The Late Quaternary geological history of the upper and central Sydney estuary (Australia)

Sydney estuary, on the east coast of Australia, is a small, drowned river valley with a narrow, sinusoidal channel in the upper reaches; a wide, U-shaped valley with large embayments and tributaries in the central section; and an extensive, more marine lower waterway. The estuary has experienced repeated flooding episodes during Quaternary high sea-level stands, in the absence of neotectonism. The present work considered only the upper and central estuary and therefore, potentially records the highest Quaternary sea-level stands.