Anjohibe Cave, Madagascar 370 - 1300 CE Stalagmite MA3 Stable Isotope Data Voarintsoa, N.R.G.; Wang, L.; Railsback, L.B.; Brook, G.A.; Liang, F.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, R.L. Voarintsoa, N.R.G. Wang, L. Railsback, L.B. Brook, G.A. Liang, F. Cheng, H. Edwards, R.L. earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,range upper bound,year Common Era,null,speleothems,null,null,N,lower limit uncertainty) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (notes,null,null,null,null,speleothems,null,null,C,Nature of the spelean minerals (A= aragonite; C= calcite)) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,millimeter,null,speleothems,null,null,N,distance from the top of the stalagmite) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (sample identification,null,null,null,null,speleothems,null,null,C,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,year Common Era,null,speleothems,null,null,N,Age model used in the time series considering petrography (Railsback et al. 2013) and StalAge CE) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,range lower bound,year Common Era,null,speleothems,null,null,N,upper limit uncertainty) 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 (delta 13C,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,corrected,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,Same as d13C raw but with 1.7 subtracted for data from aragonite (Romanek et al. 1992) to convert data to a calcite basis (to eliminate the effect of fractionation between aragonite and calcite.)) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcium carbonate,null,per mil VPDB,null,speleothems,corrected,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,Same as d18O raw but with 0.8 subtracted for data from aragonite (Kim et al. 2007) to convert data to a calcite basis (to eliminate the effect of fractionation between aragonite and calcite.)) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (Anjohibe Cave>LATITUDE -15.53>LONGITUDE 46.88) The timing and causes of paleoenvironmental changes in Madagascar have been debated, specifically in respect to human activity following the settlement in the late Holocene. Here we present d18O, d13C, layer-bounding surfaces, layer-specific width, mineralogy, and distribution of macroholes from Stalagmite MA3 from Anjohibe Cave to provide a detailed understanding of the paleoenvironmental changes in northwestern Madagascar between 370 CE and 1300 CE. The stable isotope records of Stalagmite MA3 are compared with stable isotope records of Stalagmites ANJ94-5 and MA2. Detailed examination of the proxies suggests three distinct intervals of changes. (1) Prior to 795 CE, changes in vegetation seem to have responded to changes in monsoonal rainfall linked to the relative position of the ITCZ. The period between ca. 755 CE and 795 was the driest, and the Stalagmite MA3 record is consistent with sediment records (pollen and lithology) from Lake Mitsinjo, northwestern Madagascar, and with sediment records (fossil pollen and charcoal) from Sainte Luce, southeastern Madagascar. (2) Between 795 CE and 870, the environmental conditions became more favorable, when vegetation recovered from the driest interval. The new conditions must have been suitable for community development in the region as suggested by archaeological evidence around Lake Mitsinjo and the Boeny region, and the establishment of the stone town of Mahilaka. (3) After 870 CE, a gradational change in plant communities from C3 to C4 marks the record until around 1130 CE, after which vegetation was dominated by C4 plants. This change cannot be explained by climate alone, as there is no clear relationship in the climate-sensitive proxies. Instead, it could have been caused by "Tavy", a variety of "swidden" agriculture practiced in the region. STUDY NOTES: Stalagmite stable isotope (d18O and d13C) data from Anjohibe Cave, Madagascar for 370 - 1300 CE. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Voarintsoa, N.R.G. Investigator : Wang, L. Investigator : Railsback, L.B. Investigator : Brook, G.A. Investigator : Liang, F. Investigator : Cheng, H. Investigator : Edwards, R.L. 2017-10-15 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/22910 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/africa/anjohibe2017b.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/africa/anjohibe2017b.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/22910 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/africa/anjohibe2017b.txt Ny Riavo G. Voarintsoa, Lixin Wang, L. Bruce Railsback, George A. Brook, Fuyuan Liang, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards2017Multiple proxy analyses of a U/Th-dated stalagmite to reconstruct paleoenvironmental changes in northwestern Madagascar between 370 CE and 1300 CEPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology469138-15510.1016/j.palaeo.2017.01.003http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018217300020 START YEAR: 370 AD * END YEAR: 1300 AD 46.88 -15.53 46.88 -15.53