REVIEW OF RESULTS OF IGCP 396 'CONTINENTAL SHELVES IN THE QUATERNARY'

IGCP is a 5-year project supported by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences initiated in 1996 and completed in 2000. It is aimed at the study and interpretation of Quaternary sequences on continental shelves to permit global correlation of sea-level and climatic changes while at the same time identify beneficial uses for humankind. Conferences aimed mainly at the promotion of scientific exchanges between participants were held annually. In the course of the five years, annual conferences were held in Sydney (Australia), Durham (United Kingdom), Goa (India), Cape Town (South Africa) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). This paper presents selected highlights of the project including: (1) New drilling technology. (2) Occurrence of relic sediments on shelves. (3) Reliability of Quaternary methods of dating. (4) Sea-level changes and sequence stratigraphy. (5) Palaeosol development during low sea-level stands. (6) Land-sea correlation. (7) High resolution record of corals. (8) Engineering properties of shelf sediments. (9) Occurrence of economic mineral deposits. IGCP 396 is a highly ambituous project covering a wide spectrum of topics of important societal relevance. The project should therefore be seen only as a starting point of an international collaborative effort to improve our understanding of shelves in the Quarternary. More funding for research work is needed at the national, regional and international levels.