Effective precipitation in southern Spain ( 266 to 46 ka) based on a speleothem stable carbon isotope record

We present the longest-duration directly dated terrestrial palaeoclimate record from the western Mediterranean region: a flowstone speleothem from Gitana Cave, southeast Spain. The main phase of growth was 274 to 58 ka, dated by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) U-series methods. Effective precipitation, which we consider primarily responsible for flowstone calcite δ¹³C variations, measured at 300 μm resolution, was higher during interglacials associated with marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 7 and 5, and lower during glacial MIS 6. There is a close correspondence between speleothem δ¹³C and sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from adjacent Atlantic Ocean cores during MIS 6, which implies that oceanic conditions are critical in controlling the western Mediterranean terrestrial moisture balance during glacial periods. Other features of our record, such as the sequence of termination II warming/moistening between approximately 133 and 127 ka, including a “pause” around 130–128 ka, and the lagged termination of MIS 5 warm intervals (5e, 5c and 5a) are similar to other terrestrial records within the Mediterranean basin, indicating climate synchroneity along the northern Mediterranean coast. The Gitana cave region also may have been a refugium for temperate species during short-lived cold/arid periods during MIS 5.     

The chronostratigraphy of a quaternary sequence at the distal part of the nile littoral cell,Haifa Bay,Israel

The current detailed chronostratigraphic framework of the last 1 Ma of an eastern Mediterranean sequence (Haifa Bay, Israel) aims to examine the relative roles of sea‐level changes, climate and tectonics. Seven continuous marine cores, up to ～120 m long, were recovered from shallow water depths. The cores were dated by optically stimulated luminescence, ¹⁴C, magnetostratigraphy, ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U, ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be, occurrence of index fossils and correlated to the global sea‐level curve and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). The sedimentary sequence accumulated during the last ca. 1.0 Ma consists of 21 transgression–regression units with hiatuses between them. Five marine/terrestrial cycles, which occur in the lower part of the sequence, are attributed to the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary, and correspond to MIS 29–21. The top ～50 m includes three sedimentary cycles deposited in the last ca. 400 ka. The regressive phases during this interval correspond to Glacial MIS 8, 6 and 2, while the transgressions correspond to Interglacial MIS 11, 7, 5 and 1. Thus, for the first time, this study documents the longest Quaternary succession dated so far in a key area of the Levant, sensitive to global history of sea‐level changes and glacial/interglacial fluctuations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution and architecture of a West Mediterranean Upper Pleistocene to Holocene coastal apron‐fan system

The Quaternary deposits of tectonically stable areas are a powerful tool to investigate high‐frequency climate variations (<10 ka) and to distinguish allogenic and autogenic factors controlling deposition. Therefore, an Upper Pleistocene–Holocene coastal apron‐fan system in north–western Sardinia (Porto Palmas, Italy) was studied to investigate the relations between climate changes, sea‐level fluctuations and sediment source‐supply that controlled its development. The sedimentary sequence records the strong influence of local (wet/dry) and worldwide (sea‐level) environmental variations in the sedimentation and preservation of the deposits. A multi‐disciplinary approach allowed subdivision of the succession into four major, unconformity‐bounded stratigraphic units: U1 U2, U3 and U4. Unit U1, tentatively dated to the warm and humid Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5, consists of sandy, gravelly coastal/beach deposits developed during high sea‐level in low‐lying areas. Unit U2 consists of debris‐flow dominated fan‐deposits (ca 74 ka; MIS 4), preserved as partial fills of small valleys and coves. Unit U2 is mainly composed of reddish silty conglomerate to pebbly siltstones sourced from the Palaeozoic metamorphic inland hills (bedrock), superficially disintegrated during the preceding warm, vegetation‐rich MIS 5. The cold and semi‐arid climate strongly reduced vegetation cover along the valley flanks. Therefore, sediment gravity‐flow processes, possibly activated by rainstorms, led to deposition of debris‐flow dominated fans. Unit U3 consists of water‐flow dominated alluvial‐fan deposits (ca 47 to 23 ka; MIS 3), developed on a slightly inclined coastal plain. Unit U3 is composed of sandstone and sandy conglomerate fed from two main sediment sources: metamorphic inland bedrock and Quaternary bioclastic‐rich shelf‐derived sands. During this cold phase, sea‐level dropped sufficiently to expose bioclastic sands accumulated on the shelf. Frequent climate fluctuations favoured inland aeolian transport of sand during dry phases, followed by reworking of the aeolian bodies by flash floods during wet phases. Bedrock‐derived fragments mixed with water‐reworked, wind‐blown sands led to the development of water‐flow dominated fans. The Dansgaard–Oeschger events possibly associated with sand landward deflation and main fan formations are Dansgaard–Oeschger 13 (ca 47 ka), Dansgaard–Oeschger 8 (ca 39 ka) and Dansgaard–Oeschger 2 (ca 23 ka). No record of sedimentation during MIS 2 was observed. Finally, bioclastic‐rich aeolianites (Unit U4, ca 10 to 5 ka; MIS 1), preserved on a coastal slope, were developed during the Holocene transgression (ca 10 to 5 ka; MIS 1). The studied sequence shows strong similarities with those of other Mediterranean sites; it is, however, one of the few where the main MIS 4 and MIS 3 climatic fluctuations are registered in the sedimentary record.     

