Late Quaternary history around Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden and Jøkelbugten, North-East Greenland

Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden in North-East Greenland is at present covered by a floating glacier. Raised marine deposits in the surrounding area contain shells of marine molluscs, bones of marine mammals and pieces of driftwood. A fairly systematic sampling of such material has been conducted, followed by extensive radiocarbon dating. We suggest that the Greenland ice sheet extended onto the shelf offshore North-East Greenland during isotope stage 2, perhaps even reaching the shelf break. During the subsequent recession of the ice sheet, the entrance of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden had become ice-free by 9.7 cal. ka BP. The recession culminated between 7.7 and 4.5 cal. ka BP, during which time the fjord was glacier-free along its entire 80 km length. No dates younger than 4.5 cal. ka BP are available on marine material from the fjord, and it seems probable that the fjord has been continuously covered by the floating glacier since this time. The maximum glaciation was attained around AD 1900, after which thinning and recession took place. The marine limit increases from c. 40 m above sea level near the present margin of the Inland Ice to c. 65 m above sea level at the outer coast. These figures fit into the regional pattern of the marine limit for areas both to the south and north. The marine fauna comprise two bivalves, Macoma calcarea and Serripes groenlandicus, that may represent a southern element present during the Holocene temperature optimum. Remains of three taxa of southern extralimital terrestrial and limnic plants were dated to 5.1 cal. ka BP, and remains of another extralimital plant were dated to 8.8 and 8.5 cal. ka BP. The known Holocene time ranges of the willow Salix arctica and the lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus have been extended back to 8.8 and 6.4 cal. ka BP, respectively, providing minimum dates for their immigration to Greenland.     

Submarine and onshore end moraines in southern Newfoundland: implications for the history of late Wisconsinan ice retreat

Recessional positions of the Newfoundland ice sheet 14-9 ka BP are represented by fjord-mouth submarine moraines, fjord-head emerged ice-contact marine deltas, and inland moraine belts. The arcuate submarine moraines have steep frontal ramparts and comprise up to 80 m of acoustically incoherent ice-contact sediment (or till) interfingered distally with glaciomarine sediment that began to be deposited c. 14.2 ka BP. The moraines formed by stabilization of ice that calved rapidly back along troughs on the continental shelf. The ice front retreated to fjord-heads and stabilized to form ice-contact delta terraces declining in elevation westward from +26 m to just below present sea level. Stratified glaciomarine sediments accumulated in fjords, while currents outside fjords eroded the upper part of the glaciomarine deposits, forming an unconformity bracketed by dates of 12.8 and 8.5 ka BP. The delta terraces are broadly correlated with the 12.7 ka BP Robinson's Head readvance west of the area. The ice front retreated inland, pausing three or four times to form lines of small bouldery stillstand moraines, heads of outwash, sidehill meltwater channels, and beaded eskers. Lake-sediment cores across this belt yield dated pollen evidence of three climatic reversals to which the moraines are equated: the Killarney Oscillation c. 11.2 ka BP, the Younger Dryas chronozone 11.0-10.4 ka BP, and an unnamed cold event c. 9.7 ka BP. Relative sea level fell in the early Holocene because of crustal rebound, so that outwash and other alluvium accumulated in deltas now submerged due to relative sea-level rise.     

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.     

渤海湾西岸BT113孔35ka以来的沉积环境演化与海陆作用

根据渤海湾西岸有孔虫和介形虫与年代学(AMS14C和OSL测年)研究,将该段岩心自下而上划分为6个沉积单元(U1—U6),它们依次形成于晚更新世的河流及全新世的潮滩、浅海、前三角洲、三角洲前缘和三角洲平原沉积环境,结束于约35 ka的U1单元的陆相环境,证实晚更新世低海面时渤海湾西岸未受海水影响。U1和U2单元之间,存在历时约27 ka的沉积间断(35～8.5 ka cal BP),研究区因此缺失早全新世沉积。U2单元的潮滩环境指示全新世海侵于8.5 ka cal BP到达渤海湾西岸,当时相对海平面为-16.7 m。U3单元为浅海环境,约6 ka cal BP时相对海平面上升到-6.8～-1.8 m。8.5～6 ka cal BP期间的海面上升速率是0.4～0.6 cm/a,可能与MWP1C事件有关。U4—U5单元,转为三角洲环境,沉积速率增大,反映自3.7 ka cal BP河流输入影响加强,约1.3 ka cal BP时成陆,形成U6单元。晚更新世35 ka以来的陆海环境演化,总体上是对气候变化控制下的海面变化的响应。     

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.     

