Search results for "stalagmite"
showing 6 items of 46 documents
Diagenesis of speleothems and its effect on the accuracy of 230 Th/U-ages
2014
Abstract Speleothems can be precisely dated by U-series disequilibrium methods. One basic assumption of the 230Th/U-dating method is that the system remains closed and U and Th isotopes are neither lost nor added after deposition. For stalagmites, this requirement is usually fulfilled due to their protected environment in caves. However, undersaturated drip water may lead to diagenesis of speleothem CaCO3 and altered 230Th/U-ages. Here we present a detailed petrographic investigation using thin sections and 230Th/U-ages of a stalagmite from the Riesenberghohle, northern Germany, which grew during Marine Isotope Stages 5e, c and a. The occurrence of a mosaic fabric in large parts of the stal…
Control of Seasonality and Interannual to Centennial Climate Variability in the Caribbean During the Holocene—Combining Coral Records, Stalagmite Rec…
2014
This study aimed at quantifying the amplitudes of seasonality and interannual to centennial climate variability in the Caribbean region throughout the Holocene, by using marine (shallow-water corals) and terrestrial (speleothems) climate archives, and climate model simulations (COSMOS). Sea-surface temperature (SST) variability on interdecadal to multidecadal timescales was more pronounced during the mid-Holocene compared to the late Holocene. The amplitude of the SST annual cycle was within the present-day range throughout most of the last 6,000 years. Exceptions include slightly increased SST seasonality at 6,200 years ago, which can be attributed mainly to insolation forcing on orbital t…
A comparison of different methods for speleothem age modelling
2012
Abstract Speleothems, such as stalagmites and flowstones, can be dated with unprecedented precision in the range of the last 650,000 a by the 230Th/U-method, which is considered as one of their major advantages as climate archives. However, a standard approach for the construction of speleothem age models and the estimation of the corresponding uncertainty has not been established yet. Here we apply five age modelling approaches ( StalAge , OxCal, a finite positive growth rate model and two spline-based models) to a synthetic speleothem growth model and two natural samples. All data sets contain problematic features such as outliers, age inversions, large and abrupt changes in growth rate a…
Millennial-scale climate variability during the last 12.5 ka recorded in a Caribbean speleothem
2013
Abstract We present a speleothem stable oxygen isotope record for the last 12.5 ka based on two stalagmites from western Cuba. The δ18O signal is interpreted to represent past precipitation variability. Both stalagmites show a pronounced transition from higher δ18O values (indicating drier conditions) to more negative δ18O values (suggesting wetter conditions) between 10 and 6 ka. This transition is also visible in a planktonic δ18O record off Haiti. On orbital timescales, the δ18O value of Caribbean precipitation, thus, strongly resembles the oxygen isotope composition of Caribbean surface water. On millenial timescales, the speleothem δ18O record shows a high correlation to a North Atlant…
The magnesium isotope record of cave carbonate archives
2012
Here we explore the potential of magnesium (&delta;<sup>26</sup>Mg) isotope time-series data as continental climate proxies in speleothem calcite archives. For this purpose, a total of six Pleistocene and Holocene stalagmites from caves in Germany, Morocco and Peru and two flowstones from a cave in Austria were investigated. These caves represent the semi-arid to arid (Morocco), the warm-temperate (Germany), the equatorial-humid (Peru) and the cold-humid (Austria) climate zones. Changes in the calcite magnesium isotope signature with time are compared against carbon and oxygen isotope records from these speleothems. Similar to other proxies, the non-trivial interaction of a …
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability
2012
Holocene climate was characterised by variability on multi-centennial to multi-decadal time scales. In central Europe, these fluctuations were most pronounced during winter. Here we present a record of past winter climate variability for the last 10.8 ka based on four speleothems from Bunker Cave, western Germany. Due to its central European location, the cave site is particularly well suited to record changes in precipitation and temperature in response to changes in the North Atlantic realm. We present high-resolution records of &delta;<sup>18</sup>O, &delta;<sup>13</sup>C values and Mg/Ca ratios. Changes in the Mg/Ca ratio are attributed to past meteoric p…