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Holocene analysis
| Method indicator | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bottom-Up | Hybrid | Top-Down |
| YES | ||
Summary of key issues:
| Issue | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | Analysis of the transgression and progression of an estuary over long time scales; reflecting the rate of sea level change; uplift, subsidence or consolidation of the landmass; and the available sediment supply. |
| Temporal applicability | Geological timescales: many centuries to millennia. |
| Spatial applicability | Whole estuary |
| Links with other tools |
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| Data sources |
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| Necessary software tools / skills | Dependent on the techniques and data sources applied. |
| Typical analyses | To establish a relative sea level rise curve for an estuary, through the reconstruction of geological and stratigraphic sequences, and assigning dates to particular horizons. |
| Limitations | Data availability |
| Example applications | Humber Holocene Chronology |
For most estuaries the change in sea level since the last ice age has had a major influence on their evolution. As sea levels rise, former river valleys are progressively drowned to become estuaries. This basal surface defines the space within which the estuary is formed. The subsequent development of the estuary then reflects the rate of sea level change, any uplift, subsidence or consolidation of the landmass, and the available sediment supply. Because of the way these various parameters interact it is common for an estuary to exhibit periods of transgression, when the estuary moves landward, and progression, when it moves seaward, over the time scale of centuries to millennia. Trying to identify these changes provides a context for the present form of an estuary and can often indicate the bounds within which future evolution is most likely to take place.
Read the full PDF document for more information on this method