Speleothems are mineral deposits formed from groundwater within underground caverns. Stalagmites, stalactites, and other forms may be annually banded or contain compounds that can be radiometrically dated. The thickness of these depositional layers or isotopic records can be used to determine past climate conditions.
Accessing Data at the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology
Search Speleothem Data
Search through speleothem studies by Investigator, Title, Location Name, Parameters, and Latitude/Longitude Bounds.
Search All Paleoclimatology Data
Access a free text search of our entire archive.
Interactive Map
Select study locations by region, proximity to a point, or text-based attributes.
Google Earth Map
Locate and download speleothem studies using a Google Earth map interface. Google Earth must be installed to use this search tool.
NCEI Paleo Web Service
Use the NCEI Paleo Web Service to access speleothem study metadata records.
Browse Speleothem Datasets
Contributing Data
To contribute to the speleothem archive, review our instructions for contributing data. Prospective data providers can email paleo@noaa.gov to submit data and study description information.
Other Resources
Additional sources of data and information on speleothems:
