Sea level, groundwater, and basal peat growth - a reassessment of data from the Netherlands

Abstract

An analysis is made of the relative time-depth positions for published data from the base of the so-called Lower Peat in The Netherlands. Development of this peat is generally linked with the Holocene sealevel rise. Emphasis is placed on the location of samples with respect to pre-existing subsurface topography. This factor is thought to govern the moment at which peat formation commenced at a given site. However, in those cases where topographical influence has been small, it becomes apparent that other (dynamic) factors, such as seepage and local tides, in fact control the initial time-depth position of Lower Peat growth.