SPELEOTHEM-BASED PALEOCLIMATE RECORD FROM NORTHERN OMAN

U-Th age dating and stable isotope measurements of speleothems from Ho ti Cave in northern Oman yield paleoclimate information from the regio n extending to 125 ka. The results (1) provide further confirmation of an early Holocene wet period in southern Arabia extending from some t ime prior to 9.7 ka and ending at 6.2 ha; (2) demonstrate a second per iod of wetness closely coinciding,vith the last interglacial period, m arine isotope stage (MIS) 5e; (3) indicate that during MIS 5e, souther n Arabia was considerably wetter than during the early Holocene; and ( 4) demonstrate that periods of increased monsoon wind strength, based on data from marine sediments, do not always coincide with evidence of greatly increased precipitation even from nearby continental areas.