Re-examination on the Holocene emerged shorelines in Irabu and Shimoji Islands, the South Ryukyus, Japan.

Abstract

The slightly emerged shore platforms fringing Shimoji Island do not correspond to a higher Holocene sea-level stand, as believed previously, but to differential erosion caused by strong wave action (tsunamis, typhoons). As in the nearby Miyako Island, the sea level reached its present position some 1, 000 to 2, 000 years ago in Shimoji and Irabu Islands, and has remained almost stable since that time. No evidence of higher Holocene sea-level stands can be found.