Holocene relative sea level changes in the Västervik-Gamlebyviken region on the southeast coast of Sweden,southern Baltic Sea

We reconstruct the Holocene shore displacement of the Västervik-Gamlebyviken area on the southeast coast of Sweden, characterised by a maritime cultural landscape and archaeological significance since the Mesolithic. Sediment cores were retrieved from four lake basins that have been raised above sea level due to the postglacial land uplift and eustatic sea level changes after the melting of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. The cores were radiocarbon dated and analysed for loss on ignition and diatoms. The isolation thresholds of the basins were determined using LiDAR data. The results provide evidence for the initiation of the first Littorina Sea transgression in this area at 8.5 thousand calibrated years before present (cal. ka BP). A relative sea level rise by ∼7 m a.s.l. is recorded between 8.0 and 7.5 cal. ka BP with a highstand at ∼22 m a.s.l. between 7.5 and 6.2 cal. ka BP. These phases coincide with the second and third Littorina Sea transgressions, respectively, in the Blekinge area, southern Sweden and are consistent with the final deglaciation of North America. After 6.2 cal. ka BP, the relative sea level dropped below 22 m a.s.l., and remained at ∼20 m a.s.l. until 4.6 cal. ka BP coinciding with the fourth Littorina Sea transgression in Blekinge. From 4.6 to 4.2 cal. ka BP, the shore displacement shows a regression rate of 10 mm a⁻¹ followed by a slowdown with a mean value of 4.6 mm a⁻¹ until 1.6 cal. ka BP, when the relative sea level dropped below 3.3 m a.s.l. The Middle to Late Holocene highstand and other periods of minor sea level transgressions and/or higher salinity between 6.2 and 1.7 cal. ka BP are attributed to a combination of warmer climate and higher inflow of saline waters in the southern Baltic Sea due to stronger westerlies, caused by variations in the North Atlantic atmospheric patterns.     

Relative sea‐level changes since 15 000 cal. yr BP in the Nanortalik area,southern Greenland

We present new results for relative sea‐level change for southern Greenland for the interval from 9000 cal. yr BP to the present. Together with earlier work from the same region this yields a nearly complete record from the time of deglaciation to the present. Isolation and/or transgression sequences in one lake and five tidal basins have been identified using lithostratigraphic analyses, sedimentary characteristics, magnetic susceptibility, saturated induced remanent magnetisation (SIRM), organic and carbonate content, and macrofossil analyses. AMS radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples provides the timescale. Relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present‐day level at ～9300 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 9000 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP sea level reached its lowest level of around ～10 m below highest astronomical tide. At around 5000 cal. yr BP, sea level had reached above 7.8 m below highest astronomical tide and slowly continued to rise, not reaching present‐day sea level until today. The isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of the basins that are seen as distinct isolation contacts in the sediments. In contrast, the late Holocene transgressions are less well defined and occurred over longer time intervals. The late Holocene sea‐level rise may be a consequence of isostatic reloading by advancing glaciers and/or an effect of the delayed response to isostatic rebound of the Laurentide ice sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo‐Eskimo cultures may be missing in southern Greenland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene marine terraces on two salt diapirs in the Persian Gulf,Iran: age,depositional history and uplift rates

Slightly inclined Holocene marine terraces cover parts of two circular salt diapirs (Hormoz and Namakdan) in the Persian Gulf. Their relative altitude above present sea level results from a combination of general marine transgression/regression affecting the whole area, and of local uplift related to salt diapirism. Differential uplift rate of the studied diapirs in centre‐to‐rim profiles was calculated from results based on: (i) radiocarbon ages of skeletal remains of benthic faunas (19 samples), which originally grew close to sea level; (ii) original altitude of samples, estimated from general sea‐level oscillation curves for the last 10 kyr, and (iii) present sample altitude measured in the field. Calculated uplift rates increase from rim to centre on both diapirs in the range from: 2 mm yr^?1 at the rim to 5–6 mm yr^?1 at the interior of Hormoz, and 1–3 mm yr^?1 at the rim to 3–5 mm yr^?1 at the interior of Namakdan. Such uplift rate distributions fit into the parabolic profile of Newtonian fluid rather than to profiles typical for pseudoplastic fluids. The increase in uplift rate with distance from rim to centre of diapirs is gradual as demonstrated also by generally smooth surface of marine terraces. No tectonic dissections were found. The depositional history on both salt diapirs is similar although they are situated more than 100 km apart. Marine sedimentation started at about 9.6k cal. yr BP on Hormoz and at 8.6k cal. yr BP on Namakdan. Owing to rapid transgression, the sea partially truncated both salt diapirs and rapidly deepened, and carbonate mud was deposited on the peripheries of both salt diapirs. Between 7 and 5k cal. yr BP beach deposition replaced carbonate mud. Soon after 5k cal. yr BP, the sea retreated from most of the marine terraces on both salt diapirs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene salt‐marsh sedimentary infilling and relative sea‐level changes in West Brittany (France) using foraminifera‐based transfer functions

