Publication Date:
2022-05-26
Description:
The interaction of climate and geology in Central Africa during
Late Pleistocene and Holocene is examined. The study is based on sedimentological
and limnological work on the main lakes of the Western Branch
of the East African Rift Valley, particularly Lake Kivu, Changes in
sediment chemistry, mineralogy and diatom assemblage provide a detailed
histogram of lake level oscillations. Calculations indicate that the
drop in lake level could be as high as 600 m for Tanganyika and 400 m for
Kivu, Fluctuations in water levels.are the means for reconstruction of
climatic events in tropical Africa of the last 15,000 years. Paleoclimatic
comparison between tropical and temperate zones reveals that
pluvial times coincide with the prominent interstadials in Europe, e.g.
Bølling, Allerød, Climatic Optimum, and reversely, cool and dry periods
in equatorial Africa with ice ages in the Northern Hemisphere.
The African climatic sequence of pluvials and interpluvials is
accompanied by corresponding periods of hydrothermal activity and quiescence.
This may suggest that rain water exercises control on hydrothermal.
activities.
Description:
Prepared for the National Science Foundation
under Grants GA-30641 and GA-35334.
Keywords:
Paleoclimatology
;
Limnology
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Technical Report
Format:
application/pdf
Permalink