A continuous stable isotope record from the penultimate glacial maximum to the Last Interglacial (159–121 ka) from Tana Che Urla Cave (Apuan Alps,central Italy)

Relatively few radiometrically dated records are available for the central Mediterranean spanning the marine oxygen isotope stage 6–5 (MIS 6–5) transition and the first part of the Last Interglacial. Two flowstone cores from Tana che Urla Cave (TCU, central Italy), constrained by 19 U/Th ages, preserve an interval of continuous speleothem deposition between ca. 159 and 121 ka. A multiproxy record (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, growth rate and petrographic changes) obtained from this flowstone preserves significant regional-scale hydrological changes through the glacial/interglacial transition and multi-centennial variability (interpreted as alternations between wetter and drier periods) within both glacial and interglacial stages. The glacial stage shows a wetter period between ca. 154 and 152 ka, while the early to middle Last Interglacial period shows several drying events at ca. 129, 126 and 122 ka, which can be placed in the wider context of climatic instability emerging from North Atlantic marine and NW European terrestrial records. The TCU record also provides important insights into the evolution of local environmental conditions (i.e. soil development) in response to regional and global-scale climate events.     

Reconstruction of Middle to Late Quaternary sea level using submerged speleothems from the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula

We examined 14 subaerially deposited speleothems retrieved from submerged caves in the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico). These speleothems grew during the Middle to Late Quaternary and were dated by ²³⁰Th-U techniques to provide upper depth limits for past sea levels. We report the first relative sea-level limits for Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11 and 6, and present new evidence for sea-level oscillations during MIS 5 and early MIS 1. For the latter periods, the origin of growth interruptions is evaluated by combining petrographic methods with trace element analyses. The MIS 5c sea-level highstand probably occurred between 103.94 ± 0.58 ka and 96.82 ± 0.42 ka and must have exceeded -10.8 m (relative to present-day local sea level). The minimum average rate of sea-level fall over a 9.4 ka-long period during the MIS 5e/5d transition is calculated from stalagmite and published coral data at 1.74 ± 0.37 m/ka. For the early Holocene, previous discrepancies with respect to a potential multimetre oscillation of local sea level were found to be challenging to reconcile with the existing speleothem data from the area.     

