Data release for Oxygen isotopes in terrestrial gastropod shells track Quaternary climate change in the American Southwest
Recent studies have shown the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of modern terrestrial gastropod shells is determined largely by the δ18O of precipitation. This implies that fossil shells could be used to reconstruct the δ18O of paleo-precipitation as long as the hydrologic pathways of the local watershed and the shell isotope systematics are well understood. In this study, we measured the δ18O values of 456 individual gastropod shells collected from paleowetland deposits in the San Pedro Valley, Arizona that range in age from ~29.1 to 9.8 ka. Isotopic differences of up to 2‰ were identified between the four taxa analyzed (Succineidae, Pupilla hebes, Gastrocopta tappaniana, and Vallonia gracilicosta), with Succineidae shells yielding the highest values and V. gracilicosta shells exhibiting the lowest values. We used these data to construct an isotopic record that incorporates these taxonomic offsets, and found shell δ18O values increased by ~4‰ between the last glacial maximum and early Holocene, similar to the magnitude, direction, and rate of isotopic changes recorded by speleothems in the region. These results suggest the terrestrial gastropods analyzed here may be used as a proxy for past climate in a manner that is similar to speleothems, but with potentially much greater spatial coverage.
Complete Metadata
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"fn": "Pigati, Jeffrey S.",
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| description | Recent studies have shown the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of modern terrestrial gastropod shells is determined largely by the δ18O of precipitation. This implies that fossil shells could be used to reconstruct the δ18O of paleo-precipitation as long as the hydrologic pathways of the local watershed and the shell isotope systematics are well understood. In this study, we measured the δ18O values of 456 individual gastropod shells collected from paleowetland deposits in the San Pedro Valley, Arizona that range in age from ~29.1 to 9.8 ka. Isotopic differences of up to 2‰ were identified between the four taxa analyzed (Succineidae, Pupilla hebes, Gastrocopta tappaniana, and Vallonia gracilicosta), with Succineidae shells yielding the highest values and V. gracilicosta shells exhibiting the lowest values. We used these data to construct an isotopic record that incorporates these taxonomic offsets, and found shell δ18O values increased by ~4‰ between the last glacial maximum and early Holocene, similar to the magnitude, direction, and rate of isotopic changes recorded by speleothems in the region. These results suggest the terrestrial gastropods analyzed here may be used as a proxy for past climate in a manner that is similar to speleothems, but with potentially much greater spatial coverage. |
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| identifier | http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_602c2e85d34eb12031143bd6 |
| keyword |
[
"Murray Springs Paleoindian Site",
"San Pedro Valley",
"Sonoran Desert",
"USGS:602c2e85d34eb12031143bd6",
"groundwater discharge",
"spring ecosystems",
"terrestrial gastropods"
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| modified | 2021-05-21T00:00:00Z |
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| spatial | -110.19040, 31.55183, -110.13401, 31.60116 |
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[
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|
| title | Data release for Oxygen isotopes in terrestrial gastropod shells track Quaternary climate change in the American Southwest |
