The exceptional magnitude and intensity of the Toba eruption,sumatra: An example of the use of deep-sea tephra layers as a geological tool

The eruption of Toba (75,000 years BP), Sumatra, is the largest magnitude eruption documented from the Quaternary. The eruption produced the largest-known caldera the dimensions of which are 100 × 30 km and which is surrounded by rhyolitic ignimbrite covering an area of over 20,000 km². The associated deep-sea tephra layer is found in piston cores in the north-eastern Indian Ocean covering a minimum area of 5 × 10⁶ km². We have investigated the thickness, grain size and texture of the Toba deep-sea tephra layer in order to demonstrate the use of deep-sea tephra layers as a volcanological tool. The exceptional magnitude and intensity of the Toba eruption is demonstrated by comparison of these data with the deep-sea tephra layers associated with the eruptions of the Campanian ignimbrite, Italy and of Santorini, Greece in Minoan time. The volume of ignimbrite and distal tephra fall deposit produced in the Toba eruption are comparable, a total of at least 1000 km³ of dense rhyolitic magma. In contrast the volume of dense magma produced by the Campanian and Santorini eruptions are approximately 70 and 13 km³ respectively. Thickness versus distance data on the three deep-sea tephra layers show that eruptions of smaller magnitude than Santorini are unlikely to be preserved as distinct tephra layers in most deep-sea cores. In proximal cores all three tephra layers show two distinct units: a lower coarse-grained unit and an upper fine-grained unit. We interpret the lower unit as a plinian deposit and the upper unit as a co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposit, indicating two major eruptive phases. The Toba tephra layer is coarser both in maximum and median grain size than the Campanian and Santorini layers at a given distance from source. These data are interpreted to indicate a very high cruption column, estimated to be at least 45 km. We have applied a method for estimating the duration of the Toba eruption from the style of graded-bedding in deep-sea tephra layers. Studies of two cores yield estimates of 9 and 14 days. The eruption column height and duration estimates both indicate an average volume discharge rate of approximately 10⁶ m³/sec. The Toba eruption therefore was not only of exceptional magnitude, but also of exceptional intensity.     

Explosive silicic volcanism in Iceland and the Jan Mayen area during the last 6 Ma: sources and timing of major eruptions

Fifty-three major explosive eruptions on Iceland and Jan Mayen island were identified in 0–6-Ma-old sediments of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans by the age and the chemical composition of silicic tephra. The depositional age of the tephra was estimated using the continuous record in sediment of paleomagnetic reversals for the last 6 Ma and paleoclimatic proxies (δ¹⁸O, ice-rafted debris) for the last 1 Ma. Major element and normative compositions of glasses were used to assign the sources of the tephra to the rift and off-rift volcanic zones in Iceland, and to the Jan Mayen volcanic system. The tholeiitic central volcanoes along the Iceland rift zones were steadily active with the longest interruption in activity recorded between 4 and 4.9 Ma. They were the source of at least 26 eruptions of dominant rhyolitic magma composition, including the late Pleistocene explosive eruption of Krafla volcano of the Eastern Rift Zone at about 201 ka. The central volcanoes along the off-rift volcanic zones in Iceland were the source of at least 19 eruptions of dominant alkali rhyolitic composition, with three distinct episodes recorded at 4.6–5.3, 3.5–3.6, and 0–1.8 Ma. The longest and last episode recorded 11 Pleistocene major events including the two explosive eruptions of Tindfjallajökull volcano (Thórsmörk, ca. 54.5 ka) and Katla volcano (Sólheimar, ca. 11.9 ka) of the Southeastern Transgressive Zone. Eight major explosive eruptions from the Jan Mayen volcanic system are recorded in terms of the distinctive grain-size, mineralogy and chemistry of the tephra. The tephra contain K-rich glasses (K₂O/SiO₂>0.06) ranging from trachytic to alkali rhyolitic composition. Their normative trends (Ab–Q–Or) and their depleted concentrations of Ba, Eu and heavy-REE reflect fractional crystallisation of K-feldspar, biotite and hornblende. In contrast, their enrichment in highly incompatible and water-mobile trace elements such as Rb, Th, Nb and Ta most likely reflect crustal contamination. One late Pleistocene tephra from Jan Mayen was recorded in the marine sequence. Its age, estimated between 617 and 620 ka, and its composition support a common source with the Borga pumice formation at Sør Jan in the south of the island.     

