Improved age estimates for Holocene Ko-g and Ma-f~j tephras in northern Japan using Bayesian statistical modelling

The Ko-g and Ma-f~j tephras are two key isochronous marker layers in northern Japan, which are from the largest Plinian eruptions of Komagatake volcano (VEI = 5) and Mashu caldera (VEI = 6), respectively. Despite extensive radiocarbon studies associated with the two tephras, individual calibrated results show considerable variations and thus accurate ages of these important eruptions remain controversial. Bayesian statistical approaches to calibrating radiocarbon determinations have proven successful in increasing accuracy and sometimes precision for dating tephras, which is achieved through the incorporation of additional stratigraphic information and the combination of evidence from multiple records. Here we use Bayesian approaches to analyse the proximal and distal information associated with the two tephra markers. Through establishing phase and deposition models, we have taken into account all of the currently available stratigraphic and chronological information. The cross-referencing of phase models with the deposition model allows the refinement of eruption ages and the deposition model itself. Using this we are able to provide the most robust current age estimates for the two tephra layers. The Ko-g and Ma-f~j tephras are hereby dated to 6657-6505 (95.4%; 6586±40, μ±σ) cal yr BP, and 7670-7395 (95.4%; 7532±72, μ±σ) cal yr BP, respectively. These updated age determinations underpin the reported East Asian Holocene tephrostratigraphic framework, and allow sites where the tephra layers are present to be dated more precisely and accurately. Our results encourage further applications of Bayesian modelling techniques in the volcanically active East Asian region.     

Zircon U–Pb dating using LA-ICP-MS: Quaternary tephras in Boso Peninsula,Japan

Zircon U–Pb dating using LA-ICP-MS was applied to six Quaternary tephras in Boso Peninsula, central Japan: J1, Ks4, Ks5, Ks10, Ks11, and Ch2 in descending order. Accurate age determination of these tephras is of critical importance because they are widespread tephras in Japan and also relevant to a candidate site for the global boundary stratotype section and point of the early–middle Pleistocene boundary. Twenty grains were dated for each tephra and the following results were obtained. The J1 tephra had only 5 grains that yielded <2 Ma. The obtained age was ∼0.2 m.y. older than the stratigraphic age. No Quaternary ages were obtained from the Ks4 tephra. The Ks5 and Ks10 tephras had 10–12 grains that were ∼0.1–0.3 m.y. older than the stratigraphic age. The Ks11 tephra had 14 grains that yielded a weighted mean age of 0.52 ± 0.04 Ma (error reported as 95% confidence level), which was in agreement with the stratigraphic age. The Ch2 tephra had 16 grains that yielded a weighted mean age of 0.61 ± 0.02 Ma, which was also in agreement with the stratigraphic age. The good agreement between zircon U–Pb ages and the stratigraphy for Ks11 and Ch2 tephras validates the reliability of the established stratigraphy and our dating approach. The other tephras that yielded ∼0.1–0.3 m.y. older ages than the stratigraphy may indicate that the analyzed zircons were antecrysts that crystallized before eruption or they were detrital zircons incorporated during deposition.     

The Campanian Ignimbrite and Codola tephra layers: Two temporal/stratigraphic markers for the Early Upper Palaeolithic in southern Italy and eastern Europe

Tephra layers from archaeological sites in southern Italy and eastern Europe stratigraphically associated with cultural levels containing Early Upper Palaeolithic industry were analysed. The results confirm the occurrence of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra (CI; ca. 40 cal ka BP) at Castelcivita Cave (southern Italy), Temnata Cave (Bulgaria) and in the Kostenki–Borshchevo area of the Russian Plain. This tephra, originated from the largest eruption of the Phlegrean Field caldera, represents the widest volcanic deposit and one of the most important temporal/stratigraphic markers of western Eurasia. At Paglicci Cave and lesser sites in the Apulia region we recognise a chemically and texturally different tephra, which lithologically, chronologically and chemically matches the physical and chemical characteristics of the Plinian eruption of Codola; a poorly known Late Pleistocene explosive event from the Neapolitan volcanoes, likely Somma–Vesuvius. For this latter, we propose a preliminary age estimate of ca. 33 cal ka BP and a correlation to the widespread C-10 marine tephra of the central Mediterranean. The stratigraphic position of both CI and Codola tephra layers at Castelcivita and Paglicci help date the first and the last documented appearance of Early Upper Palaeolithic industries of southern Italy to ca. 41–40 and 33 cal ka BP, respectively, or between two interstadial oscillations of the Monticchio pollen record – to which the CI and Codola tephras are physically correlated – corresponding to the Greenland interstadials 10–9 and 5. In eastern Europe, the stratigraphic and chronometric data seem to indicate an earlier appearance of the Early Upper Palaeolithic industries, which would predate of two millennia at least the overlying CI tephra. The tephrostratigraphic correlation indicates that in both regions the innovations connected with the so-called Early Upper Palaeolithic – encompassing subsistence strategy and stone tool technology – appeared and evolved during one of the most unstable climatic phases of the Last Glacial period. On this basis, the marked environmental unpredictability characterising this time-span is seen as a potential ecological factor involved in the cultural changes observed.     