North Atlantic control on precipitation pattern in the eastern Mediterranean/Black Sea region during the last glacial

Based on proxy records from western Black Sea cores, we provide a comprehensive study of climate change during the last glacial maximum and late-glacial period in the Black Sea region. For the first time we present a record of relative changes in precipitation for NW Anatolia based on variations in the terrigenous supply expressed as detrital carbonate concentration. The good correspondence between reconstructed rainfall intensity in NW Anatolia and past western Mediterranean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) implies that during the glacial period the precipitation variability was controlled, like today, by Mediterranean cyclonic disturbances. Periods of reduced precipitation correlate well with low SSTs in the Mediterranean related to Heinrich events H1 and H2. Stable oxygen isotopes and lithological and mineralogical data point to a significant modification in the dominant freshwater/sediment source concomitant to the meltwater inflow after 16.4 cal ka BP. This change implies intensification of the northern sediment source and, with other records from the Mediterranean region, consistently suggests a reorganization of the atmospheric circulation pattern affecting the hydrology of the European continent. The early deglacial northward retreat of both atmospheric and oceanic polar fronts was responsible for the warming in the Mediterranean region, leading simultaneously to more humid conditions in central and northern Europe.     

New data on the pleistocene of Mallorca

Stratigraphic, geomorphologic and isoleucine epimerization studies at 15 sites in Mallorca define four aminozones (A, C, E and F-G) of increasing age that are related to transgressive-regressive marine cycles from the Holocene to the mid Pleistocene. Calibration of aminozone E (Glycymeris aIle/Ile mean from all sites = 0.41 ± 0.03 (n=38)) is provided by a 129 ± 7 ka U-series coral age on Cladocora caespitosa from Son Grauet. Of the younger aminozones, A relates to the Holocene transgression and aminozone C to a mid to late isotopic stage 5 event (90 ± 15 ka) revealed only by supralittoral eolianites. Assigning an age to the older, poorly resolved aminozones F and G (called F-G in this case) is uncertain without supporting radiometric data. But an age of > 180 ka can be assigned to these aminozone (s) F-G based on a kinetic model and other examples in the Mediterranean.Several deposits, previously dated (U-series, molluscs) between 75 and > 300 ka appear to belong to the last interglacial complex (Stage 5) and aminozone E. A proposed revision of the positive sea level history of Mallorca shows multiple minor oscillations during the major last interglacial cycle (Stage 5) and two mid Pleistocene sea levels, one lower than present and the other at about 14 m a.s.l.     

Paleoclimate and growth rates of speleothems in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula over the last two glacial cycles

Speleothem growth requires humid climates sufficiently warm to stimulate soil CO₂ production by plants. We compile 283 U/Th dates on 21 stalagmites from six cave systems in the NW coast of Spain to evaluate if there are patterns in stalagmite growth that are evidence of climatic forcing. In the oldest stalagmites, from marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 7–5, growth persists through the glacial period. Hiatuses and major reductions in growth rate occur during extreme minima in summer insolation. Stalagmites active during the last interglaciation cease growth at the MIS 5–4 boundary (74 ka), when regional sea-surface temperature cooled significantly. During MIS 3, only two stalagmites grew; rates were highest between 50 and 60 ka during the maximum in summer insolation. One stalagmite grew briefly at 41 ka, 36.5 and 28.6 ka, all during warm phases of the Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. A pronounced Holocene optimum in stalagmite growth occurs from 9 to 6 ka. The cessation of most growth by 4.1 ka, coincident with broad increases in aridity over the Mediterranean and areas influenced by the North African Monsoon, suggest that regions such as NW Spain, with dominant Atlantic moisture sources, also experienced increased aridity at this time.     

U-Th dating of Lake Lisan (late Pleistocene dead sea) aragonite and implications for glacial east Mediterranean climate change

