New datings and elevations of a fossil reef in Lembetabe, southwest Madagascar: eustatic and tectonic implications

The study of geological sea-level proxies formed during previous interglacials is a common approach to assess how global sea level will evolve under warmer climate conditions. Over the last decades, technical advancements in both survey and geochronology have allowed improving our knowledge of past sea-level highstands. This is of prime importance to refine our understanding of processes contributing to sea-level changes, and ultimately to improve both local and global sea-level projections. Last Interglacial sea-level proxies in the Western Indian Ocean (and more specifically the island nation of Madagascar), have been less investigated than in other intertropical oceans over the last decades. As a result, paleo sea-level data in this region are less abundant and less precise than elsewhere. Here, we report the results of two field campaigns aimed at studying the site of Lembetabe, southwest Madagascar, where a fossil reef was first described by the researcher Rene ⠁ Battistini more than 50 years ago. We estimate paleo relative sea level history in space and time from 15 new U-series ages from a fossil reef platform mapped with differential GNSS and drone photogrammetry. Our data suggest that, between 129 ka and 115 ka, paleo relative sea level at this location was about 3.4 & PLUSMN; 1.4 m above modern. Once corrected for glacial isostatic adjustment, we find that paleo global mean sea level did not exceed 3 m above modern. Only slight crustal subsidence would reconcile the peak Last Interglacial sea level measured at Lembetabe with the 5 e10 m range reported in the literature.& COPY; 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Revisiting battistini: Pleistocene coastal evolution of southwestern madagascar

The study of paleo shorelines, particularly of those formed during the late Quaternary, provides robust insights into past climate variability. Advances in surveying techniques and chronological methodologies have dramatically improved the inter-comparability of regional and basin-wide paleo shoreline surveys. However, these advances have been applied unevenly across the globe. This is especially true in southwestern Madagascar, where, in the 1960s and 1970s, emerged Pleistocene beach and reef facies were first described in detail and dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a using U–Th alpha activity counting by french geologist René Battistini. Now, 50 years on, no further analysis of the coastal sequence has been made. In this study, we present an updated late Pleistocene coastal evolution model for the southwestern Madagascar coast. Utilizing a combination of Structure-from-Motion/Multi-View Stereo techniques and differential Global Navigation Satellite System surveys, we have created five high-resolution 3D outcrop reconstructions that have, in turn, been chronologically constrained using 10 U-series ages from both in situ and reworked coral samples. Our data suggest that the emerged reef was deposited during MIS 5e (∼125 ka), then was covered by intertidal and beach sediment (including redeposited coral clasts of MIS 5e age), and finally capped off by thick eolianites. This sequence would suggest that the local sea level must have remained stable throughout MIS 5e in order to allow for the progradation of both the beach and reef environments

Last interglacial sea-level proxies in East Africa and the WesternIndian Ocean

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Pulses of South Atlantic water into the tropical North Atlantic since 1825 from coral isotopes.

Decadal and multidecadal changes in the meridional overturning circulation may originate from either the subpolar North Atlantic or the Southern Hemisphere. New records of carbon and oxygen isotopes from an eastern Martinique Island (Lesser Antilles) coral reveal irregular, decadal, double-step events of low ∆14C and enhanced vertical mixing, high δ18O and high δ13C values starting in 1885. Comparison of the new and published ∆14C records indicates that the last event (1956-1969) coincides with a widespread, double-step ∆14C low of South Atlantic origin from 32°N to 18°S, associated with a major slowdown of the Caribbean Current transport between 1963 and 1969. This event and the past Martinique ∆14C lows are attributed to pulses of northward advection of low ∆14C Sub-Antarctic Mode Waters into the tropical Atlantic. They are coeval with changes of the tropical freshwater budget and likely driven by meridional overturning circulation changes since ~1880

Pulses of South Atlantic water into the tropical North Atlantic since 1825 from coral isotopes

International audienceDecadal and multidecadal changes in the meridional overturning circulation may originate from either the subpolar North Atlantic or the Southern Hemisphere. New records of carbon and oxygen isotopes from an eastern Martinique Island (Lesser Antilles) coral reveal irregular, decadal, double-step events of low ∆ 14 C and enhanced vertical mixing, high δ 18 O and high δ 13 C values starting in 1885. Comparison of the new and published ∆ 14 C records indicates that the last event (1956-1969) coincides with a widespread, double-step ∆ 14 C low of South Atlantic origin from 32°N to 18°S, associated with a major slowdown of the Caribbean Current transport between 1963 and 1969. This event and the past Martinique ∆ 14 C lows are attributed to pulses of northward advection of low ∆ 14 C Sub-Antarctic Mode Waters into the tropical Atlantic. They are coeval with changes of the tropical freshwater budget and likely driven by meridional overturning circulation changes since ~1880

Relative sea-level changes during the last century recorded by coral microatolls in Belloc, Haiti

We present here the first study of coral microatolls in the Caribbean. An exceptional site (Belloc reef) where dozens of microatolls were growing was uplifted and exposed during the 12 January 2010 Mw 7 Haiti earthquake. Total station measurements of the old pre-earthquake and the new post-earthquake coral highest level of survival (HLS) on two generations of Siderastrea siderea corals allowed us to estimate a value of 45 ± 14 cm for the coseismic uplift. In this small 90 m × 70 m reef, microatolls of different shapes (cups, hats or flats) coexist, indicating long term submergence, emergence or stable relative sea-level. This variability in coral shape is uncommon. Two slices of microatolls, one cup-shaped (B8) and one hat-shaped (B10) were sampled with a chain saw and X-rayed to study their stratigraphy. B10 recorded a mean relative sea-level decrease of about - 1 mm/yr over the last five decades, whereas B8 has grown in a context of relative sea-level rise at a rate of about 1 mm/yr over nine decades. Several sudden and temporary die downs simultaneously disrupted the growth of both corals in 1940 ± 2, 1963 ± 2, 1983 ± 2, 1992 ± 1, 2001 ± 1 and 2009 and may be caused by oceanographic/climatic phenomena occurring in the tropical North Atlantic. The last one, in 2009, was associated with a clear sea-level height decrease (about 10 cm) in the satellite data. B10 was strongly affected by these events and records die downs of systematically larger amplitude, which tended to delay its upward growth compared to B8. This makes B10 less reliable for the evaluation of the relative sea-level trend, its emergence rate being only an apparent estimate due to die downs. Fossil coral microatolls of Diploria strigosa which died between 1958 and 1966 (according to U/Th dating), probably during one of the strongest hurricane reported in Haiti (Flora, 1963), display a cup shape attesting for submergence. Their HLS is 1 cm below the HLS of the S. siderea killed in 2010. The record of B8, the diversity in shape of the S. siderea microatolls and the position of fossil D. strigosa corals overall indicate stable to slightly increasing relative sea-level (about 1 mm/yr). This is on the same order of magnitude, although slightly lower, as the rate we determined over the last 74 years by using eight tide gauge records around Hispaniola (1.63 ± 0.20 mm/yr) and the mean rate of sea-level rise previously published (2.0 ± 0.5 mm/yr) in the area. This study demonstrates that coral microatolls can be used to infer relative sea-level changes over the last decades or centuries in the Caribbean, where tide gauge records are often sparse, incomplete or nonexistent. This is of prime importance for the numerous small and flat Caribbean islands, highly vulnerable to the threat of global sea-level rise

Two hundred thirty years of relative sea level changes due to climate and megathrust tectonics recorded in coral microatolls of Martinique (French West Indies)

International audienceWe sampled six coral microatolls that recorded the relative sea level changes over the last 230 years east of Martinique, on fringing reefs in protected bays. The microatolls are cup-shaped, which is characteristic of corals that have been experiencing submergence. X-ray analysis of coral slices and reconstructions of the highest level of survival (HLS) curves show that they have submerged at rates of a few millimeters per year. Their morphology reveals changes in submergence rate around 1829 ± 11, 1895, and 1950. Tide gauges available in the region indicate a regional sea level rise at a constant mean rate of 1.1 ± 0.8 mm/yr, which contrasts with our coral record, implying additional tectonic subsidence. Comparing our coral morphology with that of synthetic corals generated with Matlab by using the Key West tide gauge record (Florida), we show that their growth was controlled by tectonics and that a sudden relative sea level increase drowned them around 1950. Simple elastic models show that this sudden submergence probably occurred during the 21 May 1946 earthquake, which ruptured the plate interface in front of Martinique, in the mantle wedge, in an area of sustained seismic activity. The 1839 M8+ earthquake probably occurred in the same area. Long-term subsidence of microatolls indicates that this deep portion of the megathrust is probably locked down to 60 km depth during the interseismic period. Our oldest coral recorded a long-lasting period (50 years) of stable relative sea level after the 1839 earthquake, indicating that transient interseismic strain rate variations may occur in the Lesser Antilles

Paleoseismology, seismic cycle and tectonic coupling of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone : Insights from micro-atolls

International audienceThe Lesser Antilles arc is a region of high seismic hazard, which results from the convergence of American and Caribbean plates at 2 cm/yr. Several earthquakes of magnitude ≥ 7 have struck the islands in the past. The largest, latest ones occurred only 4 years apart in the mid-19th century, on January 11, 1839 and February 8, 1843, destroying the towns of Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre, respectively, and killing several thousand people. Today, an earthquake comparable to that of 1843 might cause tens thousands of casualties in Guadeloupe. In addition to devastating seismic shaking, such earthquakes may trigger large tsunamis. In the Lesser Antilles, the behavior and seismic history of the plate interface remain unknown. Important questions that must be answered are: What is the exact geometry and segmentation of the subduction zone? How large might mega-thrust earthquakes be? What are typical recurrence times for such earthquakes on each segment? Could a large earthquake recur in the next few decades? To better understand and constrain the seismic hazard related to mega-thrust in the Lesser Antilles, we tend to retrieve the history of strain accumulation and relief at the plate interface from alive or dead corals. Certain coral species form micro-atolls that grow just below the intertidal zone and thus "fossilize" with their upper surfaces a history of local relative sea level. The annual coral band (or ring) growth is limited upwards by the so-called Highest Level of Survival (HLS, connected to the elevation of the yearly lowest tide level). When the sea level rises or drops due to tectonic or climatic events, the micro-atoll growth is perturbed. By analyzing in detail the coral aragonite skeleton, and U/Th dating specific events, it is possible to retrieve the history of sea level change through at least parts of several centuries. We identified several sites with living micro-atolls in the islands we visited (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda). In January 2008, we performed our first chain-saw test-sampling of six micro-atolls in Martinique. The coral of interest (Siderastrea Siderea) is a rather slow-growing species. Its annual growth rate (≈ 3-5 mm/yr) was determined by counting annual bands, chemical analysis calibration and U/Th dating. Preliminary results indicate that during the last two centuries, the micro-atolls have record a sea-level rise of ≈ 3 mm/yr, regularly interrupted by sudden emergence events of few centimeters, 15 to 50 years apart. This signal is due both to interseimic deformation and climatic events. The oldest micro-atoll, which is ≈ 250 year-old, may have recorded the 1839 earthquake

Interaction Between Climate and Tectonics in the Northern Lesser Antilles Inferred From the Last Interglacial Shoreline on Barbuda Island

International audienceIn the context of increasing evidence of plate interface coupling variability in subduction zones, there is a need to extend the short time window given by instrumental data and to gather data over multiple time and spatial scales. We hence investigated the long-term topography on Barbuda island, located in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, west of the Caribbean subduction zone. Following pioneering work using a set of marine terraces on the eastern side of the island, we performed the first U-Th dating on 10 corals in growth position from the lowest terrace, for which the highest relative sea-level (RSL) indicator is found at 9 ± 1 m above the mean sea level. We find that this terrace corresponds to the Last Interglacial (LIG) (ages between 122.8 ± 0.3 ka and 128.1 ± 0.3 ka) and we estimate a paleo RSL of 7 ± 2 m above the current mean sea level. The present elevation of the LIG shoreline on Barbuda might imply tectonics as an additional mechanism to eustatic sea level, mantle dynamic topography and glacial isostatic adjustment. East-west morphological asymmetry of Barbuda and difference in LIG shoreline elevation between Barbuda and Antigua suggest a regional tectonic process. As with the proposed westward tilting from the forearc to the volcanic arc of the Guadeloupe archipelago, vertical deformation on Barbuda could be related to plate-scale subduction processes. Long-term uplift of Barbuda might be related to the accumulation of residual coseismic deformation not fully recovered by interseismic subsidence and the corresponding seismogenic segment would extend below the Moho

Revisiting Battistini : Pleistocene coastal evolution of southwestern Madagascar

The study of paleo shorelines, particularly of those formed during the late Quaternary, provides robust insights into past climate variability. Advances in surveying techniques and chronological methodologies have dramatically improved the inter-comparability of regional and basin-wide paleo shoreline surveys. However, these advances have been applied unevenly across the globe. This is especially true in southwestern Madagascar, where, in the 1960s and 1970s, emerged Pleistocene beach and reef facies were first described in detail and dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a using U-Th alpha activity counting by french geologist René Battistini. Now, 50 years on, no further analysis of the coastal sequence has been made. In this study, we present an updated late Pleistocene coastal evolution model for the southwestern Madagascar coast. Utilizing a combination of Structure-from-Motion/Multi-View Stereo techniques and differential Global Navigation Satellite System surveys, we have created five high-resolution 3D outcrop reconstructions that have, in turn, been chronologically constrained using 10 U-series ages from both in situ and reworked coral samples. Our data suggest that the emerged reef was deposited during MIS 5e (?125 ka), then was covered by intertidal and beach sediment (including redeposited coral clasts of MIS 5e age), and finally capped off by thick eolianites. This sequence would suggest that the local sea level must have remained stable throughout MIS 5e in order to allow for the progradation of both the beach and reef environments