Correlation of Late-Pleistocene Lake-Level Oscillations in Mono Lake, California, with North Atlantic Climate Events

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

USGS Staff -- Published Research US Geological Survey

1997

Larry Benson University of Colorado at Boulder, [email protected]

Steve P. Lund University of Southern California, [email protected]

James W. Burdett Cornell University

Michaele Kashgarian Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Timothy P. Rose Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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Benson, Larry; Lund, Steve P.; Burdett, James W.; Kashgarian, Michaele; Rose, Timothy P.; Smoot, Joseph P.; and Schwartz, Martha, "Correlation of Late-Pleistocene Lake-Level Oscillations in Mono Lake, California, with North Atlantic Climate Events" (1997). USGS Staff -- Published Research. 796. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub/796

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Staff -- Published Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Larry Benson, Steve P. Lund, James W. Burdett, Michaele Kashgarian, Timothy P. Rose, Joseph P. Smoot, and Martha Schwartz

This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ usgsstaffpub/796 QUATERNARY RESEARCH 49, 1-10 (1998) ARTICLE NO. QR971940

Correlation of Late-Pleistocene Lake-Level Oscillations in Mono Lake, California, with North Atlantic Climate Events

Larry V. Benson u.s. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Boulder, Colorado 80303-1066

Steve P. Lund Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089

James w. Burdett Cornell Laboratory for Stable Isotope Analysis, 125 Boyce Thompson Institute, Tower Road, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14583

Michaele Kashgarian and Timothy P. Rose Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.D. Box 808, Livermore, California 94550

Joseph P. Smoot u.s. Geological Survey, MS 955, Reston, Virginia 22092

and

Martha Schwartz Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089

Received April17, 1997

gaard -Oeschger cycles) that lasted between 500 and 2000 Oxygen-IS eSO) values of sediment from the Wilson Creek For yr (Bond et al., 1993; Bond and Lotti, 1995). The strongest mation, Mono Basin, California, indicate three scales of temporal of the cool intervals were often terminated by the massive variation (Dansgaard-Oeschger, Heinrich, and Milankovitch) in discharge of icebergs (Heinrich events) from ice sheets sur the hydrologic balance of Mono Lake between 35,400 and 12,900 rounding the North Atlantic (Bond et al., 1992; Broecker, 14C yr B.P. During this interval, Mono Lake experienced four 1994). Abrupt warming followed the Heinrich events. In lowstands each lasting from 1000 to 2000 yr. The youngest low recent papers (Benson et al., 1996a, 1997a) it was shown stand, which occurred between 15,500 and 14,000 14C yr B.P., was nearly synchronous with a desiccation of Owens Lake, California. that Owens Basin, California, was relatively dry during the Paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) data indicate that three of occurrence of the North Atlantic region Younger Dryas four persistent lowstands occurred at the same times as Heinrich (Heinrich event HO), Older Dryas, Oldest Dryas, and Hein events HI, H2, and H4. ISO data indicate the two highest lake rich HI and H2 events. levels occurred ~IS,OOO and ~13,100 14C yr B.P., corresponding Chemical records from sediment cores taken in Owens to passages of the mean position of the polar jet stream over Lake, California, indicate that major advances of Sierran the Mono Basin. Extremely low values of total inorganic carbon glaciers occurred between 52,500 and 12,500 14C yr B.P. between 26,000 and 14,000 14C yr B.P. indicate glacial activity, (Fig. 1). The glacial advances appear to have been accompa corresponding to a time when summer insolation was much re nied by decreases in the amount of water entering Owens duced. © 1998 University of Washington. Lake (Benson et al., 1996a). These data indicate that the Owens Basin was cold and dry when the North Atlantic region was cold. 1 Unfortunately, 14C age controls for the INTRODUCTION

1 During glacial advances, the total organic carbon content of Owens Lake During the last glacial age, ice-core and marine records decreased, indicating that productivity decreased in response to decreases indicate that the climate of the North Atlantic region was in air and water temperatures and to decreases in light penetration that characterized by alternating cool-warm intervals (Dans- accompanied the input of turbid melt water. During some advances, 8180

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                .                                               .             .            .                              .                                 .                .        .                    .                       .        .  .   .                                                  .                                           .        .               .           .      .  .                        .     .                      .   .                 .               .                .   .                             .                 .                                                                .       . .                           .                                     . 

                                              .                    .   .         .  .       . .         

    .         

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                      .                  .                             .        .                    .      .                    .        .           .      .                          .         .                                 .                       .                                        .     .              .                 .  .            .         ..           .                                      .                                           .   .   . .    .        .   .                        . .  .                                     .                                                                          . . .                 .       .               .                      .                     .   .  .            .                .     .           .                      .    

             . .                  .      .        .         

                      .                            .                                                                 . .      .         .                            .  .      .             .                    .              .             . 

   .                         .          .           .    .                               .         .                            .             .                     .                 .                      .         .            .     .  .     .    .              .              .    .                    .                                    .                                                     .    .                            .     

        

             .     

           

 .         .    .  

                                                                                              

   . .     .  .     .     .              .    .    .          .                        .                     . 

            .       .                       .          .                        .             .           .                                                     .                      .                               .           .    .   .                       .           .                                   .                                                    . .       .                           .      . .                  .    .         .          

                .                                                                           

                        .                                          .                 .                     .  .           .       .                                  .          .                               .            .      .                .                .     .                   .         . .       .     .     .             .                .            .          .             

                  .       .                                 .     

                   .    .

    .  .           .        .              .     

  .                                                                              .         .      .                  .        .                           . .               .  .                                   .                  . . .                   .                               .             .  .                    .                 .                                                              .                  .           .   .   .                     

    .               .             . . . .       .                                . .                                     .       . .                                .              .           . .                      .     .                                      . . .          .          .   .                                              .         .                              .                                                                                    .                                                .    .             . .    .                        .      .   .          .     .  .                 .                                 .                       ..   .    .                           .                                 .    .            .                                .       .  .                                               .     . .                                                   .                     .           .   .          . .   .                       .              .      .        .                  .                  .           .                          .            .    

.           .    .    .                 .                         .           .                .                        .            .        .                       .         . .   . .                . .    .  .  .   .              .                 .             .      .    .    .                                             .   . .   .   .                       .                            .              .                                  .      .   .            . .            ..                          . .    .             .  .       .         .                                .       .            .       .         .                  .           .      .      .           .               .            .   .   .          . .         .        .  .     .   .