U-series dating can be an effective means to obtain accurate and precise ages on Quaternary carbonates. However, most samples require a correction for U and Th in admixed detritus. This complication is often addressed through generation of U-Th isochrons, requiring analyses of several coeval samples. In addition, presence of water-derived (hydrogenous) Th in the carbonate can cause inaccuracies in isochron ages.This study reports a high-resolution U-series chronology of sediments deposited by Lake Lisan, the last glacial precursor of the Dead Sea. The strategy employed combines multiple measurements from a few stratigraphic heights and fewer analyses from many heights in a single described and measured section. The resulting chronology is based on ages at 22 heights in a ∼40-m-thick section covering the interval of ∼70-14 calendar ka BP. The effects of admixed detritus are evaluated using trace elements. Nearly pure aragonite samples, indicated by very low abundances of insoluble elements such as Nb and Zr, were found to contain hydrogenous Th, which causes the uncorrected U-²³⁰Th age of a modern sample to be ∼2.5 ka. Nevertheless, accurate ages have been obtained by correcting for the detrital and aqueous interferences. The resulting ages are in stratigraphic order, and their accuracy is evidenced by consistency of Lisan Formation U-series and ¹⁴C ages with the coral-based calendar-radiocarbon age calibration.The U-Th ages provide a context to unravel the limnological history of Lake Lisan. Boundaries between the Lower, Middle, and Upper stratigraphic units correspond to the MIS 4/3 and 3/2 transitions, respectively. During MIS 2 and 4 the lake generally showed a stable two-layer configuration and a positive fresh-water balance, reflected by deposition of laminated aragonite-detritus. Dry intervals during MIS 2 and 4 are indicated by thick gypsum layers and an inferred depositional hiatus, which are temporally associated with Heinrich events H1 at ∼17 ka and H6 at ∼65 ka, respectively. During MIS 3 the lake level was unstable with intermittent dry periods indicated by abundant clastic layers and a significant hiatus between ∼43-49 ka. Clastic layers are associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger events during MIS 3, and indicate lake level declines during abrupt Northern Hemisphere warmings. Overall, the climate of the Eastern Mediterranean region shows a strong linkage to the Northern Hemisphere climate, with increasing lake size and stability during cold periods, and fluctuations and dessication during warmings and Heinrich events.     

Late Quaternary landscape reconstruction and geochronology in the northern Pampas of Buenos Aires province,Argentina

This paper reports the main sedimentary characteristics, soil micromorphology and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, and details the pedosedimentary reconstruction, of the Hudson site situated in the northern Pampas of Buenos Aires province. It also provides the OSL chronology and a reinterpretation of previously reported micromorphological features for the nearby site of Gorina. Finally, the stratigraphic records of both sites are compared and the main environmental events discussed in a regional context.At Hudson, situated at a low altitude environment close to the coastal plain, the basal fine-grained paludal deposits were unconformably covered by coastal marine sediments with an OSL age of ca. 128 ka supporting its correlation with the high stand of sea level of marine isotope stage 5e. A paleosol developed on the marine deposits and the underlying paludal sediments. OSL ages suggest that soil development and its subsequent erosion occurred over some period between ca. 128 and 54 ka. Fine sediment accumulation in a paludal environment continued until prior to ca. 23 ka when the accumulation of the uppermost loess mantle started. It continued until the early Holocene when present soil development began. At Gorina, OSL ages suggest that the upper part of the pedocomplex formed at some stage between ca. 194 and 56 ka. Loess then accumulated followed by an erosional phase; loess deposition restarted by ca. 29 ka and continued until the beginning of the Holocene (ca. 9 ka) when the present land surface was established.The stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental differences exhibited by the Hudson and Gorina records result from their contrasting geomorphological settings. The OSL geochronology suggests that the last interglacial (MIS 5) at Hudson is marked by the accumulation of marine deposits (MIS 5e) and the subsequent development of a paleosol. The equivalent soil-forming interval at Gorina is represented by the upper part of the buried pedocomplex. Both at Gorina and Hudson, loess accumulation was dominant especially during MIS 2. Loess accumulation continued during MIS 1 until the early Holocene with apparently somewhat higher sedimentation rates in Hudson. Pedogenesis has been predominant during the rest of the Holocene, resulting in the formation of the surface soil profiles.     

