Shore Displacement in Western Uusimaa 500 BC – AD 1500
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Shore Displacement in Western Uusimaa 500 BC – AD 1500 Arto Miettinen Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø Department of Geology, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 University of Helsinki Abstract Numerous shore displacement studies have been completed in Finland, but the shore displacement history regarding the last four millennia is still poorly investigated. In this study, the shore displace- ment history of the coastal area of Western Uusimaa, in southern Finland, is reconstructed especially for the period 500 BC–AD 1500. The isolation of 17 basins located in five areas (Kirkkonummi/Espoo, Orslandet (Ingå), Älgö (Ekenäs in Raseborg), Tenala (Raseborg) and Prästkulla (Ekenäs, Raseborg)) is determined. The methods include lithostratigraphic interpretation, diatom analyses and radiocar- bon dating. The shore displacement history varies within the Western Uusimaa area. The highest ancient shoreline representing sea-level at 500 BC is about 8.5 m above present sea-level (a.s.l.) in Präst- kulla, and 6.5 m a.s.l. in Kirkkonummi. In other areas, the shoreline representing this time falls be- tween these elevations. The shoreline representing sea-level at AD 500 is 1–1.5 m a.s.l. in Western Uusimaa. These differences in shore level elevations are due to differences in isostatic uplift rates, which are slower in the east. The main trend in relative shore displacement along the southern coast of Finland is characterised by a generally decreasing uplift rate during the last 3500 years. It is not possible to detect any clear sea-level transgressions during this investigated period. The available data suggests possible local land uplift anomalies in the study area, but more investigations are needed to verify these results. Keywords: shore displacement, sea-level, land uplift, isolation, diatoms. 1.Introduction for archaeological and historical studies (e.g. Asplund 2008). During the Iron Age (500 BC–AD 11/1200) Numerous shore displacement studies have and Medieval Period (AD 1200–1550), people been completed in Finland, but they have most- settled close to the shore line at the time. The ly focused on the early and middle Holocene, sites representing younger cultural stages are i.e. 10 000–4000 cal. BP. From southern Fin- situated at successively lower altitudes, follow- land, east of Helsinki, many shore displacement ing the shore displacement. Thus, shore dis- studies including several radiocarbon dated iso- placement reconstructions are very important lation basins have been carried out, partly cov- ering the late Holocene period (Eronen 1974; Maritime Landscape in Change THE FINNISH ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, ISKOS 19, 2011 ARTO MIETTINEN Fig. 1. Location of the study areas in Western Uusimaa. Sites numbering at Table 1. Matiskainen 1989; Miettinen et al. 1999; Seppä and Prästkulla were used in the reconstructions et al. 2000), but only two studies exist from the (sites 4, 19 and 20 in Fig. 1 and Table 3). This is coastal area of Western Uusimaa (Hyvärinen the first shore displacement study for the south- 1999; Eronen et al. 2001). However, all of ern coast of Finland focused solely on the last these studies have paid less attention to the late 4000 years. Some preliminary results of this Holocene shore displacement history. Hence, study were previously summarized by Miet- the shore displacement history of Western tinen et al. (2007). Uusimaa, as well as southern Finland, during The study area extends across 120 km of the last four millennia is still relatively poor- coastline that is characterized by archipelago ly known. This fact, together with relatively and narrow topographical zones stretching in poorly known settlement history in the coastal an east-west direction. In the middle archipel- area of Western Uusimaa (Alenius 2009; 2011; ago zone there are several east-west geological Haggrén 2009; 2011; Jansson 2009; 2011), was valley formations that even today form good the motivation for reconstructing more detailed fairways, while deep, fjord-like bays cut the records of shore displacement in this area. mainland in the north-south direction. Many Based a total of 20 isolation basins, shore fracture zones exist in the bedrock of the study displacement was reconstructed for five areas area (Vuorela 1982). The present apparent land located in Western Uusimaa; Kirkkonummi/ uplift rate varies from 3.1 to 2.5 mm/year from Espoo, Orslandet, Älgö, Tenala and Prästkulla west to east in this area (Ekman and Mäkinen (Fig. 1). In this work, we determined the iso- 1996). The area is suitable for shore displace- lation of 17 basins, which are located between ment studies due to the abundance of small 0.2 and 13 m above present sea-level (a.s.l.). In lakes situated at various elevations above