New chronological constraints for Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 6/5-3) cave sequences in Eastern Transylvania, Romania

Vereș, Daniel; Cosac, Marian; Schmidt, Christoph; Murătoreanu, George; Hambach, Ulrich; Hubay, Katalin; Wulf, Sabine; Karátson, Dávid

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.07.015

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Historically, cryptotephra studies have been critical for correlating sedimentary deposits and understanding the dynamics of past volcanic eruptions. Today, they are also extremely important in the field of archaeology for independently testing age models derived from other techniques Smith et al, 2018), linking archaeological deposits (Barton et al, 2015;Lowe et al, 2015;Smith et al, 2018), and assisting with dating sites older than the limit of radiocarbon dating (Veres et al, 2018). This contribution presents the results of cryptotephra investigations at two Middle-Upper Paleolithic sites, Arma Veirana (AV) and Riparo Bombrini (RB), located in Liguria, Italy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations

Hirniak

Smith

Johnsen

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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Chemical characterization of cryptotephra is critical for temporally linking archaeological sites. Here, we describe cryptotephra investigations of two Middle-Upper Paleolithic sites from north-west Italy, Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini. Cryptotephra are present as small (<100 µm) rhyolitic glass shards at both sites, with geochemical signatures rare for volcanoes in the Mediterranean region. Two chemically distinct shard populations are present at Arma Veirana (P1 and P2). P1 is a high silica rhyolite (>75 wt.%) with low FeO (<1 wt.%) and a K 2 O/ Na 2 O > 1 and P2 is also a high silica rhyolite (>75 wt.%) but with higher FeO (2.33-2.65 wt.%). Shards at Riparo Bombrini (P3) are of the same composition as P1 shards at Arma Veirana, providing a distinct link between deposits at both sites. Geochemical characteristics suggest three possible sources for P1 and P3: eruptions from Lipari Island (56-37.7 ka) in Italy, the Acigöl volcanic field (200-20 ka) in Turkey and the Miocene Kirka-Phrigian caldera (18 Ma) in Turkey. Eruptions from Lipari Island are the most likely source for P1,3 cryptotephra. This study highlights how cryptotephra can benefit archaeology, by providing a direct link between Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini as well as other deposits throughout the Mediterranean.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations

Hirniak

Smith

Johnsen

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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“…Explosive eruptions characterized only the youngest eruptive epoch, which lasted from 57 to 30 ka (Harangi et al, 2015;Molnár et al, 2019). This explosive volcanic activity involved moderate to large Vulcanian, subplinian to Plinian and phreatomagmatic eruptions (Szakács et al, 2015;Karátson et al, 2016), which occasionally resulted in far-reaching tephras (Vinkler et al, 2007;Harangi et al, 2015;Karátson et al, 2016;Wulf et al, 2016;Veres et al, 2018). Volcanological features of the explosive volcanic products (both proximal and medial-distal) were described by Vinkler et al (2007), Karátson et al (2016) and Molnár et al (2019).…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…the late Pleistocene Ciomadul volcano (Harangi et al , ; Szakács et al , ; Karátson et al , ; Molnár et al , , ). Tephra beds in the Black Sea drilling cores (Cullen et al , ), in loess deposits of Ukraine (Wulf et al , ) and in Middle Palaeolithic caves (Veres et al , ) have been recently suggested as derived from large explosive eruption events of Ciomadul volcano. However, to confirm this and to elucidate the regional impact of the Ciomadul eruptions, a better characterization of the Ciomadul tephras is necessary through geochronological, petrological and geochemical fingerprinting to constrain the accurate age and the nature of the volcanic products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fingerprinting the Late Pleistocene tephras of Ciomadul volcano, eastern–central Europe

Harangi

Molnár

Schmitt

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

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Late Pleistocene tephras derived by large explosive volcanic eruptions are widespread in the Mediterranean and surrounding areas. They are important isochronous markers in stratigraphic sections and therefore it is important to constrain their sources. We report here tephrochronology results using multiple criteria to characterize the volcanic products of the Late Pleistocene Ciomadul volcano in eastern-central Europe. This dacitic volcano had an explosive eruption stage between 57 and 30 ka. The specific petrological character (ash texture, occurrence of plagioclase and amphibole phenocrysts and their compositions), the high-K calc-alkaline major element composition and particularly the distinct trace element characteristics provide a strong fingerprint of the Ciomadul volcano. This can be used for correlating tephra and cryptotephra occurrences within this timeframe. Remarkably, during this period several volcanic eruptions produced tephras with similar glass major element composition. However, they differ from Ciomadul tephras by glass trace element abundances, ratios of strongly incompatible trace elements and their mineral cargo that serve as discrimination tools. We used (U-Th)/He zircon dates combined with U-Th in situ rim dates along with luminescence and radiocarbon dating to constrain the age of the explosive eruptions of Ciomadul that yielded distal tephra layers but lack of identified proximal deposits.

