Major ash eruptions of Barren Island volcano (Andaman Sea) during the past 72 kyr: clues from a sediment core record

Barren Island (Andaman Sea) is the northernmost active volcano of the Indonesian Arc. To construct the eruptive history of this little studied volcano, we measured ¹⁴C dates of inorganic carbon in sediment beds, and Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of seven discrete ash layers, in a marine sediment core collected from 32 km southeast of the volcano. The study reveals that the volcano had seven major ash eruptions at ~70, 69, 61, 24, 19, 15, and 10 ka. The ash layers erupted from 70 ka through 19 ka have highly uniform Nd isotopic composition, and since the ~15 ka eruption to the present the isotopic composition has been highly variable. Between ~24 ka and ~10 ka, the volcano had large ash eruptions spaced at 4,500 year intervals. Isotopically correlating the precaldera lavas and ash exposed on the volcano to the uppermost ash layer in the core, we infer that the caldera of Barren Island volcano is younger than 10 ka.     

Pleistocene magnetochronology of the fauna and Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin: Significance for environmental and hominin evolution in North China

The fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin of North China (known as the Nihewan Formation) are rich sources of Early Pleistocene Paleolithic sites and mammalian fossils (known as the Nihewan Fauna sensu lato), which offer an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolution of early humans and land mammals in East Asia. Also abundant mammalian fossils provide clues about the general environmental and climatic setting of early humans. Among the Nihewan Fauna (sensu lato), the Daodi Fauna is one of the most complete and oldest in the eastern Nihewan Basin: seven mammalian fossil-bearing layers in the Nihewan Formation have been described. Except for a biostratigraphy, however, precise age control on the Daodi Fauna has remained unavailable. Here we report a new magnetostratigraphic record that stringently constrains its age. The seven fossil-rich layers span an age range of ca 2.5–1.8 Ma between the Gauss–Matuyama boundary and the termination of the Olduvai polarity subchron. Combining our new and recently published paleomagnetic data, we further establish a Pleistocene magnetochronology of the fauna and Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin. Age ranges of about 2.5–0.5 Ma for the faunas and 1.7–0.3 Ma for the Paleolithic sites are deduced, which span most of the Pleistocene. The chronological framework and calculated proportions of mammals that were adapted to different environments indicate that mixed settings of dominant grasslands and subordinate forests continued at least from 2.5 to 0.5 Ma for early human occupation in the basin, similar to the mixed open savannah and woodland habitats of early humans in Africa. The Nihewan hominins consistently adopted a simple Oldowan-like technology (i.e., Mode 1 core and flake technologies) from at least ca 1.7 to 0.3 Ma. A more advanced Acheulean technology (Mode 2) has not been found in the Nihewan Basin, although it started to emerge in the Bose Basin of South China at ca 0.8 Ma. This implies that multiple groups of hominins distinguished by differential stone-tool-making capabilities may have coexisted in China after 0.8 Ma.     

The last 40 ka tephrostratigraphic record of Lake Ohrid,Albania and Macedonia: a very distal archive for ash dispersal from Italian volcanoes

A 1075 cm long core (Lz1120) was recovered in the south-eastern part of the Lake Ohrid (Republics of Macedonia and Albania) and sampled for identification of tephra layers. Magnetic susceptibility investigations show rather high magnetic values throughout the core, with peaks unrelated to the occurrence of tephra layers but instead to the relative abundance of detrital magnetic minerals in the sediment. Naked-eye inspection of the core allowed us to identify of two tephra layers, at 896–897 cm and 1070–1075 cm. Laboratory inspection of the grain-size fraction > 125 μm allowed for the identification of a third cryptotephra at 310–315 cm. Major element analyses on glass shards of the tephra layers at 896–897 cm and 1070–1075 cm show a trachytic composition, and indicate a correlation with the regionally dispersed Y-3 and Y-5 tephra layers, dated at ca 30 and 39 cal ka BP. The cryptotephra at 310–315 cm has a mugearitic–benmoreitic composition, and was correlated with the FL eruption of Mt. Etna, dated at 3370 ± 70 cal yr BP. These ages are in agreement with five ¹⁴C AMS measurements carried out on plant remains and macrofossils from the lake sediments at different depths along the core.     

