Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T16:36:12.376Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biostratigraphic Correlation of Pleistocene Marine Deposits and Sea Levels, Atlantic Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Thomas M. Cronin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Marine ostracodes from 50 localities were studied to determine the age and elevation of Pleistocene sea levels in the Atlantic coastal plain from Maryland to northern Florida. Using ostracode taxon and concurrent ranges, published planktic biostratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and radiometric data, ostracode assemblage zones representing early (1.8-1.0 my), middle (0.7-0.4 my), and late (0.3-0.01 my) Pleistocene deposition were recognized and used as a basis for correlation. Ostracode biofacies signifying lagoonal, oyster bank, estuarine, open sound, and inner sublittoral environments provided estimated ranges of paleodepths for each locality. From these data the following minimum and maximum Pleistocene sea-level estimates were determined for the southeastern coastal plain: late Pleistocene, 2–10 m from Maryland to northern Florida; middle Pleistocene, 6–15 m in northern South Carolina; early Pleistocene, 4–22 m in central North Carolina, 13–35 m in southern North Carolina, and 6–27 m in South Carolina. Climatically induced glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations adequately account for the late Pleistocene sea-level data, but other factors, possibly differential crustal uplift, may have complicated the early Pleistocene record.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , March 1980 , pp. 213 - 229
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

Akers, W.H., (1972). Planktonic Foraminifera and biostratigraphy of some Neogene formations, northern Florida and Atlantic Coastal Plain. Tulane Studies Geology and Paleontology 9 1 139 Google Scholar
Bender, M.L., (1973). Helium-uranium dating of Corals. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 37 1229 1247 Google Scholar
Berggren, W.A. Van Couvering, J.A., (1974). The Late Neogene. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 16 1 216 Google Scholar
Bloom, A.L., (1967). Pleistocene shorelines: A new test of isostacy. Geological Society of America Bulletin 78 1477 1499 Google Scholar
Boellsdorff, J., (1978). North American Pleistocene stages reconsidered in light of probable Pliocene-Pleistocene continental glaciation. Science 202 305 307 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowen, D.Q., (1978). Quaternary Geology, a Stratigraphic Framework for Multidisciplinary Work Pergamon Press Oxford Google Scholar
Colquhoun, D.J., (1974). Cyclic surficial stratigraphic units of the middle and lower Coastal Plains, central South Carolina. Oaks, R.O. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 179 190 Google Scholar
Cooke, C.W., (1931). Seven coastal terraces in the southeastern states. Washington Academy Science Journal 21 503 513 Google Scholar
Cooke, C.W., (1932). Tentative correlation of American glacial chronology with the marine time scale. Washington Academy Science Journal 22 310 313 Google Scholar
Cronin, T.M., (1977). Late-Wisconsin marine environments of the Champlain Valley (New York, Quebec). Quaternary Research 7 238 253 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cronin, T.M., (1979). Late Pleistocene marginal marine ostracodes from the Southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain and their paleoenvironmental implications. Géographie Physique et Quaternaire 33 2 Google Scholar
Cronin, T.M. Hazel, J.E., (1979). Ostracode Biostratigraphy of Pliocene and Pleistocene Deposits of the Cape Fear Arch Region, North and South Carolina U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1125, Chap. B. Google Scholar
DuBar, J.R., (1971). Neogene Stratigraphy of the lower Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. Atlantic Coastal Plain Geological Association 12th Annual Field Conference. Google Scholar
DuBar, J.R., (1974). Summary of the Neogene stratigraphy of southern Florida. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 206 231 Google Scholar
DuBar, J.R. Johnson, H.S. Thom, B. Hatchell, W.O., (1974). Neogene stratigraphy and morphology, south flank of the Cape Fear arch, North and South Carolina. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 139 173 Google Scholar
DuBar, J.R. Solliday, J.R. Howard, J.F., (1974). Stratigraphy and morphology of Neogene deposits, Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 102 122 Google Scholar
Garbett, E.C. Maddocks, R.F., (1979). Zoogeography of Holocene cytheracean ostracodes in the bays of Texas. Journal of Paleontology 53 6 841 919 Google Scholar
Haq, B.U. Berggren, W.A. Van Couvering, J.A., (1977). Corrected age of the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. Nature (London) 269 483 488 Google Scholar
Hazel, J.E., (1971). Ostracode Biostratigraphy of the Yorktown Formation (Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene) of Virginia and North Carolina U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 704 Google Scholar
