Paleoclimate
Orbitally paced groundwater in the Ice Age Southwest
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Devils Hole cave calcite shows Nevada’s water table rose and fell with glacial cycles for 750,000 years, with a slow long-term drop.
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Orbitally paced groundwater in the Ice Age Southwest
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What cave archive records southwestern US water-table history?
Due to its proximity to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, the paleo water-table history of this region has been a topic of study since the 1980s.
How well do 230Th–U and 234U–U ages agree?
For 78 samples (85%) 230 Th–U and 234 U–U ages agree within their 2σ uncertainties and only four samples (4%) have a difference of more than 1.5× their combined uncertainty.
Key findings
The continuous record starts after 746 ± 16 ka. Pre-350 ka oscillations reached 15 m amplitude with ~20 kyr beats. Mean long-term decline is 3.4 m per 100 kyr from +19.5 m at 719 ka to +9.9 m at 438 ka, then little secular drop. A major lowstand occurred at 550 ± 15 ka. Glacial highstands can imply up to +240% recharge in models.
Methodology
The authors dated mammillary calcite from 350–820 ka with paired 230Th–U and 234U–U methods (92 samples) and mapped deposition elevations to reconstruct Ash Meadows/Devils Hole water-table history.
Limitations
234U–U ages beyond 650 ka carry percent-level systematic uncertainty in initial δ234U. One aquifer system may not represent the whole Great Basin. Recharge percentages come from a groundwater model, not direct flux measurements.
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