Distal record of multi-sourced tephra in Onepoto Basin,Auckland, New Zealand: implications for volcanic chronology,frequency and hazards

We have documented 80 tephra beds dating from ca. 9.5 to >50 ka, contained within continuously deposited palaeolake sediments from Onepoto Basin, a volcanic explosion crater in Auckland, New Zealand. The known sources for distal (>190 km from vent) tephra include the rhyolitic Taupo Volcanic Centre (4) and Okataina Volcanic Centre (14), and the andesitic Taranaki volcano (40) and Tongariro Volcanic Centre (3). The record provides evidence for four new events between ca. 50 and 28 ka (Mangaone Subgroup) suggesting Okataina was more active than previously known. The tephra record also greatly extends the known northern dispersal of other Mangaone Subgroup tephra. Ten rhyolitic tephra pre-date the Rotoehu eruption (>ca. 50 ka), and some are chemically dissimilar to post-50 ka rhyolites. Some of these older tephra were produced by large-magnitude events; however, their source remains uncertain. Eight tephra from the local basaltic Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) are also identified. Interpolation of sedimentation rates allow us to estimate the timing of 12 major explosive eruptions from Taranaki volcano in the 27.5-9.5-ka period. In addition, 28 older events are recognised. The tephra are trachytic to rhyolitic in composition. All have high K₂O contents (>3 wt%), and there are no temporal trends. This contrasts with the proximal lava record that shows a trend of increasing K₂O with time. By combining the Onepoto tephra record with that of the previously documented Pukaki crater, 15 AVF basaltic fall events are constrained at: 34.6, 30.9, 29.6, 29.6, 25.7, 25.2, 24.2, 23.8, 19.4, 19.4, 15.8 and 14.5 ka, and three pre-50 ka events. This provides some of the best age constraints for the AVF, and the only reliable data for hazard recurrence calculations. The minimum event frequency of both distal and local fall events can be estimated, and demonstrates the Auckland City region is frequently impacted by ash fall from many volcanoes.     

A 90,000–200,000 yrs marine tephra record of Italian volcanic activity in the Central Mediterranean Sea

A detailed tephrochronological study was undertaken in three deep-sea cores collected in the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. The age and the origin of the marine tephra were inferred from oxygen isotope records of foraminifera and from major element compositions of glass-shards. Seventy-one eruptions were detected in the time interval 90,000–200,000 yrs during which the volcanoes of the Roman and Campanian regions and of the southern Italy were in activity. This is attested by the consistency of the geochemical compositions of both marine and terrestrial deposits. Most of the marine tephra consisted in trachytes and phonolites characterizing a Roman and Campanian origin. Several tephra were proposed as key-horizons for proximal and distal sediments. Among them, one tephra originating from Mount Etna (149,300 yrs) and five tephra from Pantelleria island (130,000 yrs, 163,600 yrs, 192,500 yrs, 197,400 yrs and 198,400 yrs) were northerly dispersed. Several other key horizons originated from the Campanian or Roman provinces were detected as far as 1000 km from the vents.     

Englacial tephrostratigraphy of Erebus volcano,Antarctica

A tephrostratigraphy for Erebus volcano is presented, including tephra composition, stratigraphy, and eruption mechanism. Tephra from Erebus were collected from glacial ice and firn. Scanning electron microscope images of the ash morphologies help determine their eruption mechanisms The tephra resulted mainly from phreatomagmatic eruptions with fewer from Strombolian eruptions. Tephra having mixed phreatomagmatic–Strombolian origins are common. Two tephra deposited on the East Antarctic ice sheet, ~ 200 km from Erebus, resulted from Plinian and phreatomagmatic eruptions. Glass droplets in some tephra indicate that these shards were produced in both phreatomagmatic and Strombolian eruptions. A budding ash morphology results from small spheres quenched during the process of hydrodynamically splitting off from a parent melt globule. Clustered and rare single xenocrystic analcime crystals, undifferentiated zeolites, and clay are likely accidental clasts entrained from a hydrothermal system present prior to eruption. The phonolite compositions of glass shards confirm Erebus volcano as the eruptive source. The glasses show subtle trends in composition, which correlate with stratigraphic position. Trace element analyses of bulk tephra samples show slight differences that reflect varying feldspar contents.     

