Research Article| November 01, 2012 Climatic backdrop to the terminal Pleistocene extinction of North American mammals Victor J. Polyak; Victor J. Polyak 1Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 200 Yale Boulevard, Northrop Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yemane Asmerom; Yemane Asmerom 1Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 200 Yale Boulevard, Northrop Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephen J. Burns; Stephen J. Burns 2Department of Geosciences, 233 Morill Science Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Matthew S. Lachniet Matthew S. Lachniet 3Department of Geosciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2012) 40 (11): 1023–1026. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33226.1 Article history received: 23 Jan 2012 rev-recd: 05 May 2012 accepted: 08 May 2012 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Victor J. Polyak, Yemane Asmerom, Stephen J. Burns, Matthew S. Lachniet; Climatic backdrop to the terminal Pleistocene extinction of North American mammals. Geology 2012;; 40 (11): 1023–1026. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33226.1 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 North American terminal Pleistocene mammal extinctions are the subject of a long-running scientific debate. Although the role of climate has figured centrally, we lack clear knowledge of the timing and nature of terminal Pleistocene climate variability. Herein we document lengthy terminal Pleistocene drought in the southwestern United States (USA) using δ13C and δ234U effective moisture proxy data in speleothem calcite (stalagmite FS2) from Fort Stanton Cave, New Mexico, supplemented with age data from pool basin shelfstone speleothems from the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern. This terminal Pleistocene drought, defined by a sharp rise in both δ13C and δ234U values, began just before 14.5 k.y. ago and lasted at least until 12.9 k.y. ago, when it was briefly and only mildly interrupted by the Younger Dryas. The timing and length of this drought (∼1500 yr) match the Northern Hemisphere Bølling-Allerød oscillation preserved in Greenland ice cores and exhibited in the δ18O record of stalagmite FS2. Rapid transition from cool moist Late Glacial to warm dry Holocene-like climatic conditions was likely unfavorable to many species of Pleistocene mammals in the southwestern USA. A climate-induced extinction implies that this last glacial cycle and its termination were more extreme than previous glacial cycles and/or glacial terminations. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.