<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of the eruptive history of Mount Erebus,Antarctica: summit flows,tephra, and caldera collapse

Eruptive activity has occurred in the summit region of Mount Erebus over the last 95 ky, and has included numerous lava flows and small explosive eruptions, at least one plinian eruption, and at least one and probably two caldera-forming events. Furnace and laser step-heating ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages have been determined for 16 summit lava flows and three englacial tephra layers erupted from Mount Erebus. The summit region is composed of at least one or possibly two superimposed calderas that have been filled by post-caldera lava flows ranging in age from 17 ± 8 to 1 ± 5 ka. Dated pre-caldera summit flows display two age populations at 95 ± 9 to 76 ± 4 ka and 27 ± 3 to 21 ± 4 ka of samples with tephriphonolite and phonolite compositions, respectively. A caldera-collapse event occurred between 25 and 11 ka. An older caldera-collapse event is likely to have occurred between 80 and 24 ka. Two englacial tephra layers from the flanks of Mount Erebus have been dated at 71 ± 5 and 15 ± 4 ka. These layers stratigraphically bracket 14 undated tephra layers, and predate 19 undated tephra layers, indicating that small-scale explosive activity has occurred throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene eruptive history of Mount Erebus. A distal, englacial plinian-fall tephra sample has an age of 39 ± 6 ka and may have been associated with the older of the two caldera-collapse events. A shift in magma composition from tephriphonolite to phonolite occurred at around 36 ka.Editorial responsibility: Julie Donnelly-Nolan     

Laser-ablation ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages for key Pliocene-Pleistocene tephra beds in unglaciated Yukon and Alaska

Tephrochronology is one of the most effective ways to correlate and date Quaternary deposits across large distances. However, it can be challenging to obtain direct ages on tephra beds when they are beyond the limit of radiocarbon dating, do not contain mineral phases suitable for ⁴⁰K-⁴⁰Ar (or ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar) dating, or suitable glass shards for fission-track dating are not available. Zircon U-Pb dating by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an emerging technique for dating young (<1 Ma) tephra. Here, we demonstrate that LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating can produce reliable ages for key tephra beds found in Yukon and Alaska. We assessed five different techniques for calculating tephra maximum depositional ages from zircon U-Pb ages for eight tephra beds. Our preferred zircon U-Pb ages (reported with 2σ uncertainties), based on a Bayesian model for calculating maximum depositional ages, are broadly consistent with previously established chronology constructed from stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and/or glass fission track and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages: Biederman tephra (178 ± 17 ka), HP tephra (680 ± 47 ka), Gold Run tephra (688 ± 44 ka), Flat Creek tephra (708 ± 43 ka), PA tephra (1.92 ± 0.06 Ma), Quartz Creek tephra (2.62 ± 0.08 Ma), Lost Chicken tephra (3.14 ± 0.07 Ma), and GI tephra (542 ± 64 ka). We also present newly revised glass fission-track and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages recalculated from previous determinations using updated ages for the Moldavite tektite and Fish Canyon Tuff standards, and updated K decay constants. For Pleistocene age zircon crystals, corrections for ²³⁰Th disequilibrium and common-Pb are significant and must be treated with caution. Similarly, apparent tephra ages are sensitive to the choice of method used to calculate a maximum depositional age from the assemblage of individual crystallization ages. This study demonstrates that LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating can be successfully applied to numerous Pliocene-Pleistocene Alaskan-Yukon tephra, providing confidence in applying this method to other stratigraphically important tephra in the region.     

