Worldwide Initiation of Holocene Marine Deltas by Deceleration of Sea-Level Rise
Abstract
Radiocarbon-dated deltaic sequences of Holocene age from different parts of the world began to accumulate within a restricted time range, from about 8500 to 6500 years ago. Evaluation of major delta processes indicates that deceleration in sea-level rise was the key factor in Holocene delta formation. Within many deltas, there is as much as a 2000-year age range between basal deposits in seaward and landward cores. This age difference records the progressive landward migration of near mean sea-level depositional environments during the lower to mid-Holocene. Establishment of a chronostratigraphic framework for Holocene delta development provides a fundamental global baseline for distinguishing sea-level change from vertical land motion by tectonism and isostasy, and for evaluating rates of future marine incursion into low-lying deltas.
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Science
Volume 265 | Issue 5169
8 July 1994
8 July 1994
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1994 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Received: 22 February 1994
Accepted: 13 May 1994
Published in print: 8 July 1994
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