首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 562 毫秒
1.
Well-preserved aragonitic land snail shells (Vallonia) from late Pleistocene Eolian sediment in the Folsom archaeological site in New Mexico exhibit an overall decrease of δ18OPDB from maximum values of +2.7‰ (more positive than modern) to younger samples with lower average values of about −3.6‰ (within the modern range). The age of the samples (approximately 10,500 14C yr B.P.) suggests that the decrease in δ18O may manifest climatic changes associated with the Younger Dryas. Some combination of increased relative humidity and cooler temperatures with decreased δ18O of precipitation during the times of snail activity can explain the decrease in shell δ18O. A well-known Paleoindian bison kill occurred at the Folsom site during this inferred environmental transition.Average δ13C values of the aragonite shells of the fossil Vallonia range from −7.3 to −6.0‰ among different archaeological levels and are not as negative as modern values. This suggests that the proportion of C4 vegetation at the Folsom site approximately 10,500 14C yr B.P. was greater than at present; a result which is consistent with other evidence for higher proportions of C4 plants in the region at that time.  相似文献   

2.
Variations of stable isotopic ratios of carbon (13C/12C) and oxygen (18O/16O) were investigated in modern shells of two species of Rabdotus land snails (R. dealbatus and R. alternatus) in the southern Great Plains. Geographic variation in relation to climate and vegetation, microgeographic variation, variability among individuals, and detailed records of seasonal variations within individual shells were studied. Stable carbon isotopic ratios in shell carbonate are primarily a function of the isotopic composition of the diet of the snails, as represented by the isotopic composition of shell organic matter. This in turn reflects the presence or absence of CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) or C4 plants. Vegetation density may have a small effect on the carbon isotope ratios. Microgeographic variation (samples within 25 to 300 m) is greater than that seen across different climatic regions and points to very local control of isotopic variations, predominantly related to vegetation. Seasonal variations, as assessed through serial analysis of individual shells (up to 35 samples per shell), may provide a means for distinguishing between isotopic influences of perennial CAM vs. annual C4 plants. Carbon isotopic variations in time-series of shells from a site provide a means of reconstructing temporal changes in environment and climate.Oxygen isotopic values of shell carbonate are uniform across the region and also show no significant microgeographic variation. The oxygen isotopic composition appears to be mainly a function of the rainwater isotopic composition, with no direct influence of rainfall amount or evaporative effects. The δ18O values are only 2‰ enriched relative to estimated equilibrium with rainwater. Variability is low (SD of 0.8‰ among sites), so the isotopic composition of fossil Rabdotus shells can provide a precise record of changes in the isotopic composition of rain over time.  相似文献   

3.
The long-lived (about 20 yr) bryozoan Adeonellopsis sp. from Doubtful Sound, New Zealand, precipitates aragonite in isotopic equilibrium with seawater, exerting no metabolic or kinetic effects. Oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) in 61 subsamples (along three branches of a single unaltered colony) range from −0.09 to +0.68‰ PDB (mean = +0.36‰ PDB). Carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) range from +0.84 to +2.18‰ PDB (mean = +1.69‰ PDB). Typical of cool-water carbonates, δ18O-derived water temperatures range from 14.2 to 17.5 °C. Adeonellopsis has a minimum temperature growth threshold of 14 °C, recording only a partial record of environmental variation. By correlating seawater temperatures derived from δ18O with the Southern Oscillation Index, however, we were able to detect major events such as the 1983 El Niño. Interannual climatic variation can be recorded in skeletal carbonate isotopes. The range of within-colony isotopic variability found in this study (0.77‰ in δ18O and 1.34 in δ13C) means that among-colony variation must be treated cautiously. Temperate bryozoan isotopes have been tested in less than 2% of described extant species — this highly variable phylum is not yet fully understood.  相似文献   

