USGS · 70004015
A lacustrine carbonate record of Holocene seasonality and climate
Abstract
Annually laminated (varved) Holocene sediments from Derby Lake, Michigan, display variations in endogenic calcite abundance reflecting a long-term (millennial-scale) decrease in burial punctuated with frequent short-term (decadal-scale) oscillations due to carbonate dissolution. Since 6000 cal yr B.P., sediment carbonate abundance has followed a decreasing trend while organic-carbon abundance has increased. The correlation between organic-carbon abundance and the sum of March-April-October-November insolation has an r 2 value of 0.58. We interpret these trends to represent a precession-driven lengthening of the Holocene growing season that has reduced calcite burial by enhancing net annual organic-matter production and associated calcite dissolution. Correlations with regional paleoclimate records suggest that changes in temperature and moisture balance have impacted the distribution of short-term oscillations in carbonate and organic-matter abundance superimposed on the precession-driven trends.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Chad A. Wittkop, Jane L. Teranes, Walter E. Dean, Thomas P. Guilderson. 2009-07-30. A lacustrine carbonate record of Holocene seasonality and climate. https://doi.org/10.1130/g30056a.1
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.