Devils Hole calcite was precipitated at ±1°C stable aquifer temperatures during the last half million years

David Bajnai; Tyler B. Coplen; Katharina Methner; Niklas Loffler; Emilija Krsnik; Jens Fiebig

doi:10.1029/2021gl093257

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Devils Hole calcite was precipitated at ±1°C stable aquifer temperatures during the last half million years

David Bajnai·Tyler B. Coplen·Katharina Methner·Niklas Loffler·Emilija Krsnik·Jens Fiebig

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Abstract

Subaqueous carbonates from the Devils Hole caves (southwestern USA) provide a continuous Holocene to Pleistocene North American paleoclimate record. The accuracy of this record relies on two assumptions: That carbonates precipitated close to isotope equilibrium and that groundwater temperature did not change significantly in the last 570 thousand years. Here, we investigate these assumptions using dual clumped isotope thermometry. This method relies on simultaneous analyses of carbonate ∆ 47 and ∆ 48 values and provides information on the existence and extent of kinetic isotope fractionation. Our results confirm the hypothesis that calcite precipitation occurred close to oxygen and clumped isotope equilibrium during the last half million years in Devils Hole. In addition, we provide evidence that aquifer temperatures varied by less than ±1°C during this interval. Thus, the Devils Hole calcite δ 18 O time series exclusively represents changes in groundwater δ 18 O values.

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Geophysical Research Letters Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 35.003003395276714° to 38.151837403006766° latitude; -117.0703125° to -114.0380859375° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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David Bajnai, Tyler B. Coplen, Katharina Methner, Niklas Loffler, Emilija Krsnik, Jens Fiebig. 2021-06-10. Devils Hole calcite was precipitated at ±1°C stable aquifer temperatures during the last half million years. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl093257

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