Slowly accumulating deposits in caves (primarily speleothems) have been used to infer past climate changes. In this seminar we will examine the mechanism behind the formation of cave deposits, the dating of cave deposits, and the controls on the geochemical signatures in cave deposits. In addition we will examine some key paleoclimate records from caves. Readings (1-3 papers depending on length) will be assigned weekly, and student will take turns leading the discussion of the papers.

Meets Mondays at 9:30-10:30 am in the Geoscience Lounge (2 points).

Format: One student will lead the selected discussion topic each week based on the 1-3 assigned papers. We recommend using PowerPoint for your presentations if possible. In organizing your talk, plan for a 30 minute presentation which presents the salient points of the readings.

In addition to summarizing the main points of the papers, we'd like you to investigate the topic in more detail by leading a discussion after your presentation (for the last 1/2 hour of the seminar) using a few discussion questions that address key assumptions, analytical methods, or broader implications of the work. Use the assigned papers to develop your own set of questions and ideas about the general topic.

Gillieson D. (1996) Caves: Processes, Development, Management.  Oxford, Blackwell Publishers Ltd.  324p.  (This book will be on reserve at the Geoscience Library for this course.)

Chapter 3: Processes of cave development pg 59-77

Chapter 4: Cave formations pg.115-128

Gillieson (1996)  Chapter 6: Dating Cave Deposits pg. 167-185.

Richards and Dorale (2003) Uranium-series chronology and environmental applications of speleothems, in Uranium-series geochemistry.  Bourdon et al. (Eds). Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C. Reviews in mineralogy and geochemistry, vol. 52. p 407-460.

Hendy 1970. The use of ¹⁴C in cave processes. In: Radiocarbon variations and absolute chronology. I. U. Olsson (Ed.). New York, Wiley Interscience Division.(reserve)

Beck et al. (2001) Extremely large variations of atmospheric 14C concentration during the last glacial period. Science 292:2453-2458 (PDF).

A. Baker, P. Smart and D. Ford (1993) Northwest European palaeoclimate as indicated by growth frequency variations of secondary calcite deposits, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 100: 291-301.

Ayliffe et al. (1998) 500ka precipitation record from SE Australia: evidence for interglacial relative aridity.  Geology 26:147-150.

Burns et al. (2001) Speleothem evidence from Oman for continental pluvial events during interglacial periods.  Geology 29: 623-626.

Spotl et al. (2002) Start of the last interglacial period at 135ka: evidence from a high alpine speleothems.  Geology 30: 815-818.

P. Williams (1996) A 230 ka record of glacial and intergalcial events from Aurora Cave, Fiordland, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 39: 225-241.

Antonioli et al (2001) Tyrrhenian Holocene paleoclimate trendes from spelean serpulids.  QSR  20: 1661-1670.

Bard et al. (2002) Sea-level during the penultimate interglacial period based on a submerged stalagmite from Argentarola Cave (Italy).  EPSL 196: 135-146.

Vesica et al. (2000) Late Pleistocene paleoclimates and sea level change in the Mediterranean as inferred from stable isotope and U-series studies of overgrowths on speleothems, Mallorca, Spain.  QSR 19: 865-879.

Option 1: Annual laminations and dendrochronology

C.J. Procter, A. Baker and W.L. Barnes, A three thousand year record of north Atlantic climate change, Climate Dynamics 19, (2002) 449-454.

J.L. Betancourt, H.D. Grissiono-Mayer, M.W. Saltzer and T.W. Swetnam, A test of "annual resolution" in stalagmites using tree rings, Quaternary Research 58, (2002) 197-199.

A. Baker and D. Genty, Comment on "A test of annual resolution in stalagmites using tree rings", Quaternary Research 59, (2003) 476-478.

Railsback et al. (1994) Environmental controls on the petrology of a late Holocene speleothems from Botswana with annual layers of aragonite and calcite. JSR 64:147-155.

Bertaux et al. (2002) paleoclimatic record of speleothems in a tropical region: study of laminated sequences from a Holocene stalagmite in Central-West Brazil.  Quaternary Int.  89: 3-16.

Baker et al. (1999) Variations in stalagmite luminescence laminae structure at PooleÕs Cavern, England, AD 1910-1996: calibration of a palaeoprecipitation proxy

McGarry & Baker (2000) organic acid fluorescence: applications to speleothems palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.  QSR 19: 1087-1101.

Gillieson (1996)  Chapter 7: Cave Deposits and past climates pg. 188-201

Jouzel, J. et al. (2000) Water isotopes in precipitation: data/model comparisons for present-day and past climates.  QSR, 19:363-379.

Gat J. (2000) Atmospheric water balance Ð the isotopic perspective. Hydrological Processes, 14: 1357-1369.

Cole J. et al. (1999) Climatic controls on interannual variability of precipitation d¹⁸O: simulated influence of temperature, precipitation amount and vapor source region.  JGR, 104: 14223-14235.

Matthews et al. (2000) D/H ratios of fluid inclusions of Soreq Cave (Israel) speleothems as a guide to the Eastern Mediterranean Meteoric Lone relationships in the last 120 ky.  Chemical Geology 166: 183-191.

Hendy (1971) The isotopic geochemistry of speleothems I. The calculation of the effects of different modes of formation on the isotopic composition of speleothems and their applicability as palaeoclimatic indicators.  GCA 35: 801-824.

Dorale et al. (2002) Stable isotopes as environmental indicators in speleothems.  In Karst Processes and the carbon cycle.  Yuan D-X (Ed) Geologial Publishing House, Beijing, China.  Pg 107-120.

McDermott et al. (2001) Centennial-scale Holocene climate variability revealed by a high resolution speleothems d¹⁸O record from SW Ireland.  Science 294: 1328-1331.

