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Constraining Holocene sea levels using U‐Th ages of phreatic overgrowths on speleothems from coastal caves in Mallorca (Western Mediterranean)
Author(s) -
Tuccimei Paola,
Soligo Michele,
Ginés Joaquin,
Ginés Angel,
Fornós Joan,
Kramers Jan,
Villa Igor Maria
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.1955
Subject(s) - phreatic , cave , speleothem , geology , karst , aragonite , carbonate , table (database) , stalagmite , calcite , water table , holocene , deposition (geology) , geochemistry , sea level , carbonate rock , mediterranean climate , oceanography , paleontology , archaeology , sedimentary rock , aquifer , groundwater , geography , sediment , materials science , geotechnical engineering , computer science , metallurgy , data mining
Abstract Phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) are carbonate formations deposited at the water table of caves in unique karstic coastal settings having morphologies that can be directly related to sea level at the time of formation. The U‐Th ages of calcite and aragonite overgrowths collected from the modern water table in coastal caves on Mallorca (Cova de Cala Varques A and Cova des Pas de Vallgornera) were determined using high‐precision MC‐ICPMS techniques. U‐Th ages indicate that phreatic carbonate deposition occurred between ca 2·8 and at least 0·6 ka BP and are in accord with an archeologically estimated age of 3·7–3·0 ka BP for a drowned prehistoric construction at a depth of 1 m below current sea level in a cave from the same area. Speleothem δ 13 C and δ 18 O and chemical composition of cave pools provide supportive evidence that POS reflect mixing between seawater and brackish water table. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.