Late Holocene Climate and Cultural Changes in the Southwestern United States

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 294; no. 5540; pp. 148 - 151
• Main Authors: Polyak, Victor J., Asmerom, Yemane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 05.10.2001; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animals; Aragonite; Archaeology; Calcite; Caves; Climate; Climate change; Climate models; Climatic changes; Cultural Activities; Culture; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Evidence; Exact sciences and technology; Fossils; Geologic Sediments; Holocene; Holocene paleogeography; Humans; Humidity; Intervals; Marine and continental quaternary; Meteorological research; Meteorology; Mineralogy; National parks; New Mexico; Paleoclimatology; Paleogeography; Population Dynamics; Population Growth; Prehistoric era; Southwestern United States; Stalagmites; Stone; Surficial geology; United States; United States history; USA, Southwest; Southwestern U.S; Eddy County New Mexico; Carlsbad Caverns; United States; New Mexico; Guadalupe Mountains; Southwestern United States; Southwestern states; USA, Texas, Guadalupe Mts; USA, New Mexico, Guadalupe Mts; upper Holocene; Quaternary; caves; calcite; upper Quaternary; distribution; North America; carbonates; paleoclimate; climate modification; stalagmites; isotopes; archaeology; humidity; dating; uranium; Cenozoic; Phanerozoic; climate cooling; Holocene; high resolution; communities
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1062771

Columnar stalagmites in caves of the Guadalupe Mountains during the late Holocene record a 4000-year annually resolved climate history for the southwestern United States. Annual banding, hiatuses, and high-precision uranium-series dating show a present day-like climate from 4000 to 3000 years ago, following a drier middle Holocene. A distinctly wetter and cooler period from 3000 to 800 years ago was followed by a period of present day-like conditions, with the exception of a slightly wetter interval from 440 to 290 years before the present. The stalagmite record correlates well with the archaeological record of changes in cultural activities of indigenous people. Such climate change may help to explain evidence of dwelling abandonment and population redistribution.