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Lake levels in the southern Bolivian Altiplano (19°–21°S.) during the Late Glacial based on diatom studies

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International Journal of Salt Lake Research

Abstract

This study is focused on the endorheic Uyni-Coipasa Basin located in the southern Bolivian Altiplano. Stratigraphical and fossil diatom studies based on a detailed radiocarbon chrnology revealed six phases in water-level changes and paleosalinity variations. At 15,430±80 yr B.P., lacustrine conditions settled in the southern Bolivian Altiplano. A saline lake, characterized by benthic meso-metasaline species, reached ∼+4 m altitude above the present bottom of the basin. After 15,430±80 yr B.P., the level rapidly rose to ∼+27 m, as suggested by a tychoplanktonic mesosaline flora. Between ∼14,500 years and ∼13,000 years, finely lanminated sediments at ∼+32 m contained successively a dominance of epiphytic mesosaline to hypersaline species and tychoplanktonic oligosaline diatoms, indicating weak fluctuations in water-level and salinity. At 13,000 years, strong changes in the diatom flora occurred; epiphytic oligo-hypersaline diatoms were replaced by planktonic meso-polysaline species. They indicate a deep salt lake (the lake reached ∼+100 m). After ∼12,000 years, the lake level abruptly dropped, as suggested by fluviatile sediments with a benthic mesopolysaline diatom flora. The main lake was replaced by shallow saline ponds. A wet pulse occurred at ∼11,400 years, characterized by low water level (∼+7 m) and high salinity. This lacustrine phase remained until 10,400 yr B.P. These data indicate changes in Precipitation minus Evaporation (P-E). Our regional interpretations are based on a comparison with teh available data on the northern (Lake Titicaca) and southern (Lipez are) Bolivian Altiplano and on the northern Chilean Altiplano (Atacama Desert).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorie de Géologie, Antene ORSTOM, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 43, rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Florence Sylvestre & Simone Servant-Vildary

  2. ORSTOM, 32, Avenue Henri Varagnat, 93143, Bonday cedex, France

    Marc Fournier & Michel Servant

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  1. Florence Sylvestre
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  2. Simone Servant-Vildary
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  3. Marc Fournier
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  4. Michel Servant
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Sylvestre, F., Servant-Vildary, S., Fournier, M. et al. Lake levels in the southern Bolivian Altiplano (19°–21°S.) during the Late Glacial based on diatom studies. International Journal of Salt Lake Research 4, 281–300 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01999113

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