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Rapid coastal change during the mid- to late Holocene: the record of barrier estuary sedimentation in the Romney Marsh region, southeast England

A. J. Plater

Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK

A. J. Long

Environmental Research Centre, Department of Geography, University of Durham, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DHI 3LE, UK

A common problem facing sea-level researchers lies in determining the cause of rapid changes observed in coastal stratigraphic sequences. Such changes are commonly ascribed to the interaction of processes that operate over differing temporal and spatial scales, i.e. rapid local and regional sea-level trends and storm magnitude/frequency. At least some of the difficulty in distinguishing between these processes lies in the often limited stratigraphic database upon which palaeoenvironmental reconstruction is based. Here, we present the results of detailed morphostratigraphic and micropalaeontological investigations from a series of sites located at the interface between the protective gravel barrier complex of Dungeness and the barrier estuary sediments of Romney Marsh, England. A period of rapid coastal regression is identified between c. 4500 and 3000 cal. yrs BP, during which time the sea level continued to rise but was outpaced by sediment accretion and peat accumulation. A subsequent acceleration in the rate of rise led to a reversal of this excess of sediment supply over sea-level rise, and to rapid inundation of the entire barrier estuary between c. 2800 and 1900 cal. yrs BP. At the local level, coastal development reflects an interdependence between storms and long-term relative sea-level (RSL) rise; processes which lie at opposite ends of the magnitude/frequency spectrum. However, when viewed from a holistic perspective encompassing the Holocene development of Romney Marsh as a whole, storms are of secondary importance in controlling coastal evolution. Rather, our study suggests that at this macro-scale coastal evolution responds primarily to the combined effects of RSL rise and sediment supply

Key Words: Sea-level change • Holocene • morphostratigraphy • micropalaeontology • gravel barrier • Dungeness • Romney Marsh

The Holocene, Vol. 8, No. 2, 143-163 (1998)
DOI: 10.1191/095968398673197622


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