D/H ratios of fluid inclusions of Soreq cave (Israel) speleothems as a guide to the Eastern Mediterranean Meteoric Line relationships in the last 120ky

D/H studies of fluid inclusions of speleothems of the Soreq cave (Israel) a re made using the method of vacuum thermal extraction. D/H measurements of present-day carbonate pool margins and waters show that the value of the va cuum thermal extraction fractionation Delta(ex) (= delta D-extracted water - delta D-cave water) is -30.0 +/- 1.4 parts per thousand for the Soreq cav e deposits. D/H analyses of fluid inclusions of two fossil speleothems form ed during periods equivalent to glacial times suggest that their isotopic c ompositions follow the global Meteoric Water Line (MWL) delta D-delta(18)O relationship, compared to present-day waters which follow the Mediterranean Meteoric Water Line (MMWL) trend. Two samples from interglacial periods sh ow isotopic trends between these lines. These differences are presumed to r eflect cooler less evaporative conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea during glacial times. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.