D/H ratios of fluid inclusions of Soreq cave (Israel) speleothems as a guide to the Eastern Mediaterranean Meteoric Line relationships in the last 120 ky

Alan Matthews*, Avner Ayalon, Miryam Bar-Matthews

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

92 Scopus citations

Abstract

D/H studies of fluid inclusions of speleothems of the Soreq cave (Israel) are made using the method of vacuum thermal extraction. D/H measurements of present-day carbonate pool margins and waters show that the value of the vacuum thermal extraction fractionation Δ(ex) (= δD(extracted water) - δD(cave water)) is -30.0 ± 1.4‰ for the Soreq cave deposits. D/H analyses of fluid inclusions of two fossil speleothems formed during periods equivalent to glacial times suggest that their isotopic compositions follow the global Meteoric Water Line (MWL) δD-δ18O relationship, compared to present-day waters which follow the Mediterranean Meteoric Water Line (MMWL) trend. Two samples from interglacial periods show isotopic trends between these lines. These differences are presumed to reflect cooler less evaporative conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea during glacial times. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)183-191
Number of pages9
JournalChemical Geology
Volume166
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 May 2000

Keywords

  • Fluid inclusions
  • Paleoclimate
  • Speleothems
  • Stable isotopes

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