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Climate-driven mid- to late Holocene hydrologic evolution of arid wetlands documented by strontium, uranium, and oxygen isotopes from Lower Pahranagat Lake, southern Nevada, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2023

Kevin M. Theissen Open the ORCID record for Kevin M. Theissen [Opens in a new window]  and
James B. Paces
Kevin M. Theissen*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth, Environment, and Society, University of Saint Thomas, Mail# OWS 153, 2115 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55105, USA
James B. Paces
Affiliation:
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Box 25046, MS-963, Denver, CO 80225, USA
*
*Corresponding author email address: kmtheissen@stthomas.edu
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Abstract

Lacustrine carbonates in a 12.4-m-long core from Lower Pahranagat Lake (LPAH), southern Nevada, indicate that radiogenic isotopes of Sr and U (87Sr/86Sr and 234U/238U) preserve evidence of past variations in water sources and evolving hydrologic conditions. Sr and U isotope compositions in LPAH carbonates fall within the range defined by the three primary groundwater sources in Pahranagat Valley and reflect variable mixtures of those sources since the mid-Holocene. Compositions in the oldest sample (5.78 ka) closely match modern compositions of modern discharge from nearby springs, indicating that LPAH water was derived almost exclusively from the local volcanic aquifer. By ca. 5.3–5.2 ka, LPAH water compositions shifted sharply towards isotopic compositions observed in groundwater from the regional carbonate aquifer, indicating a marked increase in surface flow from high-volume springs discharging from the carbonate aquifer to the north. Sediments deposited between 3.08–1.06 ka indicate reduced contributions from the regional aquifer. A comparison of uranium- and oxygen-isotope values in LPAH carbonates suggests that wetter climate conditions favor increased supply from deeper, regional carbonate aquifers compared to drier conditions when contributions from shallower, local volcanic aquifers were more important.

Keywords

87Sr/86Sr ratios234U/238U activity ratiosAuthigenic carbonateHolocene paleohydrologyGreat Basin
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 113 , May 2023 , pp. 52 - 68
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Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2023

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