Late Quaternary paleohydrology of desert wetlands and pluvial lakes in the Soda Lake basin, central Mojave Desert, California (USA)
Author
Honke, J.S.Pigati, J.S.
Wilson, J.
Bright, J.
Goldstein, H.L.
Skipp, G.L.
Reheis, M.C.
Havens, J.C.
Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Dept GeosciIssue Date
2019-07-15Keywords
Groundwater discharge depositsWetlands
Radiocarbon dating
Paleohydrology
Mojave Desert
Soda Lake
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTDCitation
Honke, J. S., Pigati, J. S., Wilson, J., Bright, J., Goldstein, H. L., Skipp, G. L., ... & Havens, J. C. (2019). Late Quaternary paleohydrology of desert wetlands and pluvial lakes in the Soda Lake basin, central Mojave Desert, California (USA). Quaternary Science Reviews, 216, 89-106.Journal
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWSRights
Published by Elsevier Ltd.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Sediment cores taken near extant springs along the western margin of Soda Lake playa, as well as from the playa center, reveal dramatic hydrologic changes that occurred in the central Mojave Desert during the late Quaternary. Results of stratigraphic, chronologic, physical, chemical, and microfossil analyses of seven cores, ranging in length from 5 to 23 m, help refine the timing and character of the final stages of pluvial Lake Mojave during the late Pleistocene and define distinct periods of wetland development in the early and late Holocene. Evidence shows that an incipient lake occupied the central Soda Lake basin by at least 25.0 ka (ka = thousands of calibrated C-14 years before present), and a fully developed Lake Mojave was present between 20.5 and 12.8 ka, before receding and ultimately yielding to playa conditions by 11.0 ka. Organic-rich "black mats" appear in several cores along the playa margin between 10.7 and 9.0 ka, suggesting that spring-fed wetlands persisted in this area long after the lake had regressed. The basin remained relatively dry throughout most of the Holocene until wetland ecosystems expanded along the margins between 0.73 and 0.18 ka, coincident with part of the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age. Overall, our results demonstrate that buried sediments surrounding extant and extinct springs can be used to reconstruct past hydrologic conditions in desert environments on a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and provide important baseline information for effective management of limited desert resources. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Note
24 month embargo; available online 17 June 2019ISSN
0277-3791Version
Final accepted manuscriptSponsors
U.S. Geological Survey's Land Change Science Program through the Paleohydrology of Desert Wetlands projectae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.05.021