Belgian paleoclimatologists study a fast-growing stalagmite to glean insight into seasonal climate from centuries past.
speleothems
Posted inNews
Megadrought Helped Topple the Assyrian Empire
Paleoclimate records shed light on the ancient civilization’s meteoric rise and catastrophic collapse.
Posted inNews
The Akkadian Empire—Felled by Dust?
Chemical measurements of a stalagmite from a cave in Iran reveal a large uptick in dust activity in northern Mesopotamia roughly 4,200 years ago, coincident with the decline of the Akkadian Empire.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Ice Rafting Events Affect Asian Monsoon Hydroclimate
Cave stalagmites provide isotopic evidence that Bond events and Heinrich events have more variable effects on Asian monsoon hydroclimate during the last glacial period than during the Holocene.
Posted inNews
Subterranean Caverns Hold Clues to Past Droughts
Cave formations offer highly resolved paleoclimate data that scientists plan to use to reconstruct California's ancient patterns of drought.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Cave "Breathing" Affects Mineral Growth and Climate Clues
A new global model suggests how and where air flow in caves affects the growth of cave mineral deposits that scientists use to reconstruct ancient climates.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Dearth of Hurricanes Cannot Explain Maya Collapse
Mud layers in a stalagmite from a cave on the Yucatán Peninsula show hurricane activity was steady or elevated throughout the Maya collapse.