Hazel, J.E., (1977). Distribution of some biostratigraphically diagnostic ostracodes in the Pliocene and lower Pleistocene of Virginia and northern North Carolina. U.S. Geological Survey Journal of Research 5 3 373 388 Google Scholar
Hazel, J. E. (in press). Age and correlation of the Yorktown (Pliocene) and Croatan (Pliocene and Pleistocene) formations at the Lee Creek, North Carolina, open pit mine.. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology .Google Scholar
Hey, R.W., (1978). Horizontal Quaternary shorelines of the Mediterranean. Quaternary Research 10 197 203 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoyt, J.H. Hails, J.R., (1974). Pleistocene Stratigraphy of southeastern Georgia. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 191 205 Google Scholar
Johnson, G.H., (1976). Geology of the Mulberry Island, Newport News North and Hampton Quadrangeles, Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, Report of Investigations 41 Google Scholar
Jorden, R.R., (1967). Guidebook. Atlantic Coastal Plain Geological Association Guidebook 8th Annual Field Conference. Google Scholar
Jorden, R.R., (1974). Pleistocene deposits of Delaware. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 30 52 Google Scholar
Kukla, G., (1978). The classical European Glacial stages: Correlation with deep-sea sediments. Nebraska Academy of Sciences Transactions 6 57 93 Google Scholar
Liddicoat, J.C. Blackwelder, B.W. Cronin, T.M. Ward, L.W., (1979). Magnetostratigraphy of Upper Tertiary and Quaternary sediments in the central and southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program 11 4 187 Abst. Google Scholar
Marshall, J.F. Launay, J., (1978). Uplift rates of the Loyalty Islands as determined by 230Th/234U dating of raised coral terraces. Quaternary Research 9 186 192 Google Scholar
Marshall, J.F. Thom, B.G., (1976). The sea level in the last interglacial. Nature (London) 263 120 121 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, R.K., (1973). Relative elevation of late Pleistocene high sea level stands: Barbados uplift rates and their implication. Quaternary Research 3 147 153 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitterer, R.M., (1975). Ages and diagenetic temperatures of Pleistocene deposits of Florida based on isoleucine epimerization in Mercenaria . Earth and Planetary Science Letters 28 275 282 Google Scholar
Mixon, R.B. Hazel, J.E. Rubin, M. Sirkin, L.A. Szabo, B.J., (1974). Geologic framework of the southernmost Delmarva Peninsula, Accomack and Northampton, Virginia. Geological Society America Abstracts with Programs 5 1 56 57 Abst. Google Scholar
Mixon, R.B. Pilkey, O.H., (1976). Reconnaissance Geology of the Submerged and Emerged Coastal Plain Province, Cape Lookout Area, North Carolina U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 859 Google Scholar
Oaks, R.Q. Jr. Coch, N.K., (1963). Pleistocene sea levels, southeastern Virginia. Science 140 3570 979 983 Google Scholar
Oaks, R.Q. Jr. DuBar, J.R., (1974). Tentative correlation of Post-Miocene units, central and southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 232 246 Google Scholar
Oaks, R.Q. Coch, N.K. Sanders, J.E. Flint, R.F., (1974). Post-Miocene shorelines and sea levels, southeastern Virginia. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 53 87 Google Scholar
Osmond, J.D. May, J.P. Tanner, W.F., (1970). Age of Cape Kennedy barrier and lagoon complex. Journal of Geophysical Research 75 469 479 Google Scholar
Owens, J.P. Denny, C.S., (1979). Upper Cenozoic Deposits of the Central Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1067-A Google Scholar
Richards, H.G., (1974). Structural and stratigraphic framework of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Oaks, R.Q. DuBar, J.R. Post-Miocene Stratigraphy, Central and Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Utah State Univ. Press Logan 11 20 Google Scholar
Ruddiman, W.F. McIntyre, A., (1976). Northeast Atlantic paleoclimatic changes over the past 600,000 years. Geological Society America Memoir 145 111 146 Google Scholar
Shackleton, N.J. Opdyke, N.D., (1973). Oxygen-isotope and paleomagnetic stratigraphy of equatorial Pacific core V28-238: Oxygen isotope temperatures and ice volumes on a 105 and 106 year scale. Quaternary Research 3 39 55 Google Scholar
Valentine, P.C., (1971). Climatic Implication of a late Pleistocene Ostracode Assemblage from Southeastern Virginia U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 683-D Google Scholar
van Donk, J., (1976). O18 record of the Atlantic Ocean for the entire Pleistocene Epoch. Geological Society America Memoir 145 147 164 Google Scholar
Veeh, H.H., (1966). 230Th/238U and 233U/238U ages of Pleistocene high stand of sea level. Journal of Geophysical Research 71 3379 3386 Google Scholar
Winker, C.D. Howard, J.D., (1977). Correlation of tectonically deformed shorelines on the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Geology 4 123 127 Google Scholar