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At an important tephrostratigraphic crossroads: cryptotephra in Late Glacial to Early Holocene lake sediments from the Carpathian Mountains, Romania

R.J. Kearney Orcid Logo, Paul Albert Orcid Logo, R.A. Staff Orcid Logo, E.K. Magyari, I. Pál, D. Veres Orcid Logo, C.S. Lane Orcid Logo, A. McGuire Orcid Logo, C. Bronk Ramsey

Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume: 330, Start page: 108558

Swansea University Author: Paul Albert Orcid Logo

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Abstract

Understanding the temporal and spatial environmental response to past climate change during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT, 16-8 ka) across Europe relies on precise chronologies for palaeoenvironmental records. Tephra layers (volcanic ash) are a powerful chronological tool to synchro...

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Published in: Quaternary Science Reviews
ISSN: 0277-3791
Published: Elsevier BV 2024
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65813
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Abstract: Understanding the temporal and spatial environmental response to past climate change during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT, 16-8 ka) across Europe relies on precise chronologies for palaeoenvironmental records. Tephra layers (volcanic ash) are a powerful chronological tool to synchronise disparate records across the continent. Yet, some regions remain overlooked in terms of cryptotephra investigations. Building on earlier work at the same sites, we present the first complete LGIT high-resolution cryptotephra investigation of two lake records in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Lake Brazi and Lake Lia. Numerous volcanic glass shards have been recognised as originating from various volcanic regions, including: Iceland (Katla, Askja, and Torfajokull), Italy (Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Lipari, and Pantelleria), and central Anatolia (Acigol and Ericyes). In total, four distinct tephra horizons have now been identified in these records: 1) an LGIT Lipari tephra (11,515–12,885 cal BP, 95.4% range); 2) Askja-S (11,070–10,720 cal BP, 95.4% range); 3) an Early Holocene Lipari tephra,(12,590–10,845 cal BP, 95.4% range) and; 4) an Early Holocene Ischia tephra (11,120–10,740 cal BP, 95.4% range). The use of trace element analysis on selected cryptotephra layers provided additional important information in identifying volcanic source and facilitating correlations. These tephra layers, along with numerous other discrete cryptotephra layers, offer promise as significant future isochrons for comprehending the spatial and temporal fluctuations in past climate change throughout Europe and the Mediterranean area. This research has emphasized the significance of the Carpathian region in expanding the European and Mediterranean tephra lattice and establishing it as a keystone area within the framework.
Keywords: Tephrochronology; Cryptotephra; Tephrostratigraphy; Carpathian Mountains
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: RJK was funded by the UK National Environmental Research Council (NERC; grants: NE/L002612/1) as part of the Environmental Research Doctoral Training Program at the University of Oxford. PGA and RAS are supported by Early Career Fellowships from the Leverhulme Trust (grants: ECF-2014-438 and ECF-2015-396), while PGA has also been supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S035478/1)'. The research was also supported by the National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, Hungary (NKFIH-471-3/2021, RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00014), co-financed by the projects GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00019 and KKP 144209. AM was funded by a PhD studentship at the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. Special thanks is given to Prof. Victoria Smith (Oxford, EPMA) and Dr. Christina Manning (RHUL, LA-ICP-MS) for their help with the analysis. The authors would like to thank reviewers Biagio Giaccio and Sabine Wulf for their helpful comments and feedback.
Start Page: 108558