Articles | Volume 4, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Sep 2022
Research article |
| 15 Sep 2022
| 15 Sep 2022
230Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates
Paul Töchterle
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020,
Austria
Simon D. Steidle
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020,
Austria
R. Lawrence Edwards
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, MN, USA
Yuri Dublyansky
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020,
Austria
Christoph Spötl
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020,
Austria
Xianglei Li
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, MN, USA
John Gunn
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Gina E. Moseley
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020,
Austria
Related authors
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 20, 1521–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a reconstruction of permafrost and snow cover on the British Isles for the Younger Dryas period, a time of extremely cold winters that happened approximately 12 000 years ago. Our results indicate that seasonal sea ice in the North Atlantic was most likely a crucial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.
Anika Donner, Paul Töchterle, Christoph Spötl, Irka Hajdas, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 19, 1607–1621, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the first finding of fine-grained cryogenic cave minerals in Greenland, a type of speleothem that has been notably difficult to date. We present a successful approach for determining the age of these minerals using 230Th / U disequilibrium and 14C dating. We relate the formation of the cryogenic cave minerals to a well-documented extreme weather event in 1889 CE. Additionally, we provide a detailed report on the mineralogical and isotopic composition of these minerals.
Mike Rogerson, Yuri Dublyansky, Dirk L. Hoffmann, Marc Luetscher, Paul Töchterle, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 15, 1757–1769, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall in North Africa is known to vary through time and is likely to change as global climate warms. Here, we provide a new level of understanding about past rainfall in North Africa by looking at a stalagmite which formed within northeastern Libya between 67 and 30 thousand years ago. We find that at times more rain falls, and the associated moisture is mostly derived from the western Mediterranean during winter storms. Sometimes, water comes from the eastern Mediterranean.
Alexander H. Jarosch, Paul Hofer, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 18, 4811–4816, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Mechanical damage to stalagmites is commonly observed in mid-latitude caves. In this study we investigate ice flow along the cave bed as a possible mechanism for stalagmite damage. Utilizing models which simulate forces created by ice flow, we study the structural integrity of different stalagmite geometries. Our results suggest that structural failure of stalagmites caused by ice flow is possible, albeit unlikely.
Judit Torner, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Ana Moreno, Joan O. Grimalt, Francisco J. Sierro, Hai Cheng, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-54, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-54, 2024
Preprint under review for CP
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a new speleothem record of the western Mediterranean region that offers new insights into the timeline of glacial terminations TIV, TIII, and TIII.a. The comparison among the studied deglaciations reveals differences in terms of intensity and duration and opens the opportunity to evaluate marine sediment chronologies based on orbital tuning from the North Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean.
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 20, 1521–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a reconstruction of permafrost and snow cover on the British Isles for the Younger Dryas period, a time of extremely cold winters that happened approximately 12 000 years ago. Our results indicate that seasonal sea ice in the North Atlantic was most likely a crucial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexandr Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Giesche, and Sebastian Breitenbach
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1691, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1691, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use cave rocks to reconstruct northern Siberian climate 8.68 ± 0.09 million years ago. We show that when global average temperature was about 4.5 °C warmer than today (similar to what’s expected in the coming decades should carbon emissions continue unabated), Arctic temperature increased by more than 18 °C. Similar levels of Arctic warming in the future would see huge areas of permafrost (permanently frozen ground) thaw and release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Miguel Bartolomé, Ana Moreno, Carlos Sancho, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Negar Haghipour, Ánchel Belmonte, Christoph Spötl, John Hellstrom, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 467–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing past temperatures at regional scales during the Common Era is necessary to place the current warming in the context of natural climate variability. We present a climate reconstruction based on eight stalagmites from four caves in the Pyrenees, NE Spain. These stalagmites were dated precisely and analysed for their oxygen isotopes, which appear dominated by temperature changes. Solar variability and major volcanic eruptions are the two main drivers of observed climate variability.
Giselle Utida, Francisco W. Cruz, Mathias Vuille, Angela Ampuero, Valdir F. Novello, Jelena Maksic, Gilvan Sampaio, Hai Cheng, Haiwei Zhang, Fabio Ramos Dias de Andrade, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 19, 1975–1992, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) behavior during the past 3000 years over northeastern Brazil based on oxygen stable isotopes of stalagmites. Paleoclimate changes were mainly forced by the tropical South Atlantic and tropical Pacific sea surface temperature variability. We describe an ITCZ zonal behavior active around 1100 CE and the period from 1500 to 1750 CE. The dataset also records historical droughts that affected modern human population in this area of Brazil.
Anika Donner, Paul Töchterle, Christoph Spötl, Irka Hajdas, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 19, 1607–1621, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the first finding of fine-grained cryogenic cave minerals in Greenland, a type of speleothem that has been notably difficult to date. We present a successful approach for determining the age of these minerals using 230Th / U disequilibrium and 14C dating. We relate the formation of the cryogenic cave minerals to a well-documented extreme weather event in 1889 CE. Additionally, we provide a detailed report on the mineralogical and isotopic composition of these minerals.
