Surface lowering rates of uplifted limestone terraces estimated from the height of pedestals on a subtropical island of Japan

In Kikai-jima, south-western Japan, many pedestal rocks have developed on the surface of Holocene raised coral-reef terraces with known dates of emergence. Pedestals are formed just under boulders, which are considered to have been transported by tsunami and settled on a reef flat before emergence. On the assumption that boulders protect the underlying limestone terrace from rainfall solution, the rate of surface lowering of these limestone terraces was evaluated from the height of pedestals and the period of their formation. The result showed that the mean lowering rate over 6000 years is 205 mm/ky. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.