Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T00:36:37.547Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late Glacial to Holocene relative sea-level change in Assynt, northwest Scotland, UK

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Christine A. Hamilton ,
Jeremy M. Lloyd ,
Natasha L.M. Barlow ,
James B. Innes ,
Rachel Flecker  and
Caleb P. Thomas
Christine A. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Jeremy M. Lloyd
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Natasha L.M. Barlow
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
James B. Innes
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Rachel Flecker
Affiliation:
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK
Caleb P. Thomas
Affiliation:
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Relative sea-level change (RSL), from the Late Glacial through to the late Holocene, is reconstructed for the Assynt region, northwest Scotland, based on bio- and lithostratigraphical analysis. Four new radiocarbon-dated sea-level index points help constrain RSL change for the Late Glacial to the late Holocene. These new data, in addition to published material, capture the RSL fall during the Late Glacial and the rise and fall associated with the mid-Holocene highstand. Two of these index points constrain the Late Glacial RSL history in Assynt for the first time, reconstructing RSL falling from 2.47 ± 0.59 m OD to 0.15 ± 0.59 m OD at c. 14,000–15,000 cal yr BP. These new data test model predictions of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), particularly during the early deglacial period which is currently poorly constrained throughout the British Isles. Whilst the empirical data from the mid- to late-Holocene to present matches quite well with the recent GIA model output, there is a relatively poor fit between the timing of the Late Glacial RSL fall and early Holocene RSL rise. This mismatch, also evident elsewhere in northwest Scotland, may result from uncertainties associated with both the global and local ice components of GIA models.

Keywords

Sea levelGlacial isostatic adjustmentPalaeoenvironmental reconstructionLate Glacial
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , September 2015 , pp. 214 - 222
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balco, G. Stone, J.O. Lifton, A. Dunai, T.J. A complete and easily accessible means of calculating surface exposure ages or erosion rates from 10Be and 26Al measurements Quaternary Geochronology 3 2008 174–195 Google Scholar
Balesdent, J. The turnover of soil organic fractions estimated by radiocarbon dating The Science of the Total Environment 62 1987 405–408 Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. Periglacial trimline in the Scottish Highlands Quaternary International 38 39 1997 119–136 Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. Extent and deglacial chronology of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet: implications of exposure dating using cosmogenic isotopes Journal of Quaternary Science 25 2010 515–534 Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. Chronology of glaciation and deglaciation during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stade in the Scottish Highlands: implications of recalibrated 10Be exposure ages Boreas 41 2012 513–526 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballantyne, C. Hall, A. The altitude of the last ice sheet in Caithness and east Sutherland, northern Scotland Scottish Journal of Geology 44 2008 169–181 Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. Stone, J.O. Did large ice caps persist on low ground in north-west Scotland during the Lateglacial Interstade? Journal of Quaternary Science 27 2012 297–306 Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. McCarroll, D. Nesje, A. Dahl, S.O. Stone, J.O. The last ice sheet in north-west Scotland: reconstruction and implications Quaternary Science Reviews 17 1998 1149–1184 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballantyne, C.K. Rinterknecht, V. Gheorghiu, D.M. Deglaciation chronology of the Galloway Hills Ice Centre, southwest Scotland Journal of Quaternary Science 28 2013 412–420 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barlow, N.L.M. Long, A.J. Saher, M.H. Gehrels, W.R. Garnett, M.H. Scaife, R.G. Salt-marsh reconstructions of relative sea-level change in the North Atlantic during the last 2000 years Quaternary Science Reviews 99 2014 1–16 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Battarbee, R. Diatom Analysis Berglund, B. Handbook of Holocene Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology 1986 Wiley Chichester 527–570 Google Scholar