Deep water gravity core from the Marsili Basin (Tyrrhenian Sea) records Pleistocenic–Holocenic explosive events and instability of the Aeolian Archipelago, (Italy)

A 4.8 m long gravity core was recovered on a relative topographic high in the northern part of the Marsili Basin (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) at a water depth of 3200 m. The core was taken in order to decipher the sedimentary record of the past volcanic events of the nearby Aeolian arc. A succession of thin (2 cm to 5 cm thick) fine-grained turbidites, mainly of volcaniclastic origin, topped by hemipelagic mud layers and a number of primary tephra layers were recovered by the core. The most prominent turbidite occurs in the lower part of the core at 385 cm. It consists of a 20 cm-thick, thinning-upward, pebble to sand-sized bed.     

High-altitude sporadic metal atom layers observed with Na and Fe lidars at 30°N

The seasonal/annual characteristics of the high-altitude sporadic metal atom layers are presented on the basis of extensive Na and Fe lidar measurements at 30°N during the past several years. It is found that the extremely high sporadic Na (Na_s) and Fe (Fe_s) layers above 105 km occurred mostly during summer. They had long durations (a few hours) and broad layer widths (much larger than 2 km). Their absolute peak densities could be comparable to or even larger than those of the corresponding main layers on a few nights. By using all the raw data profiles including sporadic layers, we have constructed the contour plots of Na and Fe densities versus month and altitude at 30°N. The Na and Fe layers both exhibit evidence for summer topside extension, which is consistent with the earlier observations for K and Ca at different latitudes. The summer topside extension of mean metal atom layers might represent a universal phenomenon that is alike for different atom species, different geographic locations and different measurement years. The extremely high sporadic metal atom layers above 105 km occurring during summer give rise to the phenomenon.     

Longitudinal structure of pyroclastic-flow deposits,revealed by GPR survey,at Merapi Volcano,Java, Indonesia

In 2006 Merapi volcano, Indonesia, erupted for a few months, producing several block-and-ash flows reaching a maximum distance of 7.5 km from the main vent. During the eruption, we conducted a survey on those flow deposits in the Gendol Valley at Kaliadem village, about 4.5 km from the Merapi submit, using a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The upper deposit was studied in its distal reaches, whereas the one below was studied in its medial reaches. The field study was carried out with a commercial RAMAC® GPR coupled with 100 MHz antennas, and the data treatment conducted with Reflex™ software. From this survey, we determined both deposits' local (1) thickness – reaching a maximum of 15 m – and (2) internal architecture. This last one is governed by long reflecting horizons extending over 20 to 30 m that delimit layers showing progradation patterns in their distal reaches. Within these layers we could also observe an internal architecture of still unknown origin. The layers are interpreted as the result of the flow pulses that progressively deposited downstream-ward by progradation. However the interpretation of those GPR profiles is a bit hazardous, because of the absence of outcrops, and we can only proceed by analogy with other studies. Nevertheless, despite numerous limitations, GPR is a helpful tool to understand pyroclastic deposits' structure when no visual observations are available.     

Glass compositions and tempo of post-17 ka eruptions from the Afar Triangle recorded in sediments from lakes Ashenge and Hayk,Ethiopia

Numerous volcanoes in the Afar Triangle and adjacent Ethiopian Rift Valley have erupted during the Quaternary, depositing volcanic ash (tephra) horizons that have provided crucial chronology for archaeological sites in eastern Africa. However, late Pleistocene and Holocene tephras have hitherto been largely unstudied and the more recent volcanic history of Ethiopia remains poorly constrained. Here, we use sediments from lakes Ashenge and Hayk (Ethiopian Highlands) to construct the first <17 cal ka BP tephrostratigraphy for the Afar Triangle. The tephra record reveals 21 visible and crypto-tephra layers, and our new database of major and trace element glass compositions will aid the future identification of these tephra layers from proximal to distal locations. Tephra compositions include comendites, pantellerites and minor peraluminous and metaluminous rhyolites. Variable and distinct glass compositions of the tephra layers indicate they may have been erupted from as many as seven volcanoes, most likely located in the Afar Triangle. Between 15.3−1.6 cal. ka BP, explosive eruptions occurred at a return period of <1000 years. The majority of tephras are dated at 7.5−1.6 cal. ka BP, possibly reflecting a peak in regional volcanic activity. These findings demonstrate the potential and necessity for further study to construct a comprehensive tephra framework. Such tephrostratigraphic work will support the understanding of volcanic hazards in this rapidly developing region.     