First Ar/Ar age of the Ceprano man (central Italy)

The Ceprano calvarium, found in 1994 in Italy and attributed to Homo cepranensis, is one of the most celebrated hominin remains of Europe. It was considered at least 700 ka-old until a recent investigation incorporating magnetostratigraphy and K-Ar ages from the literature assigned to the calvarium an age of ∼450 (+50, −100) ka. Here we pin down the age of the Ceprano calvarium to 353 ± 4 ka (±1σ external) by means of new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on K-feldspars retrieved from the sediments that hosted the skull. In absence of evidence of reworking, this refined age sinks the conviction that H. cepranensis belonged to human evolution at the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary (c.a. 781 ka). Our refined age indicates that H. cepranensis lived in central Italy probably during the cold period of marine isotope stage (MIS) 10, and that despite his archaic morphology and lack of Neanderthal traits, he was contemporaneous with more advanced species such as H. heidelbergensis.     

The Y-3 tephra: A Last Glacial stratigraphic marker for the central Mediterranean basin

The paper reviews the existing data on the Y-3 tephra layer, first recognised in the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean basin). The collection and collation of old and new data on distal tephra occurrences in terrestrial, marine and lacustrine successions indicate that the Y-3 layer is dispersed over a wide area of the central Mediterranean basin. The peculiar homogeneous chemical composition of this layer makes its recognition rather straightforward and permits it being distinguished from other stratigraphically adjacent tephras. The best age estimate for the Y-3 layer of ca 30–31 cal ka BP, its peculiar stratigraphic position close to the Marine Isotope Stage 3/2 transition or Heinrich Event 3 onset, as well as its wide dispersion makes this layer an important marker to link and date late Pleistocene terrestrial and marine archives of the central Mediterranean basin.     

A 13 ± 3 ka age determination of a tholeiite,Pinacate volcanic field,Mexico, and improved methods for Ar/Ar dating of young basaltic rocks

Among the youngest lava flows of the Pinacate volcanic field, Sonora, Mexico, is a large outpouring of tholeiite, the Ives flow. This tube-fed pahoehoe flow contrasts sharply with other Pinacate lavas in its great volume, alkali-poor composition and morphologic features, which include novel small structures named “spatter tubes.” Despite its K-poor character, young age, and the presence of excess ⁴⁰Ar, we determined a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age on samples of this flow at 13 ± 3 ka. Such an age determination is made possible via careful monitoring of the mass discrimination of the mass spectrometer and by stacking results from multiple incremental-heating experiments into a single, composite isochron. This age is among the youngest ever to be determined with such precision by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method on a K-poor tholeiite.     

Towards a detailed distal tephrostratigraphy in the Central Mediterranean: The last 20,000 yrs record of Lago Grande di Monticchio

A detailed compilation of distal tephrostratigraphy comprising the last 20,000 yrs is given for the Central Mediterranean region. A total of 47 distinct ash layers identified in the maar lake sediments of Lago Grande di Monticchio (Basilicata, Southern Italy) are compared with proximal and distal terrestrial-marine tephra deposits in the circum-central Mediterranean region. The results of these studies provide valuable information for reconstructing the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene dispersal of pyroclastic deposits from south Italian explosive volcanoes, in particular Somma-Vesuvius, the Campi Flegrei caldera, Ischia Island and Mount Etna. Prominent tephras are discussed with respect to their reliability as dating and correlation tools in sedimentary records. Ashes from Plinian eruptions of Somma-Vesuvius (i.e. Avellino, Mercato, Greenish, Pomici di Base), for instance, are well-defined by their distribution patterns and their unique composition. The widespread Y-1 tephra from Mount Etna, on the other hand, derived most likely from two distinct Plinian events with changing wind conditions, and therefore becomes a less reliable stratigraphic marker. Statistical–numerical calculations are presented in order to discriminate between Holocene tephras from the Campi Flegrei caldera (i.e. Astroni 1–3, Agnano Monte Spina, Averno 1, Lagno Amendolare), since these ashes are characterized by an almost indistinguishable chemical fingerprint. As a highlight, numerous Campanian eruptions of proposed low-intensity have been identified in the distal site of Monticchio suggesting a revision of existing tephra dispersal maps and re-calculation of eruptive conditions. In summary, the tephra record of Monticchio is one of the key successions for linking both, terrestrial records from Central-southern Italy and marine sequences from the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and Ionian Seas.     