4.
To understand oxygen and carbon stable isotopic characteristics of aragonite stalagmites and evaluate their applicability to paleoclimate, the isotopic compositions of active and fossil aragonite speleothems and water samples from an in situ multi-year (October 2005-July 2010) monitoring program in Furong Cave located in Chongqing of China have been examined. The observations during October 2005-June 2007 show that the meteoric water is well mixed in the overlying 300-500-m bedrock aquifer, reflected by relatively constant δ18O, ±0.11-0.14‰ (1σ), of drip waters in the cave, which represents the annual status of rainfall water. Active cave aragonite speleothems are at oxygen isotopic equilibrium with drip water and their δ18O values capture the surface-water oxygen isotopic signal. Aragonite-to-calcite transformation since the last glaciation is not noticeable in Furong stalagmites. Our multi-year field experiment approves that aragonite stalagmite δ18O records in this cave are suitable for paleoclimate reconstruction. With high U, 0.5-7.2 ppm, and low Th, 20-1270 ppt, the Furong aragonite stalagmites provide very precise chronology (as good as ±20s yrs (2σ)) of the climatic variations since the last deglaciation. The synchroneity of Chinese stalagmite δ18O records at the transition into the Bølling-Allerød (t-BA) and the Younger Dryas from Furong, Hulu and Dongge Caves supports the fidelity of the reconstructed East Asian monsoon evolution. However, the Furong record shows that the cold Older Dryas (OD) occurred at 14.0 thousand years ago, agreeing with Greenland ice core δ18O records but ∼200 yrs younger than that in the Hulu record. The OD age discrepancy between Chinese caves can be attributable to different regionally climatic/environmental conditions or chronological uncertainty of stalagmite proxy records, which is limited by changes in growth rate and subsampling intervals in absolute dating. Seasonal dissolved inorganic carbon δ13C variations of 2-3‰ in the drip water and 5-7‰ in the pool and spring waters are likely attributed to variable degrees of CO2 degassing in winter and summer. The variable δ13C values of active deposits from −11‰ to 0‰ could be caused by kinetically mediated CO2 degassing processes. The complicated nature of pre-deposition kinetic isotopic fractionation processes for carbon isotopes in speleothems at Furong Cave require further study before they can be interpreted in a paleoclimatic or paleoenvironmental context.  相似文献   

5.
We investigated the Sea-Rain-Lake relation during the Last Glacial-Holocene in the East Mediterranean region by comparing the δ18O and δ13C records of authigenic aragonite deposited in Lake Lisan, the Dead Sea, Mediterranean foraminifera, and speleothems. The Lisan Formation data display long- and short-term variations of δ18O, representing steady-state conditions of the lake (e.g., 5.6‰ ± 0.5‰ and 4.5‰ ± 1‰ in the Upper and Lower Members of the Lisan Formation, respectively), and short-term excursions reflecting large floods and droughts. The long-term (steady-state) δ18O values of the Lisan aragonites show similarity to the corresponding time-equivalent records of the Eastern Mediterranean foraminifera and Judea Mountain speleothems: The Last Glacial deposits are in all of them 2‰-3‰ heavier than the Holocene ones. We interpret this similarity as reflecting the significance of the source effect on the long-term behavior of isotopic reservoirs: Speleothem δ18O is strongly influenced by the marine reservoir that contributes its vapor to rain formation; the lake δ18O is dominated by the composition of the inflowing water. Short-term variations in the isotopic composition of rainfall are dominated by the amount effect and the temperature and those of the Lake’s upper water mass by the lake’s water balance.δ13C values are more variable than δ18O in the same Lisan sequences (e.g., δ13C in the Lower Member is 1.0‰ ± 1.7‰, whereas δ18O is 4.6‰ ± 0.7‰) and are 1‰ to 1.5‰ higher in the Upper Member than in the Lower and Middle Members of the Lisan Formation. These variations reflect significant increase in primary productivity of the lake and algal bloom activity. It appears that the hypersaline-saline lakes were not as “dead” as the Dead Sea is and that algal activity had an important impact upon the geochemistry of Lake Lisan.The δ18O data combined with independent geochemical and limnologic information (e.g., level fluctuations) indicate that Lisan time was characterized by high precipitation-high lake stands-high atmospheric humidity, whereas the Holocene Dead Sea shows the opposite behavior. This paleoclimatic reconstruction is consistent with independent evidence for significantly wetter conditions in the East Mediterranean region during the Last Glacial period.  相似文献   