Phytoliths as quantitative indicators for the reconstruction of past environmental conditions in China II: palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Loess Plateau

Quantitative reconstruction of the climatic history of the Chinese Loess Plateau is important for understanding present and past environment and climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we reconstructed mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) trends during the last 136 ka based on the analysis of phytoliths from the Weinan loess section (34°24′N, 109°30′E) near the southern part of the Loess Plateau in northern China. The reconstructions have been carried out using a Chinese phytolith–climate calibration model based on weighted averaging partial least-squares regression. A series of cold and dry events, as indicated by the reconstructed MAT and MAP, are documented in the loess during the last glacial periods, which can be temporally correlated with the North Atlantic Heinrich events. Our MAT and MAP estimations show that the coldest and/or driest period occurred at the upper part of L2 unit (Late MIS 6), where MAT dropped to ca 4.4 °C and MAP to ca 100 mm. Two other prominent cold-dry periods occurred at lower Ll-5 (ca 77–62 ka) and L1-1 (ca 23–10.5 ka) where the MAT and MAP decreased to about 6.1–6.5 °C and 150–370 mm, respectively, ca 6.6–6.2 °C and 400–200 mm lower than today. However, the highest MAT (average 14.6 °C, max. 18.1 °C) and MAP (average 757 mm, max. 1000 mm) occurred at Sl interval (MIS 5). During the interstadial of L1-4–L1-2 (MIS 3) and during the Holocene warm-wet period, the MAT was about 1–2 °C and MAP 100–150 mm higher than today in the Weinan region. The well-dated MAT and MAP reconstructions from the Chinese Loess Plateau presented in this paper are the first quantitatively reconstructed proxy record of climatic changes at the glacial–interglacial timescale that is based on phytolith data. This study also reveals a causal link between climatic instability in the Atlantic Ocean and climate variability in the Chinese Loess Plateau.     

Orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes in the north‐eastern Japan Basin,East Sea/Japan Sea during the late Quaternary

Two gravity sediment cores (GH99‐1239 and GH99‐1246) obtained from the north‐eastern Japan Basin in the East Sea/Japan Sea were analyzed for the orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes. Chronostratigraphically, core GH99‐1239 represents a continuous sedimentary record since 32 ka, based on correlation of distinct lithological markers (i.e. dark layer or TL layer) with those in core GH98‐1232 collected nearby. For core GH99‐1246, the age model is constructed through correlation of lightness (L*) values and tephra (Aso‐4 and Toya) layers with those in the well‐dated Oki Ridge core (MD01‐2407), indicating about 134 ka of sedimentation since the latest Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6. New geochemical data from both cores corroborate orbital‐scale paleoceanographic variation, such that surface‐water productivity, represented by biogenic opal and total organic carbon (TOC) contents, increased during MIS 1 and MIS 5; CaCO₃ contents do not show such distinct glacial–interglacial cycles, but were influenced by dissolution and preservation rather than foraminiferal production. During the glacial periods when sea ice was prevalent, surface‐water productivity was low, and bottom‐water conditions became anoxic, as indicated by high total sulfur (TS) contents and high Mo concentrations. The geochemical data further document millennial‐scale paleoceanographic variability, corresponding to a series of thin TL layers in response to Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles but irrespective of the glacial or interglacial periods. In particular, thin TL layers formed during MIS 3 are characterized by less TOC (about 1%) and TS (about 0.4%) contents and lower Mo (about 5 p.p.m.) concentration, whereas those during MIS 4 and MIS 5 exhibit more TOC (up to 4%) and TS (up to 5%) contents and higher Mo (up to 120 p.p.m.) concentration. Such a discrepancy is attributed to different degree of surface‐water productivity and of bottom‐water oxygenation, which is closely related to the sea level position and extent of ventilation. Flux of the East China Sea Coastal Water controlled by millennial‐scale paleoclimatic events is the most critical factor in deciding the properties of TL layers in the north‐eastern Japan Basin. Our results strongly confirm that TL layers in the Japan Basin also validate the unique feature of basin‐wide paleoceanographic signals in the East Sea/Japan Sea. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Luminescence dating of Late Pleistocene faults as evidence of uplift and active tectonics in Sardinia,W Mediterranean

