-10,300 cal yr BP, despite continuously layered lacustrine sediment. In contrast, between 5000 and 9000 cal yr BP, an average of 1.7 tephra layers are present per 100 yr. The peak period of tephra fall (7000-9000 cal yr BP; 2.6 tephra/100 yr) in Paradox Lake is consistent with the increase in volcanism between 7000 and 9000 yr ago recorded in the Greenland ice cores.     

Mid‐Holocene environmental changes in the Bay of Skaill,Mainland Orkney,Scotland: an integrated geomorphological,sedimentological and stratigraphical study

A detailed multidisciplinary investigation of intertidal freshwater sediments exposed in the north of the Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland, have revealed a complex sedimentary sequence. This provided evidence for dynamic coastal environmental changes in the area since the mid‐Holocene. Freshwater ponds developed on glacial sediments ca. 6550 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 5590–5305). From ca. 6120 ± 70 yr BP (cal. bc 5040–4855), these were infilled by blown sand from the distal edge of a dune ridge located to the west. Thereafter, a series of sand‐blow events alternating with periods of quiescence occurred until ca. 4410 ± 60 yr BP (cal. bc 3325–2900). Between ca. 5240 ± 160 and 4660 ± 80 yr BP (cal. bc 4370–3115), pollen and charcoal records show evidence of anthropogenic activities, associated with the nearby Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae. Agriculture was probably affected by recurrent sand movement and widespread deposition of calcium carbonate in the hinterland of the bay. Machair development between ca. 6100 and 5000 yr BP (cal. bc 5235–3540) corresponds to a mid‐Holocene phase of dune formation recorded elsewhere in northwest Europe. The more recent and progressive formation of the bay has probably been related to increasing external forcing via storminess, long‐term relative sea‐level change and sediment starvation within this exposed environment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeolimnology of Lake Zeribar, Iran, and its climatic implications

Lake Zeribar sediments covering the time period of the last 25,000 years were examined for the contents of seeds, fruits, Characeae, diatoms, and molluscs. Reconstructions of the variations in the lake water level, salinity, and trophy suggest a sequence of climatic changes. Three pronounced stages of low and varying lake-water level occurred ca. 17,700–15,400, 12,600–12,000, and 10,000–6000 cal yr BP. Some water-level changes were correlated with variations in salinity. The most pronounced increase of salinity occurred 17,700–15,700 and 12,600–12,000 cal yr BP, and less distinct ones occurred about 6400–5900 and 2500 cal yr BP. Diatom assemblages indicated a strong increase of lake trophy ca. 20,200 cal yr BP. Between 6000 and 5000 cal yr BP diatoms characteristic of eutrophy increased in core 63J, and at about 3200 cal yr BP a distinct increase in mesotrophic forms occurred in core 70B. The changes in the occurrence of various organisms indicate increased temperatures about 21,000 cal yr BP, between 15,400 and 12,600, about 12,000, and about 11,700 cal yr BP. The reduced occurrence or disappearance of some of them suggest temperature decreases about 17,700–15,400 and 12,600–12,000 cal yr BP.     

Evidence for Holocene environmental changes in the northern Fertile Crescent provided by pedogenic carbonate coatings

Holocene environmental changes in the northern Fertile Crescent remain poorly understood because of the scarcity of local proxy records in the region. In this study we investigated pedogenic (soil-formed) carbonate coatings on stones at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe as an indicator of local early-mid Holocene environmental changes. The ¹⁴C ages and stable isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen in thin (0.2–0.3 mm thick) pedogenic carbonate lamina indicate two main periods of coating formation: the early-Holocene (ca. 10000–6000 cal yr BP) and the mid-Holocene (ca. 6000–4000 cal yr BP). During the first period, there was an inverse relationship between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O curves: a decrease in δ¹³C values coincide with an increase in δ¹⁸O values. For this period a trend towards higher temperatures is suggested. In the mid-Holocene, the mean rate of coating growth was 2–3 times higher than in the early Holocene. Both δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O reached their maximum values during this time and the direction of changes of the δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O curves became similar. The combination of data suggests that this period was the most humid in the Holocene and on average warmer than the early Holocene. At ca. 4000 cal yr BP secondary accumulation of carbonate ceased, presumably reflecting a shift to a more arid climate.     

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area, southern Greenland

We present results from an investigation of relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area in south Greenland from c. 11 000 cal. yr BP to the present. Isolation and transgression sequences from six lakes and two tidal basins have been identified using stratigraphical analyses, magnetic susceptibility, XRF and macrofossil analyses. Macrofossils and bulk sediments have been dated by AMS radiocarbon dating. Maximum and minimum altitudes for relative sea level are provided from two deglaciation and marine lagoon sequences. Initially, relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present-day level at ∼9000 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 8800 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, sea level reached its lowest level of around 6-8 m below highest astronomical tide (h.a.t.). At around 3750 cal. yr BP, sea level has reached above 2.7 m below h.a.t. and continued to rise slowly, reaching the present-day level between ∼2000 cal. yr BP and the present. As in the Nanortalik area further south, initial isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of low elevation basins in the Qaqortoq area. Distinct isolation contacts in the sediments are observed. The late Holocene transgression is less well defined and occurred over a longer time interval. The late Holocene sea-level rise implies reloading by advancing glaciers superimposed on the isostatic signal from the North American Ice Sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures from ∼4000 cal. yr BP may have been transgressed by the sea.     

