Macal Chasm, Belize 5300 Year Stalagmite Isotope and Luminescence/Reflectance Data Akers, P.D.; Brook, G.A.; Railsback, L.B.; Liang, F.; Iannone, G.; Webster, J.W.; Reeder, P.P.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, R.L. Akers, P.D. Brook, G.A. Railsback, L.B. Liang, F. Iannone, G. Webster, J.W. Reeder, P.P. Cheng, H. Edwards, R.L. drought earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,centimeter,null,speleothems,null,null,N,Sample distance from stalagmite apex; Chosen depths are arbitrary and were selected for high-resolution tracking of uncertainty; pulled from existing luminescence sample depths) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,centimeter,null,speleothems,null,null,N,Sample distance from stalagmite apex) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (luminescence,calcium carbonate,null,dimensionless,null,speleothems,raw,image analysis,N,ultraviolet-stimulated luminescence; grayscale intensity value: 0=black 255=white) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (sample identification,null,null,null,null,speleothems,null,null,C,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,95% confidence interval margin of error,calendar year,null,speleothems,null,null,N,Bacon age-depth modeling: 95% confidence intervals) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,centimeter,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,speleothems,null,null,N,Bacon age-depth modeling: median age) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (grayscale,calcium carbonate,null,dimensionless,null,speleothems,raw,image analysis,N,natural light reflectance; grayscale intensity: 0=black 255=white) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 13C,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,raw,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (Macal Chasm>LATITUDE 16.883>LONGITUDE -89.108) The stalagmite MC01 was recovered from Macal Chasm cave on the Vaca Plateau of Belize in 1995, and an initial paleoclimate interpretation was published in 2007. Additional uranium-thorium ages have extended the paleoenvironmental record back from 3250 to 5250 cal yr BP, and the stable isotope (d18O and d13C) record is dramatically improved by 660 new values. A series of major dry events (MDEs) evident in stable isotopes, ultraviolet-stimulated luminescence, and petrography began ~ 3100 cal yr BP, and the initiation of these events coincides with an increase in El Nino dominance and southern shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Three MDEs, centered at 1750 cal yr BP (200 CE), 1100 cal yr BP (850 CE), and 850 cal yr BP (1100 CE) and found in other regional climate records, coincide with Maya sociopolitical changes. Residuals from regression of d13C versus d18O are interpreted as a proxy for maize cultivation and land clearing, with residual values gradually increasing at the start of Preclassic Period settlement (3950 cal yr BP/2000 BCE), peaking after 2250 cal yr BP (300 BCE) during major Maya development in the Late Preclassic and Classic Periods, and dropping to pre-Preclassic values after regional land abandonment (~ 850 cal yr BP/1100 CE). Regional Maya population growth and cultural expansion may have been aided by abnormally low precipitation variability, as stable isotope variability suggests the Late Preclassic through the Late Classic was the most stable precipitation regime of the past 4000 years. This additional research on MC01 complements other regional paleoenvironmental records that suggest that MDEs coincided with disruptions in Maya society from the Preclassic through the Postclassic Periods. Although it is clear that not all significant sociopolitical changes can be attributed to the MDEs, these events likely played an antagonistic role in social stability. STUDY NOTES: Paleoenvironmental proxy data (oxygen isotope, carbon isotope, ultraviolet-stimulated luminescence, natural-light reflectance, petrography) from stalagmite MC01 from Macal Chasm, Vaca Plateau, Belize. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Akers, P.D. Investigator : Brook, G.A. Investigator : Railsback, L.B. Investigator : Liang, F. Investigator : Iannone, G. Investigator : Webster, J.W. Investigator : Reeder, P.P. Investigator : Cheng, H. Investigator : Edwards, R.L. 2016-09-12 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/20506 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016uvl.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016age95.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016refl.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016uvl.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016age95.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016refl.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/20506 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016uvl.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016age95.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/belize/macal2016refl.txt Pete D. Akers, George A. Brook, L. Bruce Railsback, Fuyuan Liang, Gyles Iannone, James W. Webster, Philip P. Reeder, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards2016An extended and higher-resolution record of climate and land use from stalagmite MC01 from Macal Chasm, Belize, revealing connections between major dry events, overall climate variability, and Maya sociopolitical changesPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology459268-28810.1016/j.palaeo.2016.07.007http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018216302425 James W. Webster, George A. Brook, L. Bruce Railsback, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, Clark Alexander, Philip P. Reeder2007Stalagmite evidence from Belize indicating significant droughts at the time of Preclassic Abandonment, the Maya Hiatus, and the Classic Maya collapsePalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology2501-41-1710.1016/j.palaeo.2007.02.022http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018207000995 START YEAR: 5245 cal yr BP * END YEAR: -42 cal yr BP -89.108 16.883 -89.108 16.883