Estimation of tephra volumes from sparse and incompletely observed deposit thicknesses

We present a Bayesian statistical approach to estimate volumes for a series of eruptions from an assemblage of sparse proximal and distal tephra (volcanic ash) deposits. Most volume estimates are of widespread tephra deposits from large events using isopach maps constructed from observations at exposed locations. Instead, we incorporate raw thickness measurements, focussing on tephra thickness data from cores extracted from lake sediments and through swamp deposits. This facilitates investigation into the dispersal pattern and volume of tephra from much smaller eruption events. Given the general scarcity of data and the physical phenomena governing tephra thickness attenuation, a hybrid Bayesian-empirical tephra attenuation model is required. Point thickness observations are modeled as a function of the distance and angular direction of each location. The dispersal of tephra from larger well-estimated eruptions are used as leverage for understanding the smaller unknown events, and uncertainty in thickness measurements can be properly accounted for. The model estimates the wind and site-specific effects on the tephra deposits in addition to volumes. Our technique is exemplified on a series of tephra deposits from Mt Taranaki (New Zealand). The resulting estimates provide a comprehensive record suitable for supporting hazard models. Posterior mean volume estimates range from 0.02 to 0.26 km ³. Preliminary examination of the results suggests a size-predictable relationship.     

TEPHRA RECORD FROM QUANYANG PEAT OF THE CHANGBAISHAN MILLENNIUM ERUPTION

Tephra, usually produced by explosive eruptions, is deposited rapidly, hence, it can serve as a distinctive and widespread synchronous marker horizon correlating terrestrial, marine and ice core records. The tephra from Changbaishan Millennium eruption, a widely distributed tephra, is an important marker bed across the Japan Sea, Japan Islands and even in the Greenland ice cores 9000km away from volcanic vent. In this study, a discrete tephra was identified in the Quanyang peat~45km northeast to the Changbaishan volcano. Radiocarbon ¹⁴ C dating on the plant remains constrains an age of 886-1013calAD(95.4%)to the tephra layer, which can correspond to the Millennium eruption of Changbaishan in time. In addition, there was no similar volcanic eruption in the surrounding areas except Changbaishan at the same time. This tephra shows rhyolitic glass shards major element compositions similar to those rhyolitic tephra from Millennium eruption. This study illustrates that tephra from Millennium eruption has been transported to Quanyang peat~45km northwest to the Changbaishan volcano. Additionally, the diameter of the pumice lapilli is up to 0.3cm, implying that the tephra must be transported more distal away from Quanyang peat and formed a widely distributed isochronic layer. Glass geochemistry of the Quanyang tephra, different from the distal tephra recorded at Sihailongwan, Japan, and Greenland ice, shows a close affinity to the pyroclastic flow deposits of the Millennium eruption while not from fall deposits. This may indicate that distribution of the Millennium eruption of Changbaishanin in different directions may be controlled by different stages of eruption. This layer with well-defined annual results can be used to optimize the chronological framework of the corresponding sedimentary environment, thus facilitating more accurate discussion of corresponding environmental changes, which can achieve the contrast of the ancient climate records in the whole Northeast China-Japan and arctic regions.     

Chronology of Pliocene and Quaternary bioevents and climatic events from fission-track ages on tephra beds, Wairarapa, New Zealand

High-resolution Pliocene and Pleistocene sequences exposed on land in New Zealand are some of the few detailed records of widepread marine bioevents and paleoclimatic changes in the Southern Hemisphere. Marine biostratigraphy calibrated in deep-sea cores by paleomagnetic reversals has been the primary basis for the chronology of these sequences. We have determined ages for several tephra beds which now provide an independent numerical age calibration for a well-studied marine and terrestrial section in Wairarapa. By using the isothermal plateau fission track (ITPFT) method on volcanic glass we have overcome the problems of partial track fading and detrital mineral contamination, which hindered earlier studies, to reveal a new chronology extending back to nearly 5 Ma.