Climatic oscillations in central Italy during the Last Glacial–Holocene transition: the record from Lake Accesa

This paper presents an event stratigraphy based on data documenting the history of vegetation cover, lake‐level changes and fire frequency, as well as volcanic eruptions, over the Last Glacial–early Holocene transition from a terrestrial sediment sequence recovered at Lake Accesa in Tuscany (north‐central Italy). On the basis of an age–depth model inferred from 13 radiocarbon dates and six tephra horizons, the Oldest Dryas–Bølling warming event was dated to ca. 14 560 cal. yr BP and the Younger Dryas event to ca. 12 700–11 650 cal. yr BP. Four sub‐millennial scale cooling phases were recognised from pollen data at ca. 14 300–14 200, 13 900–13 700, 13 400–13 100 and 11 350–11 150 cal. yr BP. The last three may be Mediterranean equivalents to the Older Dryas (GI‐1d), Intra‐Allerød (GI‐1b) and Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cooling events defined from the GRIP ice‐core and indicate strong climatic linkages between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean areas during the last Termination. The first may correspond to Intra‐Bølling cold oscillations registered by various palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic region. The lake‐level record shows that the sub‐millennial scale climatic oscillations which punctuated the last deglaciation were associated in central Italy with different successive patterns of hydrological changes from the Bølling warming to the 8.2 ka cold reversal. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level changes on the Isle of Skye,Scotland, UK

Detailed litho‐ and biostratigraphical analyses from three coastal sites in contrasting coastal settings on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, reveal evidence for several changes in relative sea level during the Late Devensian and Holocene. At the start of the record, relative sea level in the area was high at ca. 12 500 ¹⁴C (ca. 14 800 cal.) yr BP but then fell, reaching a low point during the Younger Dryas, at ca. 11 000–10 000 ¹⁴C (ca. 13 000–11 600 cal.) yr BP, when a rock platform, correlated with the Main Rock Platform, was formed. In the early–middle Holocene, relative sea level was rising by ca. 8000 ¹⁴C (ca. 8800 cal.) yr BP and in northeast Skye a lagoonal surface, correlated with the Main Postglacial Shoreline, was formed at ca. 6600 ¹⁴C (ca. 7500 cal.) yr BP. By the late Holocene, relative sea level was again falling, but a rise, registered at at least two sites, began probably before ca. 4000 ¹⁴C (ca. 4500 cal.) yr BP, and a second lagoonal surface in northeast Skye, correlated with the Blairdrummond Shoreline, was formed, although by ca. 3000 ¹⁴C (ca. 3200 cal.) yr BP relative sea level in the area had resumed its downward trend. The pattern of relative sea‐level changes disclosed is compared with evidence elsewhere in Scotland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variations in Sediment Yield from the Upper Doubs River Carbonate Watershed (Jura, France) since the Late-Glacial Period

The Upper Doubs River Valley is a 910-km²watershed feeding into Lake Chaillexon. The lake was formed by a natural rockfall at the end of the Bølling Chronozone (around 14,250 cal yr B.P.) and since then has trapped material eroded from the watershed. The filling process and variations in sediment yield have been investigated by mechanical coring, seismic surveys, and electric soundings. The detrital sediment yield of the upstream watershed can be calculated by quantifying the sedimentary stocks for each climatic stage of the Late-Glacial period and Holocene Epoch and estimating the lake's entrapment capacity. This enables us to determine the intensity of the erosion processes in relation to climate and environmental factors. The Bølling–Allerød Interstade produced the greatest yields with mean values of 19,500 metric tons per calendar year (t/yr). The Younger Dryas Chronozone saw a sharp fall (8900 t/yr) that continued into the Preboreal (2100 t/yr). Clastic supply increased during the Boreal (4500 t/yr) before declining again in the Early Atlantic (2400 t/yr). Since then, yields have risen from 4500 t/yr in the Late Atlantic to 6800 t/yr in the Subboreal and 11,100 t/yr in the Subatlantic. Comparison of quantitative data with the qualitative analysis of the deposits and with the paleohydrologic curve of the watershed based on level fluctuations in lakes around Chaillexon shows that climate was the controlling factor of sediment yield until the Late Atlantic. From the Late Atlantic–Subboreal around 5400 cal yr B.P. (4700¹⁴C yr B.P.) and especially from the end of the Subboreal Chronozone and during the Subatlantic Chronozone (2770 cal yr B.P./2700¹⁴C yr B.P.–present) climatic constraints have been compounded by human activity related to forest clearing and land use.