Calcareous Tufa Deposition in Connection with Late Pleistocene Abrupt Warming Events

Abstract

Based on the comparison between the U/Th dates of samples obtained by different authors and the trend of the 18O/16O ratios in the MIS 4-3-2 interval, this short note investigates the relationships between the deposition of calcareous tufa and surface temperature changes. The data analysis indicates that the deposition is decidedly favoured with rising temperatures, as happened repeatedly during the abrupt thermal rises of the Dansgaard-Oeschger events. The above observations confirm the role of climate-induced anomalies of surface/ground thermal gradients in controlling calcareous tufa deposition rates.