Our ages for the Hikawera Tuff (4.91 ± 0.25 Ma) and Spooner Tuff (3.44 ± 0.13 Ma) are consistent with the appearance and disappearance of many early Pliocene foraminiferial species, validating their age calibration in New Zealand. However, some fossil occurrences, including coccoliths, differ temporally by as much as 0.55 Ma, perhaps due to local tectonic-induced recycling.

Four Pleistocene tephra beds (Potaka tephra (1.00 ± 0.03 Ma), Kaukatea tephra (0.87 ± 0.05 Ma), Rangitawa tephra (ca. 0.35 Ma) and Kawakawa tephra (ca. 0.22 Ma)) are now recognised in the Wairarapa sequence via stratigraphic and new geochemical and age data. These beds allow direct correlation to other marine and terrestrial basins, as well as volcanic regions in New Zealand, and will ultimately aid in a regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction where bioevents are absent. The tephra ages indicate that the marine sediment accumulation rates varied from 90 to 250 m/Ma between different sections of the Pliocene and reached ca. 350 m/Ma in the last 2.4 Ma, when the sequence displays pronounced glacioeustatic cyclic deposition. In the terrestrial realm, the oldest loess in New Zealand is now constrained to between 1.00 and 0.87 Ma.     

Clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxides for correlating the ash from Changbaishan Millennium eruption

Volcanic glass compositions and tephra layer age are critical for anchoring their sources and correlating among different sites; however, such work may be imprecise when the tephra has varied compositions. The ash from Changbaishan Millennium eruption (940s AD), a widely distributed tephra layer, has been detected in the far-east areas of Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and in Greenland ice cores. There are some debates on the presence of this tephra from sedimentary archives to the west of Changbaishan volcano, such as lake and peat sediments in the Longgang volcanic field. In this paper, major element compositions for clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxides were performed on proximal tephra from Changbaishan and the Millennium eruption ash record in Lake Sihailongwan. Clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxides microlites from Sihailongwan show augite- ferroaugite and titanmagnetite compositions, similar to those from dark pumice in Changbaishan proximal tephra, but different from the light grey pumice, which has ferrohedenbergite and ilmenite microlite compositions. This result implies that the tephra recorded in Sihailongwan was mainly from the trachytic eruptive phase of the Millennium eruption, and the rhyolitic eruptive phase made a relatively small contribution to this area. Analyzing clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxides microlites is a new method for correlating tephra layers from Changbaishan Millennium eruption.     

Recurrent magma mingling in successive ignimbrites from Amealco caldera, central Mexico

The Amealco Tuff is a widespread (>2880 km²), trachyandesitic to rhyolitic pyroclastic deposit in the central Mexican Volcanic Belt that was erupted from the Amealco caldera at 4.7ǂ.1 Ma. It includes three major ignimbrites, each showing complex mingling of pumice fragments and matrix glass with andesitic to rhyolitic compositions. The different glasses are well mingled throughout each of the pyroclastic-flow deposits. Mingling of glasses may have occurred just before and during the explosive eruptions that produced the pyroclastic flows, as the distinct melts had insufficient time to homogenize. Mingling of glasses is evident in each of the three separate major ignimbrites of the Amealco Tuff; thus, the processes that caused it were repetitive. It is infered that the repetitive mingling of melts was due to repeated mafic magma inputs to an evolved magma chamber.     

Merging eruption datasets: building an integrated Holocene eruptive record for Mt Taranaki,New Zealand

