Geology topics

Jay Quade

Publications and source records attributed to Jay Quade.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Triple oxygen isotope compositions of globally distributed soil carbonates record widespread evaporation of soil waters

The stable isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonates is central to many studies of past climate and topography, providing a basis for our understanding of Earth's terrestrial history. A core assumption of many applications of oxygen isotope values (δ18O) of pedogenic carbonate is that they reflect the δ18O value of precipitation (rain/snow). This assumption is violated if soil carbonates form in evaporated soil waters. In this work, we develop a means to identify evaporation in ancient soils using the triple oxygen isotope composition (16O-17O-18O) of pedogenic carbonates. Both theoretical predictions of isotope kinetics during evaporation and studies of triple oxygen isotopes in other geological materials show that the deviation in the relationship between δ17O and δ18O from a reference line, evaluated using the parameter Δ'17O, is sensitive to evaporation. As a first step in developing the use of Δ'17O in ancient pedogenic carbonates, we report Δ'17O values from 47 near-modern pedogenic carbonate samples from globally distributed environments that vary in aridity (hyper-arid to humid). The Δ'17O values of pedogenic carbonate range from -154 to -60 per meg (as CaCO3, measured via O2, VSMOW-SLAP), corresponding to calculated soil water values of -66 to +27 per meg (VSMOW-SLAP) (using a carbonate-water triple oxygen isotope fractionation exponent of 0.5250 and clumped isotope-derived carbonate growth temperatures). The Δ'17O values indicate that evaporative modification of soil water from which pedogenic carbonate forms is common, especially in arid environments. Arid environments host pedogenic carbonates formed from soil waters ranging from highly to minimally evaporated, while humid environments host pedogenic carbonates formed from waters that are only minimally evaporated. The variability in Δ'17O within environments classified by the same aridity may relate to the fact that pedogenic carbonates record soil conditions only during times of carbonate mineralization, which may deviate from annual conditions. Thus, Δ'17O may be useful in understanding the specific circumstances of pedogenic carbonate formation but may not provide incontrovertible evidence of the magnitude of environmental aridity. Evaporative modification of δ18O values of pedogenic carbonates can be detected with Δ'17O, thereby improving estimates of δ18O of unevaporated waters. Our data show that evaporation must be (re)considered for all paleoclimate inferences based on the δ18O of pedogenic carbonate. The addition of Δ'17O will re-energize paleoclimate studies that use (or have avoided using) δ18O of pedogenic carbonate.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗

USGS2023

Paleohydrologic history of pluvial lake San Agustin, New Mexico: Tracking changing effective moisture in southwest North America through the last glacial transition

Paleoclimate records across the Intermountain West region of North America show significant regional variation in timing and magnitude of wet conditions that accompanied the last glacial-interglacial transition. To understand the climate controls on paleohydrologic change, well-dated records are needed across the region. The Plains of San Agustin (New Mexico, USA) is a closed-basin watershed of the American Southwest influenced by both winter westerly and summer North American Monsoon precipitation. The flat valley floors of the Plains contain lake and groundwater discharge deposits that record multiple periods of past wet climate. We present a record of hydroclimate for the past 26,000 years based on radiocarbon, U–Th series, and OSL dating of these deposits and stratigraphic correlation across the three sub-basins of the lake system. We find that two major lake oscillations occurred, coincident with the global Last Glacial Maximum (∼23–18 ka) and with Heinrich Stadial 1 (∼17–14 ka). The LGM lake cycle created a deep lake in the lowermost sub-basin, fed by marsh/lake overflow in the upper sub-basins. The Heinrich Stadial 1 wet interval attained the highest recorded lake level between ∼17.0 and 15.3 ka, merging the lower two sub-basins into one lake. Both lake cycles agree well in timing and magnitude with other lake-based records from the southwestern U.S., supporting previous interpretations that a south-shifted cool season storm track brought a dipole-like pattern of enhanced moisture to the southwest at the expense of drier conditions in the northwest during the LGM and deglaciation. A transition from lake to groundwater discharge conditions followed during the Bølling-Allerød (14.7–12.9 ka) across the study area. Wet meadows prevailed in the lower sub-basin during the Younger Dryas (12.9–11.7 ka), with marsh and open lake conditions in the upper and middle sub-basins, respectively. During the early Holocene, discrete wet intervals are recorded by ages for wet meadow deposits in all sub-basins with centennial-millennial frequency at 9.9, 8.8, 8.2 ka. These events agree well with other Intermountain West records showing wetter-than-present conditions prior to 8 ka. Two additional wet periods, centered at 6.8 and 5.4 ka, occurred during the driest known interval of the middle Holocene, and likely were partly supported in the Plains of San Agustin by summer moisture associated with the peak strength of the North American Monsoon. Our record highlights that both winter and summer moisture support water resources in New Mexico watersheds.

