Abstract
We report a high-resolution climate reconstruction for the Bolivian Altiplano (Central Andes) based on geomorphological, sedimentological, palynological, and analysis of lacustrine ostracod shells. We determine (1) semi-quantitative changes in temperature and (2) quantitative changes in lake-levels from the late Pleistocene (25 000 yr BP) to the present. The principal results are the following ones: from 25 000 to 18 000 yr BP, temperatures decreased as lake-levels lowered; between 18 000 and 15 000/14 000 yr BP, a sedimentary hiatus indicates very low Lake Titicaca levels; during the last deglaciation (15 000/14 000, 10 500 yr BP), lake levels (Tauca phase) and glaciers were consistently wide in the Altiplano and cordilleras; from 10 500 to 8000 yr BP, lake levels declined and glaciers receded as global temperature increased; during the mid-Holocene (8000-3900 yr BP) a dry climate generally prevailed; by 3900 yr BP, the lake level rose markedly and relatively moist conditions were established and persisted after; during the Little Ice Age (16th-19th centuries), moist and cold conditions prevailed.
| Translated title of the contribution | 25 000 yr BP paleohydrology of the Bolivian Andes |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Pages (from-to) | 551-562 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Bulletin - Institut Francais d'Etudes Andines |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 1995 |