Cretaceous-Eocene compression in the central Southern Alps (N Italy) inferred from Ar/Ar dating of pseudotachylytes along regional thrust faults

The integration of structural analyses with ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of fault-related pseudotachylytes provides time constraints for the reconstruction of the Alpine evolution of the central portion of the South Alpine orogenic wedge. In the northern sector of the belt a Variscan basement is stacked southward on the Permian to Mesozoic cover along regional faults (Orobic and Porcile thrusts). Fault zones, slightly postdating a first folding event of Alpine age, experienced a complex evolution through the ductile and brittle deformation regime, showing greenschist facies mylonites overprinted by a penetrative cataclastic deformation. Generation of fault-related pseudotachylyte veins marks the onset of brittle conditions, lasting up to the youngest episodes of fault activity. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the pseudotachylyte matrix of 9 samples give two separated age clusters: Late Cretaceous (80–68 Ma) and latest Palaeocene to Middle Eocene (55–43 Ma). These new data provide evidence that the pre-Adamello evolution of the central Southern Alps was characterised by the superposition of different tectonic events accompanying the exhumation of the deepest part of the belt through the brittle–ductile transition. The oldest pseudotachylyte ages demonstrate that south-verging regional thrusting in the central Southern Alps was already active during the Late Cretaceous, concurrently with the development of a synorogenic foredeep basin where the Upper Cretaceous Lombardian Flysch was deposited.     

Ar/Ar and C geochronology of the Albano maar deposits: Implications for defining the age and eruptive style of the most recent explosive activity at Colli Albani Volcanic District,Central Italy

New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and ¹⁴C ages have been found for the Albano multiple maar pyroclastic units and underlying paleosols to document the most recent explosive activity in the Colli Albani Volcanic District (CAVD) near Rome, Italy, consisting of seven eruptions (Albano 1 = oldest). Both dating methodologies have been applied on several proximal units and on four mid-distal fall/surge deposits, the latter correlated, according to two current different views, to either the Albano or the Campi di Annibale hydromagmatic center. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages on leucite phenocrysts from the mid-distal units yielded ages of ca. 72 ka, 73 ka, 41 ka and 36 ka BP, which are indistinguishable from the previously determined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the proximal Albano units 1, 2, 5 and 7, thus confirming their stratigraphic correspondence.     

Tephra isochrons and chronologies of colonisation

This paper demonstrates the use of tephrochronology in dating the earliest archaeological evidence for the settlement of Iceland. This island was one of the last places on Earth settled by people and there are conflicting ideas about the pace and scale of initial colonisation. Three tephra layers, the Landnám (‘land-taking’) tephra layer (A.D. 877 ± 1), the Eldgjá tephra (A.D. 939) and the recently dated V-Sv tephra (A.D. 938 ± 6) can be found at 58% of 253 securely-dated early settlement sites across the country. The presence of the tephras permits both a countrywide comparison, and a classification of these settlement sites into pre-Landnám, Landnám and post-Landnám. The data summarised here for the first time indicate that it will be possible to reconstruct the tempo and development of the colonisation process in decadal resolution by more systematically utilising the dating potential of tephrochronology.     

The eruptive rate and history of Kuju volcano in Japan during the past 15,000 years

The eruptive history of Kuju volcano on Kyushu, Japan, during the past 15,000 years has been determined by tephrochronology and ¹⁴C dating. Kuju volcano comprises isolated lava domes and cones of hornblende andesite together with aprons of pyroclastic-flow deposits on its flanks. Kuju volcano produced tephras at roughly 1000-yr intervals during the past 5000 years and 70% of the domes and cones have formed during the past 15,000 years. The youngest magmatic activity of Kuju volcano was the 1.6 km³ andesite eruption about 1600 years ago which emplaced a lava dome and block-and-ash flow. Kuju volcano shows a nearly constant long-term eruption rate (0.7–0.4 km³ for 1000 years) during the past 15,000 years. This rate is within the range of estimated average eruption rates of late Quaternary volcanoes in the Japanese Arc, but is about one order of magnitude higher than the eruption rate of Unzen volcano. Kuju volcano has been in phreatic eruption since October 1995. The late Quaternary history of Kuju indicates that it poses a significant volcanic hazard, primarily due to block-and-ash flows from collapsing lava domes.     

