Deglacial paleoclimate in the southwestern United States: an abrupt 18.6 ka cold event and evidence for a North Atlantic forcing of Termination I

We present a new U-series dated speleothem record (PC-1) from the Great Basin that documents deglacial climate variability between ca 20.1 and 15.6 ka. Our data show an abrupt 18.6 ka cold event preceding Heinrich event 1 that is consistent with expansion of the Laurentide Ice sheet during the ‘binge’ phase of ice growth. This event coincided with dessication of pluvial Lake Mojave suggesting cold and dry conditions in the southern Great Basin at this time. PC-1 δ18O values before and during Heinrich event 1 are similar, but an increase in stalagmite growth rates suggests wetter conditions that coincided with deposition of spring deposits in southern Nevada. The time interval of our record is consistent with the timing of pluvial conditions in the Great Basin as evident from a comparison to regional wetness proxies. Our new speleothem record, recovered from the recharge area for Devils Hole, does not show a δ18O increase coincident with the abrupt increase in Devils Hole δ18O at c. 18 ka, challenging the view that the Great Basin experienced an early Termination I. This hypothesis is supported by two other southwest speleothem records that demonstrate deglaciation was synchronous with forcing from the North Atlantic Ocean. We suggest that Devils Hole speleothem δ18O values may partly reflect source water changes in the regional aquifer. Further, Devils Hole δ13C minima coincide with peak global glacial conditions and weak Asian monsoon periods, suggesting that they constrain better the timing of pluvial conditions in the Great Basin.

► A Great Basin speleothem documents pluvial conditions between ca. 20.1 and 15.6 ka.
► Abrupt cold event at 18.6 ka coincides with pluvial lake dessication prior to Heinrich event 1.
► Deglacial warming in southwestern paleoclimate records consistent with a North Atlantic forcing.
► Devils Hole δ13C is an indicator of the timing of pluvial climates in the desert southwest.