Glacier Peak and mid‐Lateglacial Katla cryptotephras in Scotland: potential new intercontinental and marine‐terrestrial correlations

Abstract

Using contiguous high resolution sampling methods, we report the detection of a Glacier Peak volcanic ash from North America in Lateglacial Interstadial lake sediments in western Scotland. It occurs in close proximity to the Icelandic Borrobol and Penifiler tephras, but is distinguishable by its rhyolitic major‐element composition that is consistent with the earliest set G layer, one of a number of mid‐Interstadial Glacier Peak eruptions dated between 13.71 and 13.41 cal ka bp. Another cryptotephra layer present in these same Interstadial sediments has a rhyolitic composition consistent with the Icelandic Katla source. However, it is in a stratigraphic position below the widespread mid‐Lateglacial Stadial Vedde Ash from Katla, which is also present in these cores. The Katla layer is stratigraphically well defined, suggesting primary airfall, and is compositionally similar to a mid‐Interstadial rhyolitic tephra reported from a North Atlantic marine sequence south of Iceland dated to ~13.6 ka. The detection of Glacier Peak G in the European tephrostratigraphy will permit direct high‐precision correlation of mid‐Interstadial palaeoenvironments between North American and European terrestrial sequences. Any correlation between the new Katla layer and similar marine layers remains provisional, though if verified would permit similar correlation between North Atlantic marine and European terrestrial records.

Crossing new frontiers: extending tephrochronology as a global geoscientific research tool

“…(2020) have already shown that the Azores can be a source, and two further papers show that even more distant volcanic regions have contributed tephras to the British Isles tephra framework. Firstly, Pyne‐O'Donnell and Jensen (2020) re‐examine cores from Loch Ashik, Scotland, first investigated by Pyne‐O'Donnell (2004, 2006), at a high resolution and uncover evidence for North American tephra deposition (Glacier Peak G) at this site during the Lateglacial Interstadial. Secondly, through their investigation of early‐ to mid‐Holocene sediments from Llyn Llech Owain, Wales, Jones et al .…”

Identification of the Campanian Ignimbrite in the Dead Sea and consequent time-transgressive hydroclimatic shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean

“…Tephra shards that mark volcanic ash layers serve as a powerful chronological tool, enabling the refinement of tephrochronological age uncertainties and provide reliable isochronous tephrostratigraphic tie-points. Widely dispersed tephra from highly explosive eruptions help to facilitate precise temporal comparisons between palaeoenvironmental records over regional to continental scales 9 , 10 . Tephra layers are a particularly useful chronological tool when: (1) glass shards can be confidently correlated to a volcanic centre and/or eruption through chemical compositions 11 ; (2) they are widely dispersed and provide tie-points in important records 12 ; (3) well dated by absolute and relative dating techniques 13 , 14 and; (4) they can be linked to a climatic/archaeological event or transition around the time of the eruption 8 , 15 .…”

Identification of the Campanian Ignimbrite in the Dead Sea and consequent time-transgressive hydroclimatic shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean

“…Tephra shards mark volcanic ash layers and serve as a powerful chronological tool, enabling the re nement of tephrochronological age uncertainties and providing isochronous tephrostratigraphic tiepoints. Widely dispersed tephra from highly explosive eruptions help to facilitate precise temporal comparisons between palaeoenvironmental records over continental to regional scales [9,10] . Tephra layers are a particularly useful chronological tool when: 1) glass shards can be con dently correlated to a volcanic centre and eruption through chemical compositions [11] ; 2) they are widely dispersed that lead to tie-points in records at regional and global scales [12] ; 3) well dated by absolute and relative dating techniques [13,14] and; 4) they are linked to a climatic/archaeological event or transition around the time of the eruption [8,15] .…”