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Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) as inferred by stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates

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Abstract

Ten meters of lacustrine deposits retrieved from Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) were investigated through stable isotope composition (carbon and oxygen) of authigenic carbonate (calcareous muds) and freshwater shells. The core chronology was established through three AMS dates, and by correlation with a previously dated nearby core. Stable isotope data show that the lake water evolution was mainly dominated by evaporation. Between ca. 20 and 28 ka the recovered sediments have very high δ18O values, likely corresponding to very dry climatic conditions. The observed rapid oscillations in the δ18O of the recovered sediments during this period also suggest important climatic fluctuations. More humid conditions dominated during the Holocene period, with the wettest interval occurring between ca. 9000 and 3000 years BP. Late Holocene sediments represent a substantial return to drier conditions. The available pollen data from a nearby core substantially confirm this general climatic trend during the Holocene. The positive correlation between δ13C of the calcareous muds and carbonate content suggests that biological activity played a key role in the carbon isotope evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon. However, a clear climatic signal is not evident from the δ13C record.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Brüchmann for her help in the core sampling and for supplying important information about the core; A. Tait, T. Donnelly, J. Dougans; M. Lazzerini are acknowledged for analytical support, and L. Sadori for the discussion about pollen data and stratigraphy. We also thank Valero-Garces for his constructive review, criticism and comments which improved the quality of the manuscript and R. N. Drysdale for the friendly revision of this manuscript. This work was partially founded by MURST (ex-60%, F.P. Bonadonna). SUERC is supported by a consortium of Scottish Universities and NERC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Pisa, Via S. Maria, 53, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Zanchetta, Alessandra Borghini & Francesco P. Bonadonna

  2. Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, UK

    Anthony E. Fallick

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Uomo e dell’Ambiente, University of Pisa, Via delle Belle Torri, 18, 56100, Pisa, Italy

    Gabriello Leone

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  1. Giovanni Zanchetta
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  2. Alessandra Borghini
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  4. Francesco P. Bonadonna
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  5. Gabriello Leone
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Correspondence to Giovanni Zanchetta.

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Zanchetta, G., Borghini, A., Fallick, A.E. et al. Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) as inferred by stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates. J Paleolimnol 38, 227–239 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9070-1

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