In order to reconstruct former sea‐levels and to better characterize the history of Holocene salt‐marsh sedimentary infillings in West Brittany (western France), local foraminifera‐based transfer functions were developed using weighted‐average‐partial‐least‐squares (WAPLS) regression, based on a modern data set of 26 and 51 surface samples obtained from salt‐marshes in the bay of Tresseny and the bay of Brest, respectively. Fifty cores were retrieved from Tresseny, Porzguen, Troaon and Arun salt‐marshes, which were litho‐ and biostratigraphically analysed in order to reconstruct palaeoenvironmental changes. A total of 26 AMS ¹⁴C age determinations were performed within the sediment successions. The Holocene evolution of salt‐marsh environments can be subdivided into four stages: (i) a development of brackish to freshwater marshes (from c. 6400 to 4500 cal. a BP); (ii) salt‐marsh formation behind gravel barriers in the bay of Brest (from 4500 to 2900 cal. a BP); (iii) salt‐marsh erosion and rapid changes of infilling dynamics due to the destruction of coastal barriers by storm events (c. 2900?2700 cal. a BP); (iv) renewed salt‐marsh deposition and small environmental changes (from 2700 cal. a BP to present). From the application of transfer functions to fossil assemblages, 14 new sea‐level index points were obtained, indicating a mean relative sea‐level rise of around 0.90±0.12 mm a^?1 since 6300 cal. a BP.     

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.     

Palaeoenvironmental evolution and sea‐level fluctuations along the southeastern Pampa grasslands coast of Argentina during the Holocene

Holocene pollen and diatom analyses and complementary data from δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, malacology and sedimentology have provided a detailed record of vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental change at arroyo Las Brusquitas, on the southeastern coast of the pampas of Argentina especially in relation to past sea levels. Holocene palaeosalinity trends were estimated by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by salinity indexes based on pollen and diatom data. As a consequence of sea‐level rise from the postglacial an extensive wave‐cut platform formed over which Holocene infilling sequences were deposited unconformably. In these sequences, variation in pollen and diatom assemblages occurred in agreement with changes in mollusc diversity and abundance, isotope values, and sediment deposits. Between ca. 6700 and 6190 ¹⁴C yr BP (6279–6998 cal. yr BP) saline conditions predominated in an environment highly influenced by tides and salt water during the Holocene sea‐level highstand. Between ca. 6200 and 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP (4235–4608 cal. yr BP) shallow brackish water bodies formed surrounded by saltmarsh vegetation that became more widespread from 5180 ¹⁴C yr BP (5830–6173 cal. yr BP) to 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP in relation to a sea‐level stabilisation period within the regression phase. Less saline conditions marked by frequent variations in salinity predominated between ca. 3900 and 2040 yr ¹⁴C BP (1830–2160 cal. yr BP). The intertidal saltmarsh environment changed into a brackish marsh dominated by freshwater conditions and sporadic tidal influence. Halophytic vegetation increased towards ca. 2000¹⁴C yr BP indicating that saline conditions may be due to either desiccation or an unusually high tide range with rare frequency. After ca. 2000 ¹⁴C yr BP the sedimentary sequences were buried by aeolian sand dunes. Changes in Holocene vegetation and environments in Las Brusquitas area are in agreement with data obtained from various southeastern coastal sites of the Pampa grasslands. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distinction between the Storegga tsunami and the holocene marine transgression in coastal basin deposits of western Norway

