Middle Pleistocene raised beach anomalies in the English Channel: regional and global stratigraphic implications

Vliët-Lanoé, Brigitte van; Laurent, Michel; Bahain, J.L; Balescu, Sanda; Falguères, Christophe; Field, Michael; Hallégouët, Bernard; Keen, D. H.

doi:10.1016/s0264-3707(99)00063-0

Cited by 37 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Although the chronology and the cause of the opening of the Dover Strait is still a matter of debate (e.g. Gibbard, 1995;Meijer and Preece, 1995;Van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2000;Gupta et al, 2007;Busschers et al, 2008), it is now generally accepted that the North Sea fluvial systems have been on several occasions diverted southwards into the English Channel since the onset of extensive continental glaciations. The invasions of ice masses in the Northern European Lowlands over the last about 600 kyr Ehlers and Gibbard, 2007) strongly modified the fluvial directions of the central European rivers, and forced the present-day Elbe, Rhine and Thames rivers to flow southwards during periods of coalescence of the Fennoscandian (FIS) and British-Irish (BIIS) ice sheets in the North Sea basin (Gibbard, 1988;Sejrup et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Toucanne

Zaragosi

Bourillet

et al. 2009

Quaternary Science Reviews

180

234

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Toucanne

Zaragosi

Bourillet

et al. 2009

Quaternary Science Reviews

180

234

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“…Indirect evidence includes possible extensional faults identified in the Sangatte cliff (Van Vliet-Lanoë et al 2000) and minor right-lateral deformations affecting river development and Quaternary fluvial and aeolian deposits in northeastern France (Colbeaux et al 1981; Figure 2. Interpreted horizontal derivative of the Bouguer gravity anomaly (see Everaerts & Mansy 2001;Camelbeeck et al 2007).…”

Section: T E C T O N I C a N D G E O L O G I C A L S E T T I N G Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Fault activity in the epicentral area of the 1580 Dover Strait (Pas-de-Calais) earthquake (northwestern Europe)

García-Moreno

Verbeeck

Camelbeeck

et al. 2015

Geophysical Journal International

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S U M M A R YOn 1580 April 6 one of the most destructive earthquakes of northwestern Europe took place in the Dover Strait (Pas de Calais). The epicentre of this seismic event, the magnitude of which is estimated to have been about 6.0, has been located in the offshore continuation of the North Artois shear zone, a major Variscan tectonic structure that traverses the Dover Strait. The location of this and two other moderate magnitude historical earthquakes in the Dover Strait suggests that the North Artois shear zone or some of its fault segments may be presently active. In order to investigate the possible fault activity in the epicentral area of the AD 1580 earthquake, we have gathered a large set of bathymetric and seismic-reflection data covering the almost-entire width of the Dover Strait. These data have revealed a broad structural zone comprising several subparallel WNW-ESE trending faults and folds, some of them significantly offsetting the Cretaceous bedrock. The geophysical investigation has also shown some indication of possible Quaternary fault activity. However, this activity only appears to have affected the lowermost layers of the sediment infilling Middle Pleistocene palaeobasins. This indicates that, if these faults have been active since Middle Pleistocene, their slip rates must have been very low. Hence, the AD 1580 earthquake appears to be a very infrequent event in the Dover Strait, representing a good example of the moderate magnitude earthquakes that sometimes occur in plate interiors on faults with unknown historical seismicity.

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“…Thus the head deposits overlying the beaches could have been deposited in the cold OIS 6, 4 or 2. Electron spin resonance dates of 340 and 302 ka reported by van Vliet-Lanoë et al (2000) from the raised beach below head at Prah Sands, Cornwall, may indicate that some of the sediment on the shore platform is as old as OIS 9 and thus some the overlying head deposits potentially could be of OIS 8 age. The staircase of marine terraces of the Hampshire-Sussex coastal plain described by Bates et al (1997) ranges in age to OIS 11 (on amino acid evidence) or OIS 13 (on the basis of mammalian biostratigraphy).…”

Section: Age and Stratigraphical Relationships Of The Head Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The form and age or ages of this glaciation are uncertain, with estimates ranging from the Late Devensian (Scourse, 1999) to OIS 8, 10 and16 (van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2000). These glacial incursions into the area cannot be dated independently, but are reliant on stratigraphical frameworks determined from underlying or overlying deposits (Scourse, 1999;van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2000).…”

Section: Southwest Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At a few localities from West Cornwall (Porthleven) to Sussex (Selsey and Wittering), and in Brittany, far-travelled cobbles and boulders hint at shore-ice rafting and perhaps deposition during high sea-levels in cold stages (van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2000). On the Scillies and the north coast of the Southwest Peninsula scattered occurrences of till indicate the maximum extent of ice from Irish Sea glaciations (Scourse, 1991(Scourse, , 1999.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pleistocene marine and periglacial deposits of the English Channel

Bates

Keen

Lautridou

2003

J Quaternary Science

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The Pleistocene marine and associated periglacial deposits of the coasts of southern England from Cornwall to Sussex, the British Channel Islands, and northern France from Brittany and Normandy to the Pas de Calais are described. The deposition of almost all marine deposits is ascribed to temperate conditions, although large igneous erratic boulders may have been emplaced by shore-ice rafting at the end or beginning of cold stages. The balance of the evidence from a variety of dating methods including U-series dating, amino-acid geochronology and biostratigraphy of associated terrestrial formations indicates that deposits of the last three pre-Holocene temperate marine oxygen isotope stages (stages 9, 7 and substage 5e) can readily be identified along much of both coastlines of the Channel. Deposits attributable to stages 11 and 13 are uncommon and best seen in the staircase of marine terraces backing the Hampshire-Sussex coastal plain and perhaps in western Brittany and the Boulonnais. The height above modern sea-level of the marine deposits is thought to be the result of slow uplift of the coastal zone caused by the isostatic response to sediment unloading during accelerated phases of erosion in cold stages, although deep-seated tectonics also may have been partly responsible for uplift. However, the height above modern sea-level of a deposit alone is not on its own an indicator of age.Periglacial head deposits are mainly exposed along the coasts, with the sections showing frost shattered debris moved downslope by cryoreptation (frost-creep). The age of these deposits is uncertain, although they appear to be principally of marine oxygen isotope stages 4 and 2 in age. Some remnants of marine oxygen isotope stage 6 or 8 head deposits are present both in England and northern France. In a few places with good dating control, head deposits dating to the marine oxygen isotope stage 12 can be recognised. The age of the head deposits in most sections is based on their stratigraphical relationship with loess, palaeosols and on the dating of the underlying raised beaches.

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Middle Pleistocene raised beach anomalies in the English Channel: regional and global stratigraphic implications

Cited by 37 publications

References 57 publications

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Fault activity in the epicentral area of the 1580 Dover Strait (Pas-de-Calais) earthquake (northwestern Europe)

Pleistocene marine and periglacial deposits of the English Channel

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