Stable carbon and oxygen isotope paleoclimate records of U.S. Geological Survey-collected samples from Devils Hole and Devils Hole Cave 2, Nevada

In support of paleoclimatology investigations, samples of mammillary calcite, calcitic folia, and flowstone were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in Devils Hole and Devils Hole Cave 2, Nevada, between 1983 and 1996. These samples came from about 60 m below to 9 m above the modern water table in these caverns. To determine delta18O and delta13C time series spanning the interval 567.7-4.5 ka, more than a thousand samples were milled and analyzed for their delta18O and delta13C values. To determine time-series ages, more than a hundred samples were analyzed using uranium-series dating. Many of these measurement results have not been published. Herein, we provide previously unpublished delta13C and delta18O values, and we provide unpublished background data for selected uranium-series ages.

为支持古气候学（paleoclimatology）研究，1983年至1996年间，美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey）在内华达州魔鬼洞（Devils Hole）与魔鬼洞2号洞穴（Devils Hole Cave 2）采集了乳头状方解石（mammillary calcite）、方解石叶片（calcitic folia）及流石（flowstone）样品。所采样品分布于上述洞穴内现代地下水位以下约60米至以上9米的深度区间。为获取覆盖567.7~4.5千年时间跨度的氧同位素（δ¹⁸O）与碳同位素（δ¹³C）时间序列，研究人员对千余件样品进行了磨制处理，并测定了其δ¹⁸O与δ¹³C值。为构建年代时间序列，研究人员采用铀系测年法（uranium-series dating）对百余件样品开展了分析测试。上述多数测试结果尚未公开发表。本文将公开此前未发表的δ¹³C与δ¹⁸O测试数据，并同步提供部分经筛选的铀系测年背景数据。