U–Pb dating of calcite–aragonite layers in speleothems from hominin sites in South Africa by MC-ICP-MS

Speleothems are found in association with hominin fossil-bearing cave deposits in South Africa and can be used to provide valuable chronological constraints. Such material is generally too old for U–Th dating and, although U–Pb geochronology presents a suitable alternative, bulk U concentrations are typically too low (<0.05 μg/g) to provide useful ages. For this reason, we used a simple non-invasive beta-scanner imaging screening step to identify U-rich (≥1 μg/g) domains that could be analyzed with MC-ICP-MS techniques to provide U–Pb ages. We demonstrate the technique using samples from Sterkfontein cave that exhibit infrequent <1 cm-thick layers with U concentrations ≥1 μg/g. Relict aragonite needles are found exclusively in these U-rich layers. We analyzed material from the same flowstone suite as Walker et al. (2006) and obtained a U–Pb age of ～2.3 Ma that agrees well with their estimate of 2.24 ± 0.09 Ma. We also obtained similar U–Pb (0.164 ± 0.026 to 0.200 ± 0.052 Ma) and U–Th (0.148 ± 0.003 Ma) ages for another sample exhibiting U-rich layers. We recognize that open-system behaviour during the partial transformation of aragonite to calcite is a potential problem and argue, on the basis of geochemistry and age consistencies, that recrystallization took place rapidly after speleothem formation and did not significantly affect the U–Pb ages.     

Reprint of Glass compositions and tempo of post-17 ka eruptions from the Afar Triangle recorded in sediments from lakes Ashenge and Hayk,Ethiopia

Numerous volcanoes in the Afar Triangle and adjacent Ethiopian Rift Valley have erupted during the Quaternary, depositing volcanic ash (tephra) horizons that have provided crucial chronology for archaeological sites in eastern Africa. However, late Pleistocene and Holocene tephras have hitherto been largely unstudied and the more recent volcanic history of Ethiopia remains poorly constrained. Here, we use sediments from lakes Ashenge and Hayk (Ethiopian Highlands) to construct the first <17 cal ka BP tephrostratigraphy for the Afar Triangle. The tephra record reveals 21 visible and crypto-tephra layers, and our new database of major and trace element glass compositions will aid the future identification of these tephra layers from proximal to distal locations. Tephra compositions include comendites, pantellerites and minor peraluminous and metaluminous rhyolites. Variable and distinct glass compositions of the tephra layers indicate they may have been erupted from as many as seven volcanoes, most likely located in the Afar Triangle. Between 15.3−1.6 cal. ka BP, explosive eruptions occurred at a return period of <1000 years. The majority of tephras are dated at 7.5−1.6 cal. ka BP, possibly reflecting a peak in regional volcanic activity. These findings demonstrate the potential and necessity for further study to construct a comprehensive tephra framework. Such tephrostratigraphic work will support the understanding of volcanic hazards in this rapidly developing region.     

Tephra stratigraphy and eruptive volume of the May, 2008, Chaitén eruption,Chile

On May 1st 2008 Mount Chaitén (southern Chile) interrupted a long period of quiescence, generating a sequence of explosive eruptions and causing the evacuation of Chaitén town located a few kilometers south of the volcano. The activity was characterized by several explosive events each associated with plumes which reached up to about 19 km above sea level. The products were dispersed across a wide area, with the finest ash reaching the Atlantic coast of Argentina. Our field observations in the proximal-medial area (3–25 km from the vent) indicate that the May 2008 tephra deposit consists of numerous layers, most of which can be correlated with individual eruptive events. These layers vary from extremely fine-grained ash to layers of lapilli and blocks, composed of both juvenile and lithic material. Here we describe the stratigraphy and physical characteristics of the May 2008 deposits, and propose a reconstruction of the timing of the May 2008 events. The deposits are mainly associated with the three main explosive phases which occurred on 1st–2nd May, 3rd–5th May and 6th May, with an estimated bulk tephra volume of 0.5–1.0 km³ (integration of both exponential and power-law fitting). For the 6th May event, represented by a layer composed mainly of lithic lapilli and blocks (>2 mm), an isopleth map was compiled from which a 19 km plume height was determined, which is in good agreement with satellite observations.     

Three-dimensional numerical thermal and rheological modelling in the central Fennoscandian Shield

A three-dimensional model for the central Fennoscandian Shield was constructed for analysing the thermal, the rheological and the structural conditions in the lithosphere. The mesh covers a rectangular area in the southern Finland with horizontal dimensions of 500 km × 400 km and a depth extent of 100 km. Structural boundaries are derived from the several deep seismic soundings carried out in the area. Constructed model is first used in the calculation of the thermal and the rheological models and secondly in analysing the stress and the deformational conditions with the obtained rheology. Thermal and structural models are solved with the finite element method. The calculated surface HFD is between 40 and 48 mW m⁻² in the Proterozoic southern part and below 40 mW m⁻² in the older and northern Archaean part of the model. The calculated rheological strength shows a layered structure with two individual rheologically weak layers in the crust and strong layer in the upper part of the lower crust. The minimum brittle–ductile transition (BDT) depth is around 10 km in the southern part of the model while in the north and north-eastern parts the BDT depth is around 45–50 km. Comparison with the focal depth data shows that as most of the earthquakes occur no deeper than the depth of 10 km are they located in the brittle regime. Resulting stress conditions and possible regions of deformation after the model is subjected to pressure of 50 MPa reveals that the stress field is quite uniformly distributed in different crustal layers and that the elastic parameters control more the state of the stress than the applied rheological structure. In the upper crust, the stress intensity has values between 42 and 45 MPa whereas in the middle crust the values are around 50 MPa. Comparison of the 3-D model with earlier 2-D models shows that some differences in the results are to be expected.     

Perchlorate accumulation and migration in the deep vadose zone in a semiarid region

For 25 years, a plant in Israel manufacturing ammonium perchlorate disposed of untreated wastewater in four unlined ponds. This study explores the transport mechanisms of perchlorate infiltrated from 1965 to 1990 from one of these active storage ponds into a deep (40 m) layered vadose zone and the underlying Israeli coastal aquifer. Perchlorate migration from 1990, when wastewater disposal ceased, until today, with infiltration due only to natural rain (500 mm y⁻¹), was also studied. Several indirect methods were used, including: mass balance in the unsaturated zone profile, δ¹⁸O and δ²H profiles below the pond, and a comparison of the same sediment profiles in 2005 and 2007. The isotopic composition of the pore water could be divided into two separate groups: lighter (depleted) and heavier (enriched) samples. All samples in the lighter group were from the shallow vadose zone, above two clayey layers, and represent natural infiltration of rainwater. The enriched samples were from the deeper section of the unsaturated zone (20–40 m) and represent water used for perchlorate manufacturing 14 years prior to drilling. Consequently, the overall maximum infiltration rate was estimated to be 1.4 m y⁻¹. Below the clayey layer almost identical perchlorate concentrations were found along the sediment profile in 2005 and 2007 (two boreholes, 3 m apart). Very different perchlorate profiles were observed above the clayey layers. This suggests that perchlorate below the clay layers (20–40 m) is practically stagnant under the current natural conditions. The reduction in perchlorate concentration in groundwater below the ponds vs. its increased concentration further downgradient supports the contention that the current migration of perchlorate from the vadose zone to the groundwater is very small. We estimate that perchlorate concentration in the groundwater under the infiltration pond, which was 187 mg l⁻¹ in 2004, will reach 10 μg l⁻¹ within about 14 years. The existence of a clayey layer crossing the thick vadose zone was thus found to significantly change the infiltration rate when ponded conditions were replaced with natural precipitation.     

