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A first look at oxygen isotope records from modern and Holocene‐aged gastropod ( Stenomelania ) shells from Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
Author(s) -
Long Kelsie,
Schneider Larissa,
Williams Ian S.,
Fallon Stewart J.,
StuartWilliams Hilary,
Haberle Simon
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.3188
Subject(s) - isotopes of oxygen , holocene , geology , carbonate , oxygen , new guinea , stable isotope ratio , oceanography , oxygen isotope ratio cycle , geochemistry , chemistry , ethnology , history , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
The oxygen isotopic composition of Stenomelania gastropod shells was investigated to reconstruct Holocene palaeoclimate change at Lake Kutubu in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea. Oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) values recorded in aquatic gastropod shells change according to ambient water δ 18 O values and temperature. The gastropod shells appear to form in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with the surrounding water and record a shift in average shell oxygen isotopic composition through time, probably as a result of warmer/wetter conditions at ca. 600–900 and 5900–6200 cal a bp. Shorter term fluctuations in oxygen isotope values were also identified and may relate to changes in the intensity or source of rainfall. Further δ 18 O analyses of gastropod shells or other carbonate proxies found in the Lake Kutubu sediments are warranted. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.