Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T16:23:47.134Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late Quaternary Paleoclimate in the Eastern Mediterranean Region from Stable Isotope Analysis of Speleothems at Soreq Cave, Israel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Miryam Bar-Matthews ,
Avner Ayalon  and
Aaron Kaufman
Miryam Bar-Matthews
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malchei Israel St. Jerusalem, 95501, Israel
Avner Ayalon
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malchei Israel St. Jerusalem, 95501, Israel
Aaron Kaufman
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, Weizman Institute of Sciences, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The eastern Mediterranean continental paleoclimate during the past 25,000 years was determined by a high-resolution petrographic, stable isotopic, and age study of speleothems from Soreq Cave, Israel. δ18O–δ13C trends indicate that all speleothems older than 7000 yr formed under conditions that differ from those of today. The period from 25,000 to 17,000 yr B.P. was characterized by the highest δ18O and δ13C values, which indicate deposition at temperatures of 12°–16°C, annual rainfall of 300–450 mm, and vegetation typical of a mixed C3–C4type. From 17,000 to 10,000 yr B.P. (deglaciation in northern Europe) δ18O values dropped progressively, correlative with warming (2°–3°C) and a gradual increase in precipitation. A simultaneous decrease in δ13C gives a range expected for C3-type vegetation. This period also shows significant δ18O and δ13C “spikes” which are correlatable with global events (e.g., Heinrich events and the Younger Dryas Stade). The speleothems that grew between 10,000 and 7000 yr B.P. have a unique petrography showing irregular thin laminae of various colors and much detritus. They have the lowest δ18O (corresponding to ∼1000 mm rain) coupled with the highest δ13C (caused by flooding events which stripped the soil cover). From 7000 to 1000 yr B.P. conditions became closer to those of today. This study demonstrates that global events which were recognized in Northern Europe and North Africa are also evident in the eastern Mediterranean and are reflected principally by large changes in the rainfall rate.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , March 1997 , pp. 155 - 168
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almogi-Labin, A, Luz, B, Duplessy, J.-C, 1986. Quaternary paleo-oceanography, pteropod preservation and stable-isotope record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 57, 195–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Almogi-Labin, A, Hemleben, C, Meischner, D, Erlenkeuser, H, 1991. Paleoenvironmental events during the last 13,000 years in the central Red Sea as recorded by Pteropoda. Paleoceanography 6, 83–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, J.T, Erlenkeuser, H, Tedesco, K, Aksu, A.E, Timothy Jull, A.J, 1994. Late Quaternary (Stage 2 and 3) meltwater and Heinrich Events, northwest Labrador Sea. Quaternary Research 41, 26–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asaf, M., 1975. Karstic phenomena in the Soreq Cave. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. .Google Scholar
Bar-Matthews, M, Matthews, A, Ayalon, A, 1991. Environmental controls of speleothems mineralogy in a karstic dolomitic terrain (Soreq Cave, Israel). Journal of Geology 99, 189–207.Google Scholar
Bar-Matthews, M, Ayalon, A, Matthews, A, Halicz, L, Sass, E, 1993. The Soreq Cave speleothems as indicators of paleoclimate variations. Geological survey of Israel. Current Research 8, 1–3.Google Scholar
Bar-Matthews, M, Ayalon, A, Matthews, A, Sass, E, Halicz, L, 1996. Carbon and oxygen isotope study of the active water–carbonate system in a karstic Mediterranean cave: implications for paleoclimate research in semiarid regions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 60, 337–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Begin, Z.B, Ehrlich, A, Nathan, Y, 1974. Lake Lisan, the Pleistocene precursor of the Dead Sea. Geological Survey of Israel Bulletin 63, 30.Google Scholar
Berger, W.H, 1990. The Younger Dryas cold spell—a quest for causes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 89, 219–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berger, W.H, Killingley, J.S, Vincent, E, 1985. Timing of deglaciation from an oxygen isotope curve for Atlantic deep-sea sediments. Nature 314, 156–158.Google Scholar