Charlotte Honiat, Gabriella Koltai, Yuri Dublyansky, R. Lawrence Edwards, Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A look at the climate evolution during the last warm period may allow us to test ground for future climate conditions. We quantified the temperature evolution during the Last Interglacial using a tiny amount of water trapped in the crystals of precisely dated stalagmites in caves from the southeastern European Alps. Our record indicates temperatures up to 2 °C warmer than today and an unstable climate during the first half of the Last Interglacial.
Miguel Bartolomé, Gérard Cazenave, Marc Luetscher, Christoph Spötl, Fernando Gázquez, Ánchel Belmonte, Alexandra V. Turchyn, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, and Ana Moreno
The Cryosphere, 17, 477–497, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this work we study the microclimate and the geomorphological features of Devaux ice cave in the Central Pyrenees. The research is based on cave monitoring, geomorphology, and geochemical analyses. We infer two different thermal regimes. The cave is impacted by flooding in late winter/early spring when the main outlets freeze, damming the water inside. Rock temperatures below 0°C and the absence of drip water indicate frozen rock, while relict ice formations record past damming events.
Maria Wind, Friedrich Obleitner, Tanguy Racine, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 16, 3163–3179, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a thorough analysis of the thermal conditions of a sag-type ice cave in the Austrian Alps using temperature measurements for the period 2008–2021. Apart from a long-term increasing temperature trend in all parts of the cave, we find strong interannual and spatial variations as well as a characteristic seasonal pattern. Increasing temperatures further led to a drastic decrease in cave ice. A first attempt to model ablation based on temperature shows promising results.
Jan Pfeiffer, Thomas Zieher, Jan Schmieder, Thom Bogaard, Martin Rutzinger, and Christoph Spötl
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2219–2237, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The activity of slow-moving deep-seated landslides is commonly governed by pore pressure variations within the shear zone. Groundwater recharge as a consequence of precipitation therefore is a process regulating the activity of landslides. In this context, we present a highly automated geo-statistical approach to spatially assess groundwater recharge controlling the velocity of a deep-seated landslide in Tyrol, Austria.
Caroline Welte, Jens Fohlmeister, Melina Wertnik, Lukas Wacker, Bodo Hattendorf, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 2165–2177, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites are valuable climate archives, but unlike other proxies the use of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) is still difficult. A stalagmite from the Austrian Alps was analyzed using a new laser ablation method for fast radiocarbon (14C) analysis. This allowed 14C and δ13C to be combined, showing that besides soil and bedrock a third source is contributing during periods of warm, wet climate: old organic matter.
Kathleen A. Wendt, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 1443–1454, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we tested the upper limits of U–Th dating precision by analyzing three stalagmites from the Austrian Alps that have high U concentrations. The composite record spans the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7) with an average 2σ age uncertainty of 400 years. This unprecedented age control allows us to constrain the timing of temperature shifts in the Alps during MIS 7 while offering new insight into millennial-scale changes in the North Atlantic leading up to Terminations III and IIIa.
Gabriella Koltai, Christoph Spötl, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 17, 775–789, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper utilises a novel palaeoclimate archive from caves, cryogenic cave carbonates, which allow for precisely constraining permafrost thawing events in the past. Our study provides new insights into the climate of the Younger Dryas (12 800 to 11 700 years BP) in mid-Europe from the perspective of a high-elevation cave sensitive to permafrost development. We quantify seasonal temperature and precipitation changes by using a heat conduction model.
Chao-Jun Chen, Dao-Xian Yuan, Jun-Yun Li, Xian-Feng Wang, Hai Cheng, You-Feng Ning, R. Lawrence Edwards, Yao Wu, Si-Ya Xiao, Yu-Zhen Xu, Yang-Yang Huang, Hai-Ying Qiu, Jian Zhang, Ming-Qiang Liang, and Ting-Yong Li
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Xianglei Li, Kathleen A. Wendt, Yuri Dublyansky, Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Geochronology, 3, 49–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we built a statistical model to determine the initial δ234U in submerged calcite crusts that coat the walls of Devils Hole 2 (DH2) cave (Nevada, USA) and, using a 234U–238U dating method, extended the chronology of the calcite deposition beyond previous well-established 230Th ages and determined the oldest calcite deposited in this cave, a time marker for cave genesis. The novel method presented here may be used in future speleothem studies in similar hydrogeological settings.
Lilian Schuster, Fabien Maussion, Lukas Langhamer, and Gina E. Moseley
Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation and moisture sources over an arid region in northeast Greenland are investigated from 1979 to 2017 by a Lagrangian moisture source diagnostic driven by reanalysis data. Dominant winter moisture sources are the North Atlantic above 45° N. In summer local and north Eurasian continental sources dominate. In positive phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation, evaporation and moisture transport from the Norwegian Sea are stronger, resulting in more precipitation.
