Investigations of a stalactite from Al Hota cave in Oman and its implications for palaeoclimatic reconstructions

Abstract: Speleothems and other cave sediments have proven to be valuable tools for climate reconstructions. They allow to reconstruct the changes of temperatures and precipitation over time even in arid areas where other types of sedimentary archives are scarce or even non-existent. In this study, a speleothem from Al Hota cave in northern Oman is investigated by means of petrographic interpretation and analyses of the isotopic composition of fluid inclusions in the stalactite. These data are then compared with the chemical and isotopic compositions of water samples in this area and are also put into a regional context to find out more about precipitation regimes and possible changes in the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during the time the stalactite was deposited. It could be shown, that the investigated stalactite has been deposited from a mainly southern precipitat- ion source which indicates a position of the ITCZ more to the north compared with its present position and a strong influence of the Indian summer monsoon in northern Oman.