珠江口小榄镇—万顷沙地区晚更新世以来的海侵层序

依据广东省中山地区3个标准孔岩心材料的AMS(加速器质谱)¹⁴C测年、微体古生物有孔虫、介形类、硅藻分析,海相双壳类、腹足类鉴定,沉积构造、沉积物颜色特征,结合已经报道的万顷沙钻孔研究成果,确定小榄镇—万顷沙地区东西向4个钻孔揭露了珠江河口地区LGM(末次盛冰期)河间地与古河谷区两类古地貌单元。由于处在较闭塞的地理位置,下切河谷从9 ka BP(¹⁴C 日历年龄)开始接受泥质沉积物充填,不同于长江三角洲和中国北方沿海平原古河谷充填的砂质沉积;大约7 cal ka BP 出现最大海侵,导致在古河间地LGM风化层之上发生海侵超覆,随后三角洲开始形成。按照河流层序与海面变化对应关系,没有发现海相微体生物的完整河流旋回应该对应MIS(深海氧同位素阶段)3海侵。基于对埋藏阶地的考虑,以及30年来测年技术对这段地层无法取得突破,认为存在着这样的可能性:即区域自上而下第2厚层富铝质红色风化层属于MIS4低水位域沉积,最底部见少量海相双壳类、腹足类的富有机质河口湾沉积单元可能属于MIS5晚期。     

渤海湾西岸全新世沉积速率对河流供给的响应

渤海湾西岸由北向南获取了3个钻孔,以全新世海相岩心为研究对象,采用AMS14C(Accelerator Mass Spectrometry14C,加速器质谱14C)测年方法建立年代框架并计算平均沉积速率,结合沉积物粒度组成及沿岸古河流三角洲发育历史,探讨了沉积速率对沿岸河流供给变化的时空响应。结果表明,早全新世—中全新世初期(11~6ka),渤海湾西岸整体沉积速率偏低,仅0.03~0.07cm/a,沉积物粒度较粗;中全新世6.43~4.97ka cal BP期间,NP3孔平均沉积速率为0.60~0.93cm/a,高于同期沿岸南部的CH110孔和BT113孔。沉积物组成以粉砂为主,粘土含量低,向上逐渐变粗,具三角洲反粒序特征。该时段的高沉积速率系渤海湾西北岸对潮白河、永定河及滦河沉积物供给的响应;中全新世晚期3.68~2.67ka cal BP期间,BT113孔沉积速率为0.27~1.4cm/a,高于同期沿岸北部CH110孔和NP3孔,沉积物组成以粉砂为主,粘土含量较NP3孔高,向上逐渐变粗,具三角洲反粒序特征。该时段的高沉积速率系渤海湾西岸南部对黄河沉积物供给的响应;晚全新世2.29~0.24ka cal BP期间,沿岸中部CH110孔沉积速率为0.55~0.91cm/a,高于同期沿岸南部的BT113孔和北部的NP3孔,该高沉积速率为渤海湾西岸中部对黄河和海河供给沉积的先后响应。     

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.     

Early Holocene sea level in the Canadian Beaufort Sea constrained by radiocarbon dates from a deep borehole in the Mackenzie Trough,Arctic Canada

Deglacial and Holocene relative sea level (RSL) in the Canadian Beaufort Sea was influenced by the timing and extent of glacial ice in the Mackenzie River corridor and adjacent coastal plains. Considerable evidence indicates extensive ice cover in this region of northwestern Canada during the Late Wisconsinan. However, no absolute ages exist to constrain maximum RSL lowering before the late Holocene (4.2–0 ka). In 1984, the Geological Survey of Canada drilled an 81.5‐m‐deep borehole in the western Mackenzie Trough at 45 m water depth (MTW01). The lower 52.5 m of the borehole was interpreted as a deltaic progradational sequence deposited during a period of rising sea level. The upper 29 m was described as foraminifer‐bearing marine sediments deposited after transgression of the site, when RSL rose above ~−74 m. Here, we present radiocarbon measurements from MTW01, acquired from benthic foraminifera, mollusc fragments and particulate organic carbon in the >63 μm fraction (POC_{>63 μm}) in an attempt to constrain the chronology of sediments within this borehole and date the timing of transgression. The deepest carbonate macrofossil was acquired from 8 m above the transgressive surface (equivalent to 21 m b.s.l.), where mollusc fragments returned a date of 9400 +180–260 cal. a BP (2σ). This provides the oldest constraint on Holocene sea‐level lowering in the region, and implies that transgression at this site occurred prior to the early Holocene. Ages obtained from the lower 52.5 m of the borehole are limited to POC_>63 μm samples. These indicate that progradational sediments were deposited rapidly after 24 820 +390–380 cal. a BP (2σ). Due to the incorporation of older reworked organic matter, the actual age of progradation is likely to be younger, occurring after Late Wisconsinan glacial ice retreated from the coast.     

Depositional environment of the Laptev Sea (Arctic Siberia) during the Holocene

The Holocene depositional setting of the Laptev Sea was studied using three marine sediment cores from water depths between 77 and 46 m. Based on sedimentary parameters (TOC content, δ¹³C_org, sedimentation rates) controlled by radiocarbon age models the palaeoenvironment of a strongly coupled river-shelf system was reconstructed since ˜11 ka BP. Caused by a transgressing sea after the last glaciation, all cores reveal progressive decreases in sedimentation rates. Using the sedimentary records of a core from the Khatanga-Anabar river channel in the western Laptev Sea, several phases of change are recognized: (1) an early period lasted until ˜10 ka BP characterized by an increased deposition of plant debris due to shelf erosion and fluvial runoff; (2) a transitional phase with consistently increasing marine conditions until 6 ka BP, which was marked at its beginning near 10 ka BP by the first occurrence of marine bivalves, high TOC content and an increase in δ¹³C_org; (3) a time of extremely slow deposition of sediments, commencing at ˜6 ka BP and interpreted as Holocene sea-level highstand, which caused a southward retreat of the depositional centres within the now submerged river channels on the shelf; (4) a final phase with the establishment of modern conditions after ˜2 ka BP.     

渤海湾西南部平原DC01孔晚更新世以来的地质环境变化

通过对渤海湾西南部平原DC01孔的岩石地层学、生物地层学及年代地层学和地球化学研究,重建了该地区自晚更新世以来的地质环境演化过程。全新世之前,研究区经历了由河流-盐沼-潮间带上部/低盐沼-河口湾-泻湖-淡化泻湖的环境转化过程;进入全新世之后,该区经历了由湖沼到河流的环境转化过程。埋深22.4~12.7m发育近10m厚的弱海相沉积,AMS~(14)C年龄表明,该层沉积形成时间早于4.35ka cal BP,可能属于MIS 3早期(6.0~5.5ka cal BP)或更早的MIS 5期(12~8ka cal BP)。恢复了该时期的相对古海面,最高可达-13.31m。DC01孔缺失MIS 4~2或MIS 2时期的沉积。     

内蒙古中东部达里湖湖岸堤记录的12.5 cal ka BP以来湖面波动过程*

内蒙古中东部位于东亚夏季风过渡区,对气候变化响应敏感。广泛发育的湖泊沉积物提供了全新世以来的环境变化的理想材料。湖岸沉积物直接记录的古水位,与高分辨率的湖心钻孔记录相结合,有助于全面认识古气候的变化历史和湖面波动的定量重建。运用AMS¹⁴C测年和GPS、DEM及1︰5万地形图等相结合的方法确定了达里湖北侧湖岸堤的年代和高程,并结合湖岸堤剖面的沉积序列指示的湖面变化过程,重建了12.5 cal ka BP以来达里湖的波动历史。12.5 cal ka BP,达里湖湖面海拔高度约为1253,m,至12.3 cal ka BP湖面经历短暂上升,至海拔1266,m左右;之后湖面下降,至全新世早期(11.2 cal ka BP),水位降至1254,m左右;随后湖面开始逐步上升,10.7 cal ka BP湖面水位稳定在1274,m左右;全新世中期湖面继续上升至某一高度(至少在1291,m)后,于全新世晚期4.8 calka BP 湖面高度降至1279,m,并于4.6 cal ka BP湖面继续下降至1275,m的高度。通过对比湖心钻孔记录的湖泊波动历史以及区域湖泊沉积记录,认为达里湖的水位波动受东亚季风活动的影响,具有区域的一致性。达里湖的水位变化较区域内的其他湖泊更为强烈,认为除了受区域气候变化的影响外,达里湖全新世晚期的湖面下降可能还与区域内强烈的构造活动和西拉木伦河溯源侵蚀导致区域水系的改变有关。     

