Holocene Sea Level Changes and Coastal Progradation in Spencer Gulf, South Australia

A Holocene sea-level history constructed for north-east Spencer Gulf shows a relative fall from a peak around 6000-4000 years B.P. Beach ridges and subtidal sea-grass deposits were used as indicators, with elevations precisely measured relative to the Australian Height Datum. The dataset, from Geoscience Australia Data, includes 14C dating results on mollusc shells and sea-grass fibers to establish the chronology.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing past sea-level curves based on dated coastal sediment facies.
• Modeling coastal progradation rates using the chronology of beach ridge formation.
• Investigating potential tectonic uplift influences on relative sea level based on the described seismicity evidence.

Strengths

• Elevation measurements are precise, with beach ridge bases ranging from +1.1 m to +1.8 m A.H.D.
• Chronology is supported by 14C dating on multiple materials: unaltered mollusc shells and sea-grass root fibers.
• The description provides a detailed, multi-millennial sea-level history spanning from 6000 years B.P. to the 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 area in Spencer Gulf.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Field measurements of intertidal environments and 14C dating of biological samples.

Time Range

Holocene, with specific events described from 6000 years B.P. to present.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:27:56.936397; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northeastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia.