Patagonian ash on sub‐Antarctic South Georgia: expanding the tephrostratigraphy of southern South America into the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean

ABSTRACT Fingerprinting non‐visible volcanic ash (cryptotephra) enables precise dating and time synchronization of palaeoclimate archives. Recent analytical advances allow us to strengthen and expand existing tephrostratigraphical frameworks and harness the full potential of this powerful geochronol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of quaternary science 2018-07, Vol.33 (5), p.482-486
Main Authors: Oppedal, Lea Toska, van der Bilt, Willem G. M., Balascio, Nicholas L., Bakke, Jostein
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric conditions
Carbon 14
Electron microprobe
Electron probes
Fingerprinting
Geochronology
late Holocene
Oceans
Paleoclimate
Peat
South Georgia
Southern Ocean
sub‐Antarctic
Synchronism
Synchronization
tephra
Time synchronization
Volcanic activity
Volcanic ash
Volcanoes
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Summary:ABSTRACT Fingerprinting non‐visible volcanic ash (cryptotephra) enables precise dating and time synchronization of palaeoclimate archives. Recent analytical advances allow us to strengthen and expand existing tephrostratigraphical frameworks and harness the full potential of this powerful geochronological tool. Here, we present geochemical (electron microprobe) and chronological (14C) evidence to show that ash found in a peat section on the sub‐Antarctic island of South Georgia correlates to the ∼2950 cal a BP Alpehué eruption of the Chilean Sollipulli volcano. This discovery marks the first tephra fingerprint on South Georgia and expands the recently refined tephrostratigraphy of Patagonia ∼3000 km into the Southern Ocean. As deposition of this tephra horizon coincides with a major shift in regional atmospheric conditions, future finds may yield information on the spatiotemporal pattern of Southern Ocean climate dynamics.
ISSN:0267-8179
1099-1417
DOI:10.1002/jqs.3035