New uranium-series ages of the Waimanalo Limestone, Oahu, Hawaii: Implications for sea level during the last interglacial period

doi:10.1016/0025-3227(94)90091-4

Marine Geology

Volume 118, Issues 3–4, May 1994, Pages 315-326

https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(94)90091-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

The Waimanalo Formation (limestone) of Oahu has been correlated with the last interglacial period based on U-series dating of corals by T.-L. Ku and colleagues. The limestone consists of growth-position corals and overlying coral conglomerate. An apparent bimodal distribution of ages for the growth-position corals (mean age = 133 ka) and the overlying coral conglomerate (mean age = 119 ka) has been interpreted to represent two distinct high stands of sea that occurred within the last interglacial period. Both growth-position corals and overlying, conglomerate coral occur in an outcrop east of Kaena Point and consist mainly of Pocillopora and Porites. U-series ages of growth-position corals that show closed-system conditions are 120 ± 3 ka and 127 ± 4 ka; overlying conglomerate corals have U-series ages that range from 120 ± 3 ka to 138 ± 4 ka. At Kahe Point, conglomerate corals have ages of 120 ± 3 ka and 134 ± 4 ka. These data show that the growth position corals are not systematically older than the conglomerate corals; thus, there is no evidence for two distinct high stands of sea.

Waimanalo deposits at Kahe Point and Mokapu Point (new U-series ages of 134 ± 4 ka and 127 ± 3 ka) have beach deposits as high as 12.5 m and, at Mokapu Point, growth-position corals as high as 8.5 m. A last-interglacial sea-level stand of +8.5 to +12.5 m conflicts with estimates of +6 m from a number of tectonically stable coastlines and islands in the western Atlantic Ocean. We infer, therefore, that Oahu may be undergoing uplift at a low rate. This uplift may be due to compensatory lithospheric flexure, because the island of Hawaii has been subsiding throughout much of the Quaternary from volcanic loading. Because of this possible uplift, Oahu and islands like it elsewhere in the Pacific cannot be used as reference points for sea level during the last interglacial period.

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Research paperNew uranium-series ages of the Waimanalo Limestone, Oahu, Hawaii: Implications for sea level during the last interglacial period

Abstract

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

New Guinea. Quat. Res.

Sci. Lett.

Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.

Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol.

Quat. Res.

Quat. Res.

Quat. Res.

Quat. Int.

Quat. Sci. Rev.

Quat. Res.

Quat. Int.

Quat. Sci. Rev.

Quat. Res.

Quat. Res.

The estimation of “global” sea level change: A problem of uniqueness

J. Geophys. Res.

Uranium-series dating of corals and oolites from Bahaman and Florida Key limestones

Science

Milankovitch hypothesis supported by precise dating of coral reefs and deep-sea sediments

Science

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Geol. Soc. Am. Bull.

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Search

Oxygen isotopes and sea level

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Research paper
New uranium-series ages of the Waimanalo Limestone, Oahu, Hawaii: Implications for sea level during the last interglacial period

Precise chronology of the last interglacial period: ²³⁴U-²³⁰Th data from fossil coral reefs in the Bahamas

$^{230} Th^{234} U$ dates of Pleistocene deposits on Oahu