Research Article| April 01, 1989 Late Pleistocene terrestrial deposits on the continental shelf of western Canada: Evidence for rapid sea-level change at the end of the last glaciation J. L. Luternauer; J. L. Luternauer 1Geological Survey of Canada, 100 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1R8, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John J. Clague; John J. Clague 1Geological Survey of Canada, 100 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1R8, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. W. Conway; K. W. Conway 2Geomartec Services, 1067 Clarke Road, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia VOS 1A0, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. V. Barrie; J. V. Barrie 3Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering (C-CORE) and Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. Blaise; B. Blaise 4Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre, Box 6000, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4132, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. W. Mathewes R. W. Mathewes 5Department of Biology, Department of Archaeology, and Institute for Quaternary Research, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J. L. Luternauer 1Geological Survey of Canada, 100 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1R8, Canada John J. Clague 1Geological Survey of Canada, 100 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1R8, Canada K. W. Conway 2Geomartec Services, 1067 Clarke Road, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia VOS 1A0, Canada J. V. Barrie 3Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering (C-CORE) and Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X5, Canada B. Blaise 4Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre, Box 6000, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4132, Canada R. W. Mathewes 5Department of Biology, Department of Archaeology, and Institute for Quaternary Research, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1989) 17 (4): 357–360. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0357:LPTDOT>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J. L. Luternauer, John J. Clague, K. W. Conway, J. V. Barrie, B. Blaise, R. W. Mathewes; Late Pleistocene terrestrial deposits on the continental shelf of western Canada: Evidence for rapid sea-level change at the end of the last glaciation. Geology 1989;; 17 (4): 357–360. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0357:LPTDOT>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A paleosol with in situ rooted plant remains has been found in a core at a water depth of 95 m on the central continental shelf of British Columbia. Fluvial sediments associated with the paleosol are sharply overlain by lagoonal or shallow pond sediments; these, in turn, are overlain by shallow-marine ediments. Radiocarbon dates on wood fragments and root recovered from the cored sediments indicate that relative sea level was at least 95 m lower 10,500 yr B.P. and that the core site was rapidly transgressed by the sea shortly thereafter. This rapid transgression was contemporaneous with an equally rapid regression at the heads of fiords on the British Columbia mainland to the east. The two are probably genetically linked and a result of late Pleistocene deglaciation and the migration and collapse of a glacial forebulge. Our evidence indicates that large areas of the British Columbia continental shelf were subaerially exposed 11-10 ka. This may have facilitated the southward migration of early humans from Beringia into mid-continental North America at the end of the Pleistocene. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.