New Mexico↗

USGS2022

Central Andean (28–34°S) flood record 0–25 ka from Salinas del Bebedero, Argentina

The Salinas del Bebedero occupies an isolated basin in the foreland of central Argentina at 33°S and was flooded repeatedly over past 25 ka. Isotopic evidence demonstrates that this flooding was due to overflow of the nearby Río Desaguadero with waters derived from the distant (≥300 km) central Andes between 28–34°S. Stratigraphic and shoreline evidence shows that floods occurred most frequently between 14.4 and 15.7 ka, followed by lesser events between 14.3 to 11.4 ka, and during the late Holocene from 2.6 to ca. 0.2 ka. Hydraulic modeling (2D HEC-RAS) shows that these floods could have originated from repeated subglacial drainage or sudden outbursts with a volume of >100 × 10 6 m 3 and a peak discharge of >1,000 m 3 s -1 each. The absence of flood deposits from 11 to 3 ka points to exceptionally dry and virtually ice-free conditions in the Andes between 28–34°S. The floods were probably caused by major rainfall or dammed-lake outbursts clustered largely during wet pluvial periods in the otherwise moisture-limited central Andes and Atacama Desert, such as when the Intertropical Convergence Zone was shifted southward. These include Central Andean pluvial events (CAPE) I (17–14.5 ka) and II (12.5–9 ka), and the Neoglacial/Formative archeological period 2500 ka to near-present.

Salinas del Bebedero↗

USGS2021

High- and low-latitude forcings drive Atacama Desert rainfall variations over the past 16,000 years

Late Quaternary precipitation dynamics in the central Andes have been linked to both high- and low-latitude atmospheric teleconnections. We use present-day relationships between fecal pellet diameters from ashy chinchilla rats ( Abrocoma cinerea ) and mean annual rainfall to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of pluvials (wet episodes) spanning the past 16,000 years in the Atacama Desert based on 81 14 C-dated A. cinerea paleomiddens. A transient climate simulation shows that pluvials identified at 15.9 to 14.8, 13.0 to 8.6, and 8.1 to 7.6 ka B.P. can be linked to North Atlantic (high-latitude) forcing (e.g., Heinrich Stadial 1, Younger Dryas, and Bond cold events). Holocene pluvials at 5.0 to 4.6, 3.2 to 2.1, and 1.4 to 0.7 ka B.P. are not simulated, implying low-latitude internal variability forcing (i.e., ENSO regime shifts). These results help constrain future central Andean hydroclimatic variability and hold promise for reconstructing past climates from rodent middens in desert ecosystems worldwide.

Science Advances↗

USGS2019

North-south dipole in winter hydroclimate in the western United States during the last deglaciation

During the termination of the last glacial period the western U.S. experienced exceptionally wet conditions, driven by changes in location and strength of the mid-latitude winter storm track. The distribution of modern winter precipitation is frequently characterized by a north-south wet/dry dipole pattern, controlled by interaction of the storm track with ocean-atmosphere conditions over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Here we show that a dipole pattern of similar geographic extent persisted and switched sign during millennial-scale abrupt climate changes of the last deglaciation, based on a new lake level reconstruction for pluvial Lake Chewaucan (northwestern U.S.), and a compilation of regional paleoclimate records. This suggests the dipole pattern is robust, and one mode may be favored for centuries, thereby creating persistent contrasting wet/dry conditions across the western U.S. The TraCE-21k climate model simulation shows an equatorward enhancement of winter storm track activity in the northeastern Pacific, favoring wet conditions in southwestern U.S. during the second half of Heinrich Stadial 1 (16.1–14.6 ka) and consistent with paleoclimate evidence. During the Bølling/Allerød (14.6–12.8 ka), the northeastern Pacific storm track contracted poleward, consistent with wetter conditions concentrated poleward toward the northwest U.S.

