A &gt;200 ka U-Th Based Chronology From Lacustrine Evaporites, Searles Lake, CA

Stroup, Justin S.; Olson, Kristian J.; Lowenstein, Tim K.; Jost, Adam B.; Mosher, Hayley M.; Peaple, Mark D.; Feakins, Sarah J.; Chen, Christine Y.; Lund, Steven P.; McGee, David

doi:10.1029/2022gc010685

A >200 ka U-Th Based Chronology From Lacustrine Evaporites, Searles Lake, CA

Journal Article · Mon Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gc010685· OSTI ID:2007291

^[1]; ^[2]; Lowenstein, Tim K. ^[2]; ^[3]; Mosher, Hayley M. ^[4]; ^[5]; ^[5]; Chen, Christine Y. ^[6]; ^[5]; ^[3]

State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Oswego, NY (United States); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY (United States)
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Oswego, NY (United States)
Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Well-dated lacustrine records are essential to establish the timing and drivers of regional hydroclimate change. Searles Basin, California, records the depositional history of a fluctuating saline-alkaline lake in the terminal basin of the Owens River system draining the eastern Sierra Nevada. Here, we establish a U-Th chronology for the ~76-m-long SLAPP-SLRS17 core collected in 2017 based on dating of evaporite minerals. Ninety-eight dated samples comprising nine different minerals were evaluated based on stratigraphic, mineralogic, textural, chemical, and reproducibility criteria. After the application of these criteria, a total of 37 dated samples remained as constraints for the age model. A lack of dateable minerals between 145 and 110 ka left the age model unconstrained over the penultimate glacial termination (Termination II). We thus established a tie point between plant wax δD values in the core and a nearby speleothem δ¹⁸O record at the beginning of the Last Interglacial. We construct a Bayesian age model allowing stratigraphy to inform sedimentation rate inflections. We find that the >210 ka SLAPP-SRLS17 record contains five major units that correspond with prior work. The new dating is broadly consistent with previous efforts but provides more precise age estimates and enables a detailed evaluation of evaporite depositional history. We also offer a substantial revision of the age of the Bottom Mud-Mixed Layer contact, shifting it from ~130 ka to 178 ± 3 ka. The new U-Th chronology documents the timing of mud and salt layers and lays the foundation for climate reconstructions.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2007291

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-839563; 1060556

Journal Information:: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Journal Name: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 24; ISSN 1525-2027

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
Owens River
Searles Lake
U-Th series
age model
evaporite minerals
geochronology

A >200 ka U-Th Based Chronology From Lacustrine Evaporites, Searles Lake, CA

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