Marine Terraces

This study addresses coastal terrace staircases of western central Portugal (Cape Mondego to Cape Espichel). Below the culminant marine unit, that records the last episode of aggradation before the ongoing stage of incision, several terrace levels are identified. The following methodology was used: a) production of geomorphological maps, combining analysis of detailed MDT’s and aerial photos, with field surveys calibrated with GPS data; b) stratigraphic and sedimentological study of the sedimentary deposits associated with the marine platforms; c) luminescence dating. On each terrace staircase, the number of platforms and their elevations are different, indicating differential uplift. Quartz OSL provided age estimates up ca. 150 kyr and post-IR IRSL on K-feldspar up to ca. 700 kyr for the marine terraces under study. Using the culminant platform as reference and assuming that it is 3.6 Ma old, uplift rates were estimated as ranging from 0.071 m/ky to 0.019 m/ky. The ongoing luminescence dating will provide the uplift rates estimated for the lower and middle marine terraces.

approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Jay S. Noller Numerous flights of Quaternary marine terraces are present around the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. These terraces are a result of the global eustatic sea-level curve and local tectonism. Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 through MIS 13 terraces are identified, mapped and dated. Palaeoshoreline elevation, an excellent indicator for a past sea-level, and new numerical geochronology are used to calculate an Upper Pleistocene uplift rate for various coastal sectors. Southwestern Cyprus presents the highest uplift rates of 0.35-0.65 mm/year with other sections suggesting uplift of 0.07-0.15 mm/year. This Upper Pleistocene tectonic signal is attributed to an active offshore subduction/collision system to the southwest of Cyprus, evidenced from the seismic activity offshore and the surface expression of a blind thrust fault in the Pafos region. Soil chronosequences and geology in southwestern Cyprus are studied in order to understand the Quaternary development on this uplifting landscape. Soil profile properties are used to calculate a profile development index (PDI), a method often applied to geomorphic surfaces as a relative dating method. Well-developed red and clayey soils occur in the coastal sector, on broad and low-angle surfaces, specifically on marine terraces and alluvial fans. Higher elevations of steep slopes consisting of carbonate and ophiolite lithologies host poorly developed soils. Results show variable PDI's on uplifted terraces, obscured by transported materials, active alluvial fan buildup and hillslope erosion. Calcium carbonate build-up in soil profiles in the form of nodular and laminar accumulations are used as another relative dating method. Geochronology of marine terraces is used as an age range approximation for carbonate stages.

Uplifted Holocene marine terraces in Pangasinan Province, westernmost Luzon Island, Philippines are reported here for the first time as geomorphic evidence of large prehistoric offshore earthquakes. We recognized up to three Holocene terrace steps. Elevations of shoreline angles are TI: 1 to 5 m, TII: 2 to 7 m, and TIII: 4 to 11 m above mean sea level (amsl). The lateral variation in the elevation of terrace steps indicates differential uplift along the coast. The staircase topography, characterized by horizontal abrasion platforms, meter-scale terrace risers, and wave-cut notches, suggests that these geomorphic features were formed by large coseismic uplift events. Terrace morphology and radiocarbon ages further suggest that at least three coseismic coastal uplift events have occurred since the culmination of the post-glacial sea level risẽ 6000 years ago. We interpret TIII to be the Holocene transgressive surface (~6000 yBP) and estimated a maximum uplift rate of 1.7 mm/yr which is almost the same as the Late Pleistocene uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr. We infer that proximity to offshore seismic sources has contributed to the deformation pattern of Holocene terraces and variation in the number of terrace steps. Uplift patterns of marine terraces also suggest that the magnitude and location of prehistoric earthquakes may have varied between individual coseismic uplift events. We conducted simple elastic dislocation modeling to evaluate the source parameters of the causative faults. Our preliminary models show that a landward-dipping offshore reverse fault located at the base of a steep slope separating the fore arc basin and continental shelf could be responsible for coastal uplift along the western Pangasinan peninsula.

Some mid-Pleistocene carbonate build-ups from the marine terrace of Cutro show the uncommon, biologically-induced change of substrate that is implied in the definition of coralligène de plateau: from coarse, biogenic sediment to the solid framework. The build-ups grew over a basal rhodolithic layer mostly composed of Sporolithon ptychoides which was stabilized and transformed into a hard substrate by the binding activity and overgrowth of non-geniculate Corallinales (calcareous red algae). The build-ups are dominated by Titanoderma pustulatum, whose role in biogenic construction was previously underestimated, in association with Mesophyllum spp. and locally with Lithophyllum stictaeforme. Intergenicula of Amphiroa cryptarthrodia are common.

Persististrombus latus (GMELIN, 1791) (=Strombus bubonius LAMARCK, 1822), is the most iconic representative of the "Senegalese fauna", a fossil assemblage of tropical water organisms thought to have colonized the Mediterranean Sea during the last interglacial. As such, P. latus has become an important stratigraphic marker of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5.5, allowing the correlation of raised coastal deposits used in studies of sea level variations and tectonic uplift. P. latus is found in shallow marine sediments of Tyrrhenian age (~124 ka) in several localities of the Italian peninsula. However, despite intensive surveying through the years, the late Pleistocene marine terraces of the Crotone peninsula, which preserve an extensive volume of fossiliferous deposits attributed to MIS 5, have yielded very few specimens of P. latus. This paper reports the finding of several new specimens of P. latus near Isola di Capo Rizzuto, in deposits that had been independently assigned to MIS 5.5, and two specimens from the Capo Colonna terrace, which is thought to correlate with MIS 5.3 or 5.1. The Crotone peninsula, therefore, represents one of the few localities in Italy where multiple stratigraphically distinct P. latus-bearing units can be observed.