Acquiring detailed eruption frequency datasets for a volcano system is essential for realistic eruption forecasts. However, accurate datasets are inherently difficult to compile, even if one or more well-dated eruption records are available. A single record typically under-represents the eruption frequency, while combining two or more records may result in an overrepresentation. Although glass compositions have proven to be successful in tephrochronological studies of dominantly rhyolitic tephras; microlitic growth and thin glass shards inhibit their application to andesitic tephras. A method consisting of a combination of two techniques for correlating syn-eruptive deposits is demonstrated on data from the typical andesitic stratovolcano of Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand. Firstly, tentative matches are identified using the radiocarbon age and associated error of each event. Secondly, the compositions of titanomagnetite micro-phenocrysts are used as an independent check, and shown to be a useful correlation tool where age data is available. Using two lake-core records containing tephra layers in an overlapping time-frame, the radiocarbon age-correlation procedure suggested 31 tephra matches. Geochemistry data were available for 15 of these pairs. In three of these cases, the titanomagnetite compositions did not match. Hence, these “paired” tephras were from compositionally distinct magmas and therefore likely represent separate events. An additional three matches were reassigned within the temporal uncertainty limits of the dating procedure, based on better geochemical pairing. The final combined dataset suggests that there have been at least 138 separate ash fall-producing eruptions between 96 and 10 150 years B.P. from Taranaki. Using the combined dataset the mixture of Weibulls renewal model forecasts a probability of 0.52 for an eruption occurring in the next 50 years at this volcano. The present annual eruption probability is estimated at 1.6%. This likelihood is almost double that obtained when relying on a single stratigraphic record.     

Quantifying volcanic ash fall hazard to electricity infrastructure

Quantifying the potential ash fall hazards from re-awakening volcanoes is a topic of great interest. While methods for calculating the probability of eruptions, and for numerical simulation of tephra dispersal and fallout exist, event records at most volcanoes that re-awaken sporadically on decadal to millennial cycles are inadequate to develop rigorous forecasts of occurrence, much less eruptive volume. Here we demonstrate a method by which eruption records from radiocarbon-dated sediment cores can be used to derive forecasting models for ash fall impacts on electrical infrastructure. Our method is illustrated by an example from the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Radiocarbon dates, expressed as years before present (B.P.), are used to define an age-depth model, classifying eruption ages (with associated errors) for a circa 1500–10 500 year B.P. record at Mt. Taranaki (New Zealand). In addition, data describing the youngest 1500 years of eruption activity is obtained from directly dated proximal deposits. Absence of trend and apparent independence in eruption intervals is consistent with a renewal model using a mix of Weibulls distributions, which was used to generate probabilistic forecasts of eruption recurrence. After establishing that interval length and tephra thickness were independent in the record, a thickness–volume relationship (from [Rhoades, D.A., Dowrick, D.J., Wilson, C.J.N., 2002. Volcanic hazard in New Zealand: Scaling and attenuation relations for tephra fall deposits from Taupo volcano. Nat. Hazards, 26:147–174]) was inverted to provide a frequency–volume relationship for eruptions. Monte Carlo simulation of the thickness–volume relationship was then used to produce probable ash fall thicknesses at any chosen site. Several critical electrical infrastructure sites in the Taranaki Region were analysed. This region, being the only gas and condensate-producing area in New Zealand, is of national economic importance, with activities in and around the area depending on uninterrupted power supplies. Forecasts of critical ash thicknesses (1 mm wet and 2 mm dry) that may cause short-circuiting, surges or power shutdowns in substations show that the annual probabilities of serious impact are between ~ 0.5% and 27% over a 50 year period. It was also found that while large eruptions with high ash plumes tend to affect “expected” areas in relation to prevailing winds, the direction impacts of small ash falls are far less predictable. In the Taranaki case study, areas out of normal downwind directions, but close to the volcano, have probabilities of impact for critical thicknesses of 1–2 mm of around half to 60% of those in downwind directions and therefore should not be overlooked in hazard analysis. Through this method we are able to definitively show that the potential ash fall hazard to electrical infrastructure in this area is low in comparison to other natural threats, and provide a quantitative measure for use in risk analysis and budget prioritisation for hazard mitigation measures.     

