Caves climatic studies

The macroarchaeometric approach has wide applicability. Climatic studies in the caves of Lascaux, France (8), and Alta Mira, Spain (9), are but two examples. This approach is now particularly useful in studies of the excavated and unexcavated ancient sites of the Nile River Valley because of the recent, accelerated deterioration of many of its monuments. It has already been applied to several ancient Egyptian archaeological sites (10-21). 

Most of the investigators of clastic sediments in caves have treated them as static deposits, not different in kind from outcrops of sedimentary rock on the land surface. The stratigraphy and petrologic character of the sediments can be described and used to deduce hydraulic history and provenance. This can yield insights into the geomorphic and climatic history of the cave area. Such studies include work by Schmid (1958), Davies and Chao (1959), Frank (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974), Helwig (1964), Wolfe (1970), Bull (1978, 1981), Milske et al. (1983) and many others. 

Frank, R. M., 1975, Late Quaternary climatic change evidence from cave sediments in central eastern New South Wales, Australian Geograph. Studies 13 154-168. 

Finch et al. (2003) and Treble et al. (2003) have been able to derive empirical transfer functions for rainfall in South African and west Australian examples, by comparison of data from selected trace elements (mostly in the first group) with instrumental climatic data. McMillan et al. (2005) showed that annual trace element trends in stalagmites from Clamouse cave follow those expected from seasonal dryness and that they are superimposed on a long period of relative drought 1100-1200yr BP. Hellstrom and McCulloch (2000) emphasised the utility of combined trace element and isotopic data in palaeoclimatic studies. 

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