Discussions of dispersals of early hominins from Africa assume that Southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula were the primary passageways for migrations to Eurasia. The Mediterranean is usually viewed as a barrier to early hominin movements because pre-sapiens hominins were thought to lack the technical means or the cognitive skills to construct boats. The discovery of early Palaeolithic artefacts in an archaeological survey on the Greek island of Crete challenges this view. Here we show that Palaeolithic artefacts in the Plakias region in southwestern Crete are associated with geological contexts that can be dated to the late Middle or early Late Pleistocene. Because Crete has been separated from the mainland throughout the Pleistocene, the presence of Pleistocene age artefacts there suggests that early hominins were able to cross open water. DATING PALAEOLITHIC SITES IN SOUTHWESTERN CRETE, GREECE d GSL elevation in metres below modern sea level (b.m.s.l.) is reported for a given MIS. e Uplift rate errors are consistently less than 0.01 m ka À1 .

The Kaikōura Peninsula lies at the transition from subduction to continental collision at the southern end of the Hikurangi subduction system. This study uses a 2012 lidar survey over the Kaikōura Peninsula to re-map a flight of four uplifted Late Pleistocene marine terraces at high resolution. The lidar shows that the terraces are being progressively tilted landwards in a manner consistent with listric thrust faulting offshore. The fault, known as the Kaikōura Peninsula Fault, dips shallowly at c.30 ° to the northwest at depth and probably truncates the Seaward segment of the Hope Fault in the footwall of the Jordan Thrust. Geometric analysis of the tilt, using ages based on previous dating and a regional sea level curve, suggests that slip rates on the Kaikōura Peninsula Fault have ranged between 2.3 ± 1.5 mm/yr and 4.1 ± 1.3 mm/yr over the Late Pleistocene. The elevations of Late Holocene fringing beaches track regional sea level changes, apart from a departure indicating a single uplift event (penultimate earthquake) in the late 18th to earliest 19th century (1702-1838CE), followed by uplift in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. The slip rate calculated from beach uplift, including the Kaikōura earthquake, is consistent with longer term rates. The accumulation of the slip over only c.220 years following >2000 years of quiescence suggests that the offshore thrust and associated faults exhibit clustered behavior, possibly as a result of keystone faulting.

The Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, France) displays sequences of marine terraces and rasas, the latter being wide Late Cenozoic coastal erosion surfaces, that are typical of Western European coasts in Portugal, Spain, France and southern England. Remote sensing imagery and field mapping enabled reappraisal of the Cotentin coastal sequences. From bottom to top, the N Cotentin sequence includes four previously recognized Pleistocene marine terraces (T1 to T4) at elevations < 40 m as well as four higher and older rasas (R1 to R4) reaching 200 ± 5 m in elevation. Low-standing marine terraces are not observed in the central part of the Peninsula and a limited number of terraces are described to the south. The high-standing rasas are widespread all over the peninsula. Such strandline distributions reveal major changes during the Late Cenozoic. Progressive uplift of an irregular sea-floor led to subaerial exposure of bathymetric highs that were carved into rocky platforms, rasas and marine terraces. Eventually, five main islands coalesced and connected to the mainland to the south to form the Cotentin Peninsula. On the basis of previous dating of the last interglacial maximum terrace (i.e. Marine Isotopic Stage, MIS 5e), sequential morphostratigraphy and modelling, we have reappraised uplift rates and derived: (i) mean Upper Pleistocene (i.e. since MIS 5e ~ 44 122 +/- 6 ka, i.e. kilo annum) apparent uplift rates of 0.04 ± 0.01 mm/yr, (ii) mean Middle Pleistocene eustasy corrected uplift rates of 0.09 ± 0.03 mm/yr, and (iii) low mean Pleistocene uplift rates of 0.01 mm/yr. Extrapolations of these slow rates combined with geological evidence implies that the formation of the sequences from the Cotentin Peninsula occurred between 3 Ma (Pliocene) and 15 Ma (Miocene), which cannot be narrowed down further without additional research. Along the coasts of Western Europe, sequences of marine terraces and rasas are widespread (169 preserve the MIS 5e benchmark). In Spain, Portugal, S England and other parts of western France, the sequences morphostratigraphy is very similar to that of Cotentin. The onset of such Western European sequences occurred during the Miocene (e.g. Spain) or Pliocene (e.g. Portugal). We interpret this Neogene - Quaternary coastal uplift as a symptom of the increasing lithospheric compression that accompanies Cenozoic orogenies.

This work aims to describe the marine terrace of José Gonçalves beach, including its sedimentology, depositional processes, source areas and comparisons between the ancient a and actual sea levels. The beach is located at Armação dos Búzios County, about 180 km far
from Rio de Janeiro city. The local basement is mainly composed by proterozoic ortognaisses, with subordinate amphibolites layers. Mesozoic diabase dikes, ranging some centimeters to almost 20m, cut all these litologies. Both beach corners have cobbles and boulders  accumulations, formed by the near rocky coast erosion. The marine terrace has originally 120m long and about 32m width, and its most remarkable feature is the basal conglomerate deposit with about 2m thick. Over the basal conglomeratic layer, occurs a sandy eolic deposit.
Using a DGPS receptor, it was measured the mean and the higher high water levels, as well the top of the conglomeratic terrace and the eolic dune crest. Considering the mean sea level is about 40-60 cm below the mean high water, we can infer that the top of the conglomeratic
terrace is over 2,50-2,70 m above de present sea level. In this way, we can connect this terrace to the last holocenic transgression occurred between 2.700 and 2.500 years BP, when the sea level ranged 2,5 ± 0,5 m above the present.

Along the Asturian coast of northern Spain an uplifted wave-cut platform extends for ∼ 100 km east–west. The steep cliff which bounds the gently seaward-dipping platform to the north increases in height from 30 m in the west to 100 m in the east and reflects the overall eastward increase in platform elevation. The southern edge of the 2–4 km-wide platform runs along the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, as constrained by a high-resolution digital elevation model. The marine platform, which was carved into deformed Paleozoic bedrock with abundant quartzite beds, is largely covered by weathered marine and continental sediments. Quartzite samples from flat bedrock outcrops which are currently not covered by sediment or soil yield cosmogenic nuclide concentrations (21Ne, 10Be and 26Al) that demonstrate a long and complex exposure history, including periods of burial with partial or complete shielding from cosmic rays. The combination of multiple cosmogenic nuclides yields a minimum age of 1–2 Ma for the platform. Taking into account (i) the horizontal and vertical extent of the platform, (ii) the high resistance to erosion of the quartzitic bedrock, and (iii) published data on the magnitude of past sea level fluctuations, we suggest that the wave-cut platform formed in the Pliocene. Subvertical faults cutting the platform at high angles to the coastline offset the southern edge of the platform by 20 to 40 m and reactivate the pre-existing anisotropy in the Paleozoic bedrock. Uplift and crustal deformation of the coastal region have occurred after platform formation in the Pliocene and may still be active. The slow deformation of the northern edge of the Iberian plate including the Cantabrian Mountains may result from the ongoing slow convergence at an incipient subduction zone extending along the coast of northern Spain.

We conducted systematic mapping of Holocene marine terraces in eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines for the first time. Raised marine platforms along the 80-km-long coastline of eastern Davao Oriental Province are geomorphic evidence of tectonic deformation resulting from the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the Philippine trench. Holocene coral platforms consist of up to four terrace steps: T1: 1-5 m, T2: 3-6 m, T3: 6-10 m, and T4: 8-12 m amsl, from the lowest to highest, respectively. Terraces are subhorizontal, exposing cemented coral shingle and eroded coral heads, while terrace risers are 1-3 m high. Radiocarbon ages, 8080-4140 cal yr BP, reveal that erosional surfaces were carved onto the Holocene transgressive reef complex which grew upward until 8000 years ago. The maximum uplift rate is 1.5 mm/yr based on the highest Holocene terrace at <11.4 m amsl. The staircase topography and meter-scale terrace risers infer that at least four large earthquakes have uplifted the coast in the past 8000 years. The deformation pattern of the terraces further suggests that seismic sources are probably located offshore. However, historical earthquakes as large as M W 7.5 along the Philippine trench were not large enough to produce meter-scale coastal uplift, suggesting that much larger earthquakes occurred in the past. A long-term tectonic uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr was also estimated based on Late Pleistocene terraces.

We collected and dated fossil corals from the uplifted reef tracts of Sumba Island. Mass spectrometry (TIMS and AMS) was used to obtain reliable and precise radiochronological results. It is possible to identify outcrops corresponding to major sea level high stands: isotope stage 1 (starting at 7.1 kyr BP), 5a (c.a. 86 kyr BP), 5c (c.a. 105 kyr BP), 5e (between 119 and 132 kyr BP) and 9 (c.a. 305 kyr BP). The radiochronological data are thus broadly consistent with the timing of sea level fluctuations predicted by the astronomical theory of paleoclimates. Comparison with similar data from other terrace sequences and from benthic δ18O records indicates that the average tectonic uplift rate at Cape Laundi, Sumba, is on the order of 0.2-0.5m/kyr. The lowest values (<0.3m/kyr) lead to the build-up of polycyclic topographic terraces in which it is possible to find corals grown during different interstadial or even interglacial times.

The California Channel Islands contain some of the best geologic records of past climate and sea-level changes, recorded in uplifted, fossil-bearing marine terrace deposits. Among the eight California Channel Islands and the nearby Palos Verdes Hills, only Santa Catalina Island does not exhibit prominent emergent marine terraces, though the same terrace-forming processes that acted on the other Channel Islands must also have occurred on Santa Catalina. We re-evaluated previous researchers' field evidence and examined new topographic, bathymetric, and stream-profile data in order to find possible explanations for the lack of obvious marine terrace landforms or deposits on the island today. The most likely explanation is associated with the island's unresolved tectonic history, with evidence for both recent uplift and subsidence being offered by different researchers. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data indicate the presence of submerged terrace-like landforms from a few meters below present sea level to depths far exceeding that of the lowest glacial lowstand, suggesting that the Catalina Island block may have subsided, submerging marine terraces that would have formed in the late Quaternary. Similar submerged marine terrace landforms exist offshore of all of the other California Channel Islands, including some at anomalously great depths, but late Quaternary uplift is well documented on those islands. Therefore, such submarine features must be more thoroughly investigated and adequately explained before they can be accepted as definitive evidence of subsidence. Nevertheless, the striking similarity of the terrace-like features around Santa Catalina Island to those surrounding the other, uplifting, Channel Islands prompted us to investigate other lines of evidence of tectonic activity, such as stream profile data. Recent uplift is suggested by disequilibrium stream profiles on the western side of the island, including nickpoints and profile convexities. Rapid uplift is also indicated by the island's highly dissected, steep topography and abundant landslides. A likely cause of uplift is a restraining bend in the offshore Catalina strike-slip fault. Our analysis suggests that Santa Catalina Island has recently experienced, and may still be experiencing, relatively rapid uplift, causing intense landscape rejuvenation that removed nearly all traces of marine terraces by erosion. A similar research approach, incorporating submarine as well as subaerial geomorphic data, could be applied to many tectonically active coastlines in which a marine terrace record appears to be missing.

