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Taphonomic problems in reconstructing sea-level history from the late Quaternary marine terraces of Barbados

Quaternary Research
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.70

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Abstract

Although uranium series (U-series) ages of growth-position fossil corals are important to Quaternary sea-level history, coral clast reworking from storms can yield ages on a terrace dating to more than one high-sea stand, confounding interpretations of sea-level history. On northern Barbados, U-series ages corals from a thick storm deposit are not always younger with successively higher stratigraphic positions, but all date to the last interglacial period (~127 ka to ~112 ka), Marine Isotope Substage (MIS) 5.5. The storm deposit ages are consistent with the ages of growth-position corals found at the base of the section and at landward localities on this terrace. Thus, in this case, analysis of only a few corals would not have led to an error in interpreting sea-level history. In contrast, a notch cut into older Pleistocene limestone below the MIS 5.5 terrace contains corals that date to both MIS 5.5 (~125 ka) and MIS 5.3 (~108 ka). We infer that the notch formed during MIS 5.3 and the MIS 5.5 corals are reworked. Similar multiple ages of corals on terraces have been reported elsewhere on Barbados. Thus, care must be taken in interpreting U-series ages of corals that are reported without consideration of taphonomy.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Taphonomic problems in reconstructing sea-level history from the late Quaternary marine terraces of Barbados
Series title Quaternary Research
DOI 10.1017/qua.2017.70
Volume 88
Issue 3
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Contributing office(s) Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Description 21 p.
First page 409
Last page 429
Country Barbados
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