Birks, H. Late-Quaternary Pollen and Plant Macrofossil Stratigraphy at Lochan An Druim, North-West Scotland Haworth, E.Y. Lund, J.W. Lake Sediments and Environmental History 1984 University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis 377–404 Google Scholar
Bradley, S.L. Milne, G.a. Shennan, I. Edwards, R. An improved glacial isostatic adjustment model for the British Isles Journal of Quaternary Science 26 2011 541–552 Google Scholar
Bradwell, T. Stoker, M. Larter, R. Geomorphological signature and flow dynamics of the Minch palaeo-ice stream, northwest Scotland Journal of Quaternary Science 22 2007 609–617 Google Scholar
Bradwell, T. Stoker, M. Golledge, N.R. Wilson, C.K. Merritt, J.W. Long, D. Everest, J.D. Hestvik, O.B. Stevenson, A.G. Hubbard, A.L. Finlayson, A.G. Mathers, H.E. The northern sector of the last British ice sheet: maximum extent and demise Earth-Science Reviews 88 2008 207–226 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradwell, T. Stoker, M. Krabbendam, M. Megagrooves and streamlined bedrock in NW Scotland: the role of ice streams in landscape evolution Geomorphology 97 2008 135–156 Google Scholar
Brooks, A. Bradley, S. Edwards, R. Milne, G. Horton, B. Shennan, I. Postglacial relative sea-level observations from Ireland and their role in glacial rebound modelling Journal of Quaternary Science 23 2008 175–192 Google Scholar
Deschamps, P. Durand, N. Bard, E. Hamelin, B. Camoin, G. Thomas, A.L. Henderson, G.M. Okuno, J. Yokoyama, Y. Ice-sheet collapse and sea-level rise at the Bolling warming 14,600 years ago Nature 483 2012 559–564 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devoy, R.J. Analysis of the geological evidence for Holocene sea-level movements in southeast England Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 93 1 1982 65–90 Google Scholar
Fabel, D. Ballantyne, C.K. Xu, S. Trimlines, blockfields, mountain-top erratics and the vertical dimensions of the last British–Irish ice sheet in NW Scotland Quaternary Science Reviews 55 2012 91–102 Google Scholar
Flemming, N.C. Multiple regression analysis of earth movements and eustatic sea-level change in the United Kingdom in the past 9000 years Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 93 1982 113–125 Google Scholar
Gillen, C. Geology and Landscapes of Scotland 2003 Terra Publishing Harpenden Google Scholar
Grimm, E. CONISS: a FORTRAN 77 program for stratigraphically constrained cluster analysis by the method of incremental sum of squares Computers and Geosciences 13 1987 13–35 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartley, B. Barber, H. Carter, J. An Atlas of British Diatoms 1996 Biopress Limited Bristol Google Scholar
Haworth, E.Y. The changes in the composition of the diatom assemblages found in the surface sediments of Blelham Tarn in the English Lake District during 1973 Annals of Botany 40 1976 1195–1205 Google Scholar
Heiri, O. Lotter, A. Lemcke, G. Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbon content in sediments: reproducibility and comparability of results Journal of Paleolimnology 25 2001 101–110 Google Scholar
Hemphill-Haley, E. Taxonomy of recent and fossil (Holocene) diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from northern Willapa Bay, Washington. US Geological Survey Open File Report 93-289 1993 1–151 Google Scholar
Horton, B.P. Edwards, R.J. Lloyd, J.M. Implications of a microfossil transfer function in Holocene sea-level studies Shennan, I. Andrews, J.E Holocene Land-Ocean Interaction and Environmental Change around the North Sea. Geological Society Special Publication 166 2000 Geological Society Publishing House 41–54 Google Scholar
Horton, B.P. Gibbard, P.L. Milne, G.M. Morley, R.J. Purintavaragul, C. Stargardt, J.M. Holocene sea levels and palaeoenvironments, Malay-Thai Peninsula, southeast Asia The Holocene 15 2005 1199–1213 Google Scholar
Hubbard, A. Bradwell, T. Golledge, N. Hall, A. Patton, H. Sugden, D. Cooper, R. Stoker, M. Dynamic cycles, ice streams and their impact on the extent, chronology and deglaciation of the British–Irish ice sheet Quaternary Science Reviews 28 2009 758–776 Google Scholar