The Panama Triple Junction (Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean) represents the point that abruptly separates the thick and rapidly subducting Cocos plate to the northwest from the thin and obliquely subducting Nazca plate to the southeast along the Central American convergent margin. New structural and geomorphic analyses on the Burica Peninsula, an outer fore-arc peninsula located only ∼100 km inboard the Panama Triple Junction, reveal that the peninsula is dominated primarily by contractional deformation along three listric thrust faults that root in the underlying plate boundary. The geometry and spatial distribution of these thrusts indicate that this deformation occurs primarily in response to the change in crustal thickness occurring as a result of eastern migration of the flank of the Cocos Ridge coeval with migration of the Panama Triple Junction at a rate of ∼55 mm/yr to the southeast. Mapping and detailed elevation surveys reveal eight marine terraces on the peninsula with a distribution of inner edge elevations indicating that uplift is spatially uniform from north to south along strike in this area. However, terraces along the northwest part of the peninsula are offset across major thrust faults. Age control provided by 14 C, OSL and soil chronosequences indicate that the terraces within the easternmost portion of the peninsula range in age from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to Holocene, a result that indicates that this portion of the peninsula is younger than ∼60 ka. Time-averaged uplift rates calculated from marine terraces and other Quaternary marine deposits yield consistent uplift rates that range between 2.1 ± 0.1 and 7.7 ± 0.5 mm/yr for samples older than 1 ka and between 6.9 ± 1.0 and 19.3 ± 8.0 mm/yr for samples younger than 1 ka. We interpret this temporal distribution in uplift rates to suggest that the eight terraces preserved on the peninsula are produced coseismically wherein the anomalously high uplift rates calculated from the youngest samples (<1 ka) are not yet averaged over a complete seismic cycle. These observations, combined with (1) shortening estimates from balanced cross sections indicating that minimum shortening decreases from northwest to southeast and (2) the observation of growth strata within the youngest marine units, are consistent with a space-for-time model for triple junction migration. These results indicate that both triple junction migration and the change in bathymetry occurring at the triple junction boundary are far more dominant factors in outer fore-arc deformation than the change in rate and obliquity of subduction and basal tractions that also occur on either side of the triple junction.

The central area of the Apulia region is characterized by a network of valleys with peculiar features, locally called 'gravine' or 'lame'. They are short, straight valleys, deeply incised in Plio-Pleistocene calcareous sandstones and in Mesozoic limestones. These characteristic valleys cut a staircase of marine terraces. A series of valley generations is recognisable, each one of them leading to the internal margin of a marine terrace representing its base level. Morphological features and hydrogeological conditions suggest that sapping processes were responsible for the development of the valley network. As the aquifer rests on seawater intruding from the nearby coastal area, sapping processes were enhanced during interglacial high sea-level stands so that each ancient coastline is marked by its own generation of valleys. However, the longest and deepest valleys formed at the Ionian side during OIS 7. This is due mostly to a fast sea-level rise accompanied by very humid climatic conditions that increased the hydraulic head at the springs and the intensity of sapping processes. Sapping valleys could be useful for regional correlation of marine terraces and as indicators of relict coastlines at present placed below sea level.

San Nicolas Island, California has one of the best records of fossiliferous Quaternary marine terraces in North America, with at least fourteen terraces rising to an elevation of w270 m above present-day sea level. In our studies of the lowest terraces, we identified platforms at 38e36 m (terrace 2a), 33e28 m (terrace 2b), and 13e8 m (terrace 1). Uranium-series dating of solitary corals from these terraces yields three clusters of ages: w120 ka on terrace 2a (marine isotope stage [MIS] 5.5), w120 and w100 ka on terrace 2b (MIS 5.5 and 5.3), and w80 ka (MIS 5.1) on terrace 1. We conclude that corals on terrace 2b that date to w120 ka were reworked from a formerly broader terrace 2a during the w100 ka sea stand. Fossil faunas differ on the three terraces. Isolated fragments of terrace 2a have a fauna similar to that of modern waters surrounding San Nicolas Island. A mix of extralimital southern and extralimital northern species is found on terrace 2b, and extralimital northern species are on terrace 1. On terrace 2b, with its mixed faunas, extralimital southern species, indicating warmer than present waters, are interpreted to be from the w120 ka high sea stand, reworked from terrace 2a. The extralimital northern species on terrace 2b, indicating cooler than present waters, are interpreted to be from the w100 ka sea stand. The abundant extralimital northern species on terrace 1 indicate cooler than present waters at w80 ka. Using the highest elevations of the w120 ka platform of terrace 2a, and assuming a paleo-sea level of þ6 m based on previous studies, San Nicolas Island has experienced late Quaternary uplift rates of w0.25e0.27 m/ka. These uplift rates, along with shoreline angle elevations and ages of terrace 2b (w100 ka) and terrace 1 (w80 ka) yield relative (local) paleo-sea level elevations of þ2 to þ6 m for the w100 ka sea stand and À11 to À12 m for the w80 ka sea stand. These estimates are significantly higher than those reported for the w100 ka and w80 ka sea stands on New Guinea and Barbados. Numerical models of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) process presented here demonstrate that these differences in the high stands are expected, given the variable geographic distances between the sites and the former Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. Moreover, the numerical results show that the absolute and differential elevations of the observed high stands provide a potentially important constraint on ice volumes during this time interval and on Earth structure.

The California Channel Islands contain some of the best geologic records of past climate and sea-level changes, recorded in uplifted, fossil-bearing marine terrace deposits. Among the eight California Channel Islands and the nearby Palos Verdes Hills, only Santa Catalina Island does not exhibit prominent emergent marine terraces, though the same terrace-forming processes that acted on the other Channel Islands must also have occurred on Santa Catalina. We re-evaluated previous researchers' field evidence and examined new topographic, bathymetric, and stream-profile data in order to find possible explanations for the lack of obvious marine terrace landforms or deposits on the island today. The most likely explanation is associated with the island's unresolved tectonic history, with evidence for both recent uplift and subsidence being offered by different researchers. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data indicate the presence of submerged terrace-like landforms from a few meters below present sea level to depths far exceeding that of the lowest glacial lowstand, suggesting that the Catalina Island block may have subsided, submerging marine terraces that would have formed in the late Quaternary. Similar submerged marine terrace landforms exist offshore of all of the other California Channel Islands, including some at anomalously great depths, but late Quaternary uplift is well documented on those islands. Therefore, such submarine features must be more thoroughly investigated and adequately explained before they can be accepted as definitive evidence of subsidence. Nevertheless, the striking similarity of the terrace-like features around Santa Catalina Island to those surrounding the other, uplifting, Channel Islands prompted us to investigate other lines of evidence of tectonic activity, such as stream profile data. Recent uplift is suggested by disequilibrium stream profiles on the western side of the island, including nickpoints and profile convexities. Rapid uplift is also indicated by the island's highly dissected, steep topography and abundant landslides. A likely cause of uplift is a restraining bend in the offshore Catalina strike-slip fault. Our analysis suggests that Santa Catalina Island has recently experienced, and may still be experiencing, relatively rapid uplift, causing intense landscape rejuvenation that removed nearly all traces of marine terraces by erosion. A similar research approach, incorporating submarine as well as subaerial geomorphic data, could be applied to many tectonically active coastlines in which a marine terrace record appears to be missing.

