Holocene sea-level changes of the Persian Gulf
Introduction
The main control of sea-level changes in the Persian Gulf has been a matter of debate for a long time. Some authors (e.g. Stevens et al., 2014) believed that eustatic control has been the main controlling mechanism for sea-level fluctuations in the region, while others (e.g. Bernier et al., 1995; Bruthans et al., 2006) conclude that tectonic activities have played a dominant role. Most studies dealing with regional sea-level changes have focused on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf (e.g. Evans et al., 1969; Purser, 1973; Kenig, 1991; Lambeck, 1996; Uchupi et al., 1996; 1999; Wood et al., 2012; Stevens et al., 2014; Lokier et al., 2015), which is tectonically not very active. For the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, where regional tectonic activity plays an important role, information from the sedimentary record has been limited regarding the question how far sea-level stand in the past here has been influenced by tectonic activity.
The main purpose of the present study is therefore to reconstruct in detail regional sea-level fluctuations of the past 10, 000 years in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. Using both high-resolution shallow seismic information and sedimentological as well as geochemical data from sediment cores, these investigations aim thus primarily to contribute answering the question how far these sea-level changes here reflect tectonic activity in the region. The present study area of the North Qeshm Island Waterway (NQIW) between the main land of Iran and Qeshm Island (Fig. 1) is located near the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. Information on the main mechanism controlling relative sea-level change in this tectonically active region of the Persian Gulf is considered to have also important implications for assessing the sea-level history of other tectonically active basins elsewhere in the world.
Section snippets
Regional setting
The Persian Gulf, a shallow epicontinental sea, covers an area of about 240000 km2 (Kassler, 1973) and is connected to the Oman Sea and Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz (Fig. 1A). It has an average water depth of 35 m, and reaches a maximum water depth of 100 m in the northeastern part close to the Strait of Hormuz (Kassler, 1973).
The Persian Gulf is surrounded onshore by the Zagros Mountains to the north and east, and the Arabian Peninsula to the south and west. The Zagros Mountains
Regional sea level change – previous work
During glacial sea-level fall of the early and middle Pleistocene, the Persian Gulf was under continental conditions (Lambeck, 1996). A late Pleistocene sea-level rise occurred at about 250–200 ka as documented by coral reef development (Evans et al., 2002; Evans and Kirkham, 2005). Subsequently, regression resulted in deposition of carbonate-rich aeolian sands (Stevens et al., 2014). Renewed sea-level rise at about 125 ka (Eemian) led to deposition of the shallow intertidal calcareous Fuwayrit
Shallow seismic data acquisition
This study has been based on shallow-seismic, sedimentological and geochemical data. For the seismo-stratigraphic interpretation, sub-bottom profiling data were obtained from a shallow-seismic survey carried out by the R/V Zamin Darya of the Geological Survey of Iran in 2012. Data acquisition was performed at a ship speed of 3–4 knots. The vessel was equipped with a special DGPS MAX navigation and hydrographic positioning system. A Hypack software package was used for positioning and plotting
Seismo-stratigraphy
A series of Pliocene-Pleistocene strata is recognized in the seismic data set adjacent to the Qeshm Island (Fig. 3). As illustrated by the sub-bottom profiler records, the upper sedimentary infill of the NQIW is overlying this Pliocene-Pleistocene sequence (Fig. 3). In the recorded seismic data set seven main seismo-stratigraphic units (1–7, from old to young, Fig. 3, Fig. 4) are distinguished. The seismic units are terminated by several unconformities, most of which can be followed in all
Seismic and core sediments correlation
According to previous studies, a post-glacial marine transgression occurred in the Persian Gulf in the period between 15 ka to12 ka. Two major post-glacial sea level fluctuations were identified before 9.5 ka (Haq et al., 1988; Lambeck, 1996; Teller et al., 2000). In addition, Uchupi et al. (1999) reported two terrigenous sedimentary units to have been deposited during this period. These units were separated by an unconformity. As our core record is restricted to sediments younger than 9.1 ka (
Conclusions
Our study provides new and detailed information about the regional pattern of Holocene sea-level rise for a remote area in the Persian Gulf, where data has been lacking so far. High-resolution shallow seismic data reveals that a series of depositional units overly an angular unconformity of the Pliocene-Pleistocene strata in the NQIW study area near the Strait of Hormuz. The seismo-stratigraphy including seismic units 1 to 7 in combination with sedimentological and geochemical data from
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Geological Survey of Iran (GSI) for logistical and financial support during data gathering and also giving permission for publishing this paper. We also thank Marine Geophysics Group (GSI) staffs for their assistance in the cruise. The authors would like to acknowledge and thank reviewers for their useful suggestions and comments which improved our manuscript significantly.
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