Publication: Very coarse-grained beaches as a response to generalized sea level drops in a complex active tectonic setting: Pleistocene marine terraces at the Cadiz coast, SW Spain
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Publication Date
2016
Authors
Más Mayoral, Ramón
Gutiérrez Mas, José Manuel
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Elsevier
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Abstract
The studied Pleistocene deposits at the Cadiz coast are located on the current intertidal zone or at cliffs parallel to the actual coast (6.50 m a.s.l.) from the localities of El Puerto de Santa María to Chiclana. Five sequences of very coarse-grained beaches have been recognized and dated. They unconformably overlie Pliocene units and are formed by clast-supported conglomerate and coarse-grained sandstone. Chronological ages (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and AMS ¹⁴C analysis) and stratigraphic correlation stand that the oldest marine terrace is the one placed topographically higher and towards the SE of Cadiz city, dated as Early Pleistocene (1.3 Ma). After it, the sea retreatment produces subaerial exposure of Sequence 1 and the development of several calcrete profiles and a paleokarst. Subsequent sea-level rises allow the sedimentation of Sequences 2, 3 and 4 during Early-Middle Pleistocene (1 to 0.8 Ma) in areas close to Cadiz city, with subaerial exposure recorded at the top of Sequences 3 and 4. During the very Upper Pleistocene, sedimentation of Sequence 5 occurs towards the SE of Cadiz city. Based on the spatial position of Sequence 5 we can conclude that this area constituted a downthrown block during the Latest Pleistocene, in relation to neotectonic processes and diapirism