LATE HOLOCENE SEA LEVEL CHANGE, MANGROVE SYSTEM RESPONSE, AND TAINO ARCHAEOLOGY: NEW EVIDENCE FROM CUBA

Relative sea level (RSL) change is a critical influence on coastal geomorphic processes, the behavior of coastal ecosystems, and human settlement and subsistence. In the northern Caribbean region – which consists of southern Florida, the Bahamas, and northern Cuba – even minor changes in RSL have disproportionately large effects on the low relief coastlines. The northern Caribbean region is underlain by the tectonically stable Bahamas Platform, which suggests that changes in RSL should be uniform throughout the area. Despite this, published data show that the Late Holocene RSL history of the region is contentious. Most evidence indicates that RSL was roughly 3 metres below present level around 4000 BP, and then rose at a decelerating rate until it reached its current position. However, recent data from Florida suggests that RSL may have been up to 1 metre higher than present between 1000 to 2000 years ago, before it dropped to its present position. Other records indicate rapid fluctuations of up to 1 metre superimposed over these general trends.

This poster presents the first evidence for Holocene RSL change from northern Cuba. These data consist of radiocarbon dated mangrove peat, and show that RSL rose to its present position at a rate similar to many records from southern Florida and the Bahamas. There is no evidence for a Late Holocene RSL highstand. This work also has implications for the prehistory of north central Cuba. A large, presently submerged Taino village, Los Buchillones, is located in the nearshore of the region of this study. The new RSL data provide insight into the location and construction of the settlement and help account for the high quality of the preserved artifacts and their provenance. In addition, fossil pollen evidence from peat deposits reveals how mangrove systems have responded to rising RSL. Research of this nature is crucial in understanding how coastal systems will respond to rates of RSL rise projected over the next century.