Paludal Stratigraphy of Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie, Eastern Caroline Islands

Research Article| July 01, 1970 Paludal Stratigraphy of Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie, Eastern Caroline Islands ARTHUR L BLOOM ARTHUR L BLOOM Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information ARTHUR L BLOOM Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 21 Aug 1969 Revision Received: 26 Jan 1970 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1970, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1970) 81 (7): 1895–1904. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[1895:PSOTPA]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 21 Aug 1969 Revision Received: 26 Jan 1970 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation ARTHUR L BLOOM; Paludal Stratigraphy of Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie, Eastern Caroline Islands. GSA Bulletin 1970;; 81 (7): 1895–1904. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[1895:PSOTPA]2.0.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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Swampy coastal plains up to one-half a kilometer in width that fringe the high islands of the Eastern Carolines have been cited as evidence for recent emergence, but the stratigraphy and morphology of the tidal swamps are more consistent with a history of shoreline progradation during decelerating submergence. The mangrove, Nipa Phragmites, and taro swamps have accumulated no more than 3 m of peat, and generally only about 2 m. Beneath the peat or muck is either: (a) a level coral bench at approximate low-tide level, (b) coarse, well-sorted, shelly beach sand, sometimes in the form of low beach ridges across the shallowest marshes, or (c) brown, organic-rich mud with concentrations of immature pelecypod shells, deposited in former protected bays or estuaries. Estuarine mud was cored to a depth of 11.6 m in many swamps without finding bottom.Radiocarbon dates from intertidal peat layers that overlie former hillslopes of weathered volcanic rock demonstrate submergence of 6.2 m in the last 6500 years. The rate of submergence decreased abruptly during the final 1.7 m of submergence, which permitted extensive progradation by tidal swamps over former reef flats or into former muddy estuaries. By this interpretation, submergence has averaged only about 0.4 cm per 1000 years since 4100 years B.P., in contrast to the rate of 1.9 m per 1000 years between 4100 and 6500 years B.P.The high basaltic islands of Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie are conveniently spaced among the atolls of the Eastern Caroline Islands, across a total distance of nearly 1300 km. The uniformity of their paludal stratigraphy indicates a common late-Pleistocene and recent history for the entire region of a million sq mi or more, independent of the contradictory evidence about postglacial sea levels that has been reported from various atolls. 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.