Laguna Mar Chiquita: a sedimentary record of recent dry/wet intervals in central Argentina

Abstract

Laguna Mar Chiquita, Argentina, has experienced substantial çake level changes in recent times. Sedimentological analyses in well-dated cores indicate that total organic carbon and carbonate contents, and the development of evaporites and diatoms throught time are proxy for these lake lebel variations. ²¹0Pb ages show that sedimentation rates have varied according to the stage of the lake. High stands yield low sedimentation rates whereas low stands intervals exhibit comparatively higher sedimentation rates. The combined results presented here point towards the potential of this lake in providing a long record of the hydrological cycle for this region of South America.