Ar/Ar geochronology of Neogene phreatomagmatic volcanism in the western Pannonian Basin,Hungary

Neogene alkaline basaltic volcanic fields in the western Pannonian Basin, Hungary, including the Bakony–Balaton Highland and the Little Hungarian Plain volcanic fields are the erosional remnants of clusters of small-volume, possibly monogenetic volcanoes. Moderately to strongly eroded maars, tuff rings, scoria cones, and associated lava flows span an age range of ca. 6 Myr as previously determined by the K/Ar method. High resolution ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages on 18 samples have been obtained to determine the age range for the western Pannonian Basin Neogene intracontinental volcanic province. The new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations confirm the previously obtained K/Ar ages in the sense that no systematic biases were found between the two data sets. However, our study also serves to illustrate the inherent advantages of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar technique: greater analytical precision, and internal tests for reliability of the obtained results provide more stringent constraints on reconstructions of the magmatic evolution of the volcanic field. Periods of increased activity with multiple eruptions occurred at ca. 7.95 Ma, 4.10 Ma, 3.80 Ma and 3.00 Ma.     

The late Pleistocene pyroclastic deposits of the Campanian Plain: New insights into the explosive activity of Neapolitan volcanoes

The lithological and compositional characteristics of eighteen different pyroclastic deposits of Campanian origin, dated between 125 cal ky BP and 22 cal ky BP, were described. The pyroclastic deposits were correlated among different outcrops mainly located on the Apennine slopes that border the southern Campanian Plain. They were grouped in two main stratigraphic and chronologic intervals of regional significance: a) between Pomici di Base (22.03 cal ky BP; Somma–Vesuvius) and Campanian Ignimbrite (39 cal ky BP; Campi Flegrei) eruptions; and b) older than Campanian Ignimbrite eruption. Three new ¹⁴C AMS datings support the proposed correlations. Six eruptions were attributed to the Pomici di Base-Campanian Ignimbrite stratigraphic interval, while twelve eruptions are older than Campanian Ignimbrite. Of the studied deposits two originated from Ischia island, five are related to Campi Flegrei, and three to Somma–Vesuvius. Two eruptions have an uncertain correlation with Somma–Vesuvius or Campi Flegrei, while six eruptions remain of uncertain source. Minimum volumes of five eruptions were assessed, ranging between 0.5 km³ and 4 km³. Two of the studied deposits were correlated with Y-3 and X-5 tephra layers, which are widely dispersed in the central Mediterranean area. The new stratigraphic and chronologic data provide an upgraded chrono-stratigraphy for the explosive activity of Neapolitan volcanoes in the period between 125 and 22 cal ky BP.     

表生明矾石族矿物40Ar/39Ar年代学概述

近年来,激光40Ar/39Ar法成功测定了硫化物矿床氧化带中表生明矾石族矿物(明矾石和黄钾铁矾)的年龄,表明这类矿物适用于 40Ar/39Ar法定年。激光熔样方法引入40Ar/39Ar定年,不仅减少了样品的用量,同时也降低了系统的空白本底水平; 利用阶段加热法得到的年龄谱图,不仅可以有效识别原生矿物的混染和多世代矿物的存在,还可以检测样品中的过剩、继承Ar。虽然风化矿物定年还存在一些潜在的问题,但是只要有科学的采样和合理的分析流程,并结合其他检测手段,就可以获得有意义的风化年龄。这为研究新生代以来化学风化、氧化带形成时间和古气候提供了新的方法。     

Multi-method approach to dating glass: The case of Basiluzzo Islet (Aeolian archipelago,Italy)

A rhyolitic lava flow from Basiluzzo islet (Aeolian Islands), has been analysed with the Fission tracks (FT) and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar methods on glass, and with the U/Th method on whole rock to constrain its age and to compare the behaviour of different dating methodologies on glass samples late Quaternary in age. Laser ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar total fusion analyses were performed on populations of grains. Due to the low yields of radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar the age data are characterised by very high errors. The weighted average of the ages of the whole population is 55.7 ± 8.7 ka (MSWD = 0.7). The isochron age calculated on all points is 40.6 ± 11.4 ka (MSWD = 0.6), with an initial ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratio of 297.8 ± 1.8; the isochron is characterised by very little spread among points. The procedure named ‘point-counting technique’ was adopted in FT dating. Spontaneous track mean size resulted reduced by around 20% compared to induced tracks, which indicates that the determined FT age, 28.6 ± 3.6 ka, is a reduced age, due to a certain amount of track annealing. For this reason the plateau technique for correcting thermally lowered ages was applied. We determined a plateau age (commonly assumed as a reliable estimate of the glass formation age) of 43.4 ± 7.1 ka. Four sub-samples of whole rock from Basiluzzo lava flow have been analysed using U/Th isochron method. The ²³⁸U/²³²Th and ²³⁰Th/²³²Th activity ratios of sub-samples have been determined by alpha counting and plotted on an isochron diagram. The resulting age is 46 ± 8 ka and the ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratios are always close to one, demonstrating that no significant processes of alteration have occurred. The relatively high error associated with the age is due to a low fractionation of U/Th ratio in the analysed whole rocks. The ages obtained with different methods, 43.4 ± 7.1 ka (FT plateau age), 40.6 ± 11.4 ka (⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar isochron age of all grains), and 46 ± 8 ka (U/Th isochron) agree at the 1σ level, excluding a Holocene age for this sample. This could be valuable information for the Department of Civil Protection because it seems to mitigate the potential risk for present volcanic activity in the area. All ages are affected by very high analytical errors, which are due to the characteristics of the material analysed. Young ages result in low tracks numbers (FT dating) and barely detectable amounts of radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar in the presence of high atmospheric contamination (⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating). Stratigraphic successions without strict chronologic constraints might however benefit even from age data with low precision.     

Testing less-conventional methods to date a late-pleistocene to Holocene eruption: Radiocarbon dating of paleosols and 36Cl exposure ages at Pelado volcano,Sierra Chichinautzin,Central Mexico

Despite their significance for estimating hazards and forecasting future activity, dating young volcanic deposits and landforms (<50,000 yrs old) remains a challenge due to the limitations inherent to the different isotopic chronometers used. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is one of the most active and populated continental arcs worldwide, yet its temporal pattern of activity is poorly constrained. Such deficiency is particularly problematic for the Sierra Chichinautzin Volcanic Field (SCVF) that is located at the doorstep of Mexico City and Cuernavaca and is hence a major source of risk for these cities. Existing ages for this area derive mostly from either radiocarbon on charcoal, which is rare and may be contaminated, or ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on rock matrix, which is poorly precise for this time period and rock type. Here, we focus on the Pelado monogenetic volcano, which is located in the central part of the SCVF and erupted both explosively and effusively, producing a large lava shield and a widespread tephra blanket. This unique eruptive event was previously dated at ∼12 calibrated (cal) kyrs BP, using radiocarbon dating on charcoal from deposits related to the eruption. To test alternative dating approaches and confirm the age of this significant eruption, we applied two less conventional techniques, radiocarbon dating of bulk paleosol samples collected below the complete tephra sequence at nine sites around the shield, and in-situ ³⁶Cl exposure dating of two samples of an aphyric lava from the base of the shield. Radiocarbon paleosol ages span a continuous time interval from 13.2 to 20.2 cal kyrs BP (2σ), except for one anomalously young sample. This wide age spread, along with the low organic contents of the paleosols, may be due to erosive conditions, related to the sloping topography of the sampling sites and the cool and relatively dry climate of the Younger Dryas (11.7–12.9 ka), during which the Pelado eruption probably occurred. The two ³⁶Cl-dated lava samples have consistent ages at 1σ analytical errors of 15.5 ± 1.4 ka and 13.2 ± 1.2 ka, respectively, yielding an average age of 14.3 ± 1.6 ka for this lava flow. The high full uncertainty in ³⁶Cl ages (24%) is due to high rock Cl content. We conclude that paleosol radiocarbon dating is useful if numerous samples are analyzed and climatic and relief conditions at the time of the eruption and at the sites of tephra deposition are considered. The ³⁶Cl dating technique is an alternative method to date volcanic eruptions, as it gave consistent results, but in the specific case of Pelado volcano, the high Cl content in the analyzed rocks increases the age uncertainties.