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The diminishing strength of the Earth’s magnetic dipole over recent millennia is accompanied by the increasing prominence of the geomagnetic South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), which spreads over the South Atlantic Ocean and South America. The longevity of this feature at millennial timescales is elusive because of the scarcity of continuous geomagnetic data for the region. Here, we report a unique geomagnetic record for the last ∼1500 y that combines the data of two well-dated stalagmites from Pau d’Alho cave, located close to the present-day minimum of the anomaly in central South America. Magnetic directions and relative paleointensity data for both stalagmites are generally consistent and agree with historical data from the last 500 y. Before 1500 CE, the data adhere to the geomagnetic model ARCH3K.1, which is derived solely from archeomagnetic data. Our observations indicate rapid directional variations (>0.1°/y) from approximately 860 to 960 CE and approximately 1450 to 1750 CE. A similar pattern of rapid directional variation observed from South Africa precedes the South American record by 224 ± 50 y. These results confirm that fast geomagnetic field variations linked to the SAA are a recurrent feature in the region. We develop synthetic models of reversed magnetic flux patches at the core–mantle boundary and calculate their expression at the Earth’s surface. The models that qualitatively resemble the observational data involve westward (and southward) migration of midlatitude patches, combined with their expansion and intensification. 

Terrestrial environments have been suggested as an oxic haven for eukaryotic life and diversification during portions of the Proterozoic Eon when the ocean was dominantly anoxic. However, iron speciation and Fe/Al data from the ca. 1.1-billion-year-old Nonesuch Formation, deposited in a large lake and bearing a diverse assemblage of early eukaryotes, are interpreted to indicate persistently anoxic conditions. To shed light on these distinct hypotheses, we analyzed two drill cores spanning the transgression into the lake and its subsequent shallowing. While the proportion of highly reactive to total iron (Fe HR /Fe T ) is consistent through the sediments and typically in the range taken to be equivocal between anoxic and oxic conditions, magnetic experiments and petrographic data reveal that iron exists in three distinct mineral assemblages resulting from an oxycline. In the deepest waters, reductive dissolution of iron oxides records an anoxic environment. However, the remainder of the sedimentary succession has iron oxide assemblages indicative of an oxygenated environment. At intermediate water depths, a mixed-phase facies with hematite and magnetite indicates low oxygen conditions. In the shallowest waters of the lake, nearly every iron oxide has been oxidized to its most oxidized form, hematite. Combining magnetics and textural analyses results in a more nuanced understanding of ambiguous geochemical signals and indicates that for much of its temporal duration, and throughout much of its water column, there was oxygen in the waters of Paleolake Nonesuch. 

Paired measurements of¹⁴C/¹²C and²³⁰Th ages from two Hulu Cave stalagmites complete a precise record of atmospheric¹⁴C covering the full range of the¹⁴C dating method (~54,000 years). Over the last glacial period, atmospheric¹⁴C/¹²C ranges from values similar to modern values to values 1.70 times higher (42,000 to 39,000 years ago). The latter correspond to¹⁴C ages 5200 years less than calibrated ages and correlate with the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion followed by Heinrich Stadial 4. Millennial-scale variations are largely attributable to Earth’s magnetic field changes and in part to climate-related changes in the oceanic carbon cycle. A progressive shift to lower¹⁴C/¹²C values between 25,000 and 11,000 years ago is likely related, in part, to progressively increasing ocean ventilation rates.

 

Presentamos un registro de las oscilaciones de escala milenaria de un sitio en la cuenca de Xochimilco (parte central de México) entre ca. 18000 y 5000 años cal AP, derivado de indicadores de mineralogía magnética, contenido de elementos mayores y asociación de diatomeas. La edad de la secuencia sedimentaria analizada está definida por el reconocimiento de dos marcadores estratigráficos ampliamente usados en esta región: la Pómez Tutti Frutti del Popocatépetl (ca. 17070 años cal AP) y la Pómez Toluca Superior del Nevado de Toluca (ca. 12320 años cal AP). Adicionalmente, se dispone de una edad de 14C de un concentrado de ostrácodos. Las variaciones temporales en susceptibilidad magnética (χ), abundancia de óxidos y oxihidróxidos de Fe (hematita y goethita), minerales magnéticos ultrafinos, titanio, carbón orgánico e inorgánico, así como las relaciones hierro/titanio, calcio/titanio, carbono orgánico/nitrógeno, silicio/titanio y contenido de diatomeas, indican variaciones en la erosión, origen de los minerales de Fe, salinidad, productividad y origen de la materia orgánica. Estas variaciones responden a oscilaciones climáticas de escalas milenarias. Durante la deglaciación (18000 y 11700 años cal AP), ocurrió una actividad volcánica intensa y este periodo está caracterizado por la dominancia de sedimentación clástica en un lago somero de agua dulce. Los eventos Heinich 1 (frío), Bølling/Allerød (cálido) y Younger Dryas (frío) se documentan con variaciones en la erosión, el contenido de materia orgánica y la precipitación de carbonatos. Durante el Holoceno temprano (11700–8200 años cal AP), se registraron las condiciones más secas de toda la secuencia. El Holoceno medio (8200–5000 años cal AP) registró un retorno a condiciones húmedas y el establecimiento de un lago de agua dulce, que probablemente favorecieron el desarrollo de comunidades en la ribera del lago.