Paleoclimate of the Dead Sea Basin from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to determine the late glacial paleoclimate of the Southern Levant. A study of delta 13C and delta 18O in carbonates (aragonite) was undertaken from a Lisan Core 3, a laminated core, collected from the Lisan Peninsula in the Dead Sea. Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) ages demonstrated that the core spanned the period from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the Holocene (20-12 thousand years ago (kya)). Results derived from carbon and oxygen isotopes provide insight into the paleoclimate of the Southern Levant. The period from 20-14.6 kya was dry and cool, with little organic matter being washed into the Dead Sea Basin. This interpretation is based on higher isotopic values (delta 13C values as high as 1.57) than are found in the modern Jordan River, which has delta 13C values of - 7.2. During the interval from 14.2-12.5 kya, values for delta 13C and delta 18O were much more dilute, with delta 13C values as low as -14. This dilution demonstrates increased precipitation and/or flooding events that washed organic matter into the basin. The results of this study agree with other studies based on paleolake levels, pollen levels and paleoclimate studies from the Dead Sea Basin.