NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Lobatse Cave Geochemical Data from 50900 to 21400 Cal Yr BP

High-resolution δ18O and δ13C analyses of a stalagmite from Lobatse II Cave reveal late Pleistocene environmental changes in Botswana. Large shifts in δ18O and δ13C are observed between two main periods of deposition. The first period, between 51,000 and 43,000 yr B.P., was warm and humid and may have been associated with some C3 vegetation. The second period, between 27,000 and 21,000 yr B.P., had temperatures approximately 2°C lower, and vegetation dominated by drought-adapted C4 plants. The intervening period, between 43,000 and 27,000 yr B.P., bounded by two major hiatuses in stalagmite growth, produced discontinuous speleothem formation, probably under dry conditions. New 230 Th/234U mass spectrometry age determinations for the stalagmite generally agree with previously measured 230 Th/234U ages. Data contributed as part of SISAL v3 Global Speleothem Isotope and Trace Element Database (doi.org). Notes from the SISAL database: Vegetation: Acacia bush savanna - mixed grassland and shrubland with some trees. \\ The LII4 (SISAL entity_id = 103) and LII4-KH (entity_id = 104) entities were sampled from the same speleothem. Two hiatuses in both LII4 (entity_id = 103) and LII4-KH (entity_id = 104) but the depths are unknown. Host Rock age is given as 'Proterozoic in both references. The weight of carbonate (mg) is given for drilled aliquots - some of these were subdivided and dated multiple times so the weight of the actual dated aliquot is not known (Holmgren et al. 1994).