+ One of following:

A. Goede, Continmuous early last glacial palaeoenvironmental record from a Tasmanian speleothem based on stable isotope and minor element variations, Quaternary Science Reviews 13, (1994) 283-291.

Lauritzen and Lundberg (1999) Calibration of the speleothems delta function: an absolute temperature record for the Holocene in northern Norway.  The Holocene 9(6): 659-669.

Williams et al. (2003) Speleothem master chronologies: combined Holocene ¹⁸O and ¹³C records from the North Island of New Zealand and their palaeo-environmental interpretation.  The Holocene (in press).

Baker et al (1997) Elevated ¹³C in speleothems and implications for palaeo-vegetation studies.  Chem. Geol. 136: 263-270.

Hellstrom et al (1998) A detailed 31,000-year record of climate and vegetation change from the isotope geochemistry of two New Zealand speleothems.  Quat. Res. 50: 167-178.

Select one of suite of papers by Denniston et al. (1999-2001)

Frappier et al. (2002) El Ni–o events recorded by stalagmite carbon isotopes.  Science 298: 565

Hellstrom & McCulloch (2000) Multi-proxy constraints on the climatic significance of trace element records from a New Zealand speleothems.  EPSL 179: 287-297.

Roberts et al. (1999) Trace element variations in coeval Holocene speleothems from GB Cave SW England.  The Holocene 9: 707-713.

Fairchild et al. (2000) Controls on trace element (Sr-Mg) compositions of carbonate cave waters: implications for speleothems climatic records.  Chem. Geol. 166:255-269.

Roberts et al. (1998) Annual trace element variations in a Holocene speleothems.  EPSL 154: 237-246.

Treble et al. (in press) Comparison of high-resolution sub-annual records of trace elements in a modern (1911-1992) speleothems with instrumental climate data from southwest Australia.

I.J. Fairchild, A. Baker, A. Borsato, S. Frisia, R.W. Hinton, F. McDermott and A.F. Tooth, Annual to sub-annual resolution of multiple trace-element trends in speleothems, Journal of the Geological Society, London 158, (2001) 831-841.

Baldini et al. (2002) Structure of the 8200-year cold event revealed by a speleothems trace element record.  Science 296: 2203-2206.

Bar-Matthews et al. (1999) The Eastern Mediterranean paleoclimate as a reflection of regional events: Soreq Cave, Israel.  EPSL 166: 85-95.

Ayalon et al (1999) Petrography, strontium, barium and uranium concentrations, and strontium and uranium isitioe ratios in speleothems as palaeoclimatic proxies: Soreq Cave, Israel. 

Vaks et al. (2003) Paleoclimate reconstruction based on the timing of speleothems growth and oxygen and carbon isotope composition in a cave located in the rain shadow in Israel.  Quaternary Int. 59: 182-193. 

Winograd et al. (1992) Continuous 500,000-year climate record from vein calcite in Devils Hole, Nevada.  Science 258: 255-260.

Dorale et al. (1998)  climate and vegetation history of the Midcontinent from 75 to 25 ka: A speleothems record from Crevice Cave, Missouri, USA.  Science 282: 1871-1874.

Baker et al. (1998)  Comparison of multiple proxy records of Holocene environments in Midwestern USA.  Geology 26: 1131-1134.

Select one of suite of papers by Denniston et al. (1999-2001)

Szabo et al. (1994) Paleoclimate inferences from a 120,000-year calcite record of water-table fluctuations in Browns Room of Devils Hole, Nevada. Quat. Res. 41:59-69.

Wang et al. (2001) A high-resolution absolute-dated late Pleistocene monsoon record from Hulu Cave, China.  Science 294: 2345-2348.

Genty et al. (2003) Precise dating of Dansgaard-Oeschger climate oscillations in western Europe from stalagmite data.  Nature 421: 833-837

Spštl & Mangini (2002) Stalagmite from the Austrian Alps reveals Dansgaard-Oeschger events during isotope stage 3: implications for the absolute chronology of Greenland ice cores.  EPSL. 203:507-518.

Burns et al. (2003) Indian Ocean Climate and an absolute chronology over Dansgaard/Oeschger Events 9 to 13.  Science 301: 1365-1367.

Hellstrom & McCulloch (2000) Multi-proxy constraints on the climatic
significance of trace element records from a New Zealand speleothems. EPSL
179: 287-297. (PDF)

Treble et al. (2003) Comparison of high-resolution sub-annual records of
trace elements in a modern (1911-1992) speleothems with instrumental climate
data from southwest Australia. EPSL 216: 141-153.(PDF)

Fairchild et al. (2001) Annual to sub-annual resolution of multiple
trace-element trends in speleothems. Journal of the Geological Society 158:
831-841. (PDF)

Huang et al. (2001) Seasonal variations in Sr, Mg and P in modern
speleothems (Grotta di Ernesto, Italy). Chemical Geology 175: 429-448. (PDF)

Huang & Fairchild (2001) Partitioning of Sr2+ and Mg2+ into calcite under
karst-analogue experimental conditions. GCA 65:47-62. (PDF)

Roberts et al. (1998) Annual trace element variations in a Holocene
speleothems. EPSL 154: 237-246. (PDF)

Baldini et al. (2002) Structure of the 8200-year cold event revealed by
speleothem trace element record. Science 296: 2203-2206.(PDF)

Baker et al. (1996) mass spectrometric dating of flowstones from Stump Cross Caverns and Lancaster Hole, Yorkshire: paleoclimate implications.  J. Quat. Sci. 11: 107-115.

Neff et al. (2001) Strong coherence between solar variability and the monsoon in Oman between 9 and 6 kyr ago.  Nature 411: 290-293.