Biomarker and pollen evidence for late Pleistocene pluvials in the Mojave Desert

Peaple, Mark D.; Bhattacharya, Tripti; Lowenstein, Tim K.; McGee, David; Olson, Kristian J.; Stroup, Justin S.; Tierney, Jessica E.; Feakins, Sarah J.

doi:10.1002/essoar.10511222.1

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Data files are publicly available and archived at the NOAA paleoclimatology database (Peaple, Bhattacharya, Tierney, et al., 2022).…”

Section: Data Availability Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We studied the Searles Lake sediment core KM‐3 (USGS U234, well KM‐3, 35.73371°N, 117.32566°W, 493 m asl) collected in 1968 by the Kerr‐McGee Corporation and transferred to the US Geological Survey in 1976 (Liddicoat et al., 1980) and archived for 50 years in ambient, dry storage (USGS Core Research Center, Denver). We generated a Bayesian age model (Blaauw & Christeny, 2011) for sediments from depths of 200–693 m (Figure 2) using previously identified paleomagnetic reversals (Liddicoat et al., 1980) and updated age estimates (Channell et al., 2020); data set available at NOAA: Peaple, Bhattacharya, Tierney, et al., 2022) on the GPTS2020 timescale (Ogg, 2020).…”

Section: Study Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biomarker Evidence for an MIS M2 Glacial‐Pluvial in the Mojave Desert Before Warming and Drying in the Late Pliocene

Peaple,

Bhattacharya,

Tierney

et al. 2024

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Ancient lake deposits in the Mojave Desert indicate that the water cycle in this currently dry place was radically different under past climates. Here we revisit a 700 m core drilled 55 years ago from Searles Valley, California, that recovered evidence for a lacustrine phase during the late Pliocene. We update the paleomagnetic age model and extract new biomarker evidence for climatic conditions from lacustrine deposits (3.373–2.706 Ma). The MBT′5Me temperature proxy detects present‐day conditions (21 ± 3°C, n = 2) initially, followed by warmer‐than‐present conditions (25 ± 3°C, n = 17) starting at 3.268 and ending at 2.734 Ma. Bacterial and archeal biomarkers reveal lake salinity increased after 3.268 Ma likely reflecting increased evaporation in response to higher temperatures. The δ13C values of plant waxes (−30.7 ± 1.4‰, n = 28) are consistent with local C3 taxa, likely expanded conifer woodlands during the pluvial with less C4 than the Pleistocene. δD values (−174 ± 5‰, n = 25) of plant waxes indicate precipitation δD values (−89 ± 5‰, n = 25) in the late Pliocene are within the same range as the late Pleistocene precipitation δD. Microbial biomarkers identify a deep, freshwater lake and a cooling that corresponds to the onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation at marine isotope stage marine isotope stages M2 (3.3 Ma). A more saline lake persisted for ∼0.6 Ma across the subsequent warmth of the late Pliocene (3.268–2.734 Ma) before the lake desiccated at the Pleistocene intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation.

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“…Data files are publicly available and archived at the NOAA paleoclimatology database (Peaple, Bhattacharya, Tierney, et al., 2022).…”

Section: Data Availability Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomarker Evidence for an MIS M2 Glacial‐Pluvial in the Mojave Desert Before Warming and Drying in the Late Pliocene

Peaple,

Bhattacharya,

Tierney

et al. 2024

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Using Bayesian age modeling, we apply these ages and one tie point based on a comparison of SLAPP-SRLS17 plant wax hydrogen isotope (δDwax) data and the "Leviathan" speleothem δ 18 O record (Lachniet, 2016) to establish an age-depth relationship that serves as the foundation for proxy records from the core. We anticipate that this work will renew investigation of the basin's response during the penultimate glacial period, Termination II, and the last interglacial, as well as the application of proxies that were not available during previous coring of the basin (e.g., organic biomarkers; Peaple et al, 2022)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A > 200 ka U-Th based chronology from lacustrine evaporites, Searles Lake, CA

Stroup

Olson

Lowenstein

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Well-dated lacustrine records are essential to establish the timing and drivers of regional hydroclimate change. Searles Basin, California records the depositional history of a fluctuating saline-alkaline lake in the terminal basin of the Owens River system draining the eastern Sierra Nevada. Here we establish a U-Th chronology for the ˜76-m-long SLAPP-SLRS17 core collected in 2017 based on dating of evaporite minerals. 98 dated samples comprising 9 different minerals were evaluated based on stratigraphic, mineralogic, textural, chemical and reproducibility criteria. After application of these criteria, a total of 37 dated samples remained as constraints for the age model. A lack of dateable minerals between 145-110 ka left the age model unconstrained over the penultimate glacial termination (Termination II). We thus established a tie point between plant wax δD values in the core and a nearby speleothem δ18O record at the beginning of the Last Interglacial. We construct a Bayesian age model allowing stratigraphy to inform sedimentation rate inflections. We find the >210 ka SLAPP-SRLS17 record contains five major units that correspond with prior work. The new dating is broadly consistent with previous efforts but provides more precise age estimates and a detailed evaluation of evaporite depositional history. We also offer a substantial revision of the age of the Bottom Mud-Mixed Layer contact, shifting it from ˜130 ka to 178±3 ka. The new U-Th chronology documents the timing of mud and salt layers and lays the foundation for climate reconstructions.

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Biomarker and pollen evidence for late Pleistocene pluvials in the Mojave Desert

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Biomarker Evidence for an MIS M2 Glacial‐Pluvial in the Mojave Desert Before Warming and Drying in the Late Pliocene

Biomarker Evidence for an MIS M2 Glacial‐Pluvial in the Mojave Desert Before Warming and Drying in the Late Pliocene

A > 200 ka U-Th based chronology from lacustrine evaporites, Searles Lake, CA

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