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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

A.S. Talma  and
John C. Vogel
A.S. Talma
Affiliation:
EMATEK, CSIR, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
John C. Vogel
Affiliation:
EMATEK, CSIR, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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Abstract

An 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.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , March 1992 , pp. 203 - 213
Copyright
University of Washington

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