Many coastal lakes were inundated by both the Storegga tsunami (7000 ¹⁴C yr BP) and the mid-Holocene sea-level rise (the Tapes transgression) in western Norway. The tsunami eroded lake bottoms and deposited graded and/or massive beds of sand, rip-up clasts, and coarse plant material. By contrast, when the rising sea entered the lakes, it deposited only gyttja, silt and fine sand, without causing much erosion of the underlying lake sediments. Storegga tsunami deposits in some coastal lakes were interpreted previously as ordinary marine sediments from the Tapes transgression. Our reinterpretation of these deposits shows that the transgression maximum phase was reached after 6500 yr BP, more than 1000 yr later than previously inferred for the coast of Sunnmøre. The new data cannot be combined in a shoreline diagram without showing the 6000 yr BP and 7000 yr BP shorelines as slightly warped. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

莱州湾南岸全新世相对海平面变化重建

在对莱州湾南岸8个钻孔沉积物沉积结构及有孔虫特征分析基础上,识别相关海面标志层位,辅以加速器质谱AMS14C测年,重建了全新世相对海面变化历史,并讨论了海面变化的沉积响应及控制因素。约9200cal BP以前,海面快速上升,研究区海侵时海面于-21.5m左右;9200~8400cal BP海面上升速率减缓至约2mm/a;8400~8000cal BP海面由-14m快速上升至-5.5m,速率约为33mm/a;8000~7600cal BP,海面持续数百年停滞或微弱下降;7600~7000cal BP海面由-5.5m快速上升至0m以上,速率至少约为13mm/a;7000~6000cal BP海面缓慢上升至+2~+3m位置,速率约为3mm/a;约6000cal BP以后海面缓慢下降至现今水平。约9200cal BP以前、8400~8000cal BP、7600~7000cal BP时期的3次海面快速上升,是MWP-1C融水脉冲、诱发8.2ka冷事件的融水脉冲,以及MWP-2融水脉冲的中纬度地区响应。中全新世全球冰融趋于停滞后,由于研究区沉积盆地沉降速度较慢,在冰川均衡调整效应下,使+2~+3m的相对高海面得以呈现。     

Isolation basin stratigraphy and Holocene relative sea-level change at the Norwegian—Russian border north of Nikel, northwest Russia

The marine-lacustrine transition (isolation contact) in sediment cores from eight lake basins situated 13.5-72 m a.s.l., in the Norwegian-Russian border area north of Nikel, northwest Russia, was identified based on lithological and diatom analysis, radiocarbon dated, and used to construct a relative sea-level (RSL) curve for the Holocene. All the lakes except one (interpreted as having an unconformable slumped transition) show a regressive I-II-III (marine-transitional-lacustrine) facies succession, indicating a postglacial history of continuous emergence. The RSL curve shows rapid emergence between 10 000 and 8000 BP, very slow emergence between 7000 and 5000 BP, increased rate of emergence between 4500 and 4000 BP, and a moderate rate of emergence after 3500 BP. The low rate of emergence around 6000 BP correlates with the Tapes transgression of more coastal regions, but corresponding sea level, at 25-26 ma. present s.l., lies 5-10 m lower than the elevation predicted based on existing isobase maps for the region. The discrepancy suggests a need for further work in order to more rigorously define and map the Tapes transgression and associated shoreline complex in the northern Fennoscandian-Kola region.     

Vegetation responses to climatic variability in the Swiss Southern Alps during the Misox event at the early–mid Holocene transition

Sedimentary pollen, charcoal and plant macrofossil analyses with high resolution and precision suggest a strong shift in vegetation composition during the early to mid‐Holocene transition in the upper mountain belt. At Piano mire (1439 m above sea level (a.s.l.), Ticino, Switzerland) forests were dominated by Abies alba during the early Holocene (prior to ca. 8000 cal. a BP). Abrupt collapses of A. alba at ca. 7800–7400 cal. a BP enabled the expansion of the light‐demanding pioneer Betula. Afterwards A. alba populations regained their previous abundance in the forests. Within the dating uncertainties of our record we assume that a unique combination of wet and cold years between 8400 and 7500 cal. a BP led to repeated lethal disadvantages for Abies. Our record of Abies oscillations is in good biostratigraphic agreement with the record that has been used to define the Misox cold event (Pian di Signano, 1540 m a.s.l.), which has been previously correlated with the 8200 cal. a BP event. Given the age estimates of the Abies collapses in our well‐dated record, our results suggest that additional efforts are needed to understand the linkage between the Misox and the 8200 cal. a BP event. They imply a high sensitivity of mountain vegetation far below the tree line (～800 m) to Holocene climatic changes of about 2°C in annual air temperature. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene sea‐level reconstruction in the Young Sound region,Northeast Greenland