Ole Valk, Michiel M. Rutgers van der Loeff, Walter Geibert, Sandra Gdaniec, S. Bradley Moran, Kate Lepore, Robert Lawrence Edwards, Yanbin Lu, Viena Puigcorbé, Nuria Casacuberta, Ronja Paffrath, William Smethie, and Matthieu Roy-Barman
Ocean Sci., 16, 221–234, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-221-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-221-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
After 2007 230Th decreased significantly in the central Amundsen Basin. This decrease is accompanied by a circulation change, indicated by changes in salinity. Ventilation of waters is most likely not the reason for the observed depletion in 230Th as atmospherically derived tracers do not reveal an increase in ventilation rate. It is suggested that these interior waters have undergone enhanced scavenging of Th during transit from Fram Strait and the Barents Sea to the central Amundsen Basin.
Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, Yanjun Cai, Christoph Spötl, Ashish Sinha, Gayatri Kathayat, and Hanying Li
Clim. Past, 16, 211–225, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-211-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Few studies have paid attention to the important effect of nonsummer monsoon (NSM) precipitation on the speleothem δ18O in SE China. We find the summer monsoon precipitation is equivalent to NSM precipitation amount in the area of spring persistent rain in SE China, and we discuss the relationships between seasonal precipitation amount, moisture source, δ18O, and ENSO. Characterizing the spatial differences in seasonal precipitation is key to interpreting the speleothem δ18O record.
Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, Susanne Brandstätter, Tobias Erhardt, Marc Luetscher, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 16, 29–50, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-29-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-29-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Abrupt climate change during the last ice age can be used to provide important insights into the timescales on which the climate is capable of changing and the mechanisms that drive those changes. In this study, we construct climate records for the period 60 to 120 ka using stalagmites that formed in caves along the northern rim of the European Alps and find good agreement with the timing of climate changes in Greenland and the Asian monsoon.
Mike Rogerson, Yuri Dublyansky, Dirk L. Hoffmann, Marc Luetscher, Paul Töchterle, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 15, 1757–1769, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall in North Africa is known to vary through time and is likely to change as global climate warms. Here, we provide a new level of understanding about past rainfall in North Africa by looking at a stalagmite which formed within northeastern Libya between 67 and 30 thousand years ago. We find that at times more rain falls, and the associated moisture is mostly derived from the western Mediterranean during winter storms. Sometimes, water comes from the eastern Mediterranean.
Hanying Li, Hai Cheng, Ashish Sinha, Gayatri Kathayat, Christoph Spötl, Aurèle Anquetil André, Arnaud Meunier, Jayant Biswas, Pengzhen Duan, Youfeng Ning, and Richard Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 14, 1881–1891, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1881-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1881-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The
4.2 ka eventbetween 4.2 and 3.9 ka has been widely discussed in the Northern Hemsiphere but less reported in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we use speleothem records from Rodrigues in the southwestern Indian Ocean spanning from 6000 to 3000 years ago to investigate the regional hydro-climatic variability. Our records show no evidence for an unusual climate anomaly between 4.2 and 3.9 ka. Instead, it shows a multi-centennial drought between 3.9 and 3.5 ka.
Gayatri Kathayat, Hai Cheng, Ashish Sinha, Max Berkelhammer, Haiwei Zhang, Pengzhen Duan, Hanying Li, Xianglei Li, Youfeng Ning, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 14, 1869–1879, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1869-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1869-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The 4.2 ka event is generally characterized as an approximately 300-year period of major global climate anomaly. However, the climatic manifestation of this event remains unclear in the Indian monsoon domain. Our high-resolution and precisely dated speleothem record from Meghalaya, India, characterizes the event as consisting of a series of multi-decadal droughts between 3.9 and 4.0 ka rather than a singular pulse of multi-centennial drought as previously thought.
Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, Yanjun Cai, Christoph Spötl, Gayatri Kathayat, Ashish Sinha, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Liangcheng Tan
Clim. Past, 14, 1805–1817, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1805-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1805-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The collapses of several Neolithic cultures in China are considered to have been associated with abrupt climate change during the 4.2 ka BP event; however, the hydroclimate of this event in China is still poorly known. Based on stalagmite records from monsoonal China, we found that north China was dry but south China was wet during this event. We propose that the rain belt remained longer at its southern position, giving rise to a pronounced humidity gradient between north and south China.
Florian Adolphi, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Tobias Erhardt, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, Chris S. M. Turney, Alan Cooper, Anders Svensson, Sune O. Rasmussen, Hubertus Fischer, and Raimund Muscheler
Clim. Past, 14, 1755–1781, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1755-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1755-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The last glacial period was characterized by a number of rapid climate changes seen, for example, as abrupt warmings in Greenland and changes in monsoon rainfall intensity. However, due to chronological uncertainties it is challenging to know how tightly coupled these changes were. Here we exploit cosmogenic signals caused by changes in the Sun and Earth magnetic fields to link different climate archives and improve our understanding of the dynamics of abrupt climate change.
