Dungeness, SE England, UK. Palaeomagnetic Secular Variation (PSV) Dating and Environmental Magnetic Properties of Late Holocene Marsh Sediments
Author(s): Sigrid Hemetsberger, A J Plater, John Shaw, Paul Stupples
Palaeomagnetic Secular Variation (PSV) ages were determined for a series of six late Holocene marsh sediment cores from Dungeness Foreland, south-east England, UK. The PSV ages are indicative of an extensive phase of rapid marsh sedimentation during the period of c 1100 to 500 years ago. Coupled with an apparent eastward-younging trend in the marsh sedimentation, these chronological data agree well with evidence of late Holocene foreland progradation and storm-induced changes in coastline. The PSV approach, which has relied on the interpretation of palaeoinclination alone, has proved successful even though the high rate of sedimentation limits the resolution of the preserved PSV trends. However, mean whole-core values coupled with a consideration of the temporal trends in palaeoinclination at each site enable effective dating with reference to the Paris archaeomagnetic secular variation calibration curve. Despite clear evidence of diagenetic and pedogenetic overprinting of the NRM and sedimentary evidence of tidal current influences on sedimentation, a cleaned PSV record may be obtained from back-barrier and marsh sediments to provide a chronology for late Holocene coastal minerogenic sequences.
- Report Number:
- 48/2006
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 67
- Keywords:
- Archaeomagnetism Geochronology Medieval
