Investigation of beachrock using microanalyses and OSL dating: a case study from Bozcaada island, Turkey

Abstract

We investigated the origin and absolute age of beachrock samples on Bozcaada Island, located on the northern Aegean Sea coast of Turkey, using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Various types of cements were identified, such as micritic, meniscus, and biologic cements, revealing that the beachrock could have occurred as a result of the combined effects of marine-phreatic and supratidal cementation conditions. Optical dating results showed that the formation of beachrock ranged in age from 5.41 +/- 0.58 ka BP to 0.33 +/- 0.05 ka BP. However, much of the beachrock body (about 3 m in thickness) is drowned or submerged today, suggesting that submerged beachrocks extending to -5 m date to earlier times than the start of the cementation period discussed herein.