pres- addition, results from three previously investi- ent sea-level. gated isolation basins situated in Kirkkonummi 62 SHORE DISPLACEMENT IN WESTERN UUSIMAA 500 BC – AD 1500 1.1 Reasons for shore displacement be detected as a change from greyish clayey and its main research methods sediments deposited in the Baltic Sea basin to organic-rich gyttja deposited in the freshwater The two main reasons for shore displacement lake basin. Also during the isolation process, in the Baltic Sea basin are the glacio-isostatic diatom assemblages show a clear succession land uplift and eustasy (i.e. the global changes from a deep and brackish pelagic environment in the ocean level). The areas formerly covered to a shallower and less saline coastal environ- by the Late Weichselian ice sheet are now re- ment, and finally, the brackish-water diatom bounding. Uplift was most rapid during and taxa are replaced by freshwater taxa during the immediately after the Late Weichselian glacia- isolation itself. The contact between Baltic and tion and although a marked decrease in uplift lake sediments is called the isolation contact, rate occurred c. 9500 years ago (Eronen 1983), which can be dated by radiocarbon method and the rate has been remained relatively high until then used as shore level (or sea-level) index- today, with a gradual slowing down of uplift. points. The uplift of the crust relative to mean sea-level is called the apparent land uplift, which in the 1.2 Earlier studies on isolation basins in northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia, in the cen- the Western Uusimaa area on the tre of the area of uplift is between 8 and 9 mm/ last 4000-year period year (Ekman and Mäkinen 1996). Land uplift seems to take place on a regional scale in a The shore displacement reconstruction based plastic manner, but on the local scale as discrete on 14 isolation basin for Helsinki–Kirkkonum- blocks of the bedrock (Kuivamäki et al. 1998). mi area covers the period 8000 BC–AD 50, and Because of the relatively high land uplift rate, focuses particularly on the period 8000–5000 the drop in relative sea-level has been the dom- BC, i.e. the Ancylus and Litorina stages of inant feature of the Holocene shore displace- the Baltic Sea (Hyvärinen 1999). The shore ment in the Baltic basin, except for relatively displacement curve shows a gradual lower- short transgressive periods during the Ancylus ing of sea-level since the nearly stable relative Lake and Litorina Sea stages (e.g. Björck 1995; sea-level phase during the Litorina transgres- Miettinen 2002; Eronen 2005). sion 6000–4000 BC when the highest Litorina A number of shore displacement studies shoreline was located around 34 m a.s.l. in the have been published in Finland (e.g. Eronen Helsinki area. 1995), which investigate the land uplift and Eronen et al. (2001) reconstructed shore history of the Baltic Sea. Earlier studies recon- displacement in the Tammisaari –Perniö area structed ancient shore levels using geomorpho- for the period 8300–1500 cal BP (c. 6300 logical shoreline features. The downfall of the BC–AD 500), and focused especially on the most of these earlier shoreline reconstructions period 8300–3000 cal. BP. The reconstruc- is the poor resolution and/or imprecise chro- tion was based on 15 isolation basins located nology. The dating was often based on pollen between 7.3 and 39.9 m a.s.l. The results in- analysis. In the 1970s, the radiocarbon dating dicate a relatively regular rate of uplift and method became common in shore displacement overall relative sea-level lowering though some studies and it was a huge improvement in the small-scale bends seen in the shore displace- research method. ment reconstruction could indicate short-term The precise information on regional shore changes in sea-level or land uplift trends. The displacement is obtained from small uplifted shore displacement reconstruction of Hatakka lake basins where the isolation of the basin & Glückert (2000) is mostly based on the same from the sea can be detected in the changes data of Eronen et al. (2001). Despite some dif- of sediment composition and diatom assem- ferent interpretations of the data, the results of blages. In sediments, the isolation can usually 63 ARTO MIETTINEN Hatakka & Glückert suggest a gradual lowering 0.2 and 13.0 m a.s.l. (Table 1 and Fig. 1). Basin of sea-level. elevations were determined from topographic Although the shore level data of previous maps at a scale of 1:20 000. In the Orslandet studies is more or less incomplete regarding the area, the elevations were also levelled. The in- last 4000 years, their results suggest a gradual vestigated lake basins are relatively small and lowering of sea-level during this period. The el- shallow; their size varies between 0.1–0.5 km2 evation of the shoreline representing the same (mostly between 0.1–0.2 km2), and the depth point in time increases from east to west due between c.