Cordilleran Section - 108th Annual Meeting (29–31 March 2012)

Paper No. 4
Presentation Time: 08:30-18:30

LATE HOLOCENE DIATOM RECORD FROM LAKE CHALCHOAPAN, EASTERN MEXICO


GILES, Gustavo, Facultad de Ciencias/Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico D.F, 04510, Mexico, CABALLERO, Margarita, Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, 04510, Mexico, RUIZ FERNÁNDEZ, Carolina, Unidad Mazatlán, Insituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mazatlán, PO Box 811, LOZANO, Socorro, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, 55280, Mexico and VAZQUEZ, Gabriela, Instituto de Ecologia A.C, Xalapa, 91070, tavo455@hotmail.com

Chalchoapan (18°24’N, 95°08’W, 386 m SNM) is a crater lake (43 m deep, 550 m diameter) in the tropical lowlands of Eastern Mexico. Currently it is an eutrophic lake with phytoplankton dominated by cyanobacteria (Mycrocystis spp.) and very low diatom abundance. As in many tropical settings it is likely that Chalchoapan has undergone cultural eutrophication related to the agricultural activities in the nearby tobacco plantations, however there is a lack of previous limnological data to identify the original condition of this lake or evaluate its current status. With this purpose short cores (<50cm) were retrieved from this lake and chronology established by 210-Pb. According to the diatom data the highest disturbance in the lake is recorded by peak in Achnanthidium minutissimum between 1960 and 1990 which also correlates with high magnetic susceptibility values indicating high erosion rates.