Broadband frequency-dependent amplification of seismic waves across Bucharest, Romania

The determination of seismic amplitude amplification is a fundamental contribution to seismic hazard assessment. While often only high-frequency amplitude variations (>1 Hz) are taken into account, we analyse broadband waveforms from 0.14 to 8.6 Hz using a temporary network of 32 stations in and around the earthquake-prone city of Bucharest. Spectral amplitudes are calculated with an adaptive multiple-taper approach. Across our network (aperture 25 km × 25 km), we find a systematic northwest/southeast-oriented structural influence on teleseismic P-wave amplitudes from 0.14 to 0.86 Hz that can be explained by constructive interference in the dipping Cenozoic sedimentary layers. For higher frequencies (1.4–8.75 Hz), more local site effects prevail and can be correlated partly among neighbouring stations. The transition between systematic and localised amplitude variations occurs at about 1 Hz.     

Holocene climate changes in westerly-dominated areas of central Asia: Evidence from optical dating of two loess sections in Tianshan Mountain,China

Optical dating was applied to two loess-paleosol sections (Lujiaowan and Shuixigou) from the northern piedmont of Tianshan Mountain, Xinjiang province, China. The two sections are over 200 km apart and have a similar depositional sequence, which consists of two paleosol layers embedded by one loess layer. Two difficulties were met in optical dating. First, because the sections are located on the slope of the mountain, it was found that some cliff debris, with coarse grains (>200 μm), were mixed with the eolian sediments by rainfall, especially in the paleosol layers. Second, the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals of quartz grains from the deposits were too dim to obtain a reliable equivalent dose (D_e). The 63–90 μm K-feldspar grains were separated to decrease the debris portion, and they yielded bright infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals. A multiple-elevated-temperature post-IR IRSL (MET-pIRIR) procedure was applied to determine D_e. Comparing the optical dating ages of the two sections, the Lujiaowan (LJW) and Shuixigou (SXG) sections recorded almost the same depositional process during the Holocene. The ages of the two loess layers (2.44–3.38 ka at LJW; 2.47–4.36 ka at SXG) suggested that one drought event happened widely in this westerly dominated area. The same drought event 2.5–3.5 ka ago also happened in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), where the summer monsoon dominated. However, the paleosol development period (6.6–4 ka) in the study area was distinguished from the monsoon dominated area (8–4 ka), which suggests an arid early Holocene in the westerly area.     

Behavior of sporadic Na layers on small time scale

Seventeen sporadic Na (Na_s) layers were observed from ~150 h of the 8-s Na density profiles obtained by lidar measurements at Wuhan, China. Each of them consists of a sequence of small-timescale density enhancement bursts. The burst intensity ranges from 200 to 10,400 cm^?3. The burst duration and interval vary between 16 and 112 s. The instantaneous growth and decay rates often have an order of 100 cm^?3 s^?1. This suggests that there exists a very rapid atom removal process corresponding to the dramatic burst density enhancement if the advection effect by large-scale wind could be ignored. These results provide a new clue for explaining the formation mechanism of sporadic metal layers.     

Tephrostratigraphy of the last 170 ka in sedimentary successions from the Adriatic Sea

In this study are discussed new SEM-EDS analyses performed on glass shards from five cores collected in the Central Adriatic Sea and two cores recovered from the South Adriatic Sea. A total of 26 tephra layers have been characterized and compared with the geochemical features of terrestrial deposits and other tephra archives in the area (South Adriatic Sea and Lago Grande di Monticchio, Vulture volcano). The compositions are compatible with either a Campanian or a Roman provenance. The cores, located on the Central Adriatic inner and outer shelf, recorded tephra referred to explosive events described in the literature: AP3 (sub-Plinian activity of the Somma-Vesuvius, 2710 ± 60 ¹⁴C years BP); Avellino eruption (Somma–Vesuvius, 3548 ± 129 ¹⁴C years BP); Agnano Monte Spina (Phlegrean Fields, 4100 ± 400 years BP); Mercato eruption (Somma–Vesuvius, 8010 ± 35 ¹⁴C years BP; Agnano Pomici Principali eruption (Phlegrean Fields, 10,320 ± 50 ¹⁴C years BP); Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (Phlegrean Fields