A relative sea‐level curve over the Holocene is constructed for the Young Sound region in northeastern Greenland. The reconstruction is derived by dating the heights of raised beach ridges in coastal plains using optically stimulated luminiscence (OSL), and by dating palaeoterrestrial surface levels now buried beneath the intertidal frame using the ¹⁴C technique. The relative sea‐level curve reveals a rapid fall of at least 10 mm a^?1 from ca. 9500 to 7500 a ago, which slowed to 2 mm a^?1 until it reached the present sea level ca. 3000 a ago. This part of the curve is based on the raised beach ridge data. Thereafter, relative sea level continued to fall, to reach a minimum level at about 0.5 m below the present sea level ca. 2300 a ago. Since then, relative sea level has experienced a slow rise of about 0.2 mm a^?1. This part of the curve uses the data from the palaeoterrestrial surfaces. The study supplements other estimates of Holocene relative sea‐level changes and supports the observations of a decreasing trend in the timing of the cross point and in minimum relative sea level from South to North Greenland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary (Marine Isotope Stage 3 to Recent) sedimentary evolution of the Basque shelf (southern Bay of Biscay)

Late Quaternary (MIS 3 to Recent) oceanographic evolution of the Basque shelf has been analysed for the first time based on the sedimentological analysis of three cores obtained from the middle and outer shelves. The cores are located in two interfluves separated by the San Sebastian canyon. The variability of the percentage of the planktonic foraminifera species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma sin. and of δ¹⁸O_bull allowed us to identify the influence of colder and warmer waters in the Basque shelf during the late Quaternary. From ～56 cal. ka BP to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (19 cal. ka BP) the sedimentary record shows a decreasing trend in the mean grain size that correlates with the eustatic sea‐level fall. The last Deglaciation (19–11.5 cal. ka BP) is characterized by a sea‐level rise that produced an important hiatus in the western outer shelf. During the Holocene, the middle and outer shelves present different behaviours. From 11.5 to 6.7 cal. ka BP, in the outer shelf the sea‐level rise that started during the Deglaciation produced a hiatus, whereas in the middle shelf the sedimentary succession records the presence of warm to temperate waters. Between 6.7–4.9 cal. ka BP, the entrance of cold surface water‐masses that only affected the middle shelf has been identified, and temperate to warm waters occurred in the outer shelf. The cold surface water‐masses retreated during 4.9–4.3 cal. ka BP in the middle shelf. Finally, from 4.3 cal. ka BP to Recent, the middle shelf registers a hiatus due to sea‐level stabilization after a generalized transgression, synchronous to a decrease in the energy of the water‐masses in the outer shelf. In conclusion, the environmental changes detected in the Basque shelf are attributed to both regional and eustatic sea‐level changes.     

Lateglacial and Holocene relative sea‐level changes and first evidence for the Storegga tsunami in Sutherland,Scotland

We reconstruct one of the longest relative sea‐level (RSL) records in north‐west Europe from the north coast of mainland Scotland, using data collected from three sites in Loch Eriboll (Sutherland) that we combine with other studies from the region. Following deglaciation, RSL fell from a Lateglacial highstand of +6?8 m OD (Ordnance Datum = ca. mean sea level) at ca. 15 k cal a BP to below present, then rose to an early Holocene highstand and remained at ca. +1 m OD between ca. 7 and 3 k cal a BP, before falling to present. We find no evidence for significant differential Holocene glacio‐isostatic adjustment between sites on the north‐west (Lochinver, Loch Laxford), north (Loch Eriboll) and north‐east (Wick) coast of mainland Scotland. This suggests that the region was rapidly deglaciated and there was little difference in ice loads across the region. From one site at the head of Loch Eriboll we report the most westerly sedimentary evidence for the early Holocene Storegga tsunami on the Scottish mainland. The presence of the Storegga tsunami in Loch Eriboll is predicted by a tsunami wave model, which suggests that the tsunami impacted the entire north coast of Scotland and probably also the Atlantic coastline of north‐west Scotland.

