Here we investigate the use of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) for dating cobbles from the body of successive beach ridges and compare cobble surface‐derived ages to standard quartz OSL ages from sand. Between four and eight cobbles and sand samples (age control) were dated with the luminescence method, taken from the modern beach and from beach ridges on the south and north extremes of a prograding spit on the westernmost coast of Lolland, Denmark. Luminescence‐depth profiles perpendicular to the surfaces of the cobbles show that the feldspar infrared signals stimulated at 50 °C were fully reset to various depths into the cobbles prior to final deposition; as a result, the equivalent doses determined from close to the surface of such cobbles can be used to calculate burial ages. Beach‐ridge burial ages given by the average of ages of individual cobbles taken from the same site are consistent, within errors, with the ages derived from the sand samples. Cobble‐ and sand‐derived ages show that the southernmost beach ridge at Albuen was formed around 2 ka ago, indicating that this sandy spit is younger than other coastal systems in Denmark. The agreement between ages derived from clasts and from standard quartz OSL in this study confirms that, even in the absence of sandy sediments, we can reliably date sites using OSL by targeting larger clasts. In addition, the record of prior light exposure contained in the shape of the cobbles’ luminescence‐depth profile removes one of the major uncertainties (i.e. the degree of signal reset prior to burial) in the luminescence dating of high latitude sites.
Detailed topographic data and high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflection data are presented from the present-day beach and across successive raised beach ridges at Itilleq, south-west Disko, West Greenland. In the western part of the study area, the present low-tide level is well defined by an abrupt change in sediment grain size between the sandy foreshore and the upper shoreface that is characterised by frequently occurring large clasts. The main parts of both fine and large clasts appear to be locally derived. Seaward-dipping reflections form downlap points, which are clearly identified in all beach-ridge GPR profiles. Most of them are located at the boundary between a unit with reflection characteristics representing palaeo-foreshore deposits and a deeper and more complex radar unit characterised by diffractions; the deeper unit is not penetrated to large depths by the GPR signals. Based on observations of the active shoreface regime, large clasts are interpreted to give rise to scattering observed near the top of the deeper radar unit. We regard the downlap points located at this radar boundary as markers of palaeo-low-tide levels. In some places, scattering hyperbolas are more pronounced and frequent than in others, suggesting differences in the occurrence of large boulders.
We constrain the age of a cobble beach ridge system in Greenland using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of buried cobble surfaces. Luminescence signals from six cobbles are measured using infrared (IR) stimulation at 50 °C (IR50) and 180 °C (pIRIR180); these cobbles represent four progressively younger beach ridges lying between ~35 and ~6 m above present sea level. Luminescence–depth profiles show that the IR50 signals in all the samples and pIRIR180 signals in four out of six samples are well bleached to depths >1.2 mm into the cobble surfaces. Equivalent doses in well‐bleached cobble surface slices (i.e. <1.2 mm) are measured and divided by the effective environmental dose rate to the cobble surfaces in order to derive burial ages. Both IR signals are corrected for anomalous fading using the sample‐specific ratio of the field to the laboratory saturation levels. Our results are consistent with a depositional model predicting that the investigated portion of the beach ridge system built out continuously during relative sea level fall between ~5.3 and ~1.9 ka ago. The optical ages suggest that the rate of construction varied considerably, with the highest rates ~3.4 ka ago. Additionally, the lowest‐elevation beach ridge investigated here provides the first evidence for a higher‐than‐present relative sea level, between 1.5 and 2 ka ago, in the Disko coastal region.
Geoindicators are means adopted for the measurement of geological processes and phenomena that occur at or near the Earth's surface and vary significantly over periods of 100 years or less. These tools have focused on assessing geological impacts and risks over the last three decades. However, the use of geoindicators is not widely known and has not been as greatly exploited as have most environmental indicators. The objective of this study is to contribute to the diffusion of information about and the application of geoindicators. We have defined, in terms of geoindicators, parameters and aspects of coastal environments that are commonly studied or monitored. The geoindicators proposed were designed for assessing coastal physical vulnerability in the case of the coastal beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Four geoindicators were defined and tested: the height and morpho-ecological state of the foredunes, shoreline position, and washout concentrations. An additional sócio-environmental indicator was included, sanitary quality. These indicators were brought together to constitute a Physical Vulnerability Index that represented seven locations along the coastline assessed. In addition, the indicators and Index values were used to generate a cartographic map that could be understood by the public and used by decision makers. Abstract
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