# deMenocal 2000: Abrupt onset and termination of the African Humid Period: rapid climate responses to gradual insolation forcing

> Peter deMenocal, Joseph Ortiz, Tom Guilderson et al., 2000. 5 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Cited for the timing of the African Humid Period…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCP1RZVVB6K/abrupt-onset-and-termination-of-the-african-humid-period  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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# Abrupt onset and termination of the African Humid Period: rapid climate responses to gradual insolation forcing

Peter deMenocal, Joseph Ortiz, Tom Guilderson et al., 2000. _Quaternary Science Reviews_ 19(1-5): 347-361.

A dust record from ODP Site 658C off Cap Blanc, Mauritania, dated by 18 AMS radiocarbon dates back to 23,000 years ago. Dust was low between about 14,800 and 5,500 calendar years ago, when the Sahara was "nearly completely vegetated" with "numerous perennial lakes"; an arid spell matching the Younger Dryas interrupts it. Both onset and end took decades to centuries, a sharp response to summer sunshine crossing a threshold about 4.2% above today's.

**Eye of the Sahara and AtlantisSecondary source** Articledoi: **[10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00081-5](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00081-5)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

Cited for the timing of the African Humid Period off Mauritania (14.8 to 5.5 cal ka BP), its Younger Dryas interruption, and its abrupt onset and end.

## Cited by on this site 5 records

[Off Mauritania, dust fell to a low between about 14,800 and 5,500 years ago, when the Sahara was green with perennial…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/evidence/EVD0DCPAE99WFM7/off-mauritania-dust-fell-to-a-low-between-about-14-800-and-5)

Evidence

EVD

[Plato's date falls inside the African Humid Period, and streams were laying down gravels in the Richat across that span](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/evidence/EVD0DCPAXJJMHT3/platos-date-falls-inside-the-african-humid-period-and)

Evidence

EVD

[Proponents tie the catastrophe to the Younger Dryas, which off Mauritania was a dry break in the humid period](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/evidence/EVD0DCPAXZ7QN6Q/proponents-tie-the-catastrophe-to-the-younger-dryas-which)

Evidence

EVD

[The African Humid Period ends and the western Sahara dries](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/events/EVT0DCPCW3XT3K0/the-african-humid-period-ends-and-the-western-sahara-dries)

EVT

[The Eye of the Sahara and Atlantis](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara)

The mystery article

MYS

## Cite it

```
deMenocal, P., Ortiz, J., Guilderson, T., Adkins, J., Sarnthein, M., Baker, L., & Yarusinsky, M. (2000). Abrupt onset and termination of the African Humid Period: rapid climate responses to gradual insolation forcing. Quaternary Science Reviews, 19(1-5), 347-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00081-5
```

[Read it free at authors.library.caltech.edu](https://authors.library.caltech.edu/records/36n5r-awc83)

Key

**SRC** 0DCP1RZVVB6K

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

28 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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