Open AccessGeochronological implications of 210Pb and 137Cs mobility in cave guano deposits
Author(s) -
Donald A. McFarlane,
Joyce Lundberg
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of speleology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1827-7713
pISSN - 0392-6672
DOI - 10.5038/1827-806x.50.3.2391
Subject(s) - guano , radiocarbon dating , cave , geology , sequence (biology) , archaeology , physical geography , paleontology , geography , chemistry , biochemistry
Some recent publications on the paleo- and historical environmental interpretation of bat guano sequences have relied on 210 Pb and 137 Cs distribution to establish age-depth models, even when these are at odds with radiocarbon models in the lower parts of the sequence. Here, we present both field and laboratory evidence for the unpredictable mobility of lead and cesium in decomposing bat guano deposits. We suggest that 210 Pb- and 137 Cs-based chronologies of bat guano deposits should only be used when independently supported, for example, by a robust radiocarbon age-depth model.