A 2500-yr Late Holocene Multi-Proxy Record of Vegetation and Hydrologic Changes from a cave Guano-Clay Sequence in SW Romania

Bogdan P Onac; Simon M. Hutchinson; Anca Geantă; Ferenc L. Forray; Jonathan G. Wynn; Alexandra M. Giurgiu; Ioan Coroiu

doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007

A 2500-yr Late Holocene Multi-Proxy Record of Vegetation and Hydrologic Changes from a cave Guano-Clay Sequence in SW Romania

Bogdan P Onac, Simon M. Hutchinson, Anca Geantă, Ferenc L. Forray, Jonathan G. Wynn, Alexandra M. Giurgiu, Ioan Coroiu

University of South Florida

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

<p> We provide sedimentological, geochemical, mineral magnetic, stable carbon <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/isotopes" title="Learn more about Isotopes from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> isotope </a> , <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/charcoal" title="Learn more about Charcoal from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> charcoal </a> , and pollen-based evidence from a guano/clay sequence in Gaura cu Musc&abreve; Cave (SW Romania), from which we deduced that from ~ 1230 BC to ~ AD 1240 climate oscillated between wet and dry. From ~ 1230 BC to AD 1000 the climate was wetter than the present, prompting flooding of the cave, preventing bats from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/roosting" title="Learn more about Roosting from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> roosting </a> , and resulting in a slow rate of clay accumulation. The second half of the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/medieval-warm-period" title="Learn more about Medieval Warm Period from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> Medieval Warm Period </a> (MWP) was generally drier; the cave experienced occasional flash flooding in between which maternity bat roosts established in the cave. One extremely wet event occurred around AD 1170, when Fe/Mn and Ti/Zr ratios show the highest values coincident with a substantial increase of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/sedimentation" title="Learn more about Sedimentation from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> sediment </a> load in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/underground" title="Learn more about Underground from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> underground </a> stream. The mineral magnetic characteristics for the second part of the MWP indicate the partial input of surface-sourced sediments reflecting <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/agricultural-development" title="Learn more about Agricultural Development from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> agricultural development </a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/forest-clearance" title="Learn more about Forest Clearance from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> forest clearance </a> in the area. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/pollen" title="Learn more about Pollen from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> Pollen </a> and microcharcoal studies confirm that the overall <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/vegetation-cover" title="Learn more about Vegetation Cover from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> vegetation cover </a> and human land use have not changed much in this <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/region" title="Learn more about Region from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages"> region </a> since the medieval times.</p>

Original language	American English
Journal	Quaternary Research
Volume	83
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007
State	Published - May 1 2015

Keywords

Cave guano
Carbon isotopes
Pollen
Charcoal
Geochemistry
Mineral magnetic properties
Medieval Warm Period
Hydroclimate
Romania
SE Europe

Disciplines

Earth Sciences

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007

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@article{7d7ccd71abf04c97aae1275fa703a758,

title = "A 2500-yr Late Holocene Multi-Proxy Record of Vegetation and Hydrologic Changes from a cave Guano-Clay Sequence in SW Romania",

abstract = " We provide sedimentological, geochemical, mineral magnetic, stable carbon isotope , charcoal , and pollen-based evidence from a guano/clay sequence in Gaura cu Musc&abreve; Cave (SW Romania), from which we deduced that from ~ 1230 BC to ~ AD 1240 climate oscillated between wet and dry. From ~ 1230 BC to AD 1000 the climate was wetter than the present, prompting flooding of the cave, preventing bats from roosting , and resulting in a slow rate of clay accumulation. The second half of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was generally drier; the cave experienced occasional flash flooding in between which maternity bat roosts established in the cave. One extremely wet event occurred around AD 1170, when Fe/Mn and Ti/Zr ratios show the highest values coincident with a substantial increase of sediment load in the underground stream. The mineral magnetic characteristics for the second part of the MWP indicate the partial input of surface-sourced sediments reflecting agricultural development and forest clearance in the area. Pollen and microcharcoal studies confirm that the overall vegetation cover and human land use have not changed much in this region since the medieval times.",

keywords = "Cave guano, Carbon isotopes, Pollen, Charcoal, Geochemistry, Mineral magnetic properties, Medieval Warm Period, Hydroclimate, Romania, SE Europe",

author = "Onac, {Bogdan P} and Hutchinson, {Simon M.} and Anca Geant{\u a} and Forray, {Ferenc L.} and Wynn, {Jonathan G.} and Giurgiu, {Alexandra M.} and Ioan Coroiu",

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doi = "10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007",

language = "American English",

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journal = "Quaternary Research",

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AU - Onac, Bogdan P

AU - Hutchinson, Simon M.

AU - Geantă, Anca

AU - Forray, Ferenc L.

AU - Wynn, Jonathan G.

AU - Giurgiu, Alexandra M.

AU - Coroiu, Ioan

PY - 2015/5/1

Y1 - 2015/5/1

N2 - We provide sedimentological, geochemical, mineral magnetic, stable carbon isotope , charcoal , and pollen-based evidence from a guano/clay sequence in Gaura cu Musc&abreve; Cave (SW Romania), from which we deduced that from ~ 1230 BC to ~ AD 1240 climate oscillated between wet and dry. From ~ 1230 BC to AD 1000 the climate was wetter than the present, prompting flooding of the cave, preventing bats from roosting , and resulting in a slow rate of clay accumulation. The second half of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was generally drier; the cave experienced occasional flash flooding in between which maternity bat roosts established in the cave. One extremely wet event occurred around AD 1170, when Fe/Mn and Ti/Zr ratios show the highest values coincident with a substantial increase of sediment load in the underground stream. The mineral magnetic characteristics for the second part of the MWP indicate the partial input of surface-sourced sediments reflecting agricultural development and forest clearance in the area. Pollen and microcharcoal studies confirm that the overall vegetation cover and human land use have not changed much in this region since the medieval times.

AB - We provide sedimentological, geochemical, mineral magnetic, stable carbon isotope , charcoal , and pollen-based evidence from a guano/clay sequence in Gaura cu Musc&abreve; Cave (SW Romania), from which we deduced that from ~ 1230 BC to ~ AD 1240 climate oscillated between wet and dry. From ~ 1230 BC to AD 1000 the climate was wetter than the present, prompting flooding of the cave, preventing bats from roosting , and resulting in a slow rate of clay accumulation. The second half of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was generally drier; the cave experienced occasional flash flooding in between which maternity bat roosts established in the cave. One extremely wet event occurred around AD 1170, when Fe/Mn and Ti/Zr ratios show the highest values coincident with a substantial increase of sediment load in the underground stream. The mineral magnetic characteristics for the second part of the MWP indicate the partial input of surface-sourced sediments reflecting agricultural development and forest clearance in the area. Pollen and microcharcoal studies confirm that the overall vegetation cover and human land use have not changed much in this region since the medieval times.

KW - Cave guano

KW - Carbon isotopes

KW - Pollen

KW - Charcoal

KW - Geochemistry

KW - Mineral magnetic properties

KW - Medieval Warm Period

KW - Hydroclimate

KW - Romania

KW - SE Europe

UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/1898

UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007

U2 - 10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007

DO - 10.1016/j.yqres.2015.01.007

M3 - Article

VL - 83

JO - Quaternary Research

JF - Quaternary Research

ER -

A 2500-yr Late Holocene Multi-Proxy Record of Vegetation and Hydrologic Changes from a cave Guano-Clay Sequence in SW Romania

Abstract

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