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Holocene Climate in the Northern Great Plains Inferred from Sediment Stratigraphy, Stable Isotopes, Carbonate Geochemistry, Diatoms, and Pollen at Moon Lake, North Dakota

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Blas L. Valero-Garcés ,
Kathleen R. Laird ,
Sherilyn C. Fritz ,
Kerry Kelts ,
Emi Ito  and
Eric C. Grimm
Blas L. Valero-Garcés
Affiliation:
Limnological Research Center, 220 Pillsbury Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
Kathleen R. Laird
Affiliation:
Limnological Research Center, 220 Pillsbury Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
Sherilyn C. Fritz
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, 31 Williams Drive, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015
Kerry Kelts
Affiliation:
Limnological Research Center, 220 Pillsbury Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
Emi Ito
Affiliation:
Limnological Research Center, 220 Pillsbury Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
Eric C. Grimm
Affiliation:
Illinois State Museum, Research Collection Center, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62703
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Abstract

Seismic stratigraphy, sedimentary facies, pollen stratigraphy, diatom-inferred salinity, stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C), and chemical composition (Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca) of authigenic carbonates from Moon Lake cores provide a congruent Holocene record of effective moisture for the eastern Northern Great Plains. Between 11,700 and 950014C yr B.P., the climate was cool and moist. A gradual decrease in effective moisture occurred between 9500 and 710014C yr B.P. A change at about 710014C yr B.P. inaugurated the most arid period during the Holocene. Between 7100 and 400014C yr B.P., three arid phases occurred at 6600–620014C yr B.P., 5400–520014C yr B.P., and 4800–460014C yr B.P. Effective moisture generally increased after 400014C yr B.P., but periods of low effective moisture occurred between 2900–280014C yr B.P. and 1200–80014C yr B.P. The data also suggest high climatic variability during the last few centuries. Despite the overall congruence, the biological (diatom), sedimentological, isotopic, and chemical proxies were occassionally out of phase. At these times the evaporative process was not the only control of lake-water chemical and isotopic composition.

Keywords

sedimentologypaleolimnologydiatomsisotopesgeochemistrynorthern Great PlainsHolocenedroughthydrologysaline lakespaleoclimate
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , November 1997 , pp. 359 - 369
Copyright
University of Washington

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