The results of a study carried out on a coastal area of central-western Liguria (Northern Italy), where metamorphosed basic and ultrabasic rocks outcrop, are presented. The study indicates that a wide area (16 km 2 ) was involved in a large scale "deep-seated gravitational slope deformation" (DSGSD). This movement has special features related to the lithology and structure of the involved rock mass, to the Plio-Quaternary uplifting and brittle tectonics, affecting an area where a paleosurface was recognised, and to the continental shelf dynamics. The particular geometry of the DSGSD was recognised on the basis of detailed analyses of the above-mentioned aspects. Due to its characteristics, the deep-seated deformation can be classified as a "lateral spreading". The current altitude of the Pliocene marine clay outcrops and their deposition bathymetry allowed estimation of the uplift rate of the coastal area. The altitudinal variations of an ancient marine terrace, which was displaced by the DSGSD, were used to reconstruct the chronology of the gravitational movement. A final issue concerns the very large scale and the particular kind of phenomenon, both of which are certainly new in Liguria.

ABAD, M., BRAGA, J.C., PÉREZ-VALERA, F., MORENO, F., RODRÍGUEZ-VIDAL, J., RUIZ, F., CÁCERES, L.M., HERNAIZ-HUERTA, P.P., MUÑOZ, S., IZQUIERDO, T., TOSCANO, A. (2012). Terrazas marinas pleistocenas en la costa oriental de la península de Bahoruco  (SO de República Dominicana). Geogaceta 52: 105-108. ISSN 2173-6545

Abstract: We describe a Quaternary succession consisting of coastal and teuvestrial facies which record sea level fluctuations in the Eastern coast of Bahoruco peninsula (SW of Dominican Republic). The bottom of this sequence is formed by coral limestone deposit interpreted as fringing reef with a most likely age corresponding to the onset and progress of Last Interglacial (132-120 kyrago). This deposit is covered and eroded by rampant dunes and alluvial fans that recorded a rapid sea-level drop.A very similar sequence of facies have been described by several authors in the Bahamas and other Caribbean areas, showing rapid and abrupt sea- level fluctuations that occurred within the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 5.

Resumen: Se describe una sucesión cuaternaria formada por facies costeras y continentales que registran fluctuaciones del nivel del mar en la costa Este de la Península de Bahoruco (SO de República Dominicana). La base de esta sucesión está formada por calizas coralinas que se han interpretado como sistemas arrecifales franjeantes cuya edad más probable se corresponde con el inicio y progreso del Último Interglacial (132-120 Ka). Estos depósitos aparecen cubiertos y erosionados por dunas rampantes y abanicos aluviales que registran un brusco descenso del nivel del mar. Secuencias de facies muy similares han sido descritas por diversos autores en Bahamas y otras zonas del Caribe, evidenciando los cambios del nivel del mar que tuvieron lugar al principio del Estadio Isotópico Marino 5.

Islands are natural dust traps, and San Clemente Island, California, is a good example. Soils on marine terraces cut into Miocene andesite on this island are clay-rich Vertisols or Alfisols with vertic properties. These soils are overlain by silt-rich mantles, 5-20 cm thick, that contrast sharply with the underlying clay-rich subsoils. The silt mantles have a mineralogy that is distinct from the island bedrock. Silt mantles are rich in quartz, which is rare in the island andesite. The clay fraction of the silt mantles is dominated by mica, also absent from local andesite, and contrasts with the subsoils, dominated by smectite. Ternary plots of immobile trace elements (Sc-Th-La and Ta-Nd-Cr) show that the island andesite has a composition intermediate between average upper continental crust and average oceanic crust. In contrast, the silt and, to a lesser extent, clay fractions of the silt mantles have compositions closer to average upper continental crust. The silt mantles have particle size distributions similar to loess and Mojave Desert dust, but are coarser than long-range-transported Asian dust. We infer from these observations that the silt mantles are derived from airborne dust from the North American mainland, probably river valleys in the coastal mountains of southern California and/or the Mojave Desert. Although average winds are from the northwest in coastal California, easterly winds occur numerous times of the year when ''Santa Ana'' conditions prevail, caused by a high-pressure cell centered over the Great Basin. Examination of satellite imagery shows that easterly Santa Ana winds carry abundant dust to the eastern Pacific Ocean and the California Channel Islands. Airborne dust from mainland North America may be an important component of the offshore sediment budget in the easternmost Pacific Ocean, a finding of potential biogeochemical and climatic significance.

Two islands were studied: 25 ESR and 7 U/Th ages from Kish have shown that this 32 m high flat island was totally submerged during the last two interglacial periods. 7 ESR ages from Qeshm confirmed the MIS 5 age of the lowest raised marine terrace. Five new radiocarbon ages demonstrated the variability of uplift rates along short distances of a salt dome.

We conducted systematic mapping of Holocene marine terraces in eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines for the first time. Raised marine platforms along the 80-km-long coastline of eastern Davao Oriental Province are geomorphic evidence of tectonic deformation resulting from the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the Philippine trench. Holocene coral platforms consist of up to four terrace steps: T1: 1-5 m, T2: 3-6 m, T3: 6-10 m, and T4: 8-12 m amsl, from the lowest to highest, respectively. Terraces are subhorizontal, exposing cemented coral shingle and eroded coral heads, while terrace risers are 1-3 m high. Radiocarbon ages, 8080-4140 cal yr BP, reveal that erosional surfaces were carved onto the Holocene transgressive reef complex which grew upward until 8000 years ago. The maximum uplift rate is 1.5 mm/yr based on the highest Holocene terrace at <11.4 m amsl. The staircase topography and meter-scale terrace risers infer that at least four large earthquakes have uplifted the coast in the past 8000 years. The deformation pattern of the terraces further suggests that seismic sources are probably located offshore. However, historical earthquakes as large as M W 7.5 along the Philippine trench were not large enough to produce meter-scale coastal uplift, suggesting that much larger earthquakes occurred in the past. A long-term tectonic uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr was also estimated based on Late Pleistocene terraces.

