Abstract

This chronology of marine terraces in Hawaii includes 236 published dates; most samples are from the emerged reef terraces on Oahu. The Holocene record of transgression is outlined by the available data, but further detailed work is needed. A mid-Holocene high stand has been documented for Kauai and is currently being resolved for Oahu. A double marine transgression during the last interglacial is suggested by stratigraphy and electron spin resonance dates from a newly studies site on Oahu. Precise radiometric dates are needed to confirm this interpretation. Attention is called to the emerged terraces above 10 m in the Hawaiian Islands, which initial studies indicate are older than the last interglacial. A reevaluation of Oahu age data suggests that Oahu has undergone uplift during the last 500,000 years and may not be a suitable 'stable' platform for eustatic sea level comparisons. A promising set of deeply submerged terraces representing eustatic low stands has been discovered off the island of Hawaii. These drowned reefs offer potential for paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic studies.