Palynology of late Quaternary coastal sediments, Perak, Malaysia

Twenty eight samples of peat, clay and silty clay from a tin mine exposure near Pantai Remis, Perak, Malaysia, were palynologically analyzed. Six pollen zones and eight subzones were delineated based on the dominant floral components. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon and thermoluminescence datings on selected samples indicate late Pleistocene and older age. The occurrence ofPodocarpus imbricatus pollen suggests that the deposit is no older than late Pliocene. The fluctuation of sea level during the late Pleistocene is believed to be the main factor that influenced the development of vegetation at the Pantai Remis area. The presence of mangrove peat at depths between 13.0 m and 14.0 m, which overlies a freshwaterPandanus peat, indicates the position of a former shoreline at Pantai Remis when the area was inundated sometime during the last interglacial marine incursion. During this period of high sea level, thePandanus swamp was probably being gradually replaced by mangrove vegetation. The mangrove sequence is regarded as equivalent to the Kempadang formation. A slight drop in sea level sometime during the last glacial interstadial stage probably caused a small, open alluvial swamp to be developed over the mangrove forest. This freshwater deposit may be the equivalent of the Simpang formation.