Il significato paleoclimatico dei carbonati continentali olocenici centro-sahariani: memoria delle forzanti orbitali e di eventi climatici rapidi

A study of Holocene continental carbonates in the hyperarid central Sahara reveals significant paleoclimatic insights, indicating that the African Humid Period began shortly after the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The research, conducted on fossil springs and lake sediments in the Tadrart Acacus massif and Murzuq edeyen, used radiometric dating (U-series and 14C) and stable isotope analysis to demonstrate a progressive decline in precipitation during the early Holocene, with springs drying out around 8000 years BP. The data also show that lake levels fluctuated seasonally due to changes in rainfall, which were influenced by orbital forcing and rapid climatic events, such as the 8.2 BP arid phase. This study underscores the sensitivity of Saharan paleoclimates to orbital variations and highlights the region's complex hydrological history.

Zerboni, Andrea, & Cremaschi, Mauro. (2012). Il significato paleoclimatico dei carbonati continentali olocenici centro-sahariani: memoria delle forzanti orbitali e di eventi climatici rapidi. Rendiconti Online Della Società Geologica Italiana, (Vol. 18), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.3301/rol.2011.66