Abstract
Beachrocks are good indicators of sea-level stillstands on microtidal coastlines and data for this sea-level curve is mainly based on dating a series of Holocene beachrocks and planation episodes on the southeast African coastline. Sea-level reached its present level along the southern African coastline at ca. 6500 BP; sea-level then rose depositing a series of beachrocks at an elevation of + 2.75 m. This mid-Holocene sea-level highstand persisted for a period of 2500 years with a + 3.5 m stillstand, dated at 4480 BP, being the highest sea-level reached during the Holocene. In post-Holocene sea-level optimum times, a regression occurred lowering sea-level to its present level at 3880 BP and down to −2 m at approximately 3000 BP. Subsequently, sea-level rose to + 1.5 m at 1610 BP and attained its present level at about 900 BP. The mid-Holocene sea-level highstand appears to have resulted from a combination of isostatic emergence and the steric expansion of seawater relating to warmer ocean temperatures associated with the Holocene hypsithermal event on the eastern Agulhas Bank.
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