Late Quaternary Paleotemperatures Derived from a Speleothem from Cango Caves, Cape Province, South Africa

1992 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Talma ◽  
John C. Vogel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Carbon Isotopic Composition ◽  
Temperature Record ◽  
The Past ◽  
Carbon Isotopic ◽  
Groundwater Aquifer ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
The Last Glacial

AbstractAn oxygen isotope temperature record over a large part of the past 30,000 yr has been obtained for the southern Cape Province of South Africa by combining data on the isotopic composition of a stalagmite from a deep cave with that of a confined groundwater aquifer in the same region. Results show that temperatures during the last glacial maximum were on average about 6°C lower than those today, with peaks up to 7°C lower. A detailed analysis of the past 5000 yr suggests multiple fluctuations, with generally lower temperatures (1–2°C) around 4500 and 3000 yr B.P. The carbon isotopic composition of the stalagmite indicates significant vegetation changes between the late Pleistocene and today, and also during the second half of the Holocene.

Organic stable carbon isotopic composition reveals late Quaternary vegetation changes in the dune fields of northern China

2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huayu Lu ◽  
Yali Zhou ◽  
Weiguo Liu ◽  
Joseph Mason
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Carbon Isotopic Composition ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Vegetation Changes ◽  
Erosion And Deposition ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Carbon Isotopic ◽  
Stable Isotopic

Vegetation changes during the late Quaternary in the dune fields of northern China are not well understood. We investigated organic carbon stable isotopic composition of surface soils, related mainly to the ratio of C3 and C4 plants, across a range of arid to subhumid climates in this region. Isotopic composition is weakly related to both temperature and moisture (multiple R2 = 0.53), with the highest δ13C (greatest C4 abundance) in the warm, subhumid Horqin dune field. In late Quaternary, eolian stratigraphic sections of the Mu Us and Horqin dune fields, but not in the much colder Otindag dune field, δ13C is higher in organic carbon from paleosols than in eolian sands. This contrast, most evident for paleosols recording a major early to middle Holocene phase of dune stabilization, is interpreted as evidence for expansion of C4 plants due to increased effective moisture, high temperature because of high insolation, and decreased disturbance related to eolian erosion and deposition.

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