dating climate in caves / Deciphering clues to prehistoric climate changes locked in cave deposits | Vanderbilt University

dating climate in caves

dating climate in caves

But the glaciers tend to hang around for much longer than they stay away. It can be done three different ways. Uranium from the surrounding bedrock seeps into the water and forms a carbonate that becomes part of each layer of the speleothem as it forms. Because speleothem growth is influenced by geography, ground water chemistry, and other factors, the record from one cave cannot serve as a record of climate change. International Journal of Speleology, 40 1 , p. The red lines show where the layers were counted. Other isotopic signatures can be used, too: Ratios of carbon isotopes are related to the kinds of vegetation that are present in the environment above the cave, so scientists can determine whether plant communities that thrive in varying kinds of climates grew above the cave over time.

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DATING CLIMATE IN CAVES / janiceclark.net