A remarkable pulse of large-scale volcanism on New Britain Island,Papua New Guinea

New studies of the deposits from the latest caldera-forming eruption (the “Dk” event) at Dakataua Volcano, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea, help identify an intense space-time concentration of large-scale volcanism during the 7th century AD on New Britain. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the Dk deposits yields an age of 1,383 ± 28 BP. Calibration of this result gives an age in the range AD 635–670 (at 1 s. d.). At about the same time, two other volcanoes on New Britain, Rabaul and Witori, also produced very large eruptions. Very high acidity levels in ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland at AD 639 and AD 640 respectively may be linked to either or both of the Dakataua and Rabaul eruptions. Another ice core high acidity level, at AD 692, may be associated with the Witori eruption. Significant volcanic risk within the New Britain region is indicated by its Late Cenozoic history of relatively frequent large-scale eruptions from as many as 8 caldera systems within an arc-parallel zone about 380 km long. Over the last 20 ka the return period for major (VEI 5+) eruptions in this region was about 1.0 ka and individually high frequencies of major eruptive activity were experienced at Witori and Rabaul. The relatively short return period for major eruptions in the region would tend to increase the chance that such events could cluster in time.     

Distribution, age and chemical composition of tephra layers in deep-sea sediments off western Indonesia

Tephra layers occur in deep-sea sediments of the northeastern Indian Ocean, adjacent to western Indonesian are. The layers range in age from Recent to Late Miocene. Relative abundance of light and heavy mineral species in all tephra layers have been determined, and pure glass shards from representative samples have been analyzed chemically for major oxides. On the basis of the chemical data, three distinct provinces can be recognized: (1) an extensive province of rhyolitic tephra layers, ranging in age back to Late Miocene, is found adjacent to Sumatra; (2) a more restricted province of dacitic layers, adjacent to Sunda Strait and western Java; and (3) a province of andesitic layers, found adjacent to eastern Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Chemical composition of tephra layers in each province remains constant with time. As an example, tephra layers from the rhyolitic province are characterized by a high and restricted range of SiO₂ (75–77%) when expressed on an H₂O-free basis.Tephra layers recovered from the study area were examined for chemical evidence of secondary alteration. The analyses revealed that H₂O is the only major oxide in the glass shards which increases progressively with the age of the tephra layers regardless of the bulk composition. H₂O, however, reaches a “saturation point” of 4–5% in the layers 250–400 thousands of years old and remains constant to the oldest recovered tephra layer (7.5 m.y. old).The decrease in silica content in deep-sea tephra layers eastward along the Indonesian volcanic arc coincides with a similar eastward decrease in average silica content in Indonesian lavas. A relatively high silica content in lavas from Sumatra, with associated ignimbrites and their deep-sea ash-fall equivalents is closely linked to thick pre-Cenozoic crust. In the portion of the arc to the east of Sumatra, the crust is Cenozoic and thin. Difference in silica content of both the lavas and deep-sea tephras along the Indonesian arc is considered in regard to the hypothesis of “magma filtering” which is based on the contrasting density gradients of ascending magma and the upper crust.     

Magmatic and phreatomagmatic volcanic activity at Mt. Takahe, West Antarctica, based on tephra layers in the Byrd ice core and field observations at Mt. Takahe

The morphology, grain size characteristics and composition of ash particles in 30 ka to 150 ka tephra layers from the Byrd ice core were examined to characterize the eruptions which produced them and to test the suggestion that they were erupted from Mt. Takahe, a shield volcano in Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. Volcanic deposits at Mt. Takahe were examined for evidence of recent activity which could correlate with the tephra layers in the ice core.Coarse- and fine-ash layers have been recognized in the Byrd ice core. The coarse-ash layers have a higher mass concentration than the fine-ash layers and are characterized by fresh glass shards > 50 μm diameter, many containing elongate pipe vesicles. The fine-ash layers have a lower mass concentration and contain a greater variety of particles, typically < 20 μm diameter. Many of these particles are aggregate grains composed of glass and crystal fragments showing S and Cl surface alteration. The grain-size distributions of the coarse and fine-ash layers overlap, in part because of the aggregate nature of grains in the fine-ash layers. The coarse-ash layers are interpreted as having formed by magmatic eruption whereas the fine-ash layers are believed to be hydrovolcanic in origin.Mt. Takahe is the favored source for the tephra because: (a) chemical analyses of samples from the volcano are distinctive, being peralkaline trachyte, and similar in composition to the analyzed tephra; (b) Mt. Takahe is a young volcano (< 0.3 Ma); (c) pyroclastic deposits on Mt. Takahe indicate styles of eruption similar to that inferred for the ice core tephra; and (d) Mt. Takahe is only about 350 km from the calculated site of tephra deposition.A speculative eruptive history for Mt. Takahe is established by combining observations from Mt. Takahe and the Byrd ice core tephra. Initial eruptions at Mt. Takahe were subglacial and then graded into alternating subaerial and subglacial activity. The tephra suggest alternating subaerial magmatic and hydrovolcanic eruptions from 30 to 20 ka B.P., followed by a sustained period of hydrovolcanic eruptions from 20 to 14 ka B.P., which peaked at 18 ka B.P.     

