Abstract

Speleothem carbonates have commonly been evaluated as excellent terrestrial paleoclimatic indicators. This project seeks to develop a method to determine trace elemental/calcium (TE/Ca) ratios in dripwater and calcite plates as a way to quantitatively determine the extent to which various epikarst and in-cave processes control fractionation in central Texas caves. Solution-based ICP-MS will be used to obtain Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, and Mg/Ca ratios to tell a story of dripwater evolution over time, from its infiltration into epikarst soils to the eventual precipitation of calcite and formation of speleothems. This project hopes to evaluate the extent to which these ratios can be used to quantify prior calcite precipitation (PCP), aridity, and effective precipitation, as well as visualize relationships between in-cave parameters and resulting water chemistry differences between rainfall, dripwaters, and speleothems. This new method should provide the ability to better study large-scale aridity changes in modern and future climates, and provide invaluable insight in improving predictions regarding future water quantity changes along the 100th Meridian and in Central Texas.

Hypothesis to be Tested

Significance and Broader Impacts

Review of Relevant Work

Methods

Discussion of Possible Outcomes

Timeframe and Budget