Late Holocene climate and cultural changes in the southwestern United States

Columnar stalagmites in caves of the Guadalupe Mountains during the late Ho locene record a 4000-year annually resolved climate history for the southwe stern United States. Annual banding, hiatuses, and high-precision uranium-s eries dating show a present day-like climate from 4000 to 3000 years ago, f ollowing a drier middle Holocene. A distinctly wetter and cooler period fro m 3000 to 800 years ago was followed by a period of present day-like condit ions, with the exception of a slightly wetter interval from 440 to 290 year s before the present. The stalagmite record correlates well with the archae ological record of changes in cultural activities of indigenous people. Suc h climate change may help to explain evidence of dwelling abandonment and p opulation redistribution.