ZHANG Meiliang, ZHU Xiaoyan, WU Xia, PAN Moucheng, YANG Heping

(Karst Dynamics Laboratory, Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS, Guilin 541004, China)

Abstract: Speleothems, such as stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones, are a rich archive of terrestrial paleoclimate information. The potential of these materials has come to realization only during the last decade and created a surge in speleothem-based research. Commonly speleothem(or stalagmites)-based paleoclimate proxies are stable isotope ratios of speleothem calcite (δ18O and δ13C), growth rate or intervals, annual band thickness and gray, organic fluorescence and trace elements, and multiple proxies of environmental interpretation increase the reliability of the paleoenvironment reconstruction. Beginning with the stalagmite chronology, the authors simply introduce the climate significance of various proxies of growth or deposition rate, annual band thickness and gray, stable isotopes and trace elements, respectively, and the uncertain factors in the practical application were also discussed. We recommend making full use of alternative indicators of modern carbonate(CaCO3) sediments in field cave monitoring, and comparison with local measuring meteorological data, which is the key for accurate and quantitative interpretation.

Key words: stalagmite; alternative proxy; environmental significance; uncertainty

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT Vol. 43, No.2, Tot No.304, 2015, Page 138-151