Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia)
We present stable carbon (δ<sup>13</sup>C) and oxygen (δ<sup>18</sup>O) isotope records from two partially coeval speleothems from Manita peć Cave, Croatia. The cave is located close to the Adriatic coast (3.7 km) at an elevation of 570 m a.s.l. The site experienced competing...
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/11/8/347 |
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| author | Maša Surić Petra Bajo Robert Lončarić Nina Lončar Russell N. Drysdale John C. Hellstrom Quan Hua |
| author_facet | Maša Surić Petra Bajo Robert Lončarić Nina Lončar Russell N. Drysdale John C. Hellstrom Quan Hua |
| author_sort | Maša Surić |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present stable carbon (δ<sup>13</sup>C) and oxygen (δ<sup>18</sup>O) isotope records from two partially coeval speleothems from Manita peć Cave, Croatia. The cave is located close to the Adriatic coast (3.7 km) at an elevation of 570 m a.s.l. The site experienced competing Mediterranean and continental climate influences throughout the last glacial cycle and was situated close to the ice limit during the glacial phases. U-Th dating constrains the growth history from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 to MIS 3 and the transition from MIS 2 to MIS 1. <sup>14</sup>C dating was used to estimate the age of the youngest part of one stalagmite found to be rich in detrital thorium and thus undatable by U-Th. On a millennial scale, δ<sup>18</sup>O variations partly mimic the Dansgaard–Oeschger interstadials recorded in Greenland ice cores (Greenland Interstadials, GI) from GI 22 to GI 13. We interpret our δ<sup>18</sup>O record as a proxy for variations in precipitation amount and/or moisture sources, and the δ<sup>13</sup>C record is interpreted as a proxy for changes in soil bioproductivity. The latter indicates a generally reduced vegetation cover towards MIS 3–MIS 4, with shifts of ~8‰ and approaching values close to those of the host rock. However, even during the coldest phases, when a periglacial setting and enhanced aridity sustained long-residence-time groundwater, carbonic-acid dissolution remains the driving force of the karstification processes. Speleothem morphology follows changes in environmental conditions and complements regional results of submerged speleothems findings. Specifically, narrow sections of light porous spelaean calcite precipitated during the glacial/stadial sea-level lowstands, while the warmer and wetter conditions were marked with compact calcite and hiatuses in submerged speleothems due to sea-level highstands. Presumably, the transformation of this littoral site to a continental one with somewhat higher amounts of orographic precipitation was a site-specific effect that masked regional environmental changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:46:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3c750b5885e54395b9e980608dfa1a41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:46:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c750b5885e54395b9e980608dfa1a412023-11-22T07:48:07ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632021-08-0111834710.3390/geosciences11080347Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia)Maša Surić0Petra Bajo1Robert Lončarić2Nina Lončar3Russell N. Drysdale4John C. Hellstrom5Quan Hua6Department of Geography, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, CroatiaCroatian Geological Survey, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Geography, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, CroatiaDepartment of Geography, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, CroatiaSchool of Geography, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaSchool of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, AustraliaWe present stable carbon (δ<sup>13</sup>C) and oxygen (δ<sup>18</sup>O) isotope records from two partially coeval speleothems from Manita peć Cave, Croatia. The cave is located close to the Adriatic coast (3.7 km) at an elevation of 570 m a.s.l. The site experienced competing Mediterranean and continental climate influences throughout the last glacial cycle and was situated close to the ice limit during the glacial phases. U-Th dating constrains the growth history from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 to MIS 3 and the transition from MIS 2 to MIS 1. <sup>14</sup>C dating was used to estimate the age of the youngest part of one stalagmite found to be rich in detrital thorium and thus undatable by U-Th. On a millennial scale, δ<sup>18</sup>O variations partly mimic the Dansgaard–Oeschger interstadials recorded in Greenland ice cores (Greenland Interstadials, GI) from GI 22 to GI 13. We interpret our δ<sup>18</sup>O record as a proxy for variations in precipitation amount and/or moisture sources, and the δ<sup>13</sup>C record is interpreted as a proxy for changes in soil bioproductivity. The latter indicates a generally reduced vegetation cover towards MIS 3–MIS 4, with shifts of ~8‰ and approaching values close to those of the host rock. However, even during the coldest phases, when a periglacial setting and enhanced aridity sustained long-residence-time groundwater, carbonic-acid dissolution remains the driving force of the karstification processes. Speleothem morphology follows changes in environmental conditions and complements regional results of submerged speleothems findings. Specifically, narrow sections of light porous spelaean calcite precipitated during the glacial/stadial sea-level lowstands, while the warmer and wetter conditions were marked with compact calcite and hiatuses in submerged speleothems due to sea-level highstands. Presumably, the transformation of this littoral site to a continental one with somewhat higher amounts of orographic precipitation was a site-specific effect that masked regional environmental changes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/11/8/347speleothemcavehydroclimatepalaeoenvironmental changesCroatia |
| spellingShingle | Maša Surić Petra Bajo Robert Lončarić Nina Lončar Russell N. Drysdale John C. Hellstrom Quan Hua Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) Geosciences speleothem cave hydroclimate palaeoenvironmental changes Croatia |
| title | Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) |
| title_full | Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) |
| title_fullStr | Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) |
| title_short | Speleothem Records of the Hydroclimate Variability throughout the Last Glacial Cycle from Manita peć Cave (Velebit Mountain, Croatia) |
| title_sort | speleothem records of the hydroclimate variability throughout the last glacial cycle from manita pec cave velebit mountain croatia |
| topic | speleothem cave hydroclimate palaeoenvironmental changes Croatia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/11/8/347 |
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