Hustedt, F. Die Systematik der Diatomeen in ihren Beziehungen zur Geologie und Okologie nebst einer Revision des Halobien-systems Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift 47 1953 509–519 Google Scholar
Juggins, S. C2 User Guide. Software for Ecological and Palaeoecological Data Analysis and Visualisation 2003 University of Newcastle Newcastle Upon Tyne Google Scholar
Kolbe, R. Zur Okologie, Morphologie und Systematik der Brackwasser-Diatomeen Pflanzenforschung 7 1927 1–146 Google Scholar
Kuchar, J. Milne, G. Hubbard, A. Patton, H. Bradley, S. Shennan, I. Edwards, R. Evaluation of a numerical model of the British-Irish ice sheet using relative sea-level data: implications for the interpretation of trimline observations Journal of Quaternary Science 27 2012 597–605 Google Scholar
Lambeck, K. Smither, C. Johnston, P. Sea-level change, glacial rebound and mantle viscosity for northern Europe Geophysical Journal International 134 1998 102–144 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawson, T.J. The Quaternary of Assynt and Coigach: Field Guide, The Quaternary of Assynt and Coigach 1995 Quaternary Research Association Cambridge Google Scholar
Lloyd, J.M. Combined foraminiferal and thecamoebian environmental reconstruction from an isolation basin in NW Scotland: implications for sea-level studies Journal of Foraminiferal Research 30 2000 294–305 Google Scholar
Lloyd, J.M. Evans, J.R. Contemporary and fossil foraminifera from isolation basins in northwest Scotland Journal of Quaternary Science 17 2002 431–443 Google Scholar
Maddison, E.J. Seasonally Laminated Late Quaternary Antarctic Sediments (PhD thesis) 2005 Cardiff University Google Scholar
McCarroll, D. Ballantyne, C.K. Nesje, A. Dahl, S.-O. Nunataks of the last ice sheet in northwest Scotland Boreas 24 1995 305–323 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, P. Webb, J. Collinson, M. Pollen Analysis 2nd ed. 1991 Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford Google Scholar
Neill, S.P. Scourse, J.D. Uehara, K. Evolution of bed shear stress distribution over the northwest European shelf seas during the last 12,000 years Ocean Dynamics 60 2010 1139–1156 Google Scholar
Palmer, A. Abbott, W. Diatoms as Indicators of Sea-Level Change van de Plassche, O. Sea-Level Research: A Manual for the Collection and Evaluation of Data 1986 Geo books Norwich CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peltier, W.R. Postglacial variations in the level of the sea: implications for climate dynamics and solid-earth geophysics Reviews of Geophysics 36 1998 603–689 Google Scholar
Peltier, W.R. Shennan, I. Drummond, R. Horton, B. On the postglacial isostatic adjustment of the British Isles and the shallow viscoelastic structure of the Earth Geophysical Journal International 148 2002 443–475 Google Scholar
Pennington, W. Haworth, E. Bonny, A. Lishman, J. Lake Sediments in northern Scotland Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B: Biological Sciences 264 1972 191 Google Scholar
Preuss, H. Progress in computer evaluation of sea-level data within the IGCP project no. 61. Flexor, I. International Symposium on Coastal Evolution in the Quaternary 1979 Sao-Paulo Brazil 104–134 Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J. Bard, E. Bayliss, A. Beck, J.W. Blackwell, P.G. Bronk Ramsey, C. Buck, C.E. Cheng, H. Edwards, R.L. Freidrich, M. Grootes, P.M. Guilderson, T.P. Haflidason, H. Hajdas, I. Hatt, A.C. Heaton, T.J. Hogg, A.G. Hughen, K.A. Kaiser, K.F. Kromer, B. Manning, S.W. Niu, M. Reimer, R.W. Richards, D.A. Scott, E.M. Southon, J.R. Turney, C.S.M. van der Plicht, J. IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50000 years cal BP Radiocarbon 55 2013 1869–1887 Google Scholar
Robinson, M. Diatom analysis of early Flandrian lagoon sediments from east Lothian, Scotland Journal of Biogeography 9 1982 207–221 Google Scholar
Scherer, R.P. A new method for the determination of absolute abundance of diatoms and other silt-sized sedimentary particles Journal of Paleolimnology 12 1994 171–179 Google Scholar
Selby, K.A. Smith, D.E. Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea-level changes on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK Journal of Quaternary Science 22 2007 119–139 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shennan, I. Holocene crustal movements and sea-level changes in Great Britain Journal of Quaternary Science 4 1989 77–89 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Innes, J.B. Long, A.J. Zong, Y. Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea-level changes at Loch nan Eala, near Arisaig, northwest Scotland Journal of Quaternary Science 9 1994 261–283 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Innes, J.B. Long, A.J. Zong, Y. Holocene relative sea-level changes and coastal vegetation history at Kentra Moss, Argyll, northwest Scotland Marine Geology 124 1995 43–59 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Innes, J.B. Long, A.J. Zong, Y. Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea-level changes in Northwestern Scotland: new data to test existing models Quaternary International 26 1995 97–123 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Green, F. Innes, J. Lloyd, J. Rutherford, M. Walker, K. Evaluation of rapid relative sea-level changes in north-west Scotland during the Last Glacial–Interglacial transition: evidence from Ardtoe and other isolation basins Journal of Coastal Research 12 1996 862–874 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Tooley, M. Green, F. Innes, J. Kennington, K. Lloyd, J. Rutherford, M. Sea level, climate change and coastal evolution in Morar, northwest Scotland Geologie en Mijnbouw 77 1999 247–262 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Lambeck, K. Horton, B. Innes, J. Lloyd, J. McArthur, J. Purcell, T. Rutherford, M. Late Devensian and Holocene records of relative sea-level changes in northwest Scotland and their implications for glacio-hydro-isostatic modelling Quaternary Science Reviews 19 2000 1103–1135 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Peltier, W. Drummond, R. Horton, B. Global to local scale parameters determining relative sea-level changes and the post-glacial isostatic adjustment of Great Britain Quaternary Science Reviews 21 2002 397–408 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shennan, I. Hamilton, S. Hillier, C. Woodroffe, S. A 16000-year record of near-field relative sea-level changes, north-west Scotland, United Kingdom Quaternary International 133–134 2005 95–106 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Bradley, S. Milne, G. Brooks, A. Bassett, S. Hamilton, S. Relative sea-level changes, glacial isostatic modelling and ice-sheet reconstructions from the British Isles since the Last Glacial Maximum Journal of Quaternary Science 21 2006 585–599 Google Scholar
Shennan, I. Hamilton, S. Hillier, C. Hunter, A. Woodall, R. Bradley, S. Milne, G. Brooks, A. Bassett, S. Relative sea-level observations in western Scotland since the Last Glacial Maximum for testing models of glacial isostatic land movements and ice sheet reconstructions Journal of Quaternary Science 21 2006 601–613 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shennan, I. Long, A.J. Horton, B.P. Handbook of Sea-Level Research 2015 Wiley-Blackwell Chichester Google Scholar
Smith, D.E. Evidence for secular sea surface level changes in the Holocene raised shorelines of Scotland, UK Journal of Coastal Research 42 2005 26–42 Google Scholar
Steffen, H. Kaufmann, G. Glacial isostatic adjustment of Scandinavia and northwestern Europe and the radial viscosity structure of the Earth's mantle Geophysical Journal International 163 2005 801–812 Google Scholar
Stoker, M. Bradwell, T. The Minch palaeo-ice stream, NW sector of the British–Irish ice sheet Journal of the Geological Society 162 2005 425–428 Google Scholar
Tröels-Smith, J. Characterisation of Unconsolidated Sediments Danmarks Geologiske Undersogelse Series IV 1955 38–73 Google Scholar
Tooley, M.J. Sea-level changes in northern England Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 93 1 1982 43–51 Google Scholar
Vos, P.C. De Wolf, H. Methodological aspects of paleo-ecological diatom research in coastal areas of the Netherlands Geologie en Mijnbouw 67 1988 31–40 Google Scholar
Whitehouse, P.L. Bentley, M.J. Milne, G. King, M. Thomas, I.D. A new glacial isostatic adjustment model for Antarctica: calibrated and tested using observations of relative sea-level change and present-day uplift rates Geophysical Journal International 190 2012 1464–1482 Google Scholar
Zong, Y. Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand along the southeast coast of China Quaternary International 117 2004 55–67 Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Hamilton et al. supplementary material

Table S1

Download Hamilton et al. supplementary material(File)
File 15.2 KB