Disentangling High Frequency Climate Oscillations In A Volcanic Setting Laguna Lejia, Chile

Abstract:

Our understanding of the tropics response to periods of rapid climate change such as CAPE I and the Younger Dryas is limited. Laguna Lejia (23°30'0" S 67°42'0" E ~4,300m asl), Chile is a small alkaline paleolake located in the central Altiplano. The volcanoes Lascar, Chiliques, Aguas Calientes and Acamarachi surround it. 1-3 mm laminations in calcareous clay sediments deposited on the southern terrace of Lejia record high-resolution chemical variability in the lake. Preliminary U-Th ages range from 19,567 +739/- 734 yr to 4208 +431/-429 yr, indicating that the Lejia terrace deposits span both CAPE I and the Younger Dryas, periods of rapid global climate change. Changes in the major and trace element composition, δ18O and δ13 C isotopic ratios, and the amount of Li, Mg, Ca, and Sr that can be readily leached from high magnesium smectite clays provide a direct proxy for hydrologic fluctuations. A climate signal can be detected through reoccurring trends in the chemical variability of these sediments; however, the detection of this signal is complicated by interaction with surrounding volcanic edifices. Statistical methods such as PCA analyses using R have been implemented to separate groupings of volcanic controlled elemental fluctuations (Fe, Zr, Nd, Ti, and Al) from ones under the influence of climate. Spectral analyses have been applied to high-resolution major element data collected on Lejia’s paleoshores tufa deposits. Data was collected on Ca, Mg and As at .5 um intervals using a Jeol JXA- 8230 Electron Microprobe at the University of Iowa, Earth and Environmental Sciences. These analyses provided statistical evidence for cyclisity at intervals of 5-15 um and 75-150 um in the banding of the tufas. While previous literature attributes the larger bands to annual chemical cycles the origin of the smaller bands is currently under investigation.