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Geology; November 2009; v. 37; no. 11; p. 1015-1018; DOI: 10.1130/G30308A.1
© 2009 Geological Society of America
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The stable isotope altimeter: Do Quaternary pedogenic carbonates predict modern elevations?

Gregory D. Hoke1,2,3,*, Carmala N. Garzione1, Diego C. Araneo2, Claudio Latorre4,5, Manfred R. Strecker3 and Kendra J. Williams1

1 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 227 Hutchinson Hall, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
2 Instituto Argentino de Nivología Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), CCT (Centro Cientifico Tecnológico), Ruíz Leal s/n, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
3 Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24, Haus 27, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
4 Center for Advanced Studies of Ecology and Biodiversity, Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile
5 Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile

Stable isotope altimetry is a useful tool for estimating paleoelevation in sedimentary records. Yet questions remain regarding how source moisture, climate, and local topography can influence these estimates. Here we present stable isotope altimetry results on late Quaternary pedogenic carbonates of known elevation on both flanks of the Andean orogen at 33°S. We measured {delta}18O values of pedogenic carbonates and river water samples from small drainages at regular elevation increments within the Río Aconcagua (Chile) and Río Mendoza (Argentina) catchments. The {delta}18O values of river waters correlate well with elevation and show similar isotopic gradients between the Chilean (–3.7{per thousand}/km) and Argentine (–4.8{per thousand}/km) sides of the range. Uncertainties associated with scatter in the river water data and assumptions about the temperature of carbonate formation indicate that elevation estimates have 1{sigma} errors of 350–450 m. We estimate the isotopic composition of soil water from pedogenic carbonates on both sides of the range by assuming mean annual temperatures based the modern temperature lapse rate from meteorological station data. Combined, our data show that stable isotope altimetry produces reasonable estimates of modern elevation, with the majority of our samples (60%) within the 1{sigma} uncertainties and 77% within 2{sigma}.






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