Evidence for isotopic equlibrium in stalagmites from caves in a dry region: Jerusalem, Israel

Karstic caves are revealed by quarrying and construction activities around Jerusalem. These caves contain stalagmites which, if deposited in isotopic equilibrium with their parent seepage waters, would be useful for isotopic analysis of paleoclimate. Such deposits would normally be expected to form only in sealed or poorly ventilated caves where humidity has remained high. We investigated growth layers in stalagmites from two such caves as well as the previously studied Soreq Cave. All three show limited variation of δ¹⁸O along growth layers, indicative of equilibrium deposition. This suggests that the Jerusalem caves were formerly kept at higher humidity by continuous recharge of seepage waters, and that such deposits will be useful for palaeoclimate studies. -Authors