We conducted systematic mapping of Holocene marine terraces in eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines for the first time. Raised marine platforms along the 80-km-long coastline of eastern Davao Oriental Province are geomorphic evidence of tectonic deformation resulting from the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the Philippine trench. Holocene coral platforms consist of up to four terrace steps: T1: 1-5 m, T2: 3-6 m, T3: 6-10 m, and T4: 8-12 m amsl, from the lowest to highest, respectively. Terraces are subhorizontal, exposing cemented coral shingle and eroded coral heads, while terrace risers are 1-3 m high. Radiocarbon ages, 8080-4140 cal yr BP, reveal that erosional surfaces were carved onto the Holocene transgressive reef complex which grew upward until 8000 years ago. The maximum uplift rate is 1.5 mm/yr based on the highest Holocene terrace at <11.4 m amsl. The staircase topography and meter-scale terrace risers infer that at least four large earthquakes have uplifted the coast in the past 8000 years. The deformation pattern of the terraces further suggests that seismic sources are probably located offshore. However, historical earthquakes as large as M W 7.5 along the Philippine trench were not large enough to produce meter-scale coastal uplift, suggesting that much larger earthquakes occurred in the past. A long-term tectonic uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr was also estimated based on Late Pleistocene terraces.

The Pacific Rim is a region where tectonic processes play a significant role in coastal landscape evolution. Coastal California, on the eastern margin of the Pacific Rim, is very active tectonically and geomorphic expressions of this include uplifted marine terraces. There have been, however, conflicting estimates of the rate of late Quaternary uplift of marine terraces in coastal California, particularly for the northern Channel Islands. In the present study, the terraces on San Miguel Island and Santa Rosa Island were mapped and new age estimates were generated using uranium-series dating of fossil corals and amino acid geochronology of fossil mollusks. Results indicate that the 2nd terrace on both islands is~120 ka and the 1st terrace on Santa Rosa Island is~80 ka. These ages correspond to two global high-sea stands of the Last Interglacial complex, marine isotope stages (MIS) 5.5 and 5.1, respectively. The age estimates indicate that San Miguel Island and Santa Rosa Island have been tectonically uplifted at rates of 0.12e0.20 m/ka in the late Quaternary, similar to uplift rates inferred from previous studies on neighboring Santa Cruz Island. The newly estimated uplift rates for the northern Channel Islands are, however, an order of magnitude lower than a recent study that generated uplift rates from an offshore terrace dating to the Last Glacial period. The differences between the estimated uplift rates in the present study and the offshore study are explained by the magnitude of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) effects that were not known at the time of the earlier study. Set in the larger context of northeastern Pacific Rim tectonics, Channel Islands uplift rates are higher than those coastal localities on the margin of the East Pacific Rise spreading center, but slightly lower than those of most localities adjacent to the Cascadia subduction zone. The uplift rates reported here for the northern Channel Islands are similar to those reported for most other localities where strike-slip tectonics are dominant, but lower than localities where restraining bends (such as the Big Bend of the San Andreas Fault) result in crustal shortening.

Aceptado en versión final: 8 de junio de 2006 Resumen. El área de La Macolla se localiza al SW del faro homónimo en la costa NW de Paraguaná, Estado Falcón, Venezuela. El objetivo del trabajo es abordar una posible explicación de evolución geomorfológica, a partir de los indicadores disponibles en el campo, tales como terraza marina, manglar y barrera o cordón litoral, además de caracterizar los ambientes sedimentológicos distintivos. Se trata de una antigua bahía bordeada por un escarpe de terraza constituido por calizas fosilíferas con un promedio de altura de 80 cm. Este escarpe domina un área de 9.6 ha de planicie lodosa o "mud flat" y una barrera litoral de 3.5 ha. La fracción limosa predominante en los sedimentos de la planicie lodosa y del área de manglar se interpretan como evidencias de condiciones más húmedas que las actuales, que permitieron la meteorización de las calizas circundantes, una escorrentía superficial y el consiguiente transporte hasta las partes más bajas, donde la vegetación halófita se instaló. La evolución de la bahía a llanura cenagosa se atribuye a fluctuaciones del nivel marino y al cierre de cordones litorales por transporte sedimentario.

During his journey on the Beagle, Darwin observed the uniformity in the elevation of coastal Eastern Patagonia along more than 2000 km. More than one century later, the sequences of Quaternary shorelines of eastern Patagonia have been described and their deposits dated but not yet interpreted in terms of geodynamics. Consequently, we i) mapped the repartition of the Quaternary coastal sequences in Argentinean Patagonia, ii) secured accurate altitudes of shoreline angles associated with erosional morphologies (i.e. marine terraces and notches), iii) took into account previous chrono-stratigraphical interpretations in order to calculate mean uplift rates since~440 ka (MIS 11) and proposed age ranges for the higher and older features (up to~180 m), and iv) focused on the Last Interglacial Maximum terrace (MIS 5e) as the best constrained marine terrace (in terms of age and altitude) in order to use it as a tectonic benchmark to quantify uplift rates along the entire passive margin of Eastern South America. Our results show that the eastern Patagonia uplift is constant through time and twice the uplift of the rest of the South American margin. We suggest that the enhanced uplift along the eastern Patagonian coast that interested Darwin during his journey around South America on the Beagle could originate from the subduction of the Chile ridge and the associated dynamic uplift.

