Age and Depositional Temperature of Quaternary Travertine Spring Mounds from Slovakia

Travertine spring mounds are common in Slovakia; however, their age and depositional temperature are still poorly known. Our study is the first multimethodological investigation involving stable carbon, oxygen, and clumped isotope (& UDelta;(47)) analyses and U-Th age determination of travertine mounds from different locations in Slovakia (Santovka, Dudince, Cerin, Besenova, LiptovskATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH ACUTE Jan, Liptovske Sliace, Vysne Ruzbachy, Ganovce, and Siva Brada) to provide information about their age, origin, precipitation conditions, and temperature. The positive & delta;C-13 values imply that the parent water was charged with heavy CO2 of deep origin. The & delta;O-18 values of spring waters range between -11.4 & PTSTHOUSND; and -8.9 & PTSTHOUSND;, whereas the & delta;H-2 values vary from -80.5 & PTSTHOUSND; to -58.3, indicating a meteoric origin for spring waters. Clumped isotope compositions (& UDelta;(47)) correspond to a deposition temperature between 4 & DEG;C and 32 & DEG;C. The U-Th age data of the studied travertines vary from 1.2 (Liptovske Sliace) to 301 ka (Dudince). Our results can serve as a basis for further detailed geochronological and geochemical studies to reconstruct the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment during travertine deposition periods in Slovakia since the mid-Pleistocene transition.