Precise dating of the activity of Late Pleistocene to Holocene neo‐tectonic structures is crucial to quantify the rate of deformation in low‐seismicity regions. Sardinia is a relatively stable continental fragment set in the middle of the tectonically active Western Mediterranean belt. This paper provides evidences of significant uplift of northwest Sardinia that support an ongoing tectonic activity since the Marine Isotopic Stage 7 (MIS 7; ca. 220 ka). In particular, it documents for the first time Late Pleistocene to Holocene tectonics based on luminescence dating of travertine sealing a major NNE‐SSW fault.     

Comparison of ESR and TIMS U/Th dating of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e, 5c, and 5a coral from Barbados—implications for palaeo sea-level changes in the Caribbean

Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of coral has become an efficient geochronological tool in supporting morphostratigraphic studies carried out on Barbados during the last 10 years. The newly developed approach for D_E determination (D_E–D_max plot procedure) improves the precision of ESR dating of Pleistocene coral, and therefore permits differentiation between the main marine isotope stages (MIS) 5, 7, 9 and 11 and also between sub-stages 5e, c and a. This study compares results of ESR and TIMS Uranium series dating (U/Th) of emergent Last Interglacial coral reef terraces from Barbados, and presents some implications for the timing and extent of sea-level changes during marine isotope stages (MIS) 5e, c and a. Both dating methods indicate a distinct formation of up to three coral reef terraces during MIS 5e, at approximately 132 ka (ESR) to 128 ka (U/Th), at c. 128 ka (ESR) and at c. 120 ka (U/Th) to 118 ka (ESR). It is also highly probable that three reef terraces were developed during MIS 5c between c. 103 ka (U/Th) and 105 ka (ESR). The formation of two separate coral reefs during MIS 5a is recognized for the first time on Barbados, with an age estimate for the older MIS 5a-2 reef of 85 ka (ESR) or 84 ka (U/Th), and an age estimate for the younger MIS 5a-1 reef terraces of 74 ka (ESR) or 77 ka (U/Th). Assuming a constant uplift rate of 0.276 m/ka at the south coast of Barbados, sea-level reached its maximum during MIS 5e-3 and MIS 5e-2 between 132 and 128 ka ago. After this, sea-level declined reaching a level of c. −11 m below present sea level approx. 118–120 ka ago (MIS 5e-1). During the substage 5c sea-level was generally lower than in substage 5e. It reached relative maxima at c. −13, −20 and −25 m during MIS 5c (approx. 105 ka) and formed three distinct coral reef terraces probably in relative short time intervals. For the first time, a double sea-level oscillation is recognized on Barbados during MIS 5a: an early MIS 5a-2 (c. 85 ka) with a sea-level places at approx. −21 m, and a late MIS 5a-1 sub-stage (c. 74 or 77 ka) with a sea-level at approx. –19 m below present sea level.     

Beach deposits of MIS 5e high sea stand as indicators for tectonic stability of the Carmel coastal plain,Israel

Ten beach deposits, mainly beachrock, on the Carmel coastal plain, northern Israel, are discussed. Six are reported for the first time. The deposits are situated within or close to the following seasonal stream (locally termed Nahal) channels: Nahal Ahuza, Amiram, Ovadia, Galim, Megadim, Bir Ibdawiya, Me’arot and Kebara. The morphology and lithology of most of the deposits are similar: their uppermost altitude varies from 0 to 9 m above the present sea level. Most of the deposits are composed mainly of fine quartz sand and marine mollusk shells carbonate cemented. The dominant mollusk families are Glycymerididae, Cardiidae and Donacidae. Most of the beach deposits are situated between cemented aeolian sandstones (locally termed kurkar) layers on the Carmel coast ridge. In the Nahal Ahuza deposit, a marine gastropod Lentigo latus, an index fossil for the MIS 5e high sea stand in the Mediterranean area was discovered.According to lithology and chronostratigraphy, the presence of Lentigo latus, Th/U, AAR and RTL dating and flint artifacts, the beach deposits were related to the Last Interglacial maximum about 125 ka BP, i.e. the MIS 5e high sea stand. These beach deposits are used to identify the palaeo sea levels and coastlines and to study the tectonics along the Carmel coastal plain. By comparing the elevations and characteristics of the beach deposits to known MIS 5e deposits elsewhere, and by analyzing archaeological data, it is concluded that during the last 125 ka, the maximum possible vertical displacement was less than 48 mm/ka, and the Carmel coastal plain was relatively tectonically stable.     