Scientific Reports↗

USGS2017

Late Pleistocene C4 plant dominance and summer rainfall in the southwestern United States from isotopic study of herbivore teeth

Patterns of climate and C4 plant abundance in the southwestern United States during the last glaciation were evaluated from isotopic study of herbivore tooth enamel. Enamel ??13C values revealed a substantial eastward increase in C4 plant consumption for Mammuthus spp., Bison spp., Equus spp., and Camelops spp. The ??13C values were greatest in Bison spp. (-6.9 to + 1.7???) and Mammuthus spp. (-9.0 to +0.3???), and in some locales indicated C4-dominated grazing. The ??13C values of Antilocaprids were lowest among taxa (-12.5 to -7.9???) and indicated C3 feeding at all sites. On the basis of modern correlations between climate and C4 grass abundance, the enamel data imply significant summer rain in parts of southern Arizona and New Mexico throughout the last glaciation. Enamel ??18O values range from +19.0 to +31.0??? and generally increase to the east. This pattern could point to a tropical or subtropical source of summer rainfall. At a synoptic scale, the isotope data indicate that interactions of seasonal moisture, temperature, and lowered atmospheric pCO2 determined glacial-age C4 abundance patterns.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2017

Fish remains from Homestead Cave and lake levels of the past 13,000 years in the Bonneville basin

A late Quaternary ichthyofauna from Homestead Cave, Utah, provides a new source of information on lake history in the Bonneville basin. The fish, represented by 11 freshwater species, were accumulated between ~11,200 and ~1000 14C yr B.P. by scavenging owls. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio of Lake Bonneville varied with its elevation; 87Sr/86Sr values of fish from the lowest stratum of the cave suggest they grew in a lake near the terminal Pleistocene Gilbert shoreline. In the lowest deposits, a decrease in fish size and an increase in species tolerant of higher salinities or temperatures suggest multiple die-offs associated with declining lake levels. An initial, catastrophic, post-Provo die-off occurred at 11,300-11,200 14C yr B.P. and was followed by at least one rebound or recolonization of fish populations, but fish were gone from Lake Bonneville sometime before ~10,400 14C yr B.P. This evidence is inconsistent with previous inferences of a near desiccation of Lake Bonneville between 13,000 and 12,000 14C yr B.P. Peaks in Gila atraria frequencies in the upper strata suggest the Great Salt Lake had highstands at ~3400 and ~1000 14C yr B.P. (C) 2000 University of Washington.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2017

Holocene vegetation history from fossil rodent middens near Arequipa, Peru

Rodent (Abrocoma, Lagidium, Phyllotis) middens collected from 2350 to 2750 m elevation near Arequipa, Peru (16??S), provide an ???9600-yr vegetation history of the northern Atacama Desert, based on identification of >50 species of plant macrofossils. These midden floras show considerable stability throughout the Holocene, with slightly more mesophytic plant assemblages in the middle Holocene. Unlike the southwestern United States, rodent middens of mid-Holocene age are common. In the Arequipa area, the midden record does not reflect any effects of a mid-Holocene mega drought proposed from the extreme lowstand (100 m below modern levels, >6000 to 3500 yr B.P.) of Lake Titicaca, only 200 km east of Arequipa. This is perhaps not surprising, given other evidence for wetter summers on the Pacific slope of the Andes during the middle Holocene as well as the poor correlation of summer rainfall among modern weather stations in the central AndesAtacama Desert. The apparent difference in paleoclimatic reconstructions suggests that it is premature to relate changes observed during the Holocene to changes in El Nin??o Southern Oscillation modes. ?? 2001 University of Washington.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2017

Paleowetlands and regional climate change in the central Atacama Desert, northern Chile

