Sea-level change in Vestfirdir, Iceland

Hansom, J. D. and Briggs, D. J. (1991) Sea-level change in Vestfirdir, Iceland. In: Maizels, J. and Caseldine, C. (eds.) Environmental Change in Iceland: Past and Present. Series: Glaciology and quaternary geology (7). Kluwer Academic: Dordrecht, pp. 79-91. ISBN 9789401053891 (doi: 10.1007/978-94-011-3150-6_6)

Abstract

Recent observations in the Vestfirðir area of Iceland have revealed a wealth of raised marine features from ca 70 m a.s.l. to 1m a.s.l. that may reveal a different isostatic uplift pattern from that of the rest of Iceland. At 8.5 m a.s.l. at Hvítahlíð, microplanktonrich marine silts are capped by a peat layer with a radiocarbon age of 6,910 B.P. At Smáhamrar nearby, a suite of raised beaches between ca 70m a.s.l. and present sea level are older than 8,875 B.P. It appears that sea-level dropped rapidly from 70m to 1m some time before ca 10,000 B.P. However, arise of sea-level to 8.5m occurred at about 9,000 B.P., and peat began to accumulate on beaches at about 8,800 B.P. The ensuing regression was temporarily halted at 6,900 B.P. by a high energy marine event, possibly caused by waves from the 7,000 B.P. Storegga landslide, which deposited a beach ridge full of marine taxa on top of freshwater peats at ca 6m a.s.l. As new regional deglaciation chronologies emerge for Iceland, there is a need to re-evaluate the relative sea-level histories of these regions.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hansom, Dr James
• Authors: Hansom, J. D., and Briggs, D. J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic
• ISBN: 9789401053891