Global sea-level fluctuations during the Last Interglaciation (MIS 5e)

The geomorphology and morphostratigraphy of numerous worldwide sites reveal the relative movements of sea level during the peak of the Last Interglaciation (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, assumed average duration between 130±2 and 119±2 ka). Because sea level was higher than present, deposits are emergent, exposed, and widespread on many stable coastlines. Correlation with MIS 5e is facilitated by similar morphostratigraphic relationships, a low degree of diagenesis, uranium–thorium (U/Th) ages, and a global set of amino-acid racemization (AAR) data. This study integrates information from a large number of sites from tectonically stable areas including Bermuda, Bahamas, and Western Australia, and some that have experienced minor uplift (∼2.5 m/100 ka), including selected sites from the Mediterranean and Hawaii. Significant fluctuations during the highstand are evident at many MIS 5e sites, revealed from morphological, stratigraphic, and sedimentological evidence. Rounded and flat-topped curves derived only from reef tracts are incomplete and not representative of the entire interglacial story. Despite predictions of much different sea-level histories in Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Western Australia due to glacio- and hydro-isostatic effects, the rocks from these sites reveal a nearly identical record during the Last Interglaciation.The Last Interglacial highstand is characterized by several defined sea-level intervals (SLIs) that include: (SLI#1) post-glacial (MIS 6/5e Termination II) rise to above present before 130 ka; (SLI#2) stability at +2 to +3 m for the initial several thousand years (∼130 to ∼125 ka) during which fringing reefs were established and terrace morphology was imprinted along the coastlines; (SLI#3) a brief fall to near or below present around 125 ka; (SLI#4) a secondary rise to and through ∼+3–4 m (∼124 to ∼122 ka); followed by (SLI#5) a brief period of instability (∼120 ka) characterized by a rapid rise to between +6 to +9 m during which multiple notches and benches were developed; and (SLI#6) an apparently rapid descent of sea level into MIS 5d after 119 ka. U/Th ages are used to confirm the Last Interglacial age of the deposits, but unfortunately, in only two cases was it possible to corroborate the highstand subdivisions using radiometric ages.Sea levels above or at present were relatively stable during much of early MIS 5e and the last 6–7 ka of MIS 1, encouraging a comparison between them. The geological evidence suggests that significant oceanographic and climatic changes occurred thereafter, midway through, and continuing through the end of MIS 5e. Fluctuating sea levels and a catastrophic termination of MIS 5e are linked to the instability of grounded and marine-based ice sheets, with the Greenland (GIS) and West Antarctic (WAIS) ice sheets being the most likely contributors. Late MIS 5e ice volume changes were accompanied by oceanographic reorganization and global ecological shifts, and provide one ominous scenario for a greenhouse world.     

Upper Pleistocene tectonics in western Sardinia (Italy): Insights from the Sinis peninsula structural high

The Corsica‐Sardinia block is a lithospheric fragment whose recent role in the geodynamics of the central‐Western Mediterranean basin is still enigmatic. The most recent regional structure in Sardinia is the Plio‐Pleistocene Campidano Basin, which is considered in a ‘post‐rift’ stage since the Middle Pleistocene. New structural and stratigraphic geological surveys along with luminescence ages provide evidence to support an ongoing tectonic activity since the Marine Isotopic Stage 7 (MIS7; ca. 220 ka) on the Sinis peninsula, the structural high that bounds the north‐western side of the Campidano Basin. In particular, this paper reveals for the first time the presence of N–S striking normal faults system offsetting late Pleistocene aeolianites (130 ± 12 ka; 82 ± 9 ka).     