Widespread, organic-rich diatomaceous deposits are evidence for formerly wetter times along the margins of the central Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth today. We mapped and dated these paleowetland deposits at three presently waterless locations near Salar de Punta Negra (24.5°S) on the western slope of the Andes. Elevated groundwater levels supported phreatic discharge into wetlands during two periods: 15,900 to ~ 13,800 and 12,700 to ~ 9700 cal yr BP. Dense concentrations of lithic artifacts testify to the presence of paleoindians around the wetlands late in the second wet phase (11,000?–9700 cal yr BP). Water tables dropped below the surface before 15,900 and since 8100 cal yr BP, and briefly between ~ 13,800 and 12,700 cal yr BP. This temporal pattern is repeated, with some slight differences, in rodent middens from the study area, in both paleowetland and rodent midden deposits north and south of the study area, and in lake level fluctuations on the adjacent Bolivian Altiplano. The regional synchroneity of these changes points to a strengthening of the South American Monsoon — which we term the "Central Andean Pluvial Event" — in two distinct intervals (15,900–13,800 and 12,700–9700 cal yr BP), probably induced by steepened SST gradients across the tropical Pacific (i.e., La Niña-like conditions).

Atacama Desert;Andes Mountains↗

USGS2017

Stable C, O and clumped isotope systematics and 14C geochronology of carbonates from the Quaternary Chewaucan closed-basin lake system, Great Basin, USA: Implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions using carbonates

Isotopic compositions of lacustrine carbonates are commonly used for dating and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Here we use carbonate δ13C and δ18O, clumped (Δ47), and 14C compositions to better understand the carbonate isotope system in closed-basin lakes and trace the paleohydrologic and temperature evolution in the Chewaucan closed-basin lake system, northern Great Basin, USA, over the Last Glacial/Holocene transition. We focus on shorezone tufas to establish that they form in isotopic equilibrium with lake water and DIC, they can be dated reliably using 14C, and their clumped isotope composition can be used to reconstruct past lake temperature. Calculations of the DIC budget and reservoir age for the lake indicate residence time is short, and dominated by exchange with atmospheric CO2 at all past lake levels. Modern lake DIC and shorezone tufas yield δ13C and 14C values consistent with isotopic equilibrium with recent fossil fuel and bomb-influenced atmospheric CO2, supporting these calculations. δ13C values of fossil tufas are also consistent with isotopic equilibrium with pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 at all shoreline elevations. This indicates that the 14C reservoir effect for this material is negligible. Clumped isotope (Δ47) results indicate shorezone tufas record mean annual lake temperature. Modern (average 13 ± 2 °C) and 18 ka BP-age tufas (average 6 ± 2 °C) have significantly different temperatures consistent with mean annual temperature lowering of 7 ± 3 °C (1 SE) under full glacial conditions. For shorezone tufas and other lake carbonates, including spring mounds, mollusk shells, and ostracod tests, overall δ13C and δ18O values co-vary according to the relative contribution of spring and lacustrine end member DIC and water compositions in the drainage system, but specific isotope values depend strongly upon sample context and are not well correlated with past lake depth. This contrasts with the interpretation that carbonate isotopes in closed-basin lake systems reflect changes in DIC and water budgets connected to higher or lower lake volumes. Instead, a small overlapping range of isotope compositions characterize multiple lake levels, so that none can be identified uniquely by isotope composition alone. Relative to other lake carbonates, δ13C and δ18O values for ostracods in Ana River Canyon deposits are very strongly influenced by Ana River water, suggesting low lake level and volume characterized Summer Lake for most of the past 100,000 years. Coupled with sedimentologic observations, the Ana River deposits thus suggest dry conditions like today are close to the mean climate state in the northern Great Basin. By contrast, basin-integrating highstands such as that dating to ∼14 ka BP, during the last glacial termination, are hydrologically unique and short-lived. Overall, our results indicate carbonate isotope records must account for the specific geochemical and hydrologic characteristics of lake system in order to provide robust paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

