Relationship between Late Pleistocene sea‐level variations,carbonate platform morphology and aragonite production (Maldives,Indian Ocean) |
| |
| Authors: | ANDREAS PAUL JOHN J G REIJMER JÖRN FÜRSTENAU HANNO KINKEL CHRISTIAN BETZLER |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Sedimentology and Marine Geology, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands (E‐mail: a.paul@vu.nl);2. Department of Geosciences, University of Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, 20146, Hamburg, Germany;3. Graduate Centre ‘Human Development in Landscapes’, University of Kiel, Neufeldstrasse 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany Associate Editor – Bernhard Riegl |
| |
| Abstract: | A piston core from the Maldives carbonate platform was investigated for carbonate mineralogy, grain‐size distributions, calcium carbonate content and organic carbon. The sedimentary record was linked to Late Pleistocene sea‐level variations, using an age model based on oxygen isotopes obtained from planktonic foramanifera, nannofossil biostratigraphy and 14C age determinations. The correlation between the sedimentary record and Late Pleistocene sea‐level showed that variations in aragonite and mud during the past 150 000 years were clearly related to flooding and sea floor exposure of the main lagoons of the atolls of the Maldives carbonate platform. Platform flooding events were characterized by strongly increased deposition of aragonite and mud within the Inner Sea of the Maldives. Exposure events, in contrast, can be recognized by rapid decreases in the values of both proxy records. The results show that sediments on the Maldives carbonate platform contain a continuous record of Pleistocene sea‐level variations. These sediments may, therefore, contribute to a better understanding of regional and even global sea‐level changes, and yield new insights into the interplay between ocean currents and carbonate platform morphology. |
| |
| Keywords: | Highstand shedding Indian Ocean Late Pleistocene Maldives carbonate platform peri‐platform ooze sea‐level |
|
|