The Holocene history of the southwestern Baltic Sea as reflected in a sediment core from the Bornholm Basin

A study of changes in siliceous microfossil assemblages and chemical analyses in a well-dated offshore sediment core from the Bornholm Basin, southwestern Baltic Sea, is carried out with the objective of increasing knowledge of the Holocene history of the area. The core covers about 11 300 calendar years from the brackish phase of the Yoldia Sea stage to the present. The first weak marine influence in the Ancylus Lake stage is recorded about 10 100 cal. yr BP (c. 8900 ¹⁴C BP), indicating a complex transition to the Litorina Sea with different phases of brackish-water inflow. The lithology, organic carbon content and C/N and C/S ratios indicate no major changes in the sedimentary environment during the Litorina-Post-Litorina Sea stages. A high productivity event recorded in the Post-Litorina Sea stage around 950 cal. yr BP correlates with the Medieval warm event. A biostratigraphical change indicating a colder climate is recorded in the sediment at about 800 cal. yr BP, which might mark the beginning of the Little Ice Age.     

Chronology of the last deglaciation and Holocene environmental changes in the Sisimiut area,SW Greenland based on lacustrine records

The Sisimiut area was deglaciated in the early Holocene, c. 11 cal. ka BP. At that time the lowlands were inundated by the sea, but the isostatic rebound surpassed the global sea‐level rise, and the lowlands emerged from the sea. The pioneer vegetation in the area consisted of mosses and herbaceous plants. The oldest remains of woody plants (Empetrum nigrum) are dated to c. 10.3 cal. ka BP, and remains of Salix herbacea and Harrimanella hypnoides are found in slightly younger sediments. The maximum occurrence of statoblasts of the bryozoan Plumatella repens from c. 10 to 4.5 cal. ka BP probably reflects the Holocene thermal maximum, which is also indicated in geochemical proxies of the lake sediments. A maximum in organic matter accumulation in one of the three studied lakes c. 3 cal. ka BP can probably be ascribed to a late Holocene short‐duration temperature maximum or a period of increased aridity. Cenococcum geophilum sclerotia are common in the late Holocene, implying increased soil erosion during the Neoglaciation. A comparison with sediment and macrofossil records from inland shows similar Holocene trends and a similar immigration history. It also reveals that there has been a significant gradient throughout the Holocene, from an oceanic and stable climate at the outer coast to a more continental and unstable climate with warmer summers and drier conditions close to the margin of the Greenland ice sheet, where the buffer capacity of the sea is lower.     

Holocene denudation of the northwest sector of Iceland as determined from accumulation of sediments on the continental margin

Radiocarbon-dated marine cores, measurements of sediment density and seismic surveys were used to estimate the sediment and mass accumulation rates (m/kyr and kg/m²/kyr) in the troughs from the southwest to north-central Iceland shelf (i.e. northwest sector of Iceland). The 3.5-kHz seismic survey showed varying thicknesses of acoustically transparent sediment in the troughs, whereas the inter-trough banks were largely devoid of sediment. The survey showed a pervasive reflector 1 to ≥60 m below the sea floor, which turned out to be Saksunarvatn tephra, dated at 10 180±60 cal. yr BP. The 3.5-kHz analogue data were digitized at 1-min intervals and provided 1645 estimates of maximum sediment thickness and 979 estimates of sediment accumulation over the last 10 200 cal. yr BP. Maximum sediment accumulation occurred in the mid-troughs and not, as expected, in the fjords. The median sediment accumulation rate (SAR) based on the core data was 0.23 m/kyr, but was 0.77 m/kyr based on the seismic data: the difference is attributed to coring limitations. Based on the volume of offshore sediment and the contributing terrestrial drainage area, the Holocene denudation of northern Iceland (c. 50 000 km²) is calculated to have been between 0.02 to 0.05 m/kyr, substantially lower that the 1-3 m/kyr derived from the suspended sediment load of rivers from southern Iceland but in agreement with the rate of accumulation of Holocene glacial lacustrine sediments in central Iceland.     

ESR/OSL ages of long-debated subtill fossil-bearing marine deposits from the southern Kola Peninsula: stratigraphic implications

The occurrence of sandy clay deposited in a warm marine environment just below the till of the last glaciation has created controversy about its age and stratigraphic position in the sedimentary basin of the Kola Peninsula. Data on marine microfauna, diatoms, malacofauna and pollen composition indicate that during the period when the sandy clay was deposited the climate was similar or even warmer than at present. According to ¹⁴ C dates, sedimentation of the sandy clay occurred around 40 ka BP. Based on these data, some researchers have attributed these marine deposits to the third Late Pleistocene Belomorian (sensu Lavrova 1960) interglacial transgression. At the same time there are geological indications suggesting re-deposition of these subtill sediments. To solve this problem we have reinvestigated the subtill interglacial marine deposits from the Varzuga section (∼66.4° N and 36.6° E). Four different marine shell species and enclosing sandy clay sediments taken from the subtill marine unit of the section were dated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) methods at about 103 and 104 ka, respectively. The results indicate that the subtill marine deposits belong to the first Late Pleistocene Boreal transgression that, according to our previous studies of the marginal areas of the Eurasian North, has occurred in the time interval from approximately 145 to 70 ka BP.     

琼州海峡西口早—中全新世海滩岩的岩石学特征及古海平面重建意义

笔者在琼州海峡西口第四系松散沉积物中新发现碳酸盐胶结岩,通过生物碎屑AMS14C同位素定年、全岩X衍射定量分析、扫描电镜、阴极发光、全岩主微量元素地球化学测试等方法对其进行了年代学和成因研究。结果显示,碳酸盐胶结岩的成岩时代为早—中全新世,具有等厚纤柱状环边胶结、重力悬挂胶结、马牙状胶结、（似）共轴增生胶结、非等轴胶结等5种胶结物特征;阴极发光环带具有广泛发育、环带密集,可见淡水和海水相互作用的咸淡水混合带,说明其成岩环境包括淡水渗流带、咸淡水混合带、海水渗流带、海水潜流带;结合其沉积主微量元素特征,其赋存层位的沉积环境为海岸沉积环境,滨岸沉积相障壁岛亚相,属于海滩岩。综合雷州半岛西南部灯楼角珊瑚礁的海平面记录,重建了全新世琼州海峡西口地区海平面演化历史：9. 9~6. 7 ka BP海侵期、6. 7~6. 2 ka BP海退期、6. 2~4. 2 ka BP海侵期和4. 2 ka BP至今的稳定期等四个阶段。     

Holocene coastal change in the ancient harbor of Yenikap?-?stanbul and its impact on cultural history

An extensive rescue excavation has been conducted in the ancient harbor of ?stanbul (Yenikap?) by the Sea of Marmara, revealing a depositional sequence displaying clear evidence of transgression and coastal progradation during the Holocene. The basal layer of this sequence lies at 6 m below the present sea level and contains remains of a Neolithic settlement known to have been present in the area, indicating that the sea level at ~ 8-9 cal ka BP was lower than 6 m below present. Sea level advanced to its maximum at ~ 6.8-7 cal ka BP, drowning Lykos Stream and forming an inlet at its mouth. After ~ 3 cal ka BP, coastal progradation became evident. Subsequent construction of the Byzantine Harbor (Theodosius; 4th century AD) created a restricted small basin and accumulation of fine-grained sediments. The sedimentation rate was increased due to coastal progradation and anthropogenic factors during the deposition of coarse-grained sediments at the upper parts of the sequence (7th-9th centuries AD). The harbor was probably abandoned after the 11th century AD by filling up with Lykos Stream detritus and continued seaward migration of the coastline.     

Postglacial climate and vegetation history, north-central Kola Peninsula, Russia: pollen and diatom records from Lake Yarnyshnoe-3

A sediment core from Lake Yarnyshnoe-3 (69°04'N; 36°04'E), an emerged coastal lake from the tundra of the north-central Kola Peninsula, has been analyzed for fossil pollen and diatoms. The pollen record shows the Younger Dryas event marked by increasing Artemisia coupled with decreases in Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Salix at c. 10 700 to 10 000 BP. This core provides the first well-defined palynological record of the Younger Dryas event on the Kola Peninsula. Stomates from Pinus were recovered from the core interval between 8000 and 6000 BP. The stomates, coupled with elevated values of pine pollen, indicate that Pinus sylvestris grew near the arctic coastline of the central Kola Peninsula in the middle Holocene. However, the small number of stomates suggests that pines were not plentiful. The diatom record from the core reflects basin isolation from the sea and indicates additional limnological changes during the climate transition between c. 5000 and 4000 BP. The broadly similar climate and vegetation history on the north-central Kola Peninsula and in Fennoscandia demonstrates the propagation of late glacial and Holocene climate events from the North Atlantic region into the Eurasian Arctic.     

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.