Abstract
Milankovitch orbital forcing theory has been used to assign time scales to many paleoclimate records. However, the validity of this theory remains uncertain, and independent sea-level chronologies used to test its applicability have been restricted largely to the past ∼ 135,000 years. Here, we report U-series ages for coral reefs formed on Henderson Island during sea-level high-stands occurring at ∼630,000 and ∼330,000 years ago. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that interglacial climates are forced by Northern Hemisphere summer solar insolation centered at 65°N latitude, as predicted by Milankovitch theory.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 290-293 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 291 |
Issue number | 5502 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12 Jan 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |