Seasonally Resolved Multiannual Droughts in the Maya Terminal Classic (800-1000 CE, Yucatán, Mexico)
Explore how a seasonally resolved stalagmite record from the Yucatán reveals multi-year droughts during the Maya Terminal Classic, offering new insight into climate stress and socio-political change.
Seasonally Resolved Multiannual Droughts in the Maya Terminal Classic (800-1000 CE, Yucatán, Mexico)
15 Jan 2026, 13:00 – 14:00
Join us for this seminar in the Palaeoclimate Seminar Series 2025/26, featuring Dr Daniel James (UCL Institute of Archaeology), who will discuss high-resolution stalagmite records from the Yucatán and their implications for understanding Maya-period climate change.
Dr James will present a seasonally resolved oxygen isotope record from an annually laminated stalagmite in northwest Yucatán, Mexico. The talk will examine how this high-resolution palaeoclimate data constrains the timing and seasonality of multi-annual droughts during the Maya Terminal Classic, and considers its value and limitations for fine-scale archaeological research.
Dr Daniel James is a Research Fellow in Stable Isotope Palaeoecology and Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. His research uses speleothem palaeoclimatology, stable isotope geochemistry and sedimentological approaches to reconstruct past climate and environmental change, with a particular focus on Maya archaeology and climate–society interactions.
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Research Fellow in Stable Isotope Palaeoecology and Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction
Institute of ArchaeologyExpert in stable isotope palaeoclimatology, speleothem records, and climate–environment interactions in archaeological contexts.
Palaeoclimate Seminar Series – weekly on Thursdays, 1–2pm, NWW G07
This seminar is part of the UCL Palaeoclimate Seminar Series, held every Thursday during term time from 1–2 pm in G07, North West Wing. The series features leading researchers presenting cutting-edge work in palaeoclimate science. All staff, students, and visitors are welcome, with in-person and online participation available.
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Further information
Ticketing
Open
Cost
Free
Open to
UCL staff
Availability
Yes
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