Sedimentological evidence of Late Pleistocene Shorelines in Oman

As the climate crisis intensifies, estimating sea-level rise will become increasingly relevant, in particular assessing changes in the relative sea level in different regions. One key to comprehending global sea-level changes is the study of past sea-level highstands. Many regional studies help refine the reconstruction of paleo sea levels globally. Thus far, the Middle East remains understudied.

This paper presents evidence for Quaternary sea-level variations along the shores of the western Indian Ocean. Eight coastal outcrops along the northern and eastern coasts of Oman are presented in detail. The sedimentological evidence for sea-level highstands varies within the study area. However, in relation to recent sea-level conditions, all of these marine and beach deposits are now found well above the environments where such formations would typically form. Dating the timing of sea-level highstands remains a challenging task within the study area. In different studies, attempts to ¹⁴C date samples from that area were unsuccessful, as the time of sediment deposition lies beyond the dating limit of ¹⁴C, precluding a Holocene formation of these sediments. Thus, the sediments are regarded as deposits formed during Pleistocene sea-level highstands, presumably during MIS 5e. For some sections, optically stimulated luminescence dating could provide a solution, as igneous source rocks supply quartz and feldspar. This paper aims to localise eight sea-level related outcrops along the Omani coast and depict their potential for future work, which should include dating and elevation measurements. Through this, our work contributes to the ongoing effort to globally identify records of sea-level changes, as well as providing insights into the regional setting in Oman.