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“…The first stage, lasting from~850 to~440 ka (Molnár et al 2018;Lahitte et al this volume), was marked by typically low lava dome growth rates, characterised by mostly effusive activity (Szakács et al 2015). The second stage, beginning at~200 ka (Lahitte et al this volume) and ending at less than 30 ka (Karátson et al 2016;Wulf et al 2016), was more explosive; in addition to occasional Vulcanian eruptions, both Plinian and phreatomagmatic eruptions occurred, especially during the final phase of activity (Szakács et al 2015;Karátson et al 2016Karátson et al , 2017Wulf et al 2016;Veres et al 2018). This latest explosive phase resulted in the formation of the two prominent craters in the central part of the volcanic complex that truncate the main domes: Mohoş (Mohos), hosting a peat bog, and St. Ana (Szent Anna), hosting a lake (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Eruptive history of the Late Quaternary Ciomadul (Csomád) volcano, East Carpathians, part II: magma output rates

et al. 2019

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This study, which builds on high-precision unspiked Cassignol-Gillot K-Ar age determinations, presents an advanced DEMbased volumetrical analysis to infer long-term magma output rates for the Late Quaternary Ciomadul (Csomád) dacitic lava dome complex (East Carpathians, Romania). The volcanic field of Ciomadul developed on the erosional surface of Lower Cretaceous flysch and~2 Ma old andesites and experienced an extended eruptive history from~850 to < 30 ka. Predominantly effusive activity took place during the first stage (~850 to~440 ka), producing volumetrically minor, isolated, peripheral domes. Subsequently, after a~250 ky repose interval, a voluminous central dome cluster developed in the second stage (~200 to < 30 ka). During the youngest phase of evolution (~60 to < 30 ka), highly explosive eruptions also occurred, resulting in the formation of two craters (Mohos and St. Ana). The calculated~8.00 ± 0.55 km 3 total volume of the lava domes, which includes the related volcaniclastic (1.57 km 3) as well as erosionally removed (0.18 km 3) material, is in line with dimensions of other medium-sized dacitic lava domes worldwide. This volume was extruded at an average long-term magma output rate of 9.76 km 3 / My (0.0098 km 3 /ky). However, most of the domes (7.53 ± 0.51 km 3) were formed in the 200 to < 30 ka period, implying a significantly increased magma output rate of 37.40 km 3 /My (0.0374 km 3 /ky), more than 30 times higher than in the first stage. Within these long-term trends, individual lava domes of Ciomadul (e.g. those with volumes between 0.02 and 0.40 km 3) would have been emplaced at much higher rates over a period of years to tens of years. The active periods, lasting up to hundreds of years, would have been followed by repose periods~30 times longer. The most recent eruption of Ciomadul has been dated here at 27.7 ± 1.4 ka. This age, which is in agreement with radiocarbon dates for the onset of lake sediment accumulation in St. Ana crater, dates fragmented lava blocks which are possibly related to a disrupted dome. This suggests that during the last, typically explosive, phase of Ciomadul, lava dome extrusion was still ongoing. In a global context, the analysis of the volumetric dynamism of Ciomadul's activity gives insights into the temporal variations in magma output; at lava domes, short-term (dayor week-scale) eruption rates smooth out in long-term (millenia-scale) output rates which are tens of times lower.

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New chronological constraints for Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 6/5-3) cave sequences in Eastern Transylvania, Romania

Cited by 17 publications

References 69 publications

Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations

Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations

Fingerprinting the Late Pleistocene tephras of Ciomadul volcano, eastern–central Europe

Eruptive history of the Late Quaternary Ciomadul (Csomád) volcano, East Carpathians, part II: magma output rates

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