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Palaeolimnology of the Upper Lerma Basin, Central Mexico: a record of climatic change and anthropogenic disturbance since 11 600 yr BP

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Abstract

The Upper Río Lerma valley, Estado de México, is a high-altitude (2575 m a.s.l.) basin floored by Quaternary alluvial, lacustrine and pyroclastic deposits. Two pits were dug in the swampy bed of the recently drained L. Chiconahuapan. Ten 14C dates have been obtained from these profiles, which consist of diatomaceous organic lake muds and peats with intercalated tephras. The oldest unit is the Upper Toluca Pumice (Tripartite Ash), dated 11 580±70 yr BP. Analyses of sediment chemistry, loss-onignition, mineral-magnetic variations and subfossil diatom assemblages provide evidence of environmental changes since this date. Alkaline ponds or freshwater lakes developed during the intervals 9000–6000, 6000–5500, 3600–1400 and 800–0 yr BP, and acidic marshes or bogs during the intervening dry episodes. An important phase of accelerated erosion, beginning around 3100 yr BP and culminating around 1400–700 yr BP, appears to have been associated with human disturbance of the basin soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Earth Resources, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, Hull, UK

    Sarah E. Metcalfe

  2. Tropical Palaeoenvironments Research Group, School of Geography, Mansfield Road, OX1 3TB, Oxford, UK

    F. Alayne Street-Perrott & R. Alan Perrott

  3. NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, East Kilbride, G75 0QU, Glasgow, UK

    Douglas D. Harkness

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  1. Sarah E. Metcalfe
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  2. F. Alayne Street-Perrott
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  3. R. Alan Perrott
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  4. Douglas D. Harkness
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Metcalfe, S.E., Street-Perrott, F.A., Perrott, R.A. et al. Palaeolimnology of the Upper Lerma Basin, Central Mexico: a record of climatic change and anthropogenic disturbance since 11 600 yr BP. J Paleolimnol 5, 197–218 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00200345

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