U-Th and radiocarbon dating of calcite speleothems from gypsum caves (Emilia Romagna, North Italy)

Columbu, Andrea; Drysdale, Russell N.; Hellström, John; Woodhead, Jon; Cheng, Hai; Hua, Quan; Zhao, Jie; Montagna, Paolo; Pons‐Branchu, Edwige; Edwards, R. Lawrence

doi:10.1016/j.quageo.2019.04.002

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Speleothems (e.g. stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones) can provide long climate records outside the polar regions because they can be precisely dated and are relatively unaffected by post-depositional (diagenetic) modifications 3 , 4 . They also contain physical and chemical multi-proxy data that may reflect surface processes and impacts of climate variability and change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accurate dating of stalagmites from low seasonal contrast tropical Pacific climate using Sr 2D maps, fabrics and annual hydrological cycles

Faraji

Borsato

Frisia

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Tropical Pacific stalagmites are commonly affected by dating uncertainties because of their low U concentration and/or elevated initial 230Th content. This poses problems in establishing reliable trends and periodicities for droughts and pluvial episodes in a region vulnerable to climate change. Here we constrain the chronology of a Cook Islands stalagmite using synchrotron µXRF two-dimensional mapping of Sr concentrations coupled with growth laminae optical imaging constrained by in situ monitoring. Unidimensional LA-ICP-MS-generated Mg, Sr, Ba and Na variability series were anchored to the 2D Sr and optical maps. The annual hydrological significance of Mg, Sr, Ba and Na was tested by principal component analysis, which revealed that Mg and Na are related to dry-season, wind-transported marine aerosols, similar to the host-rock derived Sr and Ba signatures. Trace element annual banding was then used to generate a calendar-year master chronology with a dating uncertainty maximum of ± 15 years over 336 years. Our approach demonstrates that accurate chronologies and coupled hydroclimate proxies can be obtained from speleothems formed in tropical settings where low seasonality and problematic U–Th dating would discourage the use of high-resolution climate proxies datasets.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accurate dating of stalagmites from low seasonal contrast tropical Pacific climate using Sr 2D maps, fabrics and annual hydrological cycles

Faraji

Borsato

Frisia

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Calcite flowstones in gypsum caves generally form during periods when CO 2 production in the soil is high, thus during warmer and wetter climates. Almost all carbonate speleothems found in the gypsum caves of the regions were formed during warm periods in the past [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling an odd fate after death: The isolated Eneolithic cranium discovered in the Marcel Loubens Cave (Bologna, Northern Italy)

et al. 2021

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An isolated human cranium, dated to the early Eneolithic period, was discovered in 2015 at the top of a vertical shaft in the natural Marcel Loubens gypsum Cave (Bologna area, northern Italy). No other anthropological or archaeological remains were found inside the cave. In other caves of the same area anthropic and funerary use are attested from prehistory to more recent periods. We focused on investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of this individual, since the cranium shows signs of some lesions that appear to be the results of a perimortem manipulation probably carried out to remove soft tissues. Anthropological analyses revealed that the cranium belonged to a young woman. We analysed the taphonomic features and geological context to understand how and why the cranium ended up (accidentally or intentionally) in the cave. The analyses of both the sediments accumulated inside the cranium and the incrustations and pigmentation covering its outer surface suggested that it fell into the cave, drawn by a flow of water and mud, likely from the edges of a doline. The accidental nature of the event is also seemingly confirmed by some post-mortem lesions on the cranium. The comparison with other Eneolithic archaeological sites in northern Italy made it possible to interpret the find as likely being from a funerary or ritual context, in which corpse dismemberment (in particular the displacement of crania) was practiced.

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“…After preliminary U-Th dating (n = 3), which attested its possible formation during the last glacial period, dating with very high spatial resolution was carried out along the growth axis, obtaining a total of 27 ages. Dating was executed at the Melbourne University (Australia), School of Earth Sciences, following tested protocols (Columbu et al 2017b(Columbu et al , 2019a. Additionally, a stalagmite half was further halved along the growth axis in order to facilitate the operations of high resolution sampling for oxygen (δ 18 O) and carbon (δ 13 C) stable isotopes.…”

Section: The Pc Stalagmite and Its Scientific Importancementioning

confidence: 99%

Stalagmites: from Science Application to Museumization

et al. 2021

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The concept of geoheritage is related to places of geological interest, generally of aesthetic, cultural, socio-economic and/or scientific value. Many geosites are of karstic nature, because of their intrinsic beauty, their singularity and high geodiversity. Caves are among the most visited and economically exploited geological landforms. They constitute geosites as a whole, with their scenic landscapes, hydrogeological importance and the presence of bewildering natural rock and mineral formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and many other bizarre speleothem shapes. In some cases, a single speleothem, and the palaeoclimate record it contains, can be on its own of extraordinary importance to science. Once studied, these samples are often stored in research institution collections, rarely accessible to the wide public. In this paper, we report on the museumization of a stalagmite that has delivered a unique and exceptionally long glacial climate record from southern Italy, shedding light on the causes that led to the Neanderthal contraction and Modern Human expansion in this mild Mediterranean climate between 45 and 42 thousands years ago. The proposed museumization aims to demonstrate the potential of speleothems, after scientific application, in terms of educational and tourist resources. This approach allows to highlight the scientific importance of karst and cave geosites to the wide public, promoting their conservation and the valorisation of the studied cave-material.

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U-Th and radiocarbon dating of calcite speleothems from gypsum caves (Emilia Romagna, North Italy)

Cited by 8 publications

References 84 publications

Accurate dating of stalagmites from low seasonal contrast tropical Pacific climate using Sr 2D maps, fabrics and annual hydrological cycles

Accurate dating of stalagmites from low seasonal contrast tropical Pacific climate using Sr 2D maps, fabrics and annual hydrological cycles

Unveiling an odd fate after death: The isolated Eneolithic cranium discovered in the Marcel Loubens Cave (Bologna, Northern Italy)

Stalagmites: from Science Application to Museumization

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