     

海南岛南岸全新世珊瑚礁的发育

海南岛南岸的珊瑚礁,是我国全新世珊瑚岸礁最为发育的地区之一,仅次于台湾岛南端的恒春半岛沿岸。前人从生物学^[1-5]、地貌学^[6-8]和地质学^[9-12]角度对海南岛南岸的珊瑚礁进行过较为广泛的研究。作者报道过崖县鹿回头水尾岭剖面珊瑚礁样品的C¹⁴年代测定结果^[13,14]。1979年底至1980年初,作者在海南岛南岸东起小东海沿岸西至西瑁岛西岸地区进行了野外调查与采样。根据野外和室内分析资料,本文公布了一批新测试的C¹⁴年代数据,并进一步讨论了全新世珊瑚礁的发育历史及其与海岸变迁、海面变化和地壳运动的关系等问题。     

Hydrographic changes in the southern Kattegat (Scandinavia) during the early Holocene transgression

Detailed sedimentological, micropalaeontological, mineralogical and geochemical investigations as well as ¹⁴C datings were carried out on a core from the southern part of the Kattegat Sea. According to the micropalaeontological interpretations, sea level rose by approximately 20 m in the period c. 9610 BP to 8200 BP. The core therefore provides evidence of the hydrographical conditions in the southern Kattegat during the early Holocene transgression. In the sediment there is geochemical evidence of strong stratification in the water column possibly related to inflow of saline water around 9080 BP. After the sediments dated to 8200 BP there is a hiatus followed by very young (<300 BP?) sediments. It is suggested that this hiatus might be associated with the opening of the Danish Straits.     

Rates of Holocene isostatic uplift and relative sea-level lowering of the Baltic in SW Finland based on studies of isolation contacts

Southwestern Finland was covered by the Weichselian ice sheet and experienced rapid glacio-isostatic rebound after early Holocene deglaciation. The present mean overall apparent uplift rate is of the order of 4-5 mm/yr, but immediately after deglaciation the rate of crustal rebound was several times higher. Concurrently with land uplift, relative sea level in the Baltic basin during the past more than 8000 years was also strongly affected by the eustatic changes in sea level. There is ample evidence from earlier studies that during the early Litorina Sea stage on the southeastern coast of Finland around 7000 yr BP (7800 cal. yr BP), the rise in sea level exceeded the rate of land uplift, resulting in a short-lived transgression. Because of a higher rate of uplift, the transgression was even more short-lived or of negligible magnitude in the southwestern part of coastal Finland, but even in this latter case a slowing down in the rate of regression can still be detected. We used evidence from isolation basins to obtain a set of 71 ¹⁴C dates, and over 30 new sea-level index points. The age-elevation data, obtained from lakes in two different areas and located between c. 64 m and 1.5 m above present sea level, display a high degree of internal consistency. This suggests that the dates are reliable, even though most of them were based on bulk sediment samples. The two relative sea-level curves confirm the established model of relatively gradually decreasing rates of relative sea-level lowering since c. 6100 yr BP (7000 cal. yr BP) and clearly indicate that the more northerly of the two study areas experienced the higher rate of glacio-isostatic recovery. In the southerly study area, changes in diatom assemblages and lithostratigraphy suggest that during the early Litorina Sea stage (8300-7600 cal. yr BP) eustatic sea-level rise exceeded land uplift for hundreds of years. Evidence for this transgression was discovered in a lake with a basin threshold at an elevation of 41 m above sea level, which is markedly higher than any previously known site with evidence for the Litorina transgression in Finland. We also discuss evidence for subsequent short-term fluctuations superimposed on the main trends of relative sea-level changes.     