Great Basin↗

USGS2014

Desert wetlands in the geologic record

Desert wetlands support flora and fauna in a variety of hydrologic settings, including seeps, springs, marshes, wet meadows, ponds, and spring pools. Over time, eolian, alluvial, and fluvial sediments become trapped in these settings by a combination of wet ground conditions and dense plant cover. The result is a unique combination of clastic sediments, chemical precipitates, and organic matter that is preserved in the geologic record as ground-water discharge (GWD) deposits. GWD deposits contain information on the timing and magnitude of past changes in water-table levels and, therefore, are a potential source of paleohydrologic and paleoclimatic information. In addition, they can be important archeological and paleontological archives because desert wetlands provide reliable sources of fresh water, and thus act as focal points for human and faunal activities, in some of the world's harshest and driest lands. Here, we review some of the physical, sedimentological, and geochemical characteristics common to GWD deposits, and provide a contextual framework that researchers can use to identify and interpret geologic deposits associated with desert wetlands. We discuss several lines of evidence used to differentiate GWD deposits from lake deposits (they are commonly confused), and examine how various types of microbiota and depositional facies aid in reconstructing past environmental and hydrologic conditions. We also review how late Quaternary GWD deposits are dated, as well as methods used to investigate desert wetlands deeper in geologic time. We end by evaluating the strengths and limitations of hydrologic and climatic records derived from GWD deposits, and suggest several avenues of potential future research to further develop and utilize these unique and complex systems.

Earth-Science Reviews↗

USGS2012

Strontium isotopes and nutrient sourcing in a semi-arid woodland

Sr isotopes are widely used as a tracer of Sr and Ca in surficial systems. Basalt flows ranging in age from 3 ka (kiloyears ago) to > 200 ka from El Malpais National Monument (EMNM), New Mexico provide an ideal setting to examine strontium, and hence calcium cycling by plants in a semi-arid woodland. To gauge plant dependence on atmospheric dust versus local weathering products for strontium and calcium, we measured 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in local bedrock and soils, and compared them to leaf/wood cellulose of four different conifers, a deciduous tree, three shrubs, an annual C 4 grass, and a lichen. Sampling sites varied by parent material (limestone, sandstone, granite, and basalt) and age (Quaternary to Precambrian), providing a wide range in end-member 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios, whereas the target plant species varied in physiognomy, life history, and rooting depth. On non-basalt parent material, the contribution from dust changed with the supply of weatherable Sr-bearing minerals in local bedrock. Soils developed on Paleozoic limestone showed significant bedrock contributions. On basalts, the Sr budget of soils at EMNM is dominated by atmospheric dust on young, 3 ka flows, incorporates a mixture of basalt-dust in 9 ka flows, and is basalt-dominated in 120 ka flows. This is unlike the pattern observed in tropical soils developed on basalt in Hawaii, where basalt weathering dominates the Sr inventory of the youngest soils and aerosols dominate in older, deeply weathered soils. This contrast is mainly due to different water/rock (W/R) ratios: bedrock subjected to high W/R over short periods is quickly ( < 10 ka) depleted in Sr (and Ca), except for the ongoing replenishment from aerosols. In arid settings where W/R are lower, soil Sr is still abundantly available first from dust, and increasingly from bedrock even after 120 ka. For plants, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variations within and across sites at EMNP showed that evergreen trees varied most in 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios, shrubs were least dependent on eolian input of Sr, and both foliage density and rooting depths influence soil Sr pools.

New Mexico↗

USGS2012

Life at the hyperarid margin: novel bacterial diversity in arid soils of the Atacama Desert, Chile

Nearly half the earth's surface is occupied by dryland ecosystems, regions susceptible to reduced states of biological productivity caused by climate fluctuations. Of these regions, arid zones located at the interface between vegetated semiarid regions and biologically unproductive hyperarid zones are considered most vulnerable. The objective of this study was to conduct a deep diversity analysis of bacterial communities in unvegetated arid soils of the Atacama Desert, to characterize community structure and infer the functional potential of these communities based on observed phylogenetic associations. A 454-pyrotag analysis was conducted of three unvegetated arid sites located at the hyperarid-arid margin. The analysis revealed communities with unique bacterial diversity marked by high abundances of novel Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi and low levels of Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria , phyla that are dominant in many biomes. A 16S rRNA gene library of one site revealed the presence of clones with phylogenetic associations to chemoautotrophic taxa able to obtain energy through oxidation of nitrite, carbon monoxide, iron, or sulfur. Thus, soils at the hyperarid margin were found to harbor a wealth of novel bacteria and to support potentially viable communities with phylogenetic associations to non-phototrophic primary producers and bacteria capable of biogeochemical cycling.

