High frequency sea-level fluctuations and their response to global change in the Pearl River Delta

adjacent to South China Sea

is still an open question due to uncertain dating and complicated facies changes. In this paper

we correlate the sediments of three cores

selected from the delta

using magnetic susceptibility stratigraphic and cycle stratigraphic methods. The geomagnetic inclination change recorded in sediments of core SX97 is compared with the geomagnetic paleosecular variation profiles recorded in sediments from the Shuangchiling Lake in Hainan Island

Erhai Lake in Yunnan province and Biwa Lake in Japan. Based on this correlation

agedepth models of three cores are then established. The magnetic grain size indicator χ

ARM

/SIRM

coeval with the susceptibility

is used to serve as a proxy of sea-level fluctuations during the Holocene. Two high sea-level episodes occur at 9.1-7.7 ka BP and 4.0-3.2 ka BP

and several sharp sea-level falls appear at about 1.2-1.5 ka BP

3-3.2 ka BP

4.0-4.75 ka BP

5.25-5.75 ka BP

6.2-6.3 ka BP and 7.25-7.75 ka BP

corresponding to impacts of cold climate in the North Atlantic and weakened monsoonal activity in Asia

respectively.