Search results for "oxygen isotopes"
showing 6 items of 36 documents
Growth patterns of the topshell Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) in northern Iberia deduced from shell sclerochronology
2019
Combined shell growth pattern and oxygen isotope analysis has become a powerful approach in palaeoclimate and archaeological studies for reconstructing palaeoclimate conditions and littoral exploitation patterns, respectively. Recent investigations have shown that the gastropod Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) forms its shell in conditions of near equilibrium with the oxygen isotope signature of the seawater environment, demonstrating the utility of this species for reconstruction of sea surface temperature and determination of the season of harvest in archaeological studies. In contrast, the shell growth patterns of this species have received virtually no attention despite providing infor…
A 5500-year oxygen isotope record of high arctic environmental change from southern Spitsbergen
2017
The oxygen isotope composition of chironomid head capsules in a sediment core spanning the past 5500 years from Lake Svartvatnet in southern Spitsbergen was used to reconstruct the oxygen isotope composition of lake water (δ18Olw) and local precipitation. The δ18Olw values display shifts from the baseline variability consistent with the timing of recognized historical climatic episodes, such as the Roman Warm Period, the Dark Ages Cold Period and the ‘Little Ice Age’. The highest values of the record, ca. 3‰ above modern δ18Olw values, occur at ca. 1900–1800 cal. yr BP. Three negative excursions increasing in intensity toward the present, at 3400–3200, 1250–1100, and 350–50 cal. yr BP, are…
Past aquatic environments in the Levant inferred from stable isotope compositions of carbonate and phosphate in fish teeth
2019
Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosphate fractions of fish tooth enameloid as a tool to reconstruct past aquatic fish environments and harvesting grounds. The enameloid oxygen isotope compositions of the phosphate fraction (δ18OPO4) vary by as much as ~4‰ for migratory marine fish such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), predominantly reflecting the different saline habitats it occupies during its life cycle. The offset in enameloid Δ18OCO3-PO4 values of modern marine Sparidae and freshwater Cyprinidae from the Southeast Mediterranean region vary between 8.1 and 11.0‰, similar to values reported for modern sharks. The mean δ13C …
Zinc isotopes in Late Pleistocene fossil teeth from a Southeast Asian cave setting preserve paleodietary information
2020
Significance Dietary habits, especially meat consumption, represent a key aspect in the behavior and evolution of fossil hominin species. Here, we explore zinc (Zn) isotope ratios in tooth enamel of fossil mammals. We show discrimination between different trophic levels and demonstrate that Zn isotopes could prove useful in paleodietary studies of fossil hominin, or other mammalian species, to assess their consumption of animal versus plant resources. We also demonstrate the high preservation potential of pristine diet-related Zn isotope ratios, even under tropical conditions with poor collagen preservation, such as the studied depositional context in Southeast Asia. However, assessing the …
Strontium and Oxygen Isotope Analyses Reveal Late Cretaceous Shark Teeth in Iron Age Strata in the Southern Levant
2020
Skeletal remains in archaeological strata are often assumed to be of similar ages. Here we show that combined Sr and O isotope analyses can serve as a powerful tool for assessing fish provenance and even for identifying fossil fish teeth in archaeological contexts. For this purpose, we established a reference Sr and O isotope dataset of extant fish teeth from major water bodies in the Southern Levant. Fossil shark teeth were identified within Iron Age cultural layers dating to 8–9th century BCE in the City of David, Jerusalem, although the reason for their presence remains unclear. Their enameloid 87Sr/86Sr and δ18OPO4 values [0.7075 ± 0.0001 (1 SD, n = 7) and 19.6 ± 0.9‰ (1 SD, n = 6), res…
Carbon cycle and sea-water palaeotemperature evolution at the Middle-Late Jurassic transition, eastern Paris Basin (France).
2014
14 pages; International audience; A very high-resolution carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis (bulk-carbonate) of a biostratigraphically well-constrained Callovian-Oxfordian series is provided here for the first time. The homogeneity of the clayey series and the weak diagenetic alteration allow the isotopic signal variations to be considered as primary in origin. A prominent and brief negative excursion in the δ13C curve (−2‰), occurring at the start of the Middle Callovian (Jason Zone - Obductum Subzone) and correlated regionally, suggests a possible methane release. The increasing δ13C values thereafter up to the Early Oxfordian, concomitant with a warming episode, highlight the buri…