Wetter and cooler late Holocene climate in the southwestern United States from mites preserved in stalagmites

The presence of at least 12 species of well-preserved mites in two late Holocene stalagmites from Hidden Cave, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, depicts changing climate over the past 3200 yr. Growth of both stalagmites, determined by uranium-series dating, occurred from at least 3171 plus/minus 48 y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2001-07, Vol.29 (7), p.643-646
Main Authors: Polyak, Victor J, Cokendolpher, James C, Norton, Roy A, Asmerom, Yemane
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The presence of at least 12 species of well-preserved mites in two late Holocene stalagmites from Hidden Cave, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, depicts changing climate over the past 3200 yr. Growth of both stalagmites, determined by uranium-series dating, occurred from at least 3171 plus/minus 48 yr ago and ceased by 819 plus/minus 82 yr ago. Some of the 12 subfossil genera and species in the stalagmites are like those currently found in wetter and cooler climates, northern-like, and distinctly different from those known in the cave (n = 16) and on the surface immediately around the cave (n = 32). The mismatch of genera and species in the stalagmites, cave, and surface near the cave argues for a wetter and cooler late Holocene climate in the southwestern United States from ca. 3200 to 800 yr ago.
ISSN:0091-7613
DOI:10.1130/0091-7613(2001)0292.0.CO;2