--> ABSTRACT: A New High-Resolution Record of Late Holocene Sea Levels within the Western Gulf of Mexico, by Livsey, Daniel N.; Simms, Alexander; #90142 (2012)

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A New High-Resolution Record of Late Holocene Sea Levels within the Western Gulf of Mexico

Livsey, Daniel N.*1; Simms, Alexander 1
(1) Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA.

We present a high-resolution sea level record spanning the last 2.6 thousand years for the western Gulf of Mexico. In the absence of basal peat we utilize algal mats that form within the intertidal zone of Baffin Bay, Tx. A survey of 1,292 modern algal mats in upper Baffin Bay shows that the algal mat distribution exhibits a mean of 22 cm above mean sea level with a standard deviation of 14.5 cm. A record of past sea levels is determined from buried algal mats onlapping dewatered Pleistocene strata sampled from 101 vibracores taken in upper Baffin Bay. The new sea-level record consisting of 25 radiocarbon dated algal mats plots within expected sea levels for the last 2.6 ka and positively correlates to sea surface temperature changes. Our new curve exhibits a rise in sea level around 2.6 ka, which is coeval with backstepping of numerous bay-head deltas in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally our new curve exhibits a highstand tentatively correlated with the Medieval Warm Period around 1.0 - 1.5 ka.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California