Assessment of the record of the 1982 El Chichón eruption as preserved in Greenland snow

Zielinski, Gregory A.; Dibb, Jack E.; Yang, Qingshu; Mayewski, Paul Andrew; Whitlow, Sallie I.; Twickler, Mark S.; Germani, Mark S.

doi:10.1029/97jd01574

Cited by 45 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Volcanic ash may be transported vast distances. For example, glass shards from the El Chichón (Mexico) eruption in 1982 were identified in Greenland ice, ~10,000 km from the source (Zielinski et al, 1997). Such widespread deposits thus provide useful isochronous markers over thousands of square kilometres and are widely used in palaeo-climate studies (e.g.…”

Section: Rationale and Aimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction of volcanic records from marine sediment cores: A review and case study (Montserrat, West Indies)

Cassidy

Watt

Palmer

et al. 2014

Earth-Science Reviews

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Detailed knowledge of the past history of an active volcano is crucial for the prediction of the timing, frequency and style of future eruptions, and for the identification of potentially at-risk areas. Subaerial volcanic stratigraphies are often incomplete, due to a lack of exposure, or burial and erosion from subsequent eruptions. However, many volcanic eruptions produce widelydispersed explosive products that are frequently deposited as tephra layers in the sea. Cores of marine sediment therefore have the potential to provide more complete volcanic stratigraphies, at least for explosive eruptions. Nevertheless, problems such as bioturbation and dispersal by currents affect the preservation and subsequent detection of marine tephra deposits.Consequently, cryptotephras, in which tephra grains are not sufficiently concentrated to form layers that are visible to the naked eye, may be the only record of many explosive eruptions.Additionally, thin, reworked deposits of volcanic clasts transported by floods and landslides, or during pyroclastic density currents may be incorrectly interpreted as tephra fallout layers, leading to the construction of inaccurate records of volcanism. This work uses samples from the volcanic island of Montserrat as a case study to test different techniques for generating volcanic eruption records from marine sediment cores, with a particular relevance to cores sampled in relatively proximal settings (i.e. tens of kilometres from the volcanic source) where volcaniclastic material may form a pervasive component of the sedimentary sequence. Visible volcaniclastic deposits identified by sedimentological logging were used to test the effectiveness of potential alternative volcaniclastic-deposit detection techniques, including point counting of grain types (component analysis), glass or mineral chemistry, colour spectrophotometry, grain size measurements, XRF core scanning, magnetic susceptibility and X-radiography. This study demonstrates that a set of time-efficient, non-destructive and high-spatial-resolution analyses (e.g. XRF core-scanning and magnetic susceptibility) can be used effectively to detect potential cryptotephra horizons in marine sediment cores. Once these horizons have been sampled, microscope image analysis of volcaniclastic grains can be used successfully to discriminate between tephra fallout deposits and other volcaniclastic deposits, by using specific criteria Page | 3 related to clast morphology and sorting. Standard practice should be employed when analysing marine sediment cores to accurately identify both visible tephra and cryptotephra deposits, and to distinguish fallout deposits from other volcaniclastic deposits.

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Section: Rationale and Aimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction of volcanic records from marine sediment cores: A review and case study (Montserrat, West Indies)

Cassidy

Watt

Palmer

et al. 2014

Earth-Science Reviews

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“…However, because larger particles would tend to fall out faster than the smaller ones, H 2 SO 4 aerosols are expected to reach more southern latitudes than most of the ash particles. The finest grains may reach polar sites as demonstrated by the observation of glass shards emitted by major volcanic eruptions in ice layers corresponding to stratospheric sulfate arrival (de Angelis et al, 1985, Cole-Dai et al, 1997, Zielinski et al, 1997, but they are too small in quantity to have carried significant amounts of halogens. This could explain large differences in composition between stratospheric fallout over tropical areas and over polar regions.…”

Section: Ecm-chemistry Relationship For the Illimani Ice Corementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several continuous longterm records of past volcanic activity have been deduced from acidity measurements along deep ice cores recently recovered in both polar regions (Zielinski et al, 1996;Clausen et al, 1997). Large volcanic eruptions of global significance may sometimes also be detected in polar ice cores by their glass or silicate grain deposits (de Angelis et al 1985;Palais et al, 1990;Silva and Zielinski, 1998;Zielinski et al, 1997). However, even in the case of very large halogen-rich volcanic eruptions, significant amounts of halogens have been detected in polar ice layers only when the eruption occurred at a high latitude in the same hemisphere, allowing rapid tropospheric transport .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volcanic eruptions recorded in the Illimani ice core (Bolivia): 1918–1998 and Tambora periods

et al. 2003

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Abstract. Acid layers of volcanic origin detected in polar snow and ice layers are commonly used to document past volcanic activity on a global scale or, conversely, to date polar ice cores. Although most cataclysmic eruptions of the last two centuries (Pinatubo, El Chichon, Agung, Krakatoa, Cosiguina, Tambora, etc.) occurred in the tropics, cold tropical glaciers have not been used for the reconstruction of past volcanism. The glaciochemical study of a 137 m ice core drilled in 1999 close to the summit of Nevado Illimani (Eastern Bolivian Andes, 16 • 37' S, 67 • 46' W, 6350 m asl) demonstrates, for the first time, that such eruptions are recorded by both their tropospheric and stratospheric deposits. An 80-year ice sequence and the Tambora years have been analyzed in detail. In several cases, ash, chloride and fluoride were also detected. The ice records of the Pinatubo (1991), Agung (1963) and Tambora (1815) eruptions are discussed in detail. The potential impact of less important regional eruptions is discussed.

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“…Determining the source volcano of the tephra, through matching the chemistry of the volcanic glass found in the ice core with that from the particular eruption (e.g., De Angelis et al, 1985;Palais et al, 1992;Zielinski et al, 1997;Narcisi et al, 2010a, b;Dunbar and Kurbatov, 2011), can also tie the volcanic aerosol signal to a specific eruption. The ability to reliably identify the eruption(s) responsible for a particular signal provides the information needed to clearly assess the climatic forcing capability of a particular eruption/volcano and of a particular type of eruption, e.g., a plinian versus fissure type of eruption, or tropical versus high latitude.…”

Section: Development Of Tephra Databases and The Impact On Paleoclimamentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical signatures of tephras from Quaternary Antarctic Peninsula volcanoes

Kraus¹,

Kurbatov

Yates

2013

andgeo

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ABSTRACT. In the northern Antarctic Peninsula area, at least 12 Late Pleistocene-Holocene volcanic centers could be potential sources of tephra layers in the region. We present unique geochemical fingerprints for ten of these volcanoes using major, trace, rare earth element, and isotope data from 95 samples of tephra and other eruption products. The volcanoes have predominantly basaltic and basaltic andesitic compositions. The Nb/Y ratio proves useful to distinguish between volcanic centers located on the eastern (Larsen Rift) and those situated on the western side (Bransfield Rift) of the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition, the Sr/Nb ratio (for samples with SiO 2 <63 wt%), along with Sr/Y, Ba/La, Zr/Hf and Th/Nb are suitable to unequivocally characterize material erupted from every studied volcanic center. Microprobe analyses on volcanic glass show that the samples are generally very poor in K 2 O, and that glass from Bransfield Rift volcanoes is enriched in SiO 2 , while that of Larsen Rift volcanoes tends towards elevated alkali contents. We propose an algorithm for the identification of the source volcano of a given tephra layer using the new geochemical fingerprints. This will contribute to the development of a regional tephrochronological framework needed for future correlations of tephra in climate archives (e.g., marine, lacustrine and ice cores). Keywords: Late Pleistocene, Holocene, Explosive volcanism, Tephra, Source volcano identification, Geochemical fingerprint, Antarctic Peninsula, Bransfield Rift, Larsen Rift. RESUMEN. Geoquímica de tefras de volcanes Cuaternarios de la Península Antártica. En la parte norte de la Península Antártica existen, por lo menos, 12 centros volcánicos del Pleistoceno Tardío-Holoceno que podrían representar las fuentes de horizontes de tefra reconocidos en la región. Se reportan aquí análisis químicos de 10 de estos volcanes, que incluyen análisis de elementos mayores, trazas, tierras raras y composición isotópica de 95 muestras de tefra u otros productos eruptivos. Los volcanes tienen, en su mayoría, composición basáltica a basáltico-andesítica. Las razones Nb/Y resultan útiles para distinguir entre centros volcánicos ubicados al lado oriental (Larsen Rift) de aquellos ubicados al lado occidental (Bransfield Rift) de la Península Antártica. Adicionalmente, las razones Sr/Nb (para muestras con SiO 2 <63 wt%), Sr/Y, Ba/La, Zr/Hf y Th/Nb sirven para caracterizar los productos generados por cada centro volcánico. Análisis de microsonda en vidrio muestran que las rocas estudiadas tienen bajos contenidos de K 2 O, y que vidrios de rocas provenientes de volcanes ubicados en el rift de Bransfield son ricos en SiO 2 , mientras que las de volcanes del rift de Larsen tienden hacía contenidos elevados de álcalis. Se propone un algoritmo para la identificación del volcán de origen de un horizonte de tefra cualquiera, basado en las distintivas composiciones geoquímicas aquí reportadas. Este estudio contribuirá al desarrollo de un marco tefrocronológico regional indispensable para ...

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Assessment of the record of the 1982 El Chichón eruption as preserved in Greenland snow

Cited by 45 publications

References 45 publications

Construction of volcanic records from marine sediment cores: A review and case study (Montserrat, West Indies)

Construction of volcanic records from marine sediment cores: A review and case study (Montserrat, West Indies)

Volcanic eruptions recorded in the Illimani ice core (Bolivia): 1918–1998 and Tambora periods

Geochemical signatures of tephras from Quaternary Antarctic Peninsula volcanoes

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