Tephra layers in the Byrd Station ice core and the Dome C ice core, Antarctica and their climatic importance

Volcanic glass shards from tephra layers in the Byrd Station ice core were chemically analyzed by electron microprobe. Tephra in seven layers have similar peralkaline trachyte compositions. The tephra are believed to originate from Mt. Takahe, on the basis of their chemical similarity to analyzed rocks from Mt. Takahe and because dated rock samples from the volcano are younger than 250,000 years old. Glass shards from 726 m deep in the Dome C ice core, which is 2400 km from Byrd Station, are composed of peralkaline trachyte and may have also been derived from Mt. Takahe. The tephra could have resulted from eruptions which were triggered by increased ice loading during the late Wisconsin glaciation. Preliminary grain size data suggest the eruptions were only minor and they were unlikely to have instantaneously altered global climate as have explosive eruptions in the tropics. Nevertheless, the effect of this localized volcanic activity upon the Antarctic energy budget warrants further investigation.     

Compositions of three tephra layers from the byrd station ice core, antarctica

Volcanic glass shards from three tephra layers at 788, 1457, 1711 m depth in the 2164-m Byrd Station ice core from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were analysed by electron microprobe. Glass shards within each tephra layer are homogeneous and have peralkaline trachyte compositions. Mt. Takahe, 450 km north-northwest of the drill site is considered the most likely eruptive source, although Toney Mountain, 460 km to the north is also a possible source. Tephra layers in ice cores from the West Antarctic ice sheet may offer a valuable tool for stratigraphic correlation.     

The volcanic history of Volcán Alcedo,Galápagos Archipelago: A case study of rhyolitic oceanic volcanism

Volcán Alcedo is one of the seven western Galápagos shields and is the only active Galápagos volcano known to have erupted rhyolite as well as basalt. The volcano stands 4 km above the sea floor and has a subaerial volume of 200 km³, nearly all of which is basalt. As Volcán Alcedo grew, it built an elongate domal shield, which was partly truncated during repeated caldera-collapse and partial-filling episodes. An outward-dipping sequence of basalt flows at least 250 m thick forms the steepest (to 33°) flanks of the volcano and is not tilted; thus a constructional origin for the steep upper flanks is favored. About 1 km³ of rhyolite erupted late in the volcano's history from at least three vents and in 2–5 episodes. The most explosive of these produced a tephra blanket that covers the eastern half of the volcano. Homogeneous rhyolitic pumice is overlain by dacite-rhyolite commingled pumice, with no stratigraphic break. The tephra is notable for its low density and coarse grain size. The calculated height of the eruption plume is 23–30 km, and the intensity is estimated to have been 1.2x10⁸ kg/s. Rhyolitic lavas vented from the floor of the caldera and from fissures along the rim overlie the tephra of the plinian phase. The age of the rhyolitic eruptions is 120 ka, on the basis of K-Ar ages. Between ten and 20 basaltic lava flows are younger than the rhyolites. Recent faulting resulted in a moat around part of the caldera floor. Alcedo most resently erupted sometime between 1946 and 1960 from its southern flank. Alcedo maintains an active, transient hydrothermal system. Acoustic and seismic activity in 1991 is attributed to the disruption of the hydrothermal system by a regional-scale earthquake.     

