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Building robust age models for speleothems – A case-study using coeval twin stalagmites

Benson, A; Hoffmann, DL; Bella, P; Drury, AJ; Hercman, H; Atkinson, TC; (2018) Building robust age models for speleothems – A case-study using coeval twin stalagmites. Quaternary Geochronology , 43 pp. 83-90. 10.1016/j.quageo.2017.10.004. Green open access

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Abstract

We use the uranium-series (U-Th) dating method to investigate the accuracy of a relative chronology based on laminae correlation between a pair of coeval twin stalagmites and compare their stable isotope and trace element records based on the two chronologies. U-Th dating shows that a relative chronology based on laminae correlation can be inaccurate: a hiatus in one of the stalagmites was not recognised, as well as more subtle changes in growth rates. Use of the stratigraphic correlation alone resulted in significant differences in the timing of stable isotopes and trace element peaks, with implications for their interpretation. Our results reveal the importance of a robust and direct chronology with which to interpret proxy data. Poor relative chronologies can lead to a misinterpretation of palaeoclimate data. The study reveals potential implications for speleothem records where proxy data and samples for dating were not taken in close proximity to each other and/or were correlated via laminae over distances of more than a few centimetres.

Type: Article
Title: Building robust age models for speleothems – A case-study using coeval twin stalagmites
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.quageo.2017.10.004
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2017.10.004
Language: English
Additional information: © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/).
Keywords: U-series Coeval stalagmites Twin stalagmites Palaeoclimate Stable isotopes Trace elements Holocene Central Europe Slovakia Western Carpathians Chronology
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10038521
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