Abstract
Combined visual cathodoluminescence (CL) and spectral analyses of CL reveals periodic enrichments of rare earth elements (REE3+) and manganese (Mn2+) within the laminations of eight calcitic lateglacial to postglacial stalagmites. In the annual layers, the enrichment of trace elements can be correlated with the autumn/winter laminae, which are strongly pigmented and rich in organic carbon. During the Holocene, they occur especially in the Atlantic stage and in subrecent/recent times. The enrichment of REE3+ and Mn + reflects times of more intense weathering, which presumably prevailed during the Atlantic warm and humid climate. In subrecent/recent times, especially the last 100 years, these enrichments may have been at least partially anthropogenically induced.
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