Gabriella Koltai, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 14, 369–381, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a multi-proxy study of flowstones in fractures of crystalline rocks with the aim of assessing the palaeoclimate significance of this new type of speleothem archive. Our results indicate a high degree of spatial heterogeneity, whereby changes in speleothem mineralogy and carbon isotope composition are likely governed by aquifer-internal processes. In contrast, the oxygen isotope composition reflects first-order climate variability.
Ny Riavo Gilbertinie Voarintsoa, Loren Bruce Railsback, George Albert Brook, Lixin Wang, Gayatri Kathayat, Hai Cheng, Xianglei Li, Richard Lawrence Edwards, Amos Fety Michel Rakotondrazafy, and Marie Olga Madison Razanatseheno
Clim. Past, 13, 1771–1790, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1771-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1771-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This research has been an investigation of two stalagmites from two caves in NW Madagascar to reconstruct the region's paleoenvironmental changes, and to understand the linkage of such changes to the dynamics of the ITCZ. Stable isotopes, mineralogy, and petrography suggest wetter climate conditions than today during the early and late Holocene, when the mean ITCZ was south, and drier during the mid-Holocene when the ITCZ was north.
Stef Vansteenberge, Sophie Verheyden, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, Eddy Keppens, and Philippe Claeys
Clim. Past, 12, 1445–1458, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1445-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1445-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The use of stalagmites for last interglacial continental climate reconstructions in Europe has been successful in the past; however to expand the geographical coverage, additional data from Belgium is presented. It has been shown that stalagmite growth, morphology and stable isotope content reflect regional and local climate conditions, with Eemian optimum climate occurring between 125.3 and 117.3 ka. The start the Weichselian is expressed by a stop of growth caused by a drying climate.
C. Spötl and H. Cheng
Clim. Past, 10, 1349–1362, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, 2014
M. Luetscher, M. Borreguero, G. E. Moseley, C. Spötl, and R. L. Edwards
The Cryosphere, 7, 1073–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, 2013
V. E. Johnston, A. Borsato, C. Spötl, S. Frisia, and R. Miorandi
Clim. Past, 9, 99–118, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-99-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-99-2013, 2013
Related subject area
U-series
Technical note: „U-Th Analysis” – an open-source software dedicated to MCICPMS U-series-data treatment and evaluation
A new multimethod approach for dating cave calcite: application to the cave of Trou du Renard (Soyons, France)
DQPB: software for calculating disequilibrium U–Pb ages
A simplified isotope dilution approach for the U–Pb dating of speleogenic and other low-232Th carbonates by multi-collector ICP-MS
Novel method for determining 234U–238U ages of Devils Hole 2 cave calcite (Nevada)
Inga Kristina Kerber, Fabian Kontor, Sophie Warken, and Norbert Frank
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1788, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1788, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A standalone data analysis application for Th/U dating on multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers features a Python-based algorithm with a graphical user interface. It handles data treatment, corrections, age calculus, and error estimation and supports various detector layouts including Faraday and electron multiplier detectors. Key features include reproducibility, user-friendly reanalysis, and automated data storage. A case study demonstrated the software’s performance.
Loïc Martin, Julius Nouet, Arnaud Dapoigny, Gaëlle Barbotin, Fanny Claverie, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Jocelyn Barbarand, Christophe Pécheyran, Norbert Mercier, Fanny Derym, Bernard Gély, and Hélène Valladas
Geochronology, 6, 247–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-247-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-247-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Carbonate wall deposits of Trou du Renard cave (France) were dated using a multimethod approach: U–Th dating by bulk dissolution of samples and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), U–Th dating by laser ablation ICP-MS imaging, and radiocarbon dating. The samples were studied to ensure that they give reliable ages. Ages ranging from 187.9 ± 5.3 ka and 1.4 ± 0.1 ka were found. This approach should make it possible to establish more robust chronologies of archaeological caves.
Timothy Pollard, Jon Woodhead, John Hellstrom, John Engel, Roger Powell, and Russell Drysdale
Geochronology, 5, 181–196, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-181-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-181-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
When using the uranium–lead (U–Pb) radiometric dating method on very young materials (e.g. Quaternary age zircon and carbonate minerals), it is important to accurately account for the production and decay of intermediate
daughterisotopes in the uranium-series decay chain. DQPB is open-source software that allows users to easily perform such calculations for a variety of sample types and produce publication-ready graphical outputs of the resulting age information.
Andrew J. Mason, Anton Vaks, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, John N. Hooker, and Gideon M. Henderson
Geochronology, 4, 33–54, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-33-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-33-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A novel technique for the uranium–lead dating of geologically young carbonates is described and tested. The technique expands our ability to date geological events such as fault movements and past climate records.
Xianglei Li, Kathleen A. Wendt, Yuri Dublyansky, Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Geochronology, 3, 49–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we built a statistical model to determine the initial δ234U in submerged calcite crusts that coat the walls of Devils Hole 2 (DH2) cave (Nevada, USA) and, using a 234U–238U dating method, extended the chronology of the calcite deposition beyond previous well-established 230Th ages and determined the oldest calcite deposited in this cave, a time marker for cave genesis. The novel method presented here may be used in future speleothem studies in similar hydrogeological settings.
