Chronology of the Mediterranean sea‐level highstand during the Last Interglacial: a critical review of the U/Th‐dated deposits. (12th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pasquetti, Francesca; Bini, Monica; Giaccio, Biagio; Ratti, Andrea; Vacchi, Matteo; Zanchetta, Giovanni
• Is Part Of: Journal of quaternary science. Volume 36:Number 7(2021)
• Page Start: 1174
• Page End: 1189
• Publication Date: 2021-08-12
• Subjects: Last Interglacial highstand -- Mediterranean Sea -- sea‐level changes -- Tyrrhenian -- U/Th dating; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Paleontology -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1002/jqs.3359
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0267-8179

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Relative sea‐level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th‐dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, speleothems) which were used to chronologically constrain RSL evolution within MIS 5. The application of strict geochemical criteria to the U/Th samples indicates that only ~33% of data available for the Mediterranean Sea can be considered 'reliable'. Most of these data (~65%) refer to the MIS 5e highstand, while only ~17% could be related to the MIS 5a. No attribution to MIS 5c can be unequivocally supported. Nevertheless, the resulting framework does not allow us to define a satisfactory RSL trend during the MIS 5e highstand and subsequent MIS 5 substages. Overall, the proposed selection of reliable/unreliable data would be useful for detecting areas where MIS 5 substage attributions are not supported by confident U/Th chronological data and thus the related reconstructions need to be revised. In this regard, the resulting framework calls for a reappraisal and re‐examination of the Mediterranean records with advanced geochronological methodologies.