One Million Years tephra record at IODP Sites U1436 and U1437: Insights into explosive volcanism from the Japan and Izu arcs

The 1 Myr tephra records of IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) Holes U1436A and U1437B in the Izu‐Bonin fore‐ and reararc were investigated in order to assess provenance and eruptive volumes, respectively. In total, 304 tephra samples were examined and 260 primary tephra layers were identified. Tephra provenance was determined by means of major and trace element compositions of glass shards and distinguished between Japan and Izu‐Bonin arc origin of the tephra layers. A total of 33 marine tephra compositions were correlated to the Japan arc and 227 to the Izu arc. Twenty marine tephra layers were correlated between the two drilling sites. Additionally, we defined eleven correlations of marine tephra deposits to major widespread Japanese eruptions; from the 1.05 Ma Shishimuta‐Pink Tephra to the 30 ka Aira‐Tn Tephra, both from Kyushu Island. These eruptions provide independent time markers within the sediment record and six correlations were used to date tephra layers from Japan in Hole U1436A to establish an alternative age model for this hole. Furthermore, the minimum distal tephra volumes of all detected events were calculated, which enabled the comparison of the tephra volumes that derived from the Japan and the Izu‐Bonin arcs. For some of the major Japanese eruptions these are the first volume estimations that also include distal deposits. All of the Japanese tephras derived from events with eruption magnitude M_v ≥ 5.6 and three of the investigated eruptions reach magnitudes M_v ≥ 7. Volcanic events of the Izu‐Bonin arc have mostly eruption magnitudes M_v ≤ 5.     

Ubinas: the evolution of the historically most active volcano in southern Peru

Ubinas volcano has had 23 degassing and ashfall episodes since A.D. 1550, making it the historically most active volcano in southern Peru. Based on fieldwork, on interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images, and on radiometric ages, the eruptive history of Ubinas is divided into two major periods. Ubinas I (Middle Pleistocene >376 ka) is characterized by lava flow activity that formed the lower part of the edifice. This edifice collapsed and resulted in a debris-avalanche deposit distributed as far as 12 km downstream the Rio Ubinas. Non-welded ignimbrites were erupted subsequently and ponded to a thickness of 150 m as far as 7 km south of the summit. These eruptions probably left a small collapse caldera on the summit of Ubinas I. A 100-m-thick sequence of ash-and-pumice flow deposits followed, filling paleo-valleys 6 km from the summit. Ubinas II, 376 ky to present comprises several stages. The summit cone was built by andesite and dacite flows between 376 and 142 ky. A series of domes grew on the southern flank and the largest one was dated at 250 ky; block-and-ash flow deposits from these domes filled the upper Rio Ubinas valley 10 km to the south. The summit caldera was formed between 25 and 9.7 ky. Ash-flow deposits and two Plinian deposits reflect explosive eruptions of more differentiated magmas. A debris-avalanche deposit (about 1.2 km³) formed hummocks at the base of the 1,000-m-high, fractured and unstable south flank before 3.6 ka. Countless explosive events took place inside the summit caldera during the last 9.7 ky. The last Plinian eruption, dated A.D.1000–1160, produced an andesitic pumice-fall deposit, which achieved a thickness of 25 cm 40 km SE of the summit. Minor eruptions since then show phreatomagmatic characteristics and a wide range in composition (mafic to rhyolitic): the events reported since A.D. 1550 include many degassing episodes, four moderate (VEI 2–3) eruptions, and one VEI 3 eruption in A.D. 1667. Ubinas erupted high-K, calc-alkaline magmas (SiO₂=56 to 71%). Magmatic processes include fractional crystallization and mixing of deeply derived mafic andesites in a shallow magma chamber. Parent magmas have been relatively homogeneous through time but reflect variable conditions of deep-crustal assimilation, as shown in the large variations in Sr/Y and LREE/HREE. Depleted HREE and Y values in some lavas, mostly late mafic rocks, suggest contamination of magmas near the base of the >60-km-thick continental crust. The most recently erupted products (mostly scoria) show a wide range in composition and a trend towards more mafic magmas.Recent eruptions indicate that Ubinas poses a severe threat to at least 5,000 people living in the valley of the Rio Ubinas, and within a 15-km radius of the summit. The threat includes thick tephra falls, phreatomagmatic ejecta, failure of the unstable south flank with subsequent debris avalanches, rain-triggered lahars, and pyroclastic flows. Should Plinian eruptions of the size of the Holocene events recur at Ubinas, tephra fall would affect about one million people living in the Arequipa area 60 km west of the summit.Editorial responsibility: D Dingwell