22An absolute-dated stalagmite from Kaite Cave (Ojo Guareña Karst Complex, N Spain), 23 provides a nearly continuous, high-resolution record of a proxy of regional precipitation patterns 24 through the 4.9 to 0.9 ka BP interval. This record is based in the Mg/Ca ratio of the calcite and 25 its variation through the stalagmite stratigraphy, which is interpreted to be primarily driven by 26 changes in precipitation amount. The calibration of the proxy is supported by the present-day 27 monitoring carried out in the cave for the last 10 years, which reveals a robust inverse 28 relationship between the inter-annual/inter-decadal variability of rainfall and the Mg 29 concentration of dripwaters and precipitating speleothems. 30The record of paleoprecipitation, based on 2400 Mg/Ca measurements, shows strong variability 31 at inter-annual to inter-decadal scales, and more subtle but significant changes at secular to 32 millennial scales. This long-term paleohydrological evolution outlines five successive intervals 33 with consistent trends, which are bounded by abrupt shifts in the regional precipitation. These 34 shifts took place at 4.65, 4.2, 2.6, and 1.3 ka BP. Significantly, the intervals of maximum 35 precipitation of the whole record (around 4.9-4.65, 2.6-2.45, and 1.3-1.1 ka BP) can be related 36 with episodes of minimum solar activity, and correlated with cold climatic events elsewhere. 37 38
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