Uranium-Series Dating of Speleothems as a Means of Determining Glabal Paleoclimates

Abstract

<p>770 speleothem dates were collected, and the probability of speleothem growth over time was calculated by fitting a normal distribution to each date, using the one sigma standard deviation. The distribution of recovered speleothem samples approximates an exponential curve, but it is not a simple function. By distinguishing between base dates and top dates and comparing them, glacial periods can be distinctly identified. Thirteen glacial and interglacial stages were recognized in the last 350,000 years. Despite the difference in number from the nine stages of the deep-sea oxygen isotope record, the curves are similar, and the two chronologies are mutually reaffirming.</p>