Pleistocene sea levels and tectonic uplift based on dating of corals from Sumba Island, Indonesia

We collected and dated fossil corals from the uplifted reef tracts of Sumba Island. Mass spectrometry (TIMS and AMS) was used to obtain reliable and precise radiochronological results. It is possible to identify outcrops corresponding to major sea level high stands: isotope stage 1 (starting at 7.1 kyr BP), 5a (c.a. 86 kyr BP), Sc(c.a. 105 kyr BP), 5e (between 119 and 132 kyr BP) and 9 (c.a. 305 kyr BP). The radiochronological data are thus broadly consistent with the timing of sea level fluctuations predicted by the astronomical theory of paleoclimates. Comparison with similar data from other terrace sequences and from benthic delta(18)O records indicates that the average tectonic uplift rate at Cape Laundi, Sumba, is on the order of 0.2-0.5m/kyr. The lowest values (<0.3m/kyr) lead to the build-up of polycyclic topographic terraces in which it is possible to find corals grown during different interstadial or even interglacial times.