Holocene Sea-Level History and Coastal Progradation in Northeastern Spencer Gulf

14C dating of mollusc shells and sea-grass root fibres was used to construct a Holocene sea-level history for northeast Spencer Gulf. The data show a relative sea-level fall from a peak at +3-4 meters around 6000-4000 years B.P. to present levels, with distinct progradation phases. This dataset was published by Geoscience Australia and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling past sea-level curves based on dated beach ridge and sea-grass facies elevations.
• Analyzing coastal progradation rates in relation to falling sea levels over the last 6000 years.
• Investigating potential tectonic uplift signals by comparing relative sea-level data with regional seismicity.

Strengths

• Elevation measurements are precise, with beach ridge bases ranging from +1.1 m to +1.8 m A.H.D.
• Chronological framework is established using 14C dating on unaltered mollusc shells and organic material.
• The sea-level history is constructed from specific events spanning 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 and 14C dating of intertidal and subtidal facies along surveyed transects.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:52:39.480248; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northeastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia.