New RSL constraints for the Minch from OSL-dated Lateglacial shorelines

Huffman, Emily, Simms, Alexander R, Bradwell, Tom, Best, Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3731-054X, Lloyd, Jeremy, Bradley, Sarah L and DeWitt, Regina (2025) New RSL constraints for the Minch from OSL-dated Lateglacial shorelines. Quaternary Science Reviews, 367. Art: 109543. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109543 (In Press)

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Abstract

Past sea levels provide important constraints on global ice volumes, rates of tectonic motion, ice-sheet sea-level feedbacks, and the migration of species through time. Beneath formerly glaciated regions, the marine limit, the maximum extent of sea-levels after glacial retreat, provides some of the oldest post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) sea-level constraints. However, although the elevations of marine limits are plentiful, they often remain undated. In this study, we provide new age and elevation constraints on the late Pleistocene relative sea-level (RSL) history at 12 sites along the eastern flanks of the former Minch Ice Stream (MnIS) of northwest Scotland. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) was used to date the highest and presumably oldest preserved RSL indicators immediately after ice-sheet retreat. Although slightly older than earlier estimates, our ages confirm the early deglacial age of ∼16.2–19.5 ka for the raised shorelines of northwest Scotland with declining marine limits north of the Isle of Skye from 26.2 ± 4.8 m at Ardaneaskan to 12.8 ± 4.8 m elevation at Achiltibuie, the latter of which lies inside the moraines of the Wester Ross Readvance. Our new OSL ages suggest deglaciation of the MnIS may have been slightly earlier than previously thought, although our large error bars highlight the need for additional age constraints. Our new RSL data provide important constraints for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models for Scotland and shed light on the behavior of the former MnIS, thought to be susceptible to marine ice-sheet instability.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. This is the accepted version of an article published in Quaternary Science Reviews which is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109543. Full citation: Huffman, E. et al (2025) 'New RSL constraints for the Minch from OSL-dated Lateglacial shorelines', Quaternary Science Reviews, 367, art. 109543. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109543
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education, Health and Sciences
Depositing User:	Louise Best
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2025 15:50
Last Modified:	30 Jul 2025 10:15
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15193

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