Bond, G, Heinrich, H, Broecker, W, Labeyrie, L, Mmanus, J, Andrews, J, Huon, S, Jantschik, R, Clashen, S, Simet, C, Tedesko, K, Klas, M, Bonani, G, Ivy, S, 1992. Evidence for massive discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic ocean during the last glacial period. Nature 360, 245–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butzer, K.W, 1979. Climatic patterns in an un-glaciated continent. Geographical Magazine 51, 201–208.Google Scholar
Science 241, 1988. 1043–1052.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dorale, J.A, Gonzalez, L.A, Reagan, M.K, Pickett, D.A, Murrell, M.T, Baker, R.G, 1992. A high resolution record of Holocene climate change in speleothem calcite from Cold Water cave, Northeast Iowa. Science 258, 1626–1630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duplessy, J.C, Deliubrias, G, Turon, J.L, Pujol, C, Dupart, J, 1981. Deglacial warming of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean: correlation with the paleoclimate evolution of the European continent. Paleoegography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 35, 121–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Even, H, Carmi, I, Magaritz, M, Gerson, R, 1986. Timing the transport of water through the upper vadose zone in a karstic system above a cave in Israel. Earth Surface Processes Landforms 11, 181–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairbanks, R.G, 1989. A 17,000-year glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting rates on the Younger Dryas event and deep-ocean circulation. Nature 342, 637–642.Google Scholar
Gascoyne, M, 1992. Paleoclimate determination from cave calcite deposits. Quaternary Science Reviews 11, 609–632.Google Scholar
Gascoyne, M, Schwarcz, H.P, Ford, D.C, 1983. Uranium-series ages of speleothem from northwest England: correlation with Quaternary climate. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 301, 143–164.Google Scholar
Geyh, M.A, 1994. The paleohydrology of the Eastern Mediterranean. Late Quaternary Chronology and Paleoclimates of the Eastern Mediterranean p. 131–145.Google Scholar
Gillespie, R, Street-Perrott, F.A, Switsur, R, 1983. Post-glacial arid episodes in Ethiopia have implications for climatic prediction. Nature 306, 680–683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodfriend, G.A, 1988. Mid-Holocene rainfall in the Negev desert from13 . Nature 333, 757–760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodfriend, G.A, 1991. Holocene trends in18 . Quaternary Research 35, 417–426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodfriend, G.A, Magaritz, M, 1988. Paleosols and late Pleistocene rainfall fluctuations in the Negev desert. Nature 332, 144–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, D, Smart, P.L, Ford, D.C, Andrew, J.N, Atkinson, T.C, Rowe, P.J, Christopher, N.S.J, 1989. Dating of Late Pleistocene interglacial and interstadial periods in the United Kingdom from speleothem growth frequency. Quaternary Research 31, 14–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinrich, , 1988. Origin and consequences of cyclic ice rafting in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean during the past 130,000 years. Quaternary Research 29, 142–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendy, C.H, 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 paleoclimatic indicators. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 35, 801–824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heusser, C.J, Rabassa, J, 1987. Cold climatic episodes of Younger Dryas age in Tierra del Fuego. Nature 328, 609–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horowitz, A, 1979. The Quaternary of Israel. Academic Press, New York. Google Scholar
Horowitz, A, Gat, J.R, 1984. Floral and isotopic indications for possible summer rains in Israel during wetter climates. Pollen et Spores XXVI, 61–68.Google Scholar
Issar, A.S, 1990. Water Shall Flow from the Rock. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Issar, A.S, Govrin, Y, Geyh, M.E, Wakshal, E, Wolf, M, 1991. Climate changes during the upper Holocene in Israel. Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 40, 219–223.Google Scholar
Kaufman, A, 1993. An evaluation of several methods for determining230 . Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 57, 2303–2317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufman, A, Yechieli, Y, Gardosh, M, 1992. Reevaluation of the lake-sediment chronology in the Dead Sea basin, Israel, based on new230 . Quaternary Research 38, 292–304.Google Scholar
