High-resolution temporal record of Holocene ground-water chemistry: Tracing links between climate and hydrology

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Research Article| November 01, 1996 High-resolution temporal record of Holocene ground-water chemistry: Tracing links between climate and hydrology Jay L. Banner; Jay L. Banner 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MaryLynn Musgrove; MaryLynn Musgrove 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yemane Asmerom; Yemane Asmerom 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. Lawrence Edwards; R. Lawrence Edwards 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John A. Hoff John A. Hoff 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Jay L. Banner 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 MaryLynn Musgrove 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 Yemane Asmerom 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 R. Lawrence Edwards 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 John A. Hoff 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1996) 24 (11): 1049–1053. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<1049:HRTROH>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jay L. Banner, MaryLynn Musgrove, Yemane Asmerom, R. Lawrence Edwards, John A. Hoff; High-resolution temporal record of Holocene ground-water chemistry: Tracing links between climate and hydrology. Geology 1996;; 24 (11): 1049–1053. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<1049:HRTROH>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Strontium isotope analysis of precisely dated calcite growth layers in Holocene speleothems from Barbados, West Indies, reveals high-resolution temporal variations in ground-water composition and may provide a new approach to documenting the links between climate variability and fluctuations in the hydrologic cycle such as recharge rates and flow paths. The speleothems grew in a cave that developed in a fresh-water aquifer in uplifted Pleistocene reef limestones. Three periods of ground-water Sr isotope evolution are observed: 87Sr/86Sr values decreased from 6 to 4 ka, increased from 4 to 1 ka, and decreased again after 1 ka. The Sr isotope oscillations appear to record periodic variations in the relative Sr fluxes to ground water from exchangeable soil sites vs. carbonate mineral reactions, as reflected in 87Sr/86Sr values of modern Barbados ground waters. A hydrologic model that explains changes in ground-water flow routes in karst aquifers as a function of amount of rainfall recharge can account for the speleothem Sr isotope record. Independent Holocene climate records that indicate a major period of aridity at around 1.3–1.1 ka in the American tropics correspond with periodic variations in rainfall on Barbados that are predicted by this hydrologic model. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.