Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T23:12:41.611Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Whole-Rock Aminostratigraphy and Quaternary Sea-Level History of the Bahamas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Paul J. Hearty  and
Darrell S. Kaufman
Paul J. Hearty
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
Darrell S. Kaufman
Affiliation:
Departments of Geology and Environmental Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-4099
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The surficial geology of the tectonically stable Bahamian archipelago preserves one of the most complete records of middle to late Quaternary sea-level-highstand cycles in the world. However, with the exception of deposits from marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e, fossil corals for radiometric dating of this rich stratigraphic sequence are rare. This study utilizes the previously published, independent lithostratigraphic framework as a testing ground for amino acid racemization in whole-rock limestone samples. At least six limestone–soil couplets provide a relative age sequence of events that encompass as many interglacial–glacial cycles. D-Alloisoleucine/L-isoleucine data fall into six clusters, or “aminozones.” On the basis of independent dating and the inferred correlation with global MIS, the ages of several aminozones are known, while the ages of others are calculated from calibrated amino acid geochronology. This study demonstrates the utility of the whole-rock aminostratigraphy method for dating and correlating widespread emergent marine deposits, constitutes the first regional geochronological framework for the Bahamas, and highlights major sea-level events over the past half million years.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , September 2000 , pp. 163 - 173
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

Carew, J. L., Mylroie, J. E.(1987). A refined geochronology for San Salvador Island, Bahamas. InProceedings of the 3rd Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas(Curran, H. A., Ed.), CCFL Bahamian Field Station, pp. 35–44.Google Scholar
Carew, J.L., Mylroie, J.E.(1995). Quaternary tectonic stability of the Bahamian Archipelago: Evidence from fossil coral reefs and flank margin caves. Quaternary Science Reviews, 14, 145–153.Google Scholar
Chen, J.H., Curran, H.A., White, B., Wasserburg, G.J.(1991). Precise chronology of the last interglacial period: 234U/230Th data from fossil coral reefs in the Bahamas. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 103, 82–97.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J. (1998). The geology of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas: A rosetta stone of Quaternary stratigraphy and sea-level history. Quaternary Science Reviews, 17, 333–355.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Kindler, P.(1993). New perspectives on Bahamian geology: San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Journal of Coastal Research, 9, 577–594.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Kindler, P.(1993). An illustrated stratigraphy of the Bahama Islands: In search of a common origin. Bahamas Journal of Science, 1, 28–45.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Kindler, P.(1997). The stratigraphy and surficial geology of New Providence and surrounding islands, Bahamas. Journal of Coastal Research, 13, 798–812.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Vacher, H.L., Mitterer, R.M.(1992). Aminostratigraphy and ages of Pleistocene limestones of Bermuda. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 104, 471–480.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Kindler, P., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L.(1999). Evidence for a +20 m middle Pleistocene sea-level highstand (Bermuda and Bahamas) and partial collapse of Antarctic ice. Geology, 27, 375–378.Google Scholar
Hearty, P. J., Kindler, P., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L.(1999b). The Kaena Highstand of O'ahu Hawai'i: Further Support for Partial Antarctic Ice Collapse during Marine Isotope Stage 11. Fall Meeting 1999, American Geophysical Union.Google Scholar
Hearty, P.J., Kaufman, D.S., Olson, S.L., James, H.F.(2000). Stratigraphy and whole-rock amino acid geochronology of key Holocene and Last Interglacial carbonate deposits in the Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Science, 54, 4 Google Scholar
Imbrie, J. et al. (9 authors) (1984). The orbital theory of Pleistocene climate: Support from a revised chronology of the marine δ18O record. InMilankovitch and Climate(Berger, A. L. et al., Eds.), pp. 269–305. Reidel, Dordrecht.Google Scholar
Kindler, P., Hearty, P.J.(1996). Carbonate petrology as an indicator of climate and sea-level changes: New data from Bahamian Quaternary units. Sedimentology, 43, 381–399.Google Scholar
Kindler, P., Hearty, P.J.(1997). Geology of the Bahamas: Architecture of Bahamian Islands. Developments in Sedimentology, 54, 141–160.Google Scholar
Ludwig, K.R., Muhs, D.R., Simmons, K.R., Halley, R.B., Shinn, E.A.(1996). Sea-level records at ∼80,000 from tectonically stable platforms: Florida and Bermuda. Geology, 24, 211–214.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, G.H., Brigham-Grette, J.(1989). Amino acid geochronology: Resolution and precision in carbonate fossils. Quaternary International, 1, 111–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitterer, R.M. (1968). Amino-acid composition of organic matrix in calcareous oolites. Science, 162, 1498–1499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitterer, R.M., Kriausakul, N.(1989). Calculation of amino acid racemization ages based on apparent parabolic kinetics. Quaternary Science Reviews, 8, 353–357.Google Scholar
Muhs, D.H., Bush, C.A., Stewart, K.C., Rowland, T.R., Crittenden, R.C.(1990). Geochemical evidence of Saharan dust parent material for soils developed on Quaternary limestones of Caribbean and western Atlantic islands. Quaternary Research, 33, 157–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muhs, D. R., Ludwig, K. R., Halley, R. B., Shinn, E. A.(1994). Extended Duration of Peak Last-Interglacial Sea-Level High-Stand from UraniumSeries Ages of Corals and Ooids from the Bahamas. AMQUA Program and Abstracts of the 13th Biennial Meeting,234.Google Scholar
Rutter, N.W., Blackwell, B.(1995). Amino acid racemization dating. Geological Association of Canada, Geotext, 2, 125–167.Google Scholar
Stearns, H.T. (1978). Quaternary shorelines in the Hawaiian Islands. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin, 237, 1–57.Google Scholar
Wehmiller, J.F. (1984). Interlaboratory comparison of amino acid enantiomeric ratios in fossil Pleistocene mollusks. Quaternary Research, 22, 109–120.Google Scholar