Holocene Sea Level and Coastal Change in Spencer Gulf, Australia

6000 years B.P. to present sea-level history for northeastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia, constructed from precisely measured intertidal environments and 14C dating of mollusc shells and sea-grass fibers. The dataset, hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network, details relative sea-level fall and coastal progradation events over the last six millennia. It includes elevation measurements for beach ridges and subtidal sea-grass deposits relative to the Australian Height Datum.

Use Cases

• Modeling Holocene sea-level curves based on dated beach ridge and sea-grass facies.
• Analyzing coastal progradation rates based on the chronology of regressive shorelines.
• Investigating tectonic uplift influences on relative sea level based on regional seismicity evidence.
• Calibrating paleo-environmental indicators using the established elevation ranges of intertidal facies.

Strengths

• Elevation measurements are precisely tied to the Australian Height Datum (AHD).
• Chronology is supported by 14C dating of biological materials like mollusc shells.
• Covers a specific, long-term temporal sequence from 6000 years B.P. to present.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the single study region in Spencer Gulf.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field measurements and laboratory 14C dating of samples collected along transects.

Time Range

6000 years B.P. to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 10:14:50.252994; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northeastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia