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Sea levels, shorelines and settlements on P acific reef islands
Author(s) -
NUNN PATRICK D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/arco.5082
Subject(s) - atoll , reef , shore , human settlement , sea level , oceanography , geography , archaeology , range (aeronautics) , geology , materials science , composite material
A reassessment is made of the model of D ickinson (2003, J ournal of C oastal R esearch ), which proposed that many P acific island coasts were settled only after the palaeoreef flats or shore platforms that formed during the mid‐ H olocene sea‐level highstand emerged above high‐tide level: a point in time known as the crossover date. Focusing on reef (atoll) islands, the analysis suggests that this model has potential when applied to islands east of 178° E , with some, such as F unafuti ( T uvalu) and A tafu ( T okelau), being settled around the time of their crossover dates and others to the east and north‐east a few centuries later. The model fails to explain the settlement of atolls in the north‐west P acific ( M arshall I slands and eastern K iribati), where islands formed well before crossover dates, something that can be attributed to the larger tidal range and complex interplay between sea level and reef upgrowth. The enduring legacy of D ickinson to P acific archaeology is the demonstration that people were operating in a dynamic environment that presented them with new challenges and opportunities rather than in an environment that was static.