Nevada cave tells a deeper story as scientists uncover 580,000 years of climate shifts

Kathleen Wendt climbs down to the deepest section of Devils Hole II. (Image: Robbie Shone)

A quiet fissure in southern Nevada has revealed a climate record that few expected to find in a desert. Researchers have uncovered 580,000 years of shifting weather from a single calcite deposit hidden inside Devils Hole.

Devils Hole Offers Rare Climate History
Climate scientists usually use long ice cores from Antarctica. These cores hold steady layers across many kilometres of depth. Hot and dry regions seldom preserve such lengthy records. Devils Hole proved to be a rare exception for researchers.

A team led by Oregon State University’s Kathleen Wendt reached a deep wall of calcite. The results were published last week in Nature Communications. The study covers glacial and interglacial periods across half a million years. Wendt said Nevada shifted between cooler wet phases and hotter dry phases. She noted sharp drops in groundwater midway through warm periods. Vegetation also fell quickly during those same intervals.

The region once supported mammoths, bison, ground sloths and dire wolves. These species lived more comfortably during cooler glacial stretches. Warming periods likely pushed some animals further north over time. Devils Hole already held value due to its long mineral layers. Groundwater has flowed through the cave for hundreds of thousands of years.

The core is analysed soon after its removal from the calcite deposit. (Image: Christoph Spötl. Credit: Christoph Spötl, University of Innsbruck)

Researchers Extract Calcite Core for Study
The team abseiled twenty metres into Devils Hole II. The chamber sits in a narrow fissure under the desert. They reached the deposit through a tight, twisting passage. A one metre core was drilled from thick calcite. The sample was then brought to the surface for testing.

Scientists analysed oxygen isotopes locked inside the minerals. These isotopes shift according to climate at formation. They reveal cooler wet glacial phases and warmer dry intervals. The record now provides a timeline for regional climate change.

Study Shows Storm Tracks Shift Over Time
The team also examined rainfall patterns across the region. Co-author Christo Buizert explained how storm belts once shifted south. He said ice age periods brought Pacific storms further down the coast. This movement changed rainfall across western North America.

Buizert added that storm tracks can shift quickly and dramatically. He noted this behaviour matters for future climate planning. The study raises questions about what the region may face next. The findings offer a rare glimpse into long-term desert climate history.