Read the following passage carefully.
For decades, ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica have been the primary archive for reconstructing late Pleistocene climate variations, particularly the rapid temperature fluctuations known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) cycles. These cores offer continuous, high-resolution records of atmospheric composition. However, despite their immense utility, deep ice cores suffer from inherent chronological uncertainties. Glacial ice behaves plastically under extreme pressure; consequently, deeper layers thin out and deform, a physical reality that profoundly complicates the development of an absolute timescale based solely on annual layer counting. To compensate, deeper ice core chronologies often rely on correlation with other records or require complex glaciological modeling, introducing chronological margins of error that can span several centuries.
To achieve greater temporal precision, paleoclimatologists have increasingly integrated data from speleothems—specifically stalagmites—found in deep cave systems. Speleothems are formed by calcium carbonate precipitating from groundwater, and their oxygen isotope composition closely tracks changes in regional precipitation and temperature. Crucially, unlike the ductile ice of glaciers, speleothems are rigid and dimensionally stable. This structural integrity allows for highly precise absolute dating using uranium-thorium (U-Th) radiometric techniques. Because the U-Th method relies on the radioactive decay of uranium isotopes incorporated directly into the calcium carbonate matrix at the time of formation, it is independent of layer counting and bypasses the deformation issues plaguing ice cores.
Thus, while ice cores offer a more direct proxy for global greenhouse gas concentrations, speleothems can provide a definitive radiometric anchor. By synchronizing the abrupt oxygen isotopic shifts recorded in precisely dated speleothems with corresponding shifts found in ice cores, researchers can significantly constrain the chronological uncertainty of the ice core records.
Evaluate the following statement based on the passage:
Statement: The passage supports the inference that the specific mechanism enabling a speleothem to serve as a "definitive radiometric anchor" is independent of its oxygen isotope composition.
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