Middle Pleistocene magnetostratigraphy and susceptibility stratigraphy: data from a carbonate aeolian system,Mallorca, Western Mediterranean

This study shows that successions of Pleistocene carbonate aeolian deposits can be placed successfully in a geochronologic framework using magnetostratigraphic and susceptibility stratigraphic analysis supplemented by luminescence dating, studies of wave-cut platforms, and biostratigraphic evidence. The investigated aeolian system covers a significant part of southernmost Mallorca and is exposed in impressive coastal cliff sections.At the study site at Els Bancals the aeolian system has a maximum thickness of 16 m and is composed of alternating dark red colluvial deposits and greyish red aeolian dune and sand-sheet deposits forming seven cyclostratigraphic units. Each cyclostratigraphic unit represents landscape stabilisation, colluviation, and soil formation followed by dunefield development, when marine carbonate sand was transported far inland by westerly or north-westerly winds. The aeolian system is located on top of a wave-cut marine platform 12–14 m a.s.l. This platform probably formed during a sea-level highstand in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (427–364 ka), and renewed marine activity probably later in MIS 11 is indicated by the formation of beach deposits.Two sections at Els Bancals were sampled for a paleomagnetic study; additional samples were taken to detect variations in magnetic susceptibility (MS). The characteristic remanent magnetisation has been recovered for the most part of the succession in spite of diagenetic overprinting. There is evidence for two probably three reversal polarity excursions, possible connected to the Levantine, CR1 and CR0/Biwa III episodes. If this correlation is correct, the sampled succession represents a time interval in the Middle Pleistocene between ca 410 and ca 260 ka. This age estimate is supported by the MS study and by luminescence dates of 333±70 ka (aeolianite from lower part of the succession) and 275±23 ka (aeolianite from the top of the succession).The nature of the succession suggests deposition during alternating warm and moist (colluvial deposition; soil formation) and cold, dry and windy conditions (dunefield formation). The susceptibility signal can be correlated with the insolation signal at 65°N suggesting that environmental variation on Mallorca was linked to orbitally forced climate change, and it seems that aeolian activity and dunefield formation were linked to glacial or stadial periods.     

Late Pleistocene carbonate aeolianites on Mallorca, Western Mediterranean: a luminescence chronology

Coastal outcrops of Upper Pleistocene deposits in north-eastern Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) have been examined and a chronological framework established using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating. The outcrops record a complex interaction between aeolian, colluvial and alluvial fan deposition that result in a variable stratigraphical architecture. Dating and facies analysis make it possible to identify four aeolian activity episodes during MIS 5c/b, 4 and 3, and also add to the understanding of the environmental history of north-eastern Mallorca over the last 100 ka. The new data suggest enhanced aeolian transport and dune formation during cold climatic intervals when sea level was low, sediment supply (exposed marine carbonate sediment) was high, winter windiness was high, and vegetation on coastal plains at a minimum.     

Surface ocean temperatures in the north-east Atlantic during the last 500 000 years: evidence from foraminiferal census data

Abstract Changes in North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) are regarded as a key element of the climate during the Quaternary. However, there are relatively few long-term records providing quantitative SST estimates from this region. Using planktic foraminiferal-derived SSTs together with changes on species level and iceberg-rafted debris, the last 500 ka were studied. Pronounced SST changes, as determined from the last glacial–interglacial cycle, characterize most colder periods. Peak interglacial temperatures were found for marine isotope stages (MIS) 1, 5e and 11, the latter two being the warmest. The warm substages within MIS 7 and 9 are marked by enhanced dissimilarity coefficients, indicating that SSTs obtained for these times appear to be overestimated. This is corroborated by differences within the species assemblage, which show enhanced cold water components. It is therefore concluded that detailed analysis down to species level is a crucial prerequisite to better reconstructions of SST.