LATE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE SEDIMENTS OF THE KHIRAN AREA (SOUTH KUWAIT)

Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments are exposed in the Khiran area of south Kuwait. There are five Chenier coastal ridges laid down as c oastal dunes, composed of wind-blown oolites and sometimes siliciclast ic sand, formed during phases of low-stand of sea level. The low areas between the ridges are sabkha plains filled by Recent sediments. The ridges are transected by tidal creeks, which are remnants of an old dr ainage system that was active during the last phase of low-stand of se a level during the Wurm glaciation. The tidal creeks are the site of i ntertidal sedimentation and are surrounded by areas of wet sabkhas. Th e oldest ridge exposed in the area is older than the Flandrian transgr ession and may be c 23,000 years old. Four younger, Holocene coastal r idges associated with the Flandrian transgression have been mapped. Th ey represent phases of low-stand of sea level at 6,800, 5,800, 3,000 a nd 2,000 years BP. Phases of high sea level stand are expressed by int ertidal or subtidal sediments yielding marine shells, sometimes expose d at the foot of the ridges, or by erosional features, such as enlarge d burrows affecting the lithified parts of the ridges.