Circumpolar Distribution of Holocene Marine Fossils in Antarctic Beaches

Abstract

AbstractThe composite frequency of radiocarbon ages for Holocene marine fossils from beaches around Antarctica is significantly different than random. Variations in the frequency of fossil ages coincide with the timing of Holocene climate changes inferred from Antarctic ice cores, sub-Antarctic lakes, polar and alpine moraines, and sea level. Extant Antarctic marine species that occur as fossils in beaches may reflect coastal meltwater impacts associated with ice sheet marginal fluctuations that were circumpolar during the Holocene.