A discontinuous climatic record from 187 to 74 ka from a speleothem of the Clamouse Cave (south of France)

This study presents a continental paleoclimatic record in the south of France, based on delta(18)O, delta(13)C and the U-234/U-238 activity ratio, dated by the Th-230/U-234 disequilibrium method with thermal ionization mass spectrometry. A stalagmite (Cla4) from the Clamouse Cave offers a discontinuous stable isotopic record between 189 ka and 74 ka which covers marine isotope stages (MIS) 7, 6.4, 5.5, 5.3 and 5.1. The growth phases of the Cla4 stalagmite correspond to high sea level stages, except during MIS 6.4 (169-162 ka). All the growth phases of Cla4 correspond to humid periods, corresponding to the sapropel events observed in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Thus, the influence of a strong hydrological activity in the eastern Mediterranean basin during these periods prevailed as far west as the south of France. Because the karstic system studied strongly buffers the isotopic composition of water, isotopic variations of the calcite deposited in the cave represent mainly global and large-scale environmental variations when isotopic equilibrium conditions prevailed for calcite crystallization. Sub-stage 5.3, the end of 5.5 and MIS 7 were colder by about 4-6degreesC (calculated temperature) compared to present-day temperature while the growth phases of substages 5.1 and the beginning of 5.5 reflect environmental conditions close to present ones. The delta(18)O and delta(13)C values of cave deposits of the sub-stage 6.4 are: (1) strongly marked by kinetic fractionation processes such as evaporation due to moisture deficit within the cave atmosphere during the first step of this growth phase and (2) related to higher humidity due to a second period of enhanced rainfall during the second step of growth. This study shows that even if calcite has not been deposited at isotopic equilibrium, its isotopic composition can give insights into the environmental conditions at the time of deposition. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.