LATE PLEISTOCENE MARINE DEPOSITION AND TL CHRONOLOGY OF THE NEW-SOUTH-WALES, AUSTRALIAN COASTLINE

Thermoluminescence dating of marine sands along the New South Wales, A ustralian coastline, a coastline devoid of recent tectonic activity, r eveals the presence of substantial and widespread estuarine and barrie r remnants constructed over the past 250 ka. Major phases of barrier d eposition have occurred not only around 125 ka during sub-stage 5e, wi dely perceived as the time of Late Pleistocene barrier construction; b ut also during the Penultimate Interglacial, sub-stage 5a and at least 2 periods since the Last Interglacial. This deposition has occurred a round present sea-levels despite inferred world sea-levels being lower throughout much of the last 100 ka. The survival of marine deposits a long the New South Wales coastline is dependent upon the degree of exp osure to recursive catastrophic tsunami near the present coastline thr oughout the Late Pleistocene. Wider or protected barriers, or those lo cated along the northern coast of the Tasman Sea, have had the greates t chance of preservation. However some tsunami have swept relict marin e sediment from the continental shelf onto the coast as evidenced by w idespread tsunami overwash deposits dating at 25 ka and covering Holoc ene sediments along the present shoreline. While marine deposits exten d back to the Penultimate Interglacial, aeolian sediments are only com mon after 80 ka, dominating the coastline during the Last Glacial Maxi mum and the Holocene. Holocene barriers with their associated dune fie lds lie in stark contrast to all Late Pleistocene barriers which have not undergone significant, concomitant dune building.