Decadal-scale Climate Variability on the Central Iranian Plateau Spanning the So-called 4.2 ka BP Drought Event

Abstract:

The influence of climate on the growth and development of ancient civilizations throughout the Holocene remains a topic of heated debate. The 4.2 ka BP global-scale mid-to-low latitude aridification event (Walker et al., 2012) in particular has incited various correlation proposals. Some authors suggest that this event may have led to the collapse of the Akkadian empire in Mesopotamia, one of the first empires in human history, as well as to changes among other Early Bronze Age societies dependent on cereal agriculture (eg. Staubwasser and Weiss, 2006). Other authors remain doubtful of the impact of environmental factors on the collapse of past societies (eg. Middleton, 2012). While coincident timing of an environmental event with archeological evidence does not necessitate a causation, a comprehensive understanding of climate variability in the ancient Near East is nonetheless an essential component to resolving the full history of early human settlements. Paleoclimate data on the Central Iranian Plateau, a region rich with ancient history, is exceptionally sparse compared to other areas. Many karst locations are found throughout the region, however, setting the stage for the development of several high-resolution, accurate and precisely-dated climate proxy records if a correlation between the chemistry of semi-arid speleothem samples and climate is resolved.

Here we present a 5.1-3.7 ka BP record of decadal-scale stalagmite stable isotope and trace metal variability. The stalagmite was collected in Gol-e zard cave (35.8^oN, 52.0^oE), ~100 km NE of Tehran on the southern flank of the Alborz mountain range (2530masl). The area currently receives ~270mm mean annual precipitation, with more than 90% of precipitation falling within the wet season (November-May). We use GNIP data from Tehran and local and regional meteorological data to resolve the large-scale mechanisms forcing isotopic variations in rainwater over Gol-e zard cave. We discuss possible transformation of water isotopes during transition through the karst aquifer based on site properties and simple model experiments. Finally, we discuss the timing and magnitude of significant events in the stable isotope and trace metal records, particularly in relation to the 4.2 ka BP drought event apparent in certain other regional climate records.