Atacama Desert↗

USGS2011

Rodent middens reveal episodic, long-distance plant colonizations across the hyperarid Atacama Desert over the last 34,000 years

Aim To document the impact of late Quaternary pluvial events on plant movements between the coast and the Andes across the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. Location Sites are located along the lower and upper fringes of absolute desert (1100–2800 m a.s.l.), between the western slope of the Andes and the Coastal Ranges of northern Chile (24–26° S). Methods We collected and individually radiocarbon dated 21 rodent middens. Plant macrofossils (fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves) were identified and pollen content analysed. Midden assemblages afford brief snapshots of local plant communities that existed within the rodents' limited foraging range during the several years to decades that it took the midden to accumulate. These assemblages were then compared with modern floras to determine the presence of extralocal species and species provenance. Results Five middens span the last glacial period (34–21 ka) and three middens are from the last glacial–interglacial transition (19–11 ka). The remaining 13 middens span the last 7000 years. Coastal hyperarid sites exhibit low taxonomic richness in middens at 19.3, 1.1, 1.0, 0.9, 0.5 ka and a modern sample. Middens are also dominated by the same plants that occur today. In contrast, middens dated to 28.1, 21.3, 17.3, 3.7 and 0.5 ka contain more species, including Andean extralocals. Precordillera middens (c. 2700 m) show a prominent increase in plant macrofossil richness, along with the appearance of Andean extralocals and sedges at 34.5 and 18.9 ka. Six younger middens dated to 6.1–0.1 ka are similar to the modern local vegetation. Main conclusions Increased species richness and Andean extralocal plants occurred along the current lower fringes of absolute desert during the last glacial–interglacial transition and late Holocene. The absence of soil carbonates indicates the persistence of absolute desert throughout the Quaternary. Colonization by Andean plants could have been accomplished through long-distance seed dispersal either by animals or floods that originated in the Andes. We postulate that dispersal would have been most frequent during regional pluvial events and associated increases in groundwater levels, forming local wetlands in the absolute desert, and generating large floods capable of crossing the Central Depression.

Atacama Desert↗

USGS2010

Extraction of in situ cosmogenic 14C from olivine

Chemical pretreatment and extraction techniques have been developed previously to extract in situ cosmogenic radiocarbon (in situ 14C) from quartz and carbonate. These minerals can be found in most environments on Earth, but are usually absent from mafic terrains. To fill this gap, we conducted numerous experiments aimed at extracting in situ 14C from olivine ((Fe,Mg)2SiO4). We were able to extract a stable and reproducible in situ 14C component from olivine using stepped heating and a lithium metaborate (LiBO2) flux, following treatment with dilute HNO3 over a variety of experimental conditions. However, measured concentrations for samples from the Tabernacle Hill basalt flow (17.3 ?? 0.3 ka4) in central Utah and the McCarty's basalt flow (3.0 ?? 0.2 ka) in western New Mexico were significantly lower than expected based on exposure of olivine in our samples to cosmic rays at each site. The source of the discrepancy is not clear. We speculate that in situ 14C atoms may not have been released from Mg-rich crystal lattices (the olivine composition at both sites was ~Fo65Fa35). Alternatively, a portion of the 14C atoms released from the olivine grains may have become trapped in synthetic spinel-like minerals that were created in the olivine-flux mixture during the extraction process, or were simply retained in the mixture itself. Regardless, the magnitude of the discrepancy appears to be inversely proportional to the Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio of the olivine separates. If we apply a simple correction factor based on the chemical composition of the separates, then corrected in situ 14C concentrations are similar to theoretical values at both sites. At this time, we do not know if this agreement is fortuitous or real. Future research should include measurement of in situ 14C concentrations in olivine from known-age basalt flows with different chemical compositions (i.e. more Fe-rich) to determine if this correction is robust for all olivine-bearing rocks. ?? 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona.