Late Holocene vertical land motion and relative sea‐level changes: lessons from the British Isles

Vertical land motion caused by continuing glacial isostatic adjustment is one of several important components of sea‐level change and is not limited just to previously glaciated regions. A national‐scale analysis for the British Isles shows an ellipse of present‐day relative uplift (relative sea‐level fall), ～1.2 mm a^?1, broadly centred on the deglaciated mountains of Scotland. The pattern of three foci of relative subsidence, ～1 mm a^?1, results from the additional interactions of the deglacial meltwater load on the Atlantic basin and the continental shelf, and the signal due to far‐field ice sheets. At a local scale, sediment compaction can more than double the rate of relative land subsidence. Relative land‐level change (the negative of relative sea‐level change) is not the same as vertical land motion. There is a spatial pattern in the difference between relative land‐level change and vertical land motion, with differences at present of approximately ?0.1 to ?0.3 mm a^?1 around the British Isles and +2.5 to ?1.5 mm a^?1 globally. For the wider scientific and user community, whether or not the differences are considered significant will depend upon the location, time frame and spatial scale of the study that uses such information. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mid‐late Holocene sea‐level variability in eastern Australia

A re‐analysis of sea‐level data from eastern Australia based on 115 calibrated C‐14 ages is used to constrain the origin, timing and magnitude of sea‐level change over the last 7000 years. We demonstrate that the Holocene sea‐level highstand of +1.0–1.5 m was reached ～7000 cal yr bp and fell to its present position after 2000 yr bp . These findings are in contrast to most previous studies that relied on smaller datasets and did not include the now common conversion of conventional C‐14 ages to calendar years. During this ～5000 year period of high sea level, growth hiatuses in oyster beds and tubeworms and lower elevations of coral microatolls are interpreted to represent short‐lived oscillations in sea‐level of up to 1 m during two intervals, beginning c. 4800 and 3000 cal yr bp . The rates of sea‐level rise and fall (1–2 mm yr^?1) during these centennial‐scale oscillations are comparable with current rates of sea‐level rise. The origin of the oscillations is enigmatic but most likely the result of oceanographic and climatic changes, including wind strengths, ice ablation, and melt‐water contributions of both Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.     

Early Holocene drowned lagoonal deposits from the Kattegat, southern Scandinavia

Shallow seismic profiling indicated the presence of a drowned lagoon-barrier system formed during the transgression of the southern Kattegat, and investigations of core material have confirmed this. Studies of plant and animal macrofossils show that the lagoonal sediments contain a mixture of marine, brackish, lacustrine, telmatic and terrestrial taxa, and analyses of foraminifers indicate brackish-water conditions. Low oxygen isotope values obtained on shells of marine molluscs also point to lowered salinity. The lagoonal sediments are situated at depths between 24 and 35 m below present sea level. They are dated to between c. 10.5 cal. ka BP and c. 9.5 cal. ka BP, and reflect a period characterized by a moderate relative sea level rise. The lagoonal sediments are underlain by lateglacial glaciomarine clay and silt, which are separated from the Holocene deposits by an unconformity. The earliest Holocene sediments consist of littoral sand with gravel, stones and shells; these sediments were formed during the transgression of the area before the barrier island-lagoon system was developed. The lagoonal sediments are overlain by mud, which contains animal remains that indicate increasing water depths.     

Postglacial uplift and relative sea level changes in Finnmark,northern Norway

The outer coast of Finnmark in northern Norway is where the former Fennoscandian and Barents Sea ice sheets coalesced. This key area for isostatic modelling and deglaciation history of the ice sheets has abundant raised shorelines, but only a few existing radiocarbon dates constrain their chronology. Here we present three Holocene sea level curves based on radiocarbon dated deposits from isolation basins at the outermost coast of Finnmark; located at the islands Sørøya and Rolvsøya and at the Nordkinn peninsula. We analysed animal and plant remains in the basin deposits to identify the transitions between marine and lacustrine sediments. Terrestrial plant fragments from these transitions were then radiocarbon dated. Radiocarbon dated mollusk shells and marine macroalgae from the lowermost deposits in several basins suggest that the first land at the outer coast became ice free around 14,600 cal yr BP. We find that the gradients of the shorelines are much lower than elsewhere along the Norwegian coast because of substantial uplift of the Barents Sea. Also, the anomalously high elevation of the marine limit in the region can be attributed to uplift of the adjacent seafloor. After the Younger Dryas the coast emerged 1.6–1.0 cm per year until about 9500–9000 cal yr BP. Between 9000 and 7000 cal yr BP relative sea level rose 2–4 m and several of the studied lakes became submerged. At the outermost locality Rolvsøya, relative sea level was stable at the transgression highstand for more than 3000 years, between ca 8000 and 5000 cal yr BP. Deposits in five of the studied lakes were disturbed by the Storegga tsunami ca 8200–8100 cal yr BP.