The occurrence of Laacher See Tephra in Pomerania, NW Poland

Abstract

A millimetre‐thick bed of highly vesiculated pumiceous clasts was found in two peat bogs in Pomerania (NW Poland). Their phonolitic composition confirms the correlation with the Laacher See Tephra (LST). Based on the various CaO‐Na2O‐K2O content, most of these clasts can be linked with the Lower Laacher See Tephra (LLST), and some with the Middle Laacher See Tephra B (MLST‐B). 14C dates obtained on peat samples are in agreement with an Allered stratigraphic position of that tephra. In several localities in NW Poland, it was found that there was no occurrence of tephra in peat bogs. Thus the presence of the LST is restricted to the northwestern fringes of Pomerania.

North European last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT; 15–9 ka) tephrochronology: extended limits and new events

“…The identification of this horizon within Ireland indicates that this event might be found across most of northern Europe and will provide a critical early Holocene marker horizon, independent of known fluctuations in atmospheric 14 C content at this time (Stuiver et al, 1998). Furthermore, the identification of the MLST-C2 in Vallensgård Mose indicates this component is considerably more widespread than hitherto believed (van den Bogaard and Schmincke, 1985;Juvigné et al, 1995) and may also play a crucial role in extending the known limits of the LST.…”

“…Analysis of the colourless, vesicular and fluted shards from two separate cores taken across the basin indicate a population of phonolitic (2000), Berndt et al (2001) and Johansson (2005). Averages for analyses from NW Poland (Juvigné et al, 1995) are shown as means with 1 in Fig. 3(B).…”

“…c source, while the MLST-A and the phreatomagmatic ULST formed the southerly fan, and the southwesterly fan comprises solely tephra from the ULST phase of the eruption (Fig. 1) (van den Bogaard and Schmincke, 1985;Juvigné et al, 1995;Harms and Schmincke, 2000). Relatively recent methodological developments using flotation (Turney, 1998) and magnetic separation (Mackie et al, 2002) have now allowed the identification of tephra horizons invisible to the naked eye within minerogenic sediments (termed 'cryptotephra'; Lowe and Hunt (2001) and Turney et al (2004)).…”

Holocene tephrostratigraphy of varved sediment records from Lakes Tiefer See (NE Germany) and Czechowskie (N Poland)

“…the Saksunarvatn Ash (Bramham-Law et al, 2013), the Askja-S, Hässeldalen and Laacher See tephras (e.g. Housley et al, 2013a;Juvigné et al, 1995;Lane et al, 2011b;Riede et al, 2011;Wulf et al, 2013). Those tephras, however, are restricted to the Lateglacial and early Holocene epoch.…”

First discovery of Holocene Alaskan and Icelandic tephra in Polish peatlands

“…Despite the discovery of cryptotephra layers in multiple sites across northern Europe (Lawson et al ., ), and a report of the Lateglacial Laacher See tephra (of German origin) in lake sediments underlying peat in north‐west Poland (Juvigné et al ., ), no tephra layers have previously been reported from Polish peatlands. The discoveries of multiple tephra layers of Icelandic origin (Hässeldalen, Askja‐S, Askja 1875 and two unknown potential Icelandic tephras) in Lake Czechowskie (northern Poland) (Ott et al ., ; Wulf et al ., ), and the Askja 1875 tephra in Lake Żabińskie, north‐east Poland (Tylmann et al ., ), indicate that tephra fell out over Poland during the Lateglacial and Holocene and may also be present in peatlands.…”