TY - JOUR
T1 - Climate and the collapse of Maya civilization
AU - Haug, Gerald H.
AU - Günther, Detlef
AU - Peterson, Larry C.
AU - Sigman, Daniel Mikhail
AU - Hughen, Konrad A.
AU - Aeschlimann, Beat
PY - 2003/3/14
Y1 - 2003/3/14
N2 - In the anoxic Cariaco Basin of the southern Caribbean, the bulk titanium content of undisturbed sediment reflects variations in riverine input and the hydrological cycle over northern tropical South America. A seasonally resolved record of titanium shows that the collapse of Maya civilization in the Terminal Classic Period occurred during an extended regional dry period, punctuated by more intense multiyear droughts centered at approximately 810, 860, and 910 A.D. These new data suggest that a century-scale decline in rainfall put a general strain on resources in the region, which was then exacerbated by abrupt drought events, contributing to the social stresses that led to the Maya demise.
AB - In the anoxic Cariaco Basin of the southern Caribbean, the bulk titanium content of undisturbed sediment reflects variations in riverine input and the hydrological cycle over northern tropical South America. A seasonally resolved record of titanium shows that the collapse of Maya civilization in the Terminal Classic Period occurred during an extended regional dry period, punctuated by more intense multiyear droughts centered at approximately 810, 860, and 910 A.D. These new data suggest that a century-scale decline in rainfall put a general strain on resources in the region, which was then exacerbated by abrupt drought events, contributing to the social stresses that led to the Maya demise.
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U2 - 10.1126/science.1080444
DO - 10.1126/science.1080444
M3 - Article
C2 - 12637744
AN - SCOPUS:0037436512
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 299
SP - 1731
EP - 1735
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 5613
ER -