Crustal subsidence rate off Hawaii determined from 234U/238U ages of drowned coral reefs

Research Article| February 01, 1991 Crustal subsidence rate off Hawaii determined from 234U/238U ages of drowned coral reefs K. R. Ludwig; K. R. Ludwig 1U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. J. Szabo; B. J. Szabo 1U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. G. Moore; J. G. Moore 2U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. R. Simmons K. R. Simmons 1U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1991) 19 (2): 171–174. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0171:CSROHD>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation K. R. Ludwig, B. J. Szabo, J. G. Moore, K. R. Simmons; Crustal subsidence rate off Hawaii determined from 234U/238U ages of drowned coral reefs. Geology 1991;; 19 (2): 171–174. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0171:CSROHD>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A series of submerged coral reefs off northwestern Hawaii was formed during (largely glacial) intervals when the rate of local sea-level rise was less than the maximum upward growth rate of the reefs. Mass-spectrometric 234U/238U ages for samples from six such reefs range from 17 to 475 ka and indicate that this part of the Hawaiian Ridge has been subsiding at a roughly uniform rate of 2.6 mm/yr for the past 475 ka. The 234U/238U ages are in general agreement with model ages of reef drowning (based on estimates of paleo-sea-level stands derived from oxygen-isotope ratios of deep-sea sediments), but there are disagreements in detail. The high attainable precision (±10 ka or better on samples younger than ∼800 ka), large applicable age range, relative robustness against open-system behavior, and ease of analysis for this technique hold great promise for future applications of dating of 50-1000 ka coral. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.