Geological Society of America

T297 Lakes of the World through Time and Space II

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 222BC, North Building

A NEW SURFACE WATER PALEOTEMPERATURE PROXY: APPLYING BRILLOUIN THERMOMETRY TO RECONSTRUCT TEMPERATURES OF PLEISTOCENE SEARLES LAKE

Paper number: T297-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM

Authors

Kristian J. Olson Presenting Author
Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
Justin Stroup
State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY
Joseph J. Janick
La Plume, PA
Jade Ashley Brush
Searles Valley Minerals, Trona, CA
Emmanuel Guillerm
Université Claude Bernard, Lyon1, Villeurbanne Cedex
Véronique Gardien
Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Villeurbanne
Frédéric Caupin
University Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Villeurbanne
Tim Lowenstein
Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
Mark D. Peaple
University of Southern California, LOS ANGELES, CA
Sarah J. Feakins
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Jessica Tierney
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
David McGee
MITEarth, Atmos. and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA

Abstract

Brillouin Spectroscopy can be used to measure the physical properties of brines trapped within halite inclusions. These data can be further used to derive the temperature of the brines at the time of their entrapment. We have applied this approach to halite from a new drill core, SLAPP-SRLS17, retrieved in 2017 from Searles Lake, California. Results of Brillouin Thermometric measurements in halite from Searles Lake reflect mean annual bottom-water temperatures ranging from 11.4 +/- 0.7°C to 23.9 +/- 0.7°C. Additionally, the thermal stability of the hypolimnion was assessed by measuring several halite crystals from stratigraphic intervals of ~3-5 cm. Small intra-stratigraphic temperature variability of 0-2°C indicates a stable hypolimnion with estimated lake depths of ~20-50 m, whereas 3-5°C variability suggests shallower lake depths (~10 m), where the temperature fluctuations depend on water clarity and light penetration. Brillouin Thermometry results from Searles Lake are in general agreement with biochemical temperature proxies analyzed from the SLAPP-SRLS17 sediment core. These results demonstrate the strength and viability of Brillouin Thermometry as a novel proxy for paleotemperature.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-339071

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