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High-precision mass-spectrometric uranium-series dating of cave deposits and implications for palaeoclimate studies

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Abstract

CALCITE deposits in caves, known as speleothem, can provide valuable palaeoenvironmental information1–4. In particular, because speleothem are deposited only in air-filled caves, gaps in deposition in coastal caves record high-stands of sea level. Here we report the use of isotope-dilution mass spectrometry to date speleothem by the uranium-series method. The use of mass spectrometry in uranium-series dating was first applied to corals5, and has greatly improved the precision of this dating method. The speleothem dated here—a flowstone from 15 m below modern sea level in a Bahamian cave—records changes in sea level over the past 280,000 years. The dated hiatuses in deposition indicate high sea-level stands that are in general agreement with data from deep-sea oxygen isotope stratigraphy6 and other estimates for the timing of high-stands and glacial minima1–3,7.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada

    W.-X. Li, H. P. Schwarcz & R. McNutt

  2. Department of Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada

    J. Lundberg, A. P. Dickin & D. C. Ford

  3. Trigon Computer Services, Melbourne, Florida, 32901, USA

    D. Williams

Authors
  1. W.-X. Li
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  2. J. Lundberg
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  3. A. P. Dickin
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  4. D. C. Ford
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  5. H. P. Schwarcz
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  6. R. McNutt
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  7. D. Williams
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Li, WX., Lundberg, J., Dickin, A. et al. High-precision mass-spectrometric uranium-series dating of cave deposits and implications for palaeoclimate studies. Nature 339, 534–536 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/339534a0

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