Keigwin, L.D, Lehman, S.J, 1994. Deep circulation change linked to Heinrich event 1 and Younger Dryas in a middepth North Atlantic core. Paleoceanography 9, 185–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, M, Gat, J.R, Issar, A, 1980. Precipitation, flood- and groundwaters of the Negev highlands: an isotopic study of desert hydrology. Arid-Zone Hydrology: Investigations with Isotope Techniques International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, p. 3–22.Google Scholar
Leuenberger, M, Siegenthaler, U, Langway, C.C, 1992. Carbon isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 . Nature 357, 488–490.Google Scholar
Magaritz, M, 1986. Environmental changes recorded in the Upper Pleistocene along the desert boundary, southern Israel. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 53, 213–229.Google Scholar
Magaritz, M, Kaufman, A, 1983. Paleoclimate in desert region. American Scientist 71, 514–521.Google Scholar
Magaritz, M, Goodfriend, G.A, 1987. Movement of the desert boundary in the levant from latest Pleistocene to early Holocene. Berger, W.H, Labeyrie, L.D, Abrupt Climatic Change: Evidence and Implications Reidel, Dordrecht, 173–183.Google Scholar
Neev, D, Emery, K.O, 1995. The Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho. Oxford Univ. Press, London. Google Scholar
Neev, D, Hall, J.K, 1979. Geophysical investigations in the Dead Sea. Sedimentary Geology 23, 209–238.Google Scholar
O'Neil, J.R, Clayton, R.N, Mayeda, T.K, 1969. Oxygen isotope fractionation of divalent metal carbonates. Journal of Chemical Physics 30, 5547–5558.Google Scholar
Rohling, E.J, Hilgen, F.J, 1991. The eastern Mediterranean climate at times of sapropel formation: A review. Geologie en Mijnbouw 70, 253–264.Google Scholar
Rossignol-Strick, M, 1985. Mediterranean Quaternary sapropels, an immediate response of the African monsoons to variation of insolation. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 49, 237–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossignol-Strick, M, Nesteroff, W, Olive, P, Vergnaud-Grazzini, E, 1982. After the deluge: Mediterranean stagnation and sapropel formation. Nature 295, 105–110.Google Scholar
Ruddiman, W.F, McIntire, A, 1981. The mode and mechanism of the last deglaciation: oceanic evidence. Quaternary Research 16, 125–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarcz, H.P, 1986. Geochronology and isotopic geochemistry of speleothems. P. Fritz, J.Ch.Fontes, Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry Elsevier, Amsterdam, 271–303.Google Scholar
Street, F.A, Grove, A.T, 1976. Environmental and climatic implication of late Quaternary lake level fluctuation in Africa. Nature 261, 385–390.Google Scholar
Street, F.A, Grove, A.T, 1979. Global maps of lake-level fluctuations since 30,000 yr B.P. Quaternary Research 12, 83–118.Google Scholar
Street-Perrott, F.A, Perrott, R.A, 1990. Abrupt climatic fluctuations in the tropics: the influence of Atlantic Ocean circulations. Nature 343, 607–612.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M, Becker, B, 1993. The precise decadal calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, A.D. 1950–6000 B.C. Radiocarbon 35, 25–34.Google Scholar
Stute, M, Schlosse, P, Clark, J.F, Brocker, W.S, 1992. Paleotemperatures in the southwestern United States derived from noble gases in groundwater. Science 256, 1000–1003.Google Scholar
Talma, A.S, Vogel, J.C, 1992. Late Quaternary paleotemperature derived from a speleothem from Cango Caves, Cape Province, South Africa. Quaternary Research 37, 203–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tchernov, E, Bar-Yosef, O, 1982. Animal exploration in the Pre-pottery Neolithic B period at Wadi Tbeik, southern Sinai. Paleorient 8, 17–37.Google Scholar
Thompson, W III, Ruddiman, W.F, Street-Perrott, F.A, Markgraf, V, Kutzbach, J.E, Baertlein, P.J, Wright, H.E Jr., Prell, W.L, 1993. Climatic changes during the past 18,000 years: regional syntheses, mechanisms, and causes. Wright, H.E, Global Climates Since the Last Glacial Maximum Univ. of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 514–535.Google Scholar
Yechieli, Y, Magaritz, M, Levy, Y, Weber, U, Kafri, U, Woelfli, W, Bonani, G, 1993. Late Quaternary geological history of the Dead Sea area, Israel. Quaternary Research 39, 59–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar