Late Glacial and Holocene shore-level changes in the Aarhus Bugt area, Denmark

Abstract

We propose a new relative shore-level curve for the Aarhus Bugt area, an embayment in eastern Jylland, Denmark, based on a compilation of published and new radiocarbon ages of organic material. Lakes existed in the area during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. Lake level rose gradually until the region was inundated by the sea at c. 9000 cal. years BP. The relative sea level reached a high stand at about 6000 cal. years BP, when the local relative sea level was c. 3 m above present-day mean sea level. The Aarhus Bugt area was inundated by the sea later than the Limfjord area in northern Jylland, but earlier than the Lillebælt region in southern Denmark. The shore-level curves for these areas differ partly because the glacio-isostatic uplift was more pronounced in the Limfjord area than farther south and partly because the northern regions were inundated by the sea earlier than the southern areas.

Holocene shore‐level changes, southern Lolland and the Femern Belt, Denmark

“…Comparisons with other shore‐level displacement curves from Denmark (Bennike and Jensen, 2011; Bennike et al ., 2019a, 2021a; Jessen et al ., 2019) show similar trends (Fig. 9).…”

“…Comparison of shore‐level displacement curves for the Lolland/Femern Belt area (this study, solid line), western Limfjord (Bennike et al ., 2019a), Aarhus Bugt (Bennike et al ., 2021a) and southern Lillebælt (Bennike and Jensen, 2011). [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]…”

“…Several studies have resulted in smooth relative sea-level curves (e.g. Mikkelsen, 1949;Bennike et al, 2021a), whereas other studies from the region have resulted in relative sea-level curves with several transgressions and regressions (e.g. Christensen, 1995;Berglund and Sandgren, 2010).…”

“…Many attempts to reconstruct past shore‐level changes in Denmark have been carried out (e.g. Bennike and Jensen, 1998, 2011; Clemmensen et al ., 2012, 2018; Bennike et al ., 2012, 2019a, 2021a; Hede et al ., 2015; Sander et al ., 2016; Jessen et al ., 2019). In Denmark, as in many other countries, we have a discussion between ‘smoothers’ and ‘wigglers’.…”

Reply to “Marine abundance and its prehistoric past in the Baltic”

“…However, between 7500 and 4000 cal. yr BP (the focus of our study period) sea-levels are extremely variable across Southern Scandinavia 11 , due to changing local isostatic rates and localised eustacy. This results in geographically variable transgressive and regressive phases and sea-level maxima occurring anytime between ca.…”