HR: 09:15h
AN: V41H-06 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Sub-Orbital MIS 5e sea-level change: new evidence for regression and wet climate at c.127 ka in Greece
AU: * Andrews, J
EM: j.andrews@uea.ac.uk
AF: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
AU: Portman, C
EM: portmcli@aol.com
AF: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
AU: Rowe, P
EM: p.rowe@uea.ac.uk
AF: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
AU: Leeder, M
EM: m.leeder@uea.ac.uk
AF: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
AB: New evidence from uplifted marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e carbonate deposits in the Gulf of Corinth demonstrate a 10m (minimum) sub-orbitally forced sea-level fall during MIS 5e just before the highstand. This intra-MIS 5e regression has been U/Th dated directly on vadose speleothem at 127.6 +4.7/-4.4 ka (2 sigma), a result that contributes to a growing body of evidence that globally significant and rapid (non-orbitally-forced) climatic events punctuated the pre-highstand MIS 5e transgression (e.g. Thompson and Goldstein 2005) . The speleothem encrusts cavities in transgressive MIS 5e sediments close to the highstand level. In unfaulted localities the speleothem is found 10m below the top of the marine transgressive unit, indicating a sea-level drop of at least this magnitude. The speleothem is then itself encrusted by marine serpulids and oysters and the entire sequence overlain by MIS 5e highstand marine bioclastic sediments and marine aragonite cements. Comparison with other evidence for regression during MIS 5e implies a synchronous globally significant and rapid cold climatic event, perhaps an expression of the Zeifen-Kattegat climate oscillation. The presence of speleothem in these deposits also implies climatically wet conditions in this part of the eastern Mediterranean. This concurs with the presence of unusually large, freshwater-spring-fed calcified microbial bioherms within the same sedimentary sequence, thought to date to about 128 ka, and with pollen data from lacustrine early MIS 5e sediments in northern Greece. Reference: Thompson, W.G., and Goldstein, S.L., 2005 Open-system coral ages reveal persistent suborbital sea-level changes: Science, v.308, p. 401-404.
DE: 1105 Quaternary geochronology
DE: 1605 Abrupt/rapid climate change (4901, 8408)
DE: 1641 Sea level change (1222, 1225, 4556)
DE: 4901 Abrupt/rapid climate change (1605)
DE: 4940 Isotopic stage
SC: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Petrology [V]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005