7000 year record of lake-level change on the northern Great Plains: A high-resolution proxy of past climate

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992 · Geology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<0879:YROLLC>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:7159313

Vance, R E; Mathewes, R W ^[1]; Clague, J J ^[2]

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1. Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, BC (Canada)
2. Geological Survey, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

Mineralogical and paleobotanical characteristics of the sedimentary fill in a shallow, saline lake in southeastern Alberta indicate that drought intervals are aperiodic and that climatic extremes unprecedented in historic time occurred earlier during the Holocene, when century-long intervals of repeated, intense droughts alternated with long periods when droughts were rare. Low-water intervals (signifying periods of drought) are recorded by carbonate-rich laminae containing abundant plant fossils indicative of hypersalinity. In contrast, highstands of relatively fresh water (outlining moist periods) are represented by massive, silicate-rich sediment with lower numbers of halophytic indicators.

• OSTI ID: 7159313
• Journal Information: Geology; (United States), Vol. 20:10; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ALBERTA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
DEPOSITION
GREAT PLAINS
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
SEDIMENTS
MINERALOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
CLIMATE MODELS
DROUGHTS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
LAKES
LEVELS
QUATERNARY PERIOD
VARIATIONS
CANADA
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NORTH AMERICA
SURFACE WATERS
580000* - Geosciences
290301 - Energy Planning &amp; Policy- Environment
Health
&amp; Safety- Regional &amp; Global Environmental Aspects- (1992-)