Cited articles
Arienzo, M. M., Swart, P. K., Pourmand, A., Broad, K., Clement, A. C.,
Murphy, L. N., Vonhof, H. B., and Kakuk, B.: Bahamian speleothem reveals
temperature decrease associated with Heinrich stadials, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 430, 377–386, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.08.035, 2015.
Beck, J. W., Richards, D. A., Lawrence, R., Edwards, R. L., Silverman, B.
W., Smart, P. L., Donahue, D. J., Hererra-Osterheld, S., Burr, G. S.,
Calsoyas, L., Timothy, A. J., Jull, and Biddulph, D.: Extremely Large
Variations of Atmospheric 14C Concentration During the Last Glacial
Period, Science, 292, 2453–2458, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1056649, 2001.
Carolin, S. A., Cobb, K. M., Adkins, J. F., Clark, B., Conroy, J. L., Lejau,
S., Malang, J., and Tuen, A. A.: Varied Response of Western Pacific
Hydrology to Climate Forcings over the Last Glacial Period, Science, 340,
1564–1566, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1233797, 2013.
Carolin, S. A., Cobb, K. M., Lynch-Stieglitz, J., Moerman, J. W., Partin, J.
W., Lejau, S., Malang, J., Clark, B., Tuen, A. A., and Adkins, J. F.:
Northern Borneo stalagmite records reveal West Pacific hydroclimate across
MIS 5 and 6, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 439, 182–193,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.01.028, 2016.
Chaykovskiy, I. I. and Kadebskaya, O.: Morphology of cryogenic calcite from
Rossiyskaya cave (Central Ural): Problems of mineralogy, petrography and
metallogeny, Scientific readings in memory of P.N. Chirvinsky, 18, 102–112, 2015 (in Russian).
Chaykovskiy, I. I., Kadebskaya, O., and Žák, K.: Morphology, composition, age and origin of carbonate spherulites from caves of Western Urals, Geochem. Int., 52, 336–346, https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702914020049, 2014.
Cheng, H., Adkins, J. F., Edwards, R. L., and Boyle, E. A.: U-Th dating of
deep-sea corals, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 64, 2401–2416,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(99)00422-6, 2000.
Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Shen, C.-C., Polyak, V. J., Asmerom, Y., Woodhead, J., Hellstrom, J., Wang, Y., Kong, X., Spötl, C., Wang, X., and Calvin Alexander, E.: Improvements in 230Th dating, 230Th and
234U half-life values, and U–Th isotopic measurements by
multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 371–372, 82–91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.04.006, 2013.
Clark, C. D., Hughes, A. L.C., Greenwood, S. L., Jordan, C., and Sejrup, H.
P.: Pattern and timing of retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet,
Quaternary Sci. Rev., 44, 112–146, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.07.019, 2012.
Cobb, K. M., Charles, C. D., Cheng, H., Kastner, M., and Edwards, R. L.:
U/Th-dating living and young fossil corals from the central tropical
Pacific, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 210, 91–103,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00138-9, 2003.
Colucci, R. R., Luetscher, M., Forte, E., Guglielmin, M., Lenaz, D.,
Princivalle, F., and Vita, F.: First alpine evidence of in Situ voarse
cryogenic cave carbonates (CCC_coarse), Geogr. Fis. Din. Quat., 40, 53–59, 2017.
De Yoreo, J. J., Gilbert, P. U. P. A., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M., Penn, R. L., Whitelam, S., Joester, D., Zhang, H., Rimer, J. D., Navrotsky, A., Banfield, J. F., Wallace, A. F., Michel, F. M., Meldrum, F. C., Cölfen, H., and Dove, P. M.: Crystallization by particle attachment in synthetic, biogenic, and geologic environments, Science, 349, aaa6760, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa6760, 2015.
Dorale, J. A., Edwards, R. L., Alexander, E. C., Shen, C.-C., Richards, D.
A., and Cheng, H.: Uranium-Series Dating of Speleothems: Current Techniques,
Limits, & Applications, in: Studies of Cave Sediments: Physical and
Chemical Records of Paleoclimate, edited by: Sasowsky, I. D. and Mylroie, J.
E., Kluwe Academic/Plenum Publishers, 177–197,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9118-8_10, 2004.
Dublyansky, Y., Moseley, G. E., Lyakhnitsky, Y., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L.,
Scholz, D., Koltai, G., and Spötl, C.: Late Palaeolithic cave art and
permafrost in the Southern Ural, Scientific Reports, 8, 12080,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30049-w, 2018.
Edwards, R. L., Chen, J. H., and Wasserburg, G. J.: 238U–234U–230Th–232Th systematics and the precise measurement of time over the past 500,000 years, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 81, 175–192, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(87)90154-3, 1987.
