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Continental Oxygen Isotopic Record of the Last 170,000 Years in Jerusalem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Amos Frumkin ,
Derek C. Ford  and
Henry P. Schwarcz
Amos Frumkin
Affiliation:
Cave Research Center, Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel
Derek C. Ford
Affiliation:
School of Geology and Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada
Henry P. Schwarcz
Affiliation:
School of Geology and Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada
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Abstract

A long radiometrically dated oxygen isotopic record of continental climatic variations since the penultimate glaciation was obtained from a stalagmite deposited in a sealed cave in Jerusalem. This record shows that speleothems have the potential of assigning dates to long- and short-term climatic events, with possible refining of Milankovitch tuning of ice and marine records which themselves are not datable. Short-term (∼1000-yr) events are very significant in the region, reaching ∼50% of glacial/interglacial fluctuations. The Mediterranean Sea was the most probable source of local precipitation throughout the last glacial cycle.

Keywords

speleothemcavekarststable isotopeslast glacial cycleeast MediterraneanpaleoclimateTIMS dating
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , May 1999 , pp. 317 - 327
Copyright
University of Washington

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