New paper about Transgression to Regression of Holocene Barrier Systems in Australia

A new paper is just published in the Journal of Sedimentology. The paper is entitled: "The turnaround from transgression to regression of Holocene barrier systems in south‐eastern Australia: Geomorphology, geological framework and geochronology".

Holocene regressive strandplains that preserve a series of former shorelines are extensive on coasts that were remote from major Pleistocene ice sheets (for example, Australia and Brazil), whereas transgressive barrier islands are typical in glacial forebulge regions (for example, North America and Europe). In strandplains, the regressive phase of strandline development was preceded by a transgressive phase during the final stages of postglacial sea‐level rise. This study examines the turnaround from transgression to regression through chronostratigraphic description of three barrier systems in south‐eastern Australia: Seven Mile Beach, Bengello Beach and Pedro Beach.

The authors reconstruct geomorphic and depositional histories using ground‐penetrating radar and vibracores along transects across the landwardmost ridges, and optically‐stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. At the Seven Mile Beach barrier system, extensive washover deposits are preserved that include distinctive, landward‐directed, flame‐shaped washover fans along the bayside shoreline of the landwardmost ridge. Landward‐dipping ground‐penetrating radar reflections in radargrams provide evidence of the culmination of the transgressive phase and transition into the regressive phase dominated by progradation, evidenced by the change to seaward‐dipping reflections. Holocene morphostratigraphy differs among sites primarily as a function of sea level, sediment supply and antecedent topography.

This study is leaded by Randolph A. McBride (from George Mason University), and the DU Marine Mapping Group member Rafael C. Carvalho contributed to the publication.

Congrats Rafael!

To read the full publication, click here.