Fensterer, C., Scholz, D., Hoffmann, D., Mangini, A., and Pajón, J. M.:
Frisia, S.: Microstratigraphic logging of calcite fabrics in speleothems as
tool for palaeoclimate studies, Int. J. Speleol., 44, 1–16,
https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.44.1.1, 2015.
Frisia, S., Borsato, A., Fairchild, I. J., and McDermott, F.: Calcite
Fabrics, Growth Mechanisms, and Environments of Formation in Speleothems
from the Italian Alps and Southwestern Ireland, J. Sediment. Res., 70,
1183–1196, https://doi.org/10.1306/022900701183, 2000.
Gascoyne, M.: Palaeoclimate determination from cave calcite deposits,
Quaternary Sci. Rev., 11, 609–632, https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-3791(92)90074-I, 1992.
Gunn, J., Fairchild, I. J., Moseley, G. E., Töchterle, P., Ashley, K.
E., Hellstrom, J., and Edwards, R. L.: Palaeoenvironments in the central
White Peak District (Derbyshire, UK): evidence from Water Icicle Close
Cavern, Cave and Karst Science, 47, 153–168, 2020.
Hellstrom, J.: U–Th dating of speleothems with high initial 230Th
using stratigraphical constraint, Quat. Geochronol., 1, 289–295,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2007.01.004, 2006.
Henderson, G. M. and Slowey, N. C.: U-Th Isochron Dating of the Marine
Oxygen-Isotope Record, Mineral. Mag., 62A, 602–603, 1998.
Henderson, G. M. and Slowey, N. C.: Evidence from U–Th dating against
Northern Hemisphere forcing of the penultimate deglaciation, Nature, 404,
61–66, https://doi.org/10.1038/35003541, 2000.
Hirose, K., Kikawada, Y., and Igarashi, Y.: Temporal variation and
provenance of thorium deposition observed at Tsukuba, Japan, J. Environ.
Radioactiv., 108, 24–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2011.10.004, 2012.
Hoffmann, D. L., Beck, J. W., Richards, D. A., Smart, P. L., Singarayer, J.
S., Ketchmark, T., and Hawkesworth, C. J.: Towards radiocarbon calibration
beyond 28ka using speleothems from the Bahamas, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
289, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2009.10.004, 2010.
Hong, M., Xu, J., and Teng, H. H.: Evolution of calcite growth morphology in
the presence of magnesium: Implications for the dolomite problem, Geochim.
Cosmochim. Ac., 172, 55–64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.09.022, 2016.
Hubert, A., Bourdon, B., Pili, E., and Meynadier, L.: Transport of
radionuclides in an unconfined chalk aquifer inferred from U-series
disequilibria, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 70, 5437–5454,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.08.008, 2006.
Jaffey, A. H., Flynn, K. F., Glendenin, L. E., Bentley, W. C., and Essling,
A. M.: Precision Measurement of Half-Lives and Specific Activities of
235U and 238U, Phys. Rev. C, 4, 1889–1906, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.4.1889, 1971.
Kaufman, A., Wasserburg, G. J., Porcelli, D., Bar-Matthews, M., Ayalon, A.,
and Halicz, L.: U-Th isotope systematics from the Soreq cave, Israel and
climatic correlations, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 156, 141–155,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(98)00002-8, 1998.
Kluge, T., Affek, H. P., Zhang, Y. G., Dublyansky, Y., Spötl, C.,
Immenhauser, A., and Richter, D. K.: Clumped isotope thermometry of
cryogenic cave carbonates, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 126, 541–554,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.11.011, 2014.
Koltai, G., Spötl, C., Jarosch, A. H., and Cheng, H.: Cryogenic cave carbonates in the Dolomites (northern Italy): insights into Younger Dryas cooling and seasonal precipitation, Clim. Past, 17, 775–789, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, 2021.
Li, W.-X., Lundberg, J., Dickin, A. P., Ford, D. C., Schwarcz, H. P.,
McNutt, R., and Williams, D.: High-precision mass-spectrometric
uranium-series dating of cave deposits and implications for palaeoclimate
studies, Nature, 339, 534–536, https://doi.org/10.1038/339534a0, 1989.
Lin, J. C., Broecker, W. S., Hemming, S. R., Hajdas, I., Anderson, R. F.,
Smith, G. I., Kelley, M., and Bonani, G.: A Reassessment of U-Th and
14C Ages for Late-Glacial High-Frequency Hydrological Events at Searles
Lake, California, Quaternary Res., 49, 11–23, https://doi.org/10.1006/qres.1997.1949, 1998.
Ludwig, K. R. and Titterington, D. M.: Calculation of
Luetscher, M., Borreguero, M., Moseley, G. E., Spötl, C., and Edwards, R. L.: Alpine permafrost thawing during the Medieval Warm Period identified from cryogenic cave carbonates, The Cryosphere, 7, 1073–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, 2013.
