LATE DEVENSIAN AND HOLOCENE RELATIVE SEA-LEVEL CHANGES AT LOCH-NAN-EALA, NEAR ARISAIG, NORTHWEST SCOTLAND

Pollen, diatom, radiocarbon and lithostratigraphical data from isolati on basins in northwest Scotland are used to quantify the reference wat er (tide) level, indicative range and age of different types of isolat ion and connection contacts. Tendencies of sea-level movement and rela tive sea-level changes from the mid-Lateglacial Interstadial (11.8 ka BP) to the late Holocene are constructed from these data. Relative sea -level fell continuously from + 17.8 m OD at 11.8 ka BP to ca. +5.2 m OD at 10.1 ka BP. From an unknown minimum between 10 ka and 9 ka BP re lative sea-level then rose to + 6.3 m OD at 8.3 ka BP. The maximum Hol ocene sea-level occurred within the range +6.6 m OD to +9.3 m OD betwe en 6.6 ka BP and 4.0 ka BP before falling to present. Isobase, age-alt itude and quantitative rebound models for northwest Scotland are teste d using these sea-level data, but none of the published models shows c lose agreement with the new results.