Radiocarbon↗

USGS2010

A simplified In Situ cosmogenic 14C extraction system

We describe the design, construction, and testing of a new, simplified in situ radiocarbon extraction system at the University of Arizona. Blank levels for the new system are low ((234 ?? 11) ?? 103 atoms (1 ??; n = 7)) and stable. The precision of a given measurement depends on the concentration of 14C, but is typically <5% for concentrations of 100 ?? 103 atoms g-1 or more. The new system is relatively small and easy to construct, costs significantly less than the original in situ 14C extraction system at Arizona, and lends itself to future automation. ?? 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona.

Radiocarbon↗

USGS2009

Climate in the dry central Andes over geologic, millenial, and interannual timescales

Over the last eight years, we have developed several paleoenvironmental records from a broad geographic region spanning the Altiplano in Bolivia (18°S–22°S) and continuing south along the western Andean flank to ca. 26°S. These records include: cosmogenic nuclide concentrations in surface deposits, dated nitrate paleosoils, lake levels, groundwater levels from wetland deposits, and plant macrofossils from urine-encrusted rodent middens. Arid environments are often uniquely sensitive to climate perturbations, and there is evidence of significant changes in precipitation on the western flank of the central Andes and the adjacent Altiplano. In contrast, the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is hyperarid over many millions of years. This uniquely prolonged arid climate requires the isolation of the Atacama from the Amazon Basin, a situation that has existed for more than 10 million years and that resulted from the uplift of the Andes and/or formation of the Altiplano plateau. New evidence from multiple terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides, however, suggests that overall aridity is occasionally punctuated by rare rainfall events that likely originate from the Pacific. East of the hyperarid zone, climate history from multiple proxies reveals alternating wet and dry intervals where changes in precipitation originating from the Atlantic may exceed 50%. An analysis of Pleistocene climate records across the region allows reconstruction of the spatial and temporal components of climate change. These Pleistocene wet events span the modern transition between two modes of interannual precipitation variability, and regional climate history for the Central Andean Pluvial Event (CAPE; ca. 18–8 ka) points toward similar drivers of modern interannual and past millennial-scale climate variability. The north-northeast mode of climate variability is linked to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, and the southeast mode is linked to aridity in the Chaco region of Argentina.

Andes↗

USGS2007

Soils at the hyperarid margin: The isotopic composition of soil carbonate from the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

We evaluate the impact of exceptionally sparse plant cover (0–20%) and rainfall (2–114 mm/yr) on the stable carbon and oxygen composition of soil carbonate along elevation transects in what is among the driest places on the planet, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. δ 13 C and δ 18 O values of carbonates from the Atacama are the highest of any desert in the world. δ 13 C (VPDB) values from soil carbonate range from -8.2% at the wettest sites to +7.9% at the driest. We measured plant composition and modeled respiration rates required to form these carbonate isotopic values using a modified version of the soil diffusion model of [Cerling (1984) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 71 , 229–240], in which we assumed an exponential form of the soil CO 2 production function, and relatively shallow (20–30 cm) average production depths. Overall, we find that respiration rates are the main predictor of the δ 13 C value of soil carbonate in the Atacama, whereas the fraction C 3 to C 4 biomass at individual sites has a subordinate influence. The high average δ 13 C value (+4.1%) of carbonate from the driest study sites indicates it formed-perhaps abiotically—in the presence of pure atmospheric CO 2 . δ 18 O (VPDB) values from soil carbonate range from -5.9% at the wettest sites to +7.3% at the driest and show much less regular variation with elevation change than δ 13 C values. δ 18 O values for soil carbonate predicted from local temperature and δ 18 O values of rainfall values suggest that extreme (>80% in some cases) soil dewatering by evaporation occurs at most sites prior to carbonate formation. The effects of evaporation compromise the use of δ 18 O values from ancient soil carbonate to reconstruct paleoelevation in such arid settings.

Atacama Desert↗