Mercedes-Martín, R., Rogerson, M., Prior, T. J., Brasier, A. T.,
Reijmer, J. J. G., Billing, I., Matthews, A., Love, T., Lepley, S., and
Pedley, M.: Towards a morphology diagram for terrestrial carbonates:
Evaluating the impact of carbonate supersaturation and alginic acid in
calcite precipitate morphology, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 306, 340–361,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.04.010, 2021.
Moore, W. S.: The thorium isotope content of ocean water, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 53, 419–426, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(81)90046-7, 1981.
Moore, W. S. and Sackett, W. M.: Uranium and thorium series inequilibrium in
sea water, J. Geophys. Res., 69, 5401–5405, https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ069i024p05401, 1964.
Moseley, G. E., Spötl, C., Svensson, A., Cheng, H., Brandstätter, S., and Edwards, R. L.: Multi-speleothem record reveals tightly coupled climate between central Europe and Greenland during Marine Isotope Stage 3, Geology, 42, 1043–1046, https://doi.org/10.1130/G36063.1, 2014.
Moseley, G. E., Spötl, C., Cheng, H., Boch, R., Min, A., and Edwards, R.
L.: Termination-II interstadial/stadial climate change recorded in two
stalagmites from the north European Alps, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 127,
229–239, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.07.012, 2015.
Munroe, J., Kimble, K., Spötl, C., Marks, G. S., McGee, D., and Herron,
D.: Cryogenic cave carbonate and implications for thawing permafrost at
Winter Wonderland Cave, Utah, USA, Scientific Reports, 11, 6430,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85658-9, 2021.
Olley, J. M., Roberts, R. G., and Murray, A. S.: Disequilibria in the
uranium decay series in sedimentary deposits at Allen's cave, nullarbor
plain, Australia: Implications for dose rate determinations, Radiat. Meas.,
27, 433–443, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1350-4487(96)00114-X, 1997.
Orvošová, M., Deininger, M., and Milovský, R.: Permafrost
occurrence during the Last Permafrost Maximum in the Western Carpathian
Mountains of Slovakia as inferred from cryogenic cave carbonate, Boreas, 43,
750–758, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12042, 2014.
Pavuza, R. and Spötl, C.: Neue Daten zu Vorkommen und Entstehung
kryogener Calcite in ostalpinen Höhlen, Die Höhle, 68, 100–106, 2017.
Richards, D. A. and Dorale, J. A.: Uranium-series Chronology and
Environmental Applications of Speleothems, Rev. Mineral. Geochem., 52,
407–460, https://doi.org/10.2113/0520407, 2003.
Richter, D. K. and Riechelmann, D. F.: Late Pleistocene cryogenic calcite
spherolites from the Malachitdom Cave (NE Rhenish Slate Mountains, Germany):
origin, unusual internal structure and stable C-O isotope composition, Int.
J. Speleol., 37, 119–129, 2008.
Richter, D. K., Meissner, P., Immenhauser, A., Schulte, U., and Dorsten, I.: Cryogenic and non-cryogenic pool calcites indicating permafrost and non-permafrost periods: a case study from the Herbstlabyrinth-Advent Cave system (Germany), The Cryosphere, 4, 501–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-501-2010, 2010.
Richter, D. K., Harder, M., Niedermayr, A., and Scholz, D.: Zopfsinter in
der Zoolithenhöhle: Erstfund kryogener Calcite in der Fränkischen
Alb (in German), Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V., 60, 36–41, 2014.
Richter, D. K., Goll, K., Grebe, W., Niedermayr, A., Platte, A., and Scholz, D.: Weichselzeitliche Kryocalcite als Hinweise für Eisseen in der Hüttenbläserschachthöhle (Iserlohn/NRW), E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 64, 67–81, https://doi.org/10.3285/eg.64.2.02, 2015.
Richter, D. K., Knolle, F., Meyer, S., and Scholz, D.: Erste
weichselzeitliche Kryocalcit-Vorkommen in Höhlen des Iberg/Winterberg
Riffkomplexes (Harz), Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V., 63, 52–57, 2017 (in German).
Richter, D. K., Scholz, D., Jöns, N., Neuser, R. D., and Breitenbach, S.
F. M.: Coarse-grained cryogenic aragonite as end-member of mineral formation
in dolomite caves, Sediment. Geol., 376, 136–146,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2018.08.006, 2018.
Richter, D. K., Mueller, M., Platte, A., and Scholz, D.: Erste
weichselzeitliche Kryocalcite im Attendorn-Elsper Riffkomplex
(Frettermühler Wasserhöhle, Südwestfalen) (in German), Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen, 93, 1–16, 2019.
Richter, D. K., Schudelski, A., Neuser, R. D., and Scholz, D.:
Weichelzeitliche Umbrellacalcite aus der Höhle “Malachitdom” (NE-Sauerland): vom Kaltwasser- zum Ausfrierstdium in Pools
auf Eis, Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen, 94, 1–14, 2021 (in German).
