The mode and timing of windward reef-island accretion in relation with Holocene sea-level change: A case study from Takapoto Atoll, French Polynesia

Compared to some other Indo-Pacific reef islands, island initiation at Takapoto appears to be have been delayed by 2 to 4 millennia, probably in response to retardation in the reef catching-up with mid-Holocene sea level. Dating of individual coarse-grained coral clasts allowed the major wave-surge events that have hit Takapoto to be identified for the last millennium. The use of gravels results in the identification of a greater number of medium-energy surge impacts, when compared with megaclast-based records. The frequency of storm events identified is consistent with that derived from historical observations; severe storms have a very low frequency of occurrence - one to two events per century on average.