The maximum warmings of the Pleistocene world climate recorded in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Evidence of the warmest Pleistocene climatic changes is preserved in the eastern Canary Islands. Although the existence of raised fossiliferous marine deposits in northern Gran Canaria has been known since the 19th century, their chronology and significance with regard to past sea levels and temperatures have remained uncertain. Here, we show three marine transgressions recorded by raised marine deposits. The highest (85 m above sea level (masl)) and oldest marine deposit is interbedded in basaltic lava flows and has been dated using both palaeomagnetic and radiometric methods.</p>