Heuweltjies : a window into the palaeoclimate and palaeovegetation of the Western Cape?

Late Pleistocene terrestrial climate information in the Western Cape. South Africa may be preserved in oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in paedogenic calcrete that bas Conned in zeuweltjies (large circular earth mounds). He11weltjles are common landscape features and their potential as palaeoclimatic archives is not known, simply because it has never been investigated. Samples were taken from three depth-profiles down a single hemvcltjie near Worcester. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios were detennincd. In total, fifty-four samples were analysed. The o13C values vary from -7.4%. to -4.9%0 relative to PDB. whereas 15180 vary from 28.05'160 to 30.91%0 relative to SMOW.

Grantor

Department of Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Potts, Alistair

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Midgley, Jeremy
• Harris, Chris

• Botany

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39088

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39088