We conducted systematic mapping of Holocene marine terraces in eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines for the first time. Raised marine platforms along the 80-km-long coastline of eastern Davao Oriental Province are geomorphic evidence of tectonic deformation resulting from the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the Philippine trench. Holocene coral platforms consist of up to four terrace steps: T1: 1-5 m, T2: 3-6 m, T3: 6-10 m, and T4: 8-12 m amsl, from the lowest to highest, respectively. Terraces are subhorizontal, exposing cemented coral shingle and eroded coral heads, while terrace risers are 1-3 m high. Radiocarbon ages, 8080-4140 cal yr BP, reveal that erosional surfaces were carved onto the Holocene transgressive reef complex which grew upward until 8000 years ago. The maximum uplift rate is 1.5 mm/yr based on the highest Holocene terrace at <11.4 m amsl. The staircase topography and meter-scale terrace risers infer that at least four large earthquakes have uplifted the coast in the past 8000 years. The deformation pattern of the terraces further suggests that seismic sources are probably located offshore. However, historical earthquakes as large as M W 7.5 along the Philippine trench were not large enough to produce meter-scale coastal uplift, suggesting that much larger earthquakes occurred in the past. A long-term tectonic uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr was also estimated based on Late Pleistocene terraces.

The Tyrrhenian coastal sector of North Calabria, stretching between Torre S. Nicola and the Lao river, belongs to the inner extensional sector of the Neogene Apennines thrust belt. It is characterised by a stair of Quaternary marine and fluvial terraces representing the geomorphic response to the interaction between the Quaternary sea level fluctuations and the regional trend of tectonic uplift experienced by the margins of the Tyrrhenian back-arc basin. Since the last century, several authors studied the North Calabria coasts, where the flight of terraces preserves significant marine and continental successions, and proposed several paleogeomorphological and tectonic reconstructions. In this paper we present a new stratigraphic and morphostructural setting of the North Calabria coasts based on both chronostratigraphical constraints obtained from marine deposits and detailed geomorphological analysis. A ten order stair of marine terraces, stepping between 240 and 0 m a.s.l., was recognized and time-constrained by the age of the Fornaci S. Nicola marine succession which was ascribed by integrated paleoecological, biostratigraphical and paleomagentic analyses to the early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 19-15). In particular, the 240, 200 and 160 m a.s.l. high strandlines were ascribed to the Early Pleistocene and the ones between 100 and 15 m a.s.l. to the Middle Pleistocene. The total amount of the vertical motion experienced by the studied area was estimated, and evaluation of the average rates of uplift for the Middle and Late Pleistocene times were also given. Considering the elevation a.s.l. of the oldest terraces, a tectonic uplift of at least 240 m was calculated for the North Calabria coasts since the Early Pleistocene times, 100 m of which gained from the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. On the other hand, the 8-m high Late Pleistocene strandlines display a negligible vertical displacement affecting the area during the last 130 ka. The entire staircase of terraces preserves a record of slowing down in the rate of uplift, which attained an average value of 0.15 mm/year during the Middle Pleistocene.

San Nicolas Island, California has one of the best records of fossiliferous Quaternary marine terraces in North America, with at least fourteen terraces rising to an elevation of w270 m above present-day sea level. In our studies of the lowest terraces, we identified platforms at 38e36 m (terrace 2a), 33e28 m (terrace 2b), and 13e8 m (terrace 1). Uranium-series dating of solitary corals from these terraces yields three clusters of ages: w120 ka on terrace 2a (marine isotope stage [MIS] 5.5), w120 and w100 ka on terrace 2b (MIS 5.5 and 5.3), and w80 ka (MIS 5.1) on terrace 1. We conclude that corals on terrace 2b that date to w120 ka were reworked from a formerly broader terrace 2a during the w100 ka sea stand. Fossil faunas differ on the three terraces. Isolated fragments of terrace 2a have a fauna similar to that of modern waters surrounding San Nicolas Island. A mix of extralimital southern and extralimital northern species is found on terrace 2b, and extralimital northern species are on terrace 1. On terrace 2b, with its mixed faunas, extralimital southern species, indicating warmer than present waters, are interpreted to be from the w120 ka high sea stand, reworked from terrace 2a. The extralimital northern species on terrace 2b, indicating cooler than present waters, are interpreted to be from the w100 ka sea stand. The abundant extralimital northern species on terrace 1 indicate cooler than present waters at w80 ka. Using the highest elevations of the w120 ka platform of terrace 2a, and assuming a paleo-sea level of þ6 m based on previous studies, San Nicolas Island has experienced late Quaternary uplift rates of w0.25e0.27 m/ka. These uplift rates, along with shoreline angle elevations and ages of terrace 2b (w100 ka) and terrace 1 (w80 ka) yield relative (local) paleo-sea level elevations of þ2 to þ6 m for the w100 ka sea stand and À11 to À12 m for the w80 ka sea stand. These estimates are significantly higher than those reported for the w100 ka and w80 ka sea stands on New Guinea and Barbados. Numerical models of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) process presented here demonstrate that these differences in the high stands are expected, given the variable geographic distances between the sites and the former Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. Moreover, the numerical results show that the absolute and differential elevations of the observed high stands provide a potentially important constraint on ice volumes during this time interval and on Earth structure.