Sand, K. K., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Makovicky, E., Benning, L. G., and
Stipp, S. L. S.: Crystallization of CaCO3 in Water–Alcohol Mixtures:
Spherulitic Growth, Polymorph Stabilization, and Morphology Change, Cryst.
Growth Des., 12, 842–853, https://doi.org/10.1021/cg2012342, 2012.
Scott, M. R.: Thorium and uranium concentrations and isotope ratios in river
sediments, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 4, 245–252,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(68)90042-3, 1968.
Shen, C.-C., Wu, C.-C., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Hsieh, Y.-T., Gallet, S.,
Chang, C.-C., Li, T.-Y., Lam, D. D., Kano, A., Hori, M., and Spötl, C.:
High-precision and high-resolution carbonate 230Th dating by MC-ICP-MS
with SEM protocols, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 99, 71–86,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2012.09.018, 2012.
Shtukenberg, A. G., Punin, Y. O., Gunn, E., and Kahr, B.: Spherulites, Chem.
Rev., 112, 1805–1838, https://doi.org/10.1021/cr200297f, 2012.
Skřivánek, F. (Ed.): Jeskyně na Chlumu v Českém krasu (Caves
at Chlum in the Bohemian Karst), Československý kras, 7, 24–34, 1954 (in
Czech).
Spötl, C.: Long-term performance of the Gasbench isotope ratio mass
spectrometry system for the stable isotope analysis of carbonate microsamples, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 25, 1683–1685, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.5037, 2011.
Spötl, C. and Cheng, H.: Holocene climate change, permafrost and cryogenic carbonate formation: insights from a recently deglaciated, high-elevation cave in the Austrian Alps, Clim. Past, 10, 1349–1362, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, 2014.
Spötl, C. and Vennemann, T. W.: Continuous-flow isotope ratio mass
spectrometric analysis of carbonate minerals, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 17,
1004–1006, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.1010, 2003.
Spötl, C., Koltai, G., Jarosch, A. H., and Cheng, H.: Increased autumn
and winter precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum in the European
Alps, Nat. Commun., 12, 1839, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22090-7, 2021.
Sunagawa, I.: Crystals: Growth, morphology, and perfection, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511610349, 2005.
Töchterle, P.: Cryogenic cave carbonates from the Ural Mountains
(Russia), MSc thesis, University of Innsbruck, Austria, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5807542, 2018.
UK METoffice: Climatic Research Unit (CRU) Time-Series (TS) version 4.04 of
high-resolution gridded data of month-by-month variation in climate (Jan.
1901-Dec. 2019), Centre for Environmental Data Analysis [data set],
https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/89e1e34ec3554dc98594a5732622bce9, last access: 6 October 2020.
Vermeesch, P.: IsoplotR: A free and open toolbox for geochronology, Chem.
Geol., 9, 1479–1493, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.04.001, 2018.
Wedepohl, H.: The composition of the continental crust, Geochim. Cosmochim.
Ac., 59, 1217–1232, https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(95)00038-2, 1995.
Weij, R., Woodhead, J., Hellstrom, J., and Sniderman, K.: An exploration of
the utility of speleothem age distributions for palaeoclimate assessment,
Quat. Geochronol., 60, 101112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2020.101112, 2020.
Žák, K., Onac, B. P., and Perşoiu, A.: Cryogenic carbonates in
cave environments: A review, Quatern. Int., 187, 84–96, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2007.02.022, 2008.
Žák, K., Hercman, H., Orvošová, M., and Jačková, I.: Cryogenic cave carbonates from the Cold Wind Cave, Nízke Tatry Mountains, Slovakia: Extending the age range of cryogenic cave carbonate formation to the Saalian, Int. J. Speleol., 38, 139–152, https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.38.2.5, 2009.
Žák, K., Richter, D. K., Filippi, M., Živor, R., Deininger, M., Mangini, A., and Scholz, D.: Coarsely crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate – a new archive to estimate the Last Glacial minimum permafrost depth in Central Europe, Clim. Past, 8, 1821–1837, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1821-2012, 2012.
Žák, K., Urban, J., Cı́lek, V., and Hercman, H.: Cryogenic cave calcite from several Central European caves: Age, carbon and oxygen isotopes and a genetic model, Chem. Geol., 206, 119–136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2004.01.012, 2004.
Žák, K., Onac, B. P., Kadebskaya, O., Filippi, M., Dublyansky, Y.,
and Luetscher, M.: Cryogenic Mineral Formation in Caves, in: Ice caves,
edited by: Perşoiu, A. and Lauritzen, S.-E., Elsevier, Amsterdam,
Oxford, Cambridge, Mass., https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811739-2.00035-8, 2018.
Short summary
Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) provide a marker for past permafrost conditions. Their formation age is determined by Th / U dating. However, samples can be contaminated with small amounts of Th at formation, which can cause inaccurate ages and require correction. We analysed multiple CCCs and found that varying degrees of contamination can cause an apparent spread of ages, when samples actually formed within distinguishable freezing events. A correction method using isochrons is presented.
Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) provide a marker for past permafrost conditions. Their...
