Uplifted marine terraces of the Akamas Peninsula (Cyprus): evidence of climatic conditions during the Late Quaternary highstands

An outcrop study of uplifted marine terraces provides information on the climate of past sea‐level maxima, supplementing existing palaeoclimatological archives. The western coast of the Akamas Peninsula shows several uplifted and intricately stacked Quaternary marine terraces. This study focuses on the sedimentology, petrography and sequence stratigraphy of the last three recent terraces and provides palaeoclimatological reconstruction and chronological framing. All three terraces display basically the same stratigraphic succession, which consists of regressive sequences ranging from bioturbated, storm‐influenced, subtidal high‐energy sands to subaerial exposure and aeolian deposition. Each sequence differs in petrography, reflecting contemporaneous climatic conditions. The first studied sequence (Marine Isotope Stage 9 or 11?) was deposited in a warm, arid climate, with oligotrophic water favouring ooid formation. The second sequence (Marine Isotope Stage 7) displays colder but humid conditions, with lower carbonate production and strong detrital input. The third sequence (Marine Isotope Stage 5e) records warm, humid conditions, with high carbonate production combined with significant detrital input. These littoral terraces offer high‐quality outcrops of glacioeustatic‐dominated, littoral sedimentology, together with evidence indicative of the regional climate during the late Pleistocene.