We present a high resolution DTM of the Palinuro Seamount (PS, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) resulting from the processing of multibeam swath bathymetry records acquired during the second leg of the "Aeolian 2007" cruise. PS consists of several superimposed volcanoes aligned along a N100°E strike and measures 55 × 25 km. The western and the central sectors result from the coalescence of collapse structures (calderas) with younger volcanic cones. The eastern sector reveals a more complex and articulated structure. In the central sector, a volcanic crater with a well-preserved rim not obliterated by erosional events suggests a volcanological rejuvenation of this sector. The presence of flat surfaces on the top of the seamount may be due to the formation of marine terraces during the last sea-level lowering. Lateral collapses on the northern and southern flanks of the seamount are probably related to slope instability, as suggested by the presence of steep slopes (25-40°). The main fault affecting PS strikes N65°E and shows a right lateral component of movement. E-W and N10°E striking faults are also present. Assuming that the N100°E deep-seated fault, which is responsible for the emplacement of PS, moved with sinistral slips, we interpret the N65°E and the N10°E faults as right-lateral (second order) shear and left-lateral (third order) shear, respectively. Due to the particular location of the Palinuro Seamount, the data presented here allow us to better understand the volcanism and the geodynamic processes of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Quaternary terrace deposits exposed on the Capo Vaticano peninsula (Calabria, Southern Italy) have been investigated in order to obtain new OSL age estimates. Six samples were collected from unconsolidated sediments associated with the major marine terraces. These form a flight of seven distinct levels distributed between about 600 m and 30 m of altitude. The samples were analysed by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique, the obtained results provided reliable age estimates showing numerical ages ranging between 214 AE 25 ka and 62 AE 6 ka. Age determinations combined with geological and morphological information provide new constraints for correlating the distinct orders of marine terraces with the last seven interglacial stages of the eustatic curve. This correlation indicates that in the Middle-Late Pleistocene this portion of the southern Calabrian arc was affected by a vigorous uplift characterized by rates up to w2 mm/y.

Persististrombus latus (G melin, 1791)(= Strombus bubonius L amarck, 1822), is the most iconic representative of the “Senegalese fauna”, a fossil assemblage of tropical water organisms thought to have colonized the Mediterranean Sea during the last interglacial. As such, P. latus has become an important stratigraphic marker of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5.5, allowing the correlation of raised coastal deposits used in studies of sea level variations and tectonic uplift. P. latus is found in shallow marine sediments of Tyrrhenian age (∼ 124 ...

The regional tectonics and the mid to late Quaternary seismic stratigraphy of the Strait of Ç anakkale (Dardanelles) and its opening towards the Aegean Sea were interpreted by using shallow seismic profiles. This strait is a narrow valley that resulted from regional uplift of the Gelibolu and Biga Peninsulas in the Pliocene as a consequence of compressional events generated by strike-slip faulting activity of the Ganos Fault, a northern strand of the North Anatolian Fault. A NNE-SSW trending fault system between Eceabat and Ç anakkale, believed to result from the left lateral displacement of the Ganos fault on the Gelibolu Peninsula, cut this valley into different segments. The connection between the Marmara Basin and the Aegean Sea has been achieved after flooding of the connected valleys during the mid to Late Pleistocene. Three major sea level lowstands (Ϫ130/ Ϫ150 m) during this period (ϳ600 kyear BP) interrupted the sea water connection at least twice. Three main seismic unconformities detected in the sediments of the Strait of Ç anakkale represent these lowstands. Minor sea level lowstands could have induced narrowing of the strait and erosion of depositional units. The recent geological history of the Strait of Ç anakkale appears, as deduced from the Gelibolu Peninsula and its western regions, strongly related to escape tectonics influenced by the compressional forcing of the Anatolian Block. In addition, it also shows a morphological evolution, which carries the effects of the global sea-level variations. ᭧

The Calabrian Arc and northeastern Sicily are sectors of central Mediterranean where the effects of Quaternary tectonics are visible and regional uplift is accompanied by marine terracing along the coastal areas. In this paper, the application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating based on the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol for sand-sized quartz is investigated. We present new OSL age estimates of Pleistocene marine terrace deposits located in Capo Vaticano peninsula and in the Sant'Agata di Militello costal area, where a complete series, characterized by both marine and continental deposits, occurs. Current elevations of marine terraces also suggest that these portions of the Calabrian Arc have been affected by a vigorous tectonic uplift during the last 330 ka, probably due to sum of regional uplift and fault activity. RIASSUNTO: Ristuccia G.M. et al., Cronologia tramite luminescenza dei terrazzi marini Pleistocenici presenti lungo l'area costale della Sicilia e della Calabria meridionale. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2011) L'Arco Calabro e la Sicilia nord-orientale sono settori del Mediterraneo centrale dove gli effetti della tettonica Quaternaria sono ben visibili e il sollevamento regionale è evidenziato da un terrazzamento marino lungo le aree costiere. In questo lavoro è stata investigata la possibilità di datare i depositi terrazzati tramite la Luminescenza Otticamente Stimolata (OSL) mediante il protocollo della singola aliquota (SAR) su quarzo estratto dai sedimenti. I risultati ottenuti hanno permesso di ottenere nuove cronologie dei terrazzi Pleistocenici localizzati lungo la penisola di Capo Vaticano e l'area costiera di Sant'Agata di Militello. Le attuali linee di costa suggeriscono, insieme ai dati ottenuti, che queste porzioni dell'Arco Calabro sono state soggette ad un forte sollevamento durante gli ultimi 330 ka, probabilmente a causa della componente regionale sommata ad attività di faglie.

Aceptado en versión final: 8 de junio de 2006 Resumen. El área de La Macolla se localiza al SW del faro homónimo en la costa NW de Paraguaná, Estado Falcón, Venezuela. El objetivo del trabajo es abordar una posible explicación de evolución geomorfológica, a partir de los indicadores disponibles en el campo, tales como terraza marina, manglar y barrera o cordón litoral, además de caracterizar los ambientes sedimentológicos distintivos. Se trata de una antigua bahía bordeada por un escarpe de terraza constituido por calizas fosilíferas con un promedio de altura de 80 cm. Este escarpe domina un área de 9.6 ha de planicie lodosa o "mud flat" y una barrera litoral de 3.5 ha. La fracción limosa predominante en los sedimentos de la planicie lodosa y del área de manglar se interpretan como evidencias de condiciones más húmedas que las actuales, que permitieron la meteorización de las calizas circundantes, una escorrentía superficial y el consiguiente transporte hasta las partes más bajas, donde la vegetación halófita se instaló. La evolución de la bahía a llanura cenagosa se atribuye a fluctuaciones del nivel marino y al cierre de cordones litorales por transporte sedimentario.