6.
Kaolinite, gibbsite and quartz are the dominant minerals in samples collected from two outcrops of a Cenomanian (∼95 Ma) laterite in southwestern Minnesota. A combination of measured yields and isotope ratios permitted mass balance calculations of the δD and δ18O values of the kaolinite in these samples. These calculations yielded kaolinite δD values of about −73‰ and δ18O values of about +18.7‰. The δD and δ18O values appear to preserve information on the ancient weathering system.If formed in hydrogen and oxygen isotope equilibrium with water characterized by the global meteoric water line (GMWL), the kaolinite δD and δ18O values indicate a crystallization temperature of 22 (±5) °C. A nominal paleotemperature of 22 °C implies a δ18O value for the corresponding water of −6.3‰. The combination of temperature and meteoric water δ18O values is consistent with relatively intense rainfall at that mid-paleolatitude location (∼40°N) on the eastern shore of the North American Western Interior Seaway. The inferred Cenomanian paleosol temperature of ∼22 °C is in general accord with published mid-Cretaceous continental mean annual temperatures (MAT) estimated from leaf margin analyses of fossil plants.When compared with results from a published GCM-based Cenomanian climate simulation which specifies a latitudinal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient that was either near modern or smaller-than-modern, the kaolinite paleotemperature of 22 °C is closer to the GCM-predicted MAT for a smaller equator-to-pole temperature difference in the mid-Cretaceous. Moreover, the warm, kaolinite-derived, mid-paleolatitude temperature of 22 °C is associated with proxy estimates of high concentrations of atmospheric CO2 in the Cenomanian. The overall similarity of proxy and model results suggests that the general features of Cenomanian continental climate in that North American locale are probably being revealed.  相似文献   

7.
Forty-nine aragonitic and calcitic shells from 14 species of marine tropical molluscs (Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora) and ambient waters from Martinique have been analyzed for their carbon and oxygen isotope compositions. Mineralogy of shells was systematically determined by Raman spectroscopy that reveals composite shell structures and early processes of diagenetic alteration. In mangrove, brackish waters result from the mixing between 89±1% of seawater and 11±1% of freshwater, a hydrological budget quantified by both oxygen isotope and salinity mass balance calculations. Mollusc shells from the mangrove environment (S=31‰; δ18O=0.5‰) are characterized by mean δ13C values (−1.2‰) lower than those (+2.6‰) living in the open sea (S=35‰; δ18O=1‰). These low carbon isotope compositions result from the oxidation of organic matter into bicarbonate ions used in the building of mollusc shells. The oxygen isotope compositions of the studied mollusc species are mainly controlled by the temperature and composition of seawater whereas the role of the so-called “vital effects” is negligible. Contrasting with carbon isotopes, variability in the δ18O values among and within species of mollusc shells is very low (1σ=0.15) for a given littoral environment. Using ambient temperatures of seawater (28-30 °C), oxygen isotope fractionations between all studied living species and environmental waters match those extrapolated from the fractionation equation established for molluscs by Grossman and Ku [Chem. Geol., Isot. Geosci. Sect. 59 (1986) 59] in the range 3-20 °C. By analyzing calcite and aragonite layers from the same shell or by comparing shells from different species living in the same environment, there is no evidence that oxygen isotope fractionation between aragonite and water differs from that between calcite and water. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the oxygen isotope compositions of shells from most fossil mollusc species are suitable to estimate past seawater temperatures at any paleolatitude.  相似文献   

8.
We analyzed the isotopic patterns found in the tooth enamel of modern feral horses from Shackleford Banks, North Carolina (USA), which has a temperate climate and supports primarily C4 grasslands. Enamel δ13C values averaged −4.1‰ with a standard deviation (1σ) of 1.7‰, which corresponds to an average diet of 66 ± 12% C4 plants. Our results differ from dietary reconstructions from 1978 to 1981, which found that horses consumed 91% C4 plants. This suggests that horses have increased their consumption of C3 forbs, likely as a result of the removal of cattle, sheep, and goats from the island. Shackleford surface waters had δ18O values that averaged −3.3 ± 0.5‰ and −1.3 ± 1.8‰ on the western and eastern ends of the island, respectively. Tooth enamel samples averaged 27.3 ± 1.5‰ and displayed the same range of δ18O values as surface waters. The variability of both δ18O and the δ13C values among individuals within this population demonstrates that horses from relatively homogenous temperate environments can display a wide range of isotopic values. Given the observed range of isotopic values for modern horses, we suggest that researchers use the mean values of multiple (≥9) equids when attempting to reconstruct average paleodiets and/or paleoenvironmental conditions.  相似文献   

9.
Oxygen isotope profiles along the growth axis of fossil bivalve shells of Macoma calcarea were established to reconstruct hydrographical changes in the eastern Laptev Sea since 8400 cal yr B.P.. The variability of the oxygen isotopes (δ18O) in the individual records is mainly attributed to variations in the salinity of bottom waters in the Laptev Sea with a modern ratio of 0.50‰/salinity. The high-resolution δ18O profiles exhibit distinct and annual cycles from which the seasonal and annual salinity variations at the investigated site can be reconstructed. Based on the modern analogue approach oxygen isotope profiles of radiocarbon-dated bivalve shells from a sediment core located northeast of the Lena Delta provide seasonal and subdecadal insights into past hydrological conditions and their relation to the Holocene transgressional history of the Laptev Sea shelf. Under the assumption that the modern relationship between δ18Ow and salinity has been constant throughout the time, the δ18O of an 8400-cal-yr-old bivalves would suggest that bottom-water salinity was reduced and the temperature was slightly warmer, both suggesting a stronger mixture of riverine water to the bottom water. Reconstruction of the inundation history of the Laptev Sea shelf indicates local sea level ∼27 m below present at this time and a closer proximity of the site to the coastline and the Lena River mouth. Due to continuing sea level rise and a southward retreat of the river mouth, bottom-water salinity increased at 7200 cal yr B.P. along with an increase in seasonal variability. Conditions comparable to the modern hydrography were achieved by 3800 cal yr B.P.  相似文献   

10.
The oxygen isotopic composition of land-snail shells may provide insight into the source region and trajectory of precipitation. Last glacial maximum (LGM) gastropod shells were sampled from loess from Belgium to Serbia and modern land-snail shells both record δ18O values between 0‰ and − 5‰. There are significant differences in mean fossil shell δ18O between sites but not among genera at a single location. Therefore, we group δ18O values from different genera together to map the spatial distribution of δ18O in shell carbonate. Shell δ18O values reflect the spatial variation in the isotopic composition of precipitation and incorporate the snails' preferential sampling of precipitation during the warm season. Modern shell δ18O decreases in Europe along a N-S gradient from the North Sea inland toward the Alps. Modern observed data of isotopes in precipitation (GNIP) demonstrate a similar trend for low-altitude sites. LGM shell δ18O data show a different gradient with δ18O declining toward the ENE, implying a mid-Atlantic source due to increased sea ice and a possible southern displacement of the westerly jet stream. Balkan LGM samples show the influence of a Mediterranean source, with δ18O values decreasing northward.  相似文献   

11.
This study was conducted on recent desert samples—including (1) soils, (2) plants, (3) the shell, and (4) organic matter from modern specimens of the land snail Eremina desertorum—which were collected at several altitudes (316–360 m above sea level) from a site in the New Cairo Petrified Forest. The soils and shellE. desertorum were analyzed for carbonate composition and isotopic composition (δ18O, δ13C). The plants and organic matterE. desertorum were analyzed for organic carbon content and δ13C. The soil carbonate, consisting of calcite plus minor dolomite, has δ18O values from −3.19 to −1.78‰ and δ13C values −1.79 to −0.27‰; covariance between the two values accords with arid climatic conditions. The local plants include C3 and C4 types, with the latter being dominant. Each type has distinctive bulk organic carbon δ13C values: −26.51 to −25.36‰ for C3-type, and −13.74 to −12.43‰ for C4-type plants.The carbonate of the shellE. desertorum is composed of aragonite plus minor calcite, with relatively homogenous isotopic compositions (δ18Omean = −0.28 ± 0.22‰; δ13Cmean = −4.46 ± 0.58‰). Most of the δ18O values (based on a model for oxygen isotope fractionation in an aragonite-water system) are consistent with evaporated water signatures. The organic matterE. desertorum varies only slightly in bulk organic carbon δ13C values (−21.78 ± 1.20‰) and these values suggest that the snail consumed more of C3-type than C4-type plants. The overall offset in δ13C values (−17.32‰) observed between shellE. desertorum carbonate and organic matterE. desertorum exceeds the value expected for vegetation input, and implies that 30% of carbon in the shellE. desertorum carbonate comes from the consumption of limestone material.  相似文献   

12.
The δ13C and δ18O values of well-preserved carbonate rhizoliths (CRs) provide detailed insights into changes in the abundance of C3 and C4 plants in response to approximately decadal-scale changes in growing-season climate. We performed stable isotope analyses on 35-40 CRs sampled at 1-cm intervals from an 18-cm-thick paleosol formed in southern Illinois during Wisconsin interstadial 2. Minimum δ13C values show little variation with depth, whereas maximum values vary dramatically, and average values show noticeable variability; maximum δ18O values vary less than the minimum δ18O values. These findings indicate that a diverse and stable C3 flora with a limited number of C4 grass species prevailed during this interval, and suggest that the maximum growing-season temperatures were relatively stable, but minimum growing-season temperatures varied considerably. Two general patterns characterize the relationships between the δ13C and δ18O values obtained from the 1-cm samples. In some cases, low δ13C values correspond to low δ18O values and high δ13C values correspond to high δ18O values, suggesting that cooler growing-season temperatures favored C3 and warmer growing-season temperatures favored C4 plants. In other cases, low δ13C values correspond to high δ18O values, likely suggesting that wetter growing-season conditions were favorable to C3 plants. The high density of well-preserved CRs in this paleosol provides a unique opportunity to study detailed ecological responses to high-resolution variability in growing-season climate.  相似文献   

13.
Applications of speleothem calcite geochemistry in climate change studies require the evaluation of the accuracy and sensitivity of speleothem proxies to correctly infer paleoclimatic information. The present study of Harrison’s Cave, Barbados, uses the analysis of the modern climatology and groundwater system to evaluate controls on the C and O isotopic composition of modern speleothems. This new approach directly compares the δ18O and δ13C values of modern speleothems with the values for their corresponding drip waters in order to assess the degree to which isotopic equilibrium is achieved during calcite precipitation. If modern speleothems can be demonstrated to precipitate in isotopic equilibrium, then ancient speleothems, suitable for paleoclimatic studies, from the same cave environment may also have been precipitated in isotopic equilibrium. If modern speleothems are precipitated out of isotopic equilibrium, then the magnitude and direction of the C and O isotopic offsets may allow specific kinetic and/or equilibrium isotopic fractionation mechanisms to be identified.Carbon isotope values for the majority of modern speleothem samples from Harrison’s Cave fall within the range of equilibrium values predicted from the combined use of (1) calcite-water fractionation factors from the literature, (2) measured temperatures, and (3) measured δ13C values of the dissolved inorganic carbon of drip waters. Calcite samples range from ∼0.8‰ higher to ∼1.1‰ lower than predicted values. The 13C depletions are likely caused by kinetically driven departures in the fractionation between HCO3 (aq) and CaCO3 from equilibrium conditions, caused by rapid calcite growth. 13C enrichments can be accounted for by Rayleigh distillation of the HCO3 (aq) reservoir during degassing of 13C-depleted CO2.Modern speleothems from Harrison’s Cave are not in O isotopic equilibrium with their corresponding drip waters and are 0.2‰ to 2.3‰ enriched in 18O relative to equilibrium values. δ18O variations in modern calcite are likely controlled by kinetically driven changes in the fractionation between HCO3 (aq) and CaCO3 from equilibrium conditions to nonequilibrium conditions, consistent with rapid calcite growth. In contrast to δ13C, δ18O values of modern calcite may not be affected by Rayleigh distillation during degassing because CO2 hydration and hydroxylation reactions will buffer the O isotopic composition of the HCO3 (aq) reservoir. If the effects of Rayleigh distillation manifest themselves in the O isotopic system, they will result in 18O enrichment in the HCO3 (aq) reservoir and ultimately in the precipitated CaCO3.  相似文献   

14.
Speleothems from Hoti Cave in northern Oman provide a record of continental pluvial periods over the last 330,000 yr. Periods of rapid speleothem deposition occurred from 6000 to 10,500, 78,000 to 82,000, 120,000 to 135,000, 180,000 to 200,000, and 300,000 to 330,000 yr ago, with little or no growth during the intervening periods. During each of these five pluvial periods, δD values of water extracted from speleothem fluid inclusions (δDFI) are between −60 and −20‰ (VSMOW) and δ18O values of speleothem calcite (δ18OC) are between −12 and −4‰ to (VPDB). These values are much more negative than modern rainfall (for δD) or modern stalagmites (for δ18O). Previous work on the isotopic composition of rainfall in Oman has shown that northern and southern moisture sources are isotopically distinct. Combined measurements of the δD values of fluid-inclusion water with calculated δ18O values from peak interglacial speleothems indicate that groundwater was predominantly recharged by the southern (Indian Ocean) moisture source, when the monsoon rainfall belt moved northward and reached Northern Oman during each of these periods.  相似文献   

15.
Coral proxy records of sea surface temperature (SST) and hydrological balance have become important tools in the field of tropical paleoclimatology. However, coral aragonite is subject to post-depositional diagenetic alteration in both the marine and vadose environments. To understand the impact of diagenesis on coral climate proxies, two mid-Holocene Porites corals from raised reefs on Muschu Island, Papua New Guinea, were analysed for Sr/Ca, δ18O, and δ13C along transects from 100% aragonite to 100% calcite. Thin-section analysis showed a characteristic vadose zone diagenetic sequence, beginning with leaching of primary aragonite and fine calcite overgrowths, transitional to calcite void filling and neomorphic, fabric selective replacement of the coral skeleton. Average calcite Sr/Ca and δ18O values were lower than those for coral aragonite, decreasing from 0.0088 to 0.0021 and −5.2 to −8.1‰, respectively. The relatively low Sr/Ca of the secondary calcite reflects the Sr/Ca of dissolving phases and the large difference between aragonite and calcite Sr/Ca partition coefficients. The decrease in δ18O of calcite relative to coral aragonite is a function of the δ18O of precipitation. Carbon-isotope ratios in secondary calcite are variable, though generally lower relative to aragonite, ranging from −2.5 to −10.4%. The variability of δ13C in secondary calcite reflects the amount of soil CO2 contributing 13C-depleted carbon to the precipitating fluids. Diagenesis has a greater impact on Sr/Ca than on δ18O; the calcite compositions reported here convert to SST anomalies of 115°C and 14°C, respectively. Based on calcite Sr/Ca compositions in this study and in the literature, the sensitivity of coral Sr/Ca-SST to vadose-zone calcite diagenesis is 1.1 to 1.5°C per percent calcite. In contrast, the rate of change in coral δ18O-SST is relatively small (−0.2 to 0.2°C per percent calcite). We show that large shifts in δ18O, reported for mid-Holocene and Last Interglacial corals with warmer than present Sr/Ca-SSTs, cannot be caused by calcite diagenesis. Low-level calcite diagenesis can be detected through X-ray diffraction techniques, thin section analysis, and high spatial resolution sampling of the coral skeleton and thus should not impede the production of accurate coral paleoclimate reconstructions.  相似文献   

16.
Land snails provide a unique opportunity to study terrestrial paleoenvironments because their shells, which are generally highly abundant and well-preserved in the fossil record, contain a temporal record of environmental change in the form of isotope codes. To evaluate the utility of this approach for a low-latitude oceanic setting, 207 modern shells of 18 species of land snail were analyzed for their oxygen and carbon isotope composition along a north and south facing altitudinal gradient (10-2160 m a.s.l.) in Tenerife Island (∼28°N) of the Canary Archipelago.Shells collected at each locality showed a relatively large range in isotope composition which was greater along the south facing transect (drier and hotter), suggesting that the variance in shell isotope values may be related to water-stress. Although pooled isotope values did not generally show strong relationships with environmental variables (i.e., altitude, temperature and precipitation), mean isotope values were strongly associated with some climatic factors when grouped by site. The mean δ18O value of the shell (δ18Oshell) by site displayed a negative correlation with elevation, which is consistent with the positive relationship observed between temperature and the δ18O value of rain (δ18Orain). Calculated δ18O values of the snail body water (δ18Obody) derived from observed temperatures and δ18Oshell values (using the equation of Grossman and Ku [Grossman E. L. and Ku T. L. (1986) Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation in biogenic aragonite. Chem. Geol. (Isotope Geosci. Sec.)59, 59-74]) displayed a trend with respect to altitude that was similar to measured and hypothetical δ18O values for local rain water. The calculated δ18Obody values from the shell declined 0.17‰ (VSMOW) per 100 m, which is consistent with the “altitude effect” observed for tropical rains in Western Africa, and it correlated negatively with rainfall amount. Accordingly, lower δ18Oshell values indicate lower temperatures, lower δ18Orain values and possibly, higher rainfall totals. A positive correlation between the mean δ13C values of shells (δ13Cshell) and plants by site suggests that shells potentially record information about the surrounding vegetation. The δ13Cshell values varied between −15.7 and −0.6‰ (VPDB), indicating that snails consumed C3 and C4/CAM plants, where more negative δ13Cshell values probably reflects the preferential consumption of C3 plants which are favored under wetter conditions. Individuals with more positive δ13Cshell values consumed a larger percentage of C4 plants (other potential factors such as carbonate ingestion or atmospheric CO2 contribution were unlikely) that were more common at lower elevations of the hotter and drier south facing transect. The relatively wide range of shell isotope values within a single site requires the analysis of numerous shells for meaningful paleoclimatic studies. Although small differences were observed in isotope composition among snail species collected at a single sampling site, they were not significant, suggesting that isotope signatures extracted from multi-taxa snail data sets may be used to infer environmental conditions over a broad range of habitats.  相似文献   

17.
An 18 million year record of the Ca isotopic composition (δ44/42Ca) of planktonic foraminiferans from ODP site 925, in the Atlantic, on the Ceara Rise, provides the opportunity for critical analysis of Ca isotope-based reconstructions of the Ca cycle. δ44/42Ca in this record averages +0.37 ± 0.05 (1σ SD) and ranges from +0.21‰ to +0.52‰. The record is a good match to previously published Neogene Ca isotope records based on foraminiferans, but is not similar to the record based on bulk carbonates, which has values that are as much as 0.25‰ lower. Bulk carbonate and planktonic foraminiferans from core tops differ slightly in their δ44/42Ca (i.e., by 0.06 ± 0.06‰ (n = 5)), while the difference between bulk carbonate and foraminiferan values further back in time is markedly larger, leaving open the question of the cause of the difference. Modeling the global Ca cycle from downcore variations in δ44/42Ca by assuming fixed values for the isotopic composition of weathering inputs (δ44/42Caw) and for isotope fractionation associated with the production of carbonate sediments (Δsed) results in unrealistically large variations in the total mass of Ca2+ in the oceans over the Neogene. Alternatively, variations of ±0.05‰ in the Ca isotope composition of weathering inputs or in the extent of fractionation of Ca isotopes during calcareous sediment formation could entirely account for variations in the Ca isotopic composition of marine carbonates. Ca isotope fractionation during continental weathering, such as has been recently observed, could easily result in variations in δ44/42Caw of a few tenths of permil. Likewise a difference in the fractionation factors associated with aragonite versus calcite formation could drive shifts in Δsed of tenths of permil with shifts in the relative output of calcite and aragonite from the ocean. Until better constraints on variations in δ44/42Caw and Δsed have been established, modeling the Ca2+ content of seawater from Ca isotope curves should be approached cautiously.  相似文献   

18.
Variations in the oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of five cherts from the 1.9 Ga Gunflint iron formation (Canada) were studied at the micrometer scale by ion microprobe to try to better understand the processes that control δ18O values in cherts and to improve seawater paleotemperature reconstructions. Gunflint cherts show clearly different δ18O values for different types of silica with for instance a difference of ≈15‰ between detrital quartz and microquartz. Microquartz in the five samples is characterized by large intra sample variations in δ18O values, (δ18O of quartz varies from 4.6‰ to 6.6‰ at the 20 μm scale and from ≈12‰ to 14‰ at 2 μm scale). Isotopic profiles in microquartz adjacent to hydrothermal quartz veins demonstrate that microquartz more than ≈200 μm away from the veins has preserved its original δ18O value.At the micrometer spatial resolution of the ion probe, data reveal that microquartz has preserved a considerable δ18O heterogeneity that must be regarded as a signature inherited from its diagenetic history. Modelling of the δ18O variations produced during the diagenetic transformation of sedimentary amorphous silica precursors into microquartz allows us to calculate seawater temperature (Tsw at which the amorphous silica precipitated) and diagenesis temperature (Tdiagenesis at which microquartz formed) that reproduce the δ18O distributions (mean, range and shape) measured at micrometer scale in microquartz. The two critical parameters in this modelling are the δ18O value and the mass fraction of the diagenetic fluid. Under these assumptions, the most likely ranges for Tsw and Tdiagenesis are from 37 to 52 °C and from 130 to 170 °C, respectively.  相似文献   

19.
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. δ13C and δ18O values of carbonates from the Atacama are the highest of any desert in the world. δ13C (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 CO2 production function, and relatively shallow (20-30 cm) average production depths. Overall, we find that respiration rates are the main predictor of the δ13C value of soil carbonate in the Atacama, whereas the fraction C3 to C4 biomass at individual sites has a subordinate influence. The high average δ13C value (+4.1‰) of carbonate from the driest study sites indicates it formed—perhaps abiotically—in the presence of pure atmospheric CO218O (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 δ13C values. δ18O values for soil carbonate predicted from local temperature and δ18O 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 δ18O values from ancient soil carbonate to reconstruct paleoelevation in such arid settings.  相似文献   

20.
Here we present Sr, C, and O isotope curves for Ordovician marine calcite based on analyses of 206 calcitic brachiopods from 10 localities worldwide. These are the first Ordovician-wide isotope curves that can be placed within the newly emerging global biostratigraphic framework. A total of 182 brachiopods were selected for C and O isotope analysis, and 122 were selected for Sr isotope analysis. Seawater 87Sr/86Sr decreased from 0.7090 to 0.7078 during the Ordovician, with a major, quite rapid fall around the Middle-Late Ordovician transition, most probably caused by a combination of low continental erosion rates and increased submarine hydrothermal exchange rates. Mean δ18O values increase from −10‰ to −3‰ through the Ordovician with an additional short-lived increase of 2 to 3‰ during the latest Ordovician due to glaciation. Although diagenetic alteration may have lowered δ18O in some samples, particularly those from the Lower Ordovician, maximum δ18O values, which are less likely to be altered, increase by more than 3‰ through the Ordovician in both our data and literature data. We consider that this long-term rise in calcite δ18O records the effect of decreasing tropical seawater temperatures across the Middle-Late Ordovician transition superimposed on seawater δ18O that was steadily increasing from ≤−3‰ standard mean ocean water (SMOW). By contrast, δ13C variation seems to have been relatively modest during most of the Ordovician with the exception of the globally documented, but short-lived, latest Ordovician δ13C excursion up to +7‰. Nevertheless, an underlying trend in mean δ13C can be discerned, changing from moderately negative values in the Early Ordovician to moderately positive values by the latest Ordovician. These new isotopic data confirm a major reorganization of ocean chemistry and the surface environment around 465 to 455 Ma. The juxtaposition of the greatest recorded swings in Phanerozoic seawater 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O at the same time as one of the largest marine transgressions in Phanerozoic Earth history suggests a causal link between tectonic and climatic change, and emphasizes an endogenic control on the O isotope budget during the Early Paleozoic. Better isotopic and biostratigraphic constraints are still required if we are to understand the true significance of these changes. We recommend that future work on Ordovician isotope stratigraphy focus on this outstanding Middle-Late Ordovician event.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号