Pyritization of coastal sediments in the Kelantan Plains as evidence for the sea level rise in the Malay Peninsula during the Holocene

It has been known for years that about 4300 years ago much of the Malay Peninsula was inundated by seawater due the rise of sea level 3-5 m above the present level. Many of the geological features observed throughout the country have been used as evidences to support the notion. As such, during this period of the history of the peninsula, much of the low-lying areas along the coastal plains were pyritized, with some sediments at specific locations having pyrite content of 2-3%. This paper explains how we can use the pyritization of the coastal plains to provide further evidence for the rise of sea level in the peninsula. To do that, the study on the phenomenon of the pyritization in the Kelantan Plains was re-visited and checked in detail. Based on the distribution of pyrite in the sediments of the Kelantan Plains, the plausible shoreline during the height of the sea level rise was delineated. Hence, the presence of pyrite in the sediments mineralized when the plains were inundated by seawater can be used as yet another geological evidence for the rise in sea level in the Malay Peninsula during the Holocene