A. Schwalb et al., Holocene environments from stable isotope stratigraphy of ostracods and authigenic carbonate in Chilean Altiplano Lakes, PALAEOGEO P, 148(1-3), 1999, pp. 153-168
Sediment cores from three shallow (<10 m), saline lakes along a transect of
the northern Chilean Altiplano (18 degrees S-27 degrees S) document change
s in moisture balance for the mid- to late Holocene. Stable isotopic compos
itions of ostracods and authigenic carbonate were measured to test whether
high altitude (>4000 m a.s.l.) paleoclimatic profiles show coherency within
tropical-subtropical circulation patterns. Climatic signals however are pa
rtially masked by local environmental systems. Results suggest similar arid
mid-Holocene to less arid late Holocene trends in the three lakes although
each lake shows distinct response characteristics linked to differences in
regional moisture balance. Isotopic signatures for each lake group in disc
rete delta(18)O vs. delta(13)C populations. High isotopic variability resul
ts from episodic flooding and brine evolution in the shallow lakes. Laguna
Seca (18 degrees 11'S, 69 degrees 14'W, 4500 m a.s.l.) is characterized by
a diverse ostracod assemblage of at least 8 species indicating highest mois
ture levels among the three sites. High delta(13)C values are the result of
continuous evasion of CO2 derived from volcanically charged groundwaters a
nd springs plus the formation of travertine and photosynthetic activity in
the lake. A 3 parts per thousand decrease in delta(18)O about -4.7 m sugges
ts an abrupt shift to wetter conditions at the transition from mid- to late
Holocene. Lagunas Miscanti (23 degrees 44'S, 67 degrees 46'W, 4140 m a.s.l
.) and del Negro Francisco (27 degrees 28'S, 69 degrees 14'W, 4125 m a.s.l.
) each contain only one ostracod species, Limnocythere sappaensis, attestin
g to higher salinities, although sediment facies and ostracod continuity an
d abundances imply a history of higher effective moisture at Laguna del Neg
ro Francisco. Sediment cores from each lake document more arid conditions i
n the lower sections, with a sharp shift to wetter conditions in the upper
sections. Highly variable isotope values at the transition from mid- to lat
e Holocene suggest rapid, short-term climate shifts during this transition.
This overall trend can be correlated from Laguna Seca, Laguna Miscanti and
Laguna del Negro Francisco to Lago Titicaca implying climatic coherency al
ong the Altiplano. Isotopic profiles show second order fluctuations and dro
ught events that suggest short-term variability along the transect. In orde
r to explain differences in the effective moisture among the three sites we
postulate interactions of regional air masses. in the north, convective tr
opical precipitation dominates Laguna Seca, as for lakes in the Titicaca re
gion. Effective moisture for Lagunas del Negro Francisco and Miscanti follo
ws a south to north gradient generated by cold air masses from 'cut offs' o
f Pacific Westerlies colliding with moist tropical air masses. Coherent shi
fts in the past therefore imply changes in available tropical air-mass mois
ture. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.