Sediment magnetism constraints on the age and

paleoclimate implications of a Holocene lacustrine

record from the headwater region of the Rio Claro,
Elqui Valley, Regon de Coquimbo, Chile
Rachel Tiner*, Robert Negrini, Maryanne Bobbitt, Karol Casas
Department of Geology, California State University, Bakersfield, 9001 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA, 93311, USA
Jose L. Antinao
Division of Earth and Ecosystems Science, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno, NV, 89512, USA
Antonio Maldonado
Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 554, Ral Bitrn s/n, La
Serena, Chile

* email: racheljtiner@gmail.com

Summary. The age and paleoclimatology of a Southeast Pacific Subtropical Anticyclone (SEPSA)
Holocene lacustrine sequence from Laguna Cerritos and the Westerly winds (Westerlies) (Figure 1). Any
Blancos (LCB) in the headwaters of the Rio Claro of major movements of these circulation features should
the Elqui Valley are constrained using paleomagnetic be reflected in the climate record of the study area.
secular variation, sediment magnetism, and more
(Garreaud, 2009).
traditional lacustrine paleoclimate proxies like bulk
grain size. LCB is located at the boundary of major
climate zones, thus time-dependent migrations of
these zones should be manifested in this record.
Paleomagnetic results and complementary bulk grain
size measurements collected thus far show that the
lake sediments were deposited over the past ~5,000
years and gradually decreasing clay percent up
section shows a coarsening upward trend suggesting
a long term shallowing of the lake either due to
decreasing precipitation over this time or progradation
of the lacustrine/deltaic system.

Keywords: Paleoclimate, Paleomagnetism, Elqui,

Chile

Introduction
The chronology and indicators of climate change in
the agriculturally important Equi Valley of Northern
Chile are not yet fully understood.
Magnetostratigraphy and paleolimnological proxies
are reported for a Holocene lake sediment record
from the headwater region of the Rio Claro of the
Elqui Valley in Northern Chile. Laguna Cerritos
Blancos, the lake cored, is located at approximately
30 S latitude and 3844 m asl. This lake is fed by a
stream that cut through a terminal moraine and is
damned by an older moraine/rock glacier complex.
At the time of coring, the lake was extremely low
enabling land-based acquisition of core. This site sits
at the boundary between important circulation
features of the southern hemisphere, including the
Figure 1. Location of the study area relative to important
circulation features such as the Southeast Pacific
Subtropical Anticyclone (SEPSA) and the Westerly Winds
(Westerlies).
Objective and Methodology
The aim of this project is to construct a chronological
climate record for the Holocene age in the Elqui
Valley of the Northern region of Chile. This climate
record will be obtained through a series of
geochemical and geophysical measurements of the
core samples from which we may infer lake
environments of deposition (Cohen, 2003; Kirby et
al., 2012; Blunt and Negrini, 2015). We will use
carbon coulometry to determine the percentage of ~5,000 yrs, LCB has been characterized by stabile
inorganic matter which can serve as a proxy for the conditions and gradual shallowing with few
relative amount of evaporation versus precipitation. disruptions to this trend. These initial paleoclimate
Carbon-nitrogen ratios will provide evidence for the hypotheses are currently being tested with the
nature (i.e., allochthonous vs. autochthonous) of acquisition of additional paleoclimate proxies on
organic matter preserved in the lake sediments these core sediments including C/N ratios, total
(Meyers and Lallier-Verges, 1999) which can be used inorganic carbon, palynology, and additional
as a proxy for discharge into the lake system. measurements of sediment magnetism.
Granulometry will provide evidence of lake level
from which we may infer paleoprecipitation. We will
also collect several sets of environmental magnetic
data, such as S-parameter, hysteresis parameters,
isothermal and anhysteretic remanent magnetization,
and magnetic susceptibility (Evans and Heller, 2003;
Oldfield, 2013). These rapidly collected data may
serve to increase the frequency of our record by
allowing an informed interpolation of data from other
time-intensive data, such as pollen analyses, to finer
data spacing. Finally, we will endeavor to acquire a
paleomagnetic secular variation record from these
sediments which potentially will provide age control
(e.g., Negrini and Davis, 1992; Lund et al., 1996)
Figure 2. The inclination PSV record from the Laguna
independent of the 14C dating that is in progress.
Cerritos Blancos (LCB) core (red) overlaid on the dated
inclination PSV record from the ODP leg 202, Site 1233
marine core (black) (Lund et al., 2006), showing that the
Results and Discussion LCB PSV record represents the past ~5,000 years.

The Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM)

recorded in the sediments exhibits demagnetization Acknowledgements
behavior dominated by a single component of
magnetization and shows a Paleomagnetic Secular This research has been funded by the National
Variation (PSV) signal similar to that of a marine Science Foundation (USA) through the
core (ODP Leg 202, Site 1233) from offshore Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics Program
Valparaso (Lund et al., 2006) suggesting that the 1.5 EAR#1349405 and by the California State
m of lake record represents the past ~5,000 years University, Bakersfield National Science Foundation
(Figure 2). The continuous nature of the PSV record (USA) Center for Research Excellence in Science
and a lack of sedimentary features indicating a lack and Technology (CSUB NSF CREST)
of unconformities suggests that the current low lake HRD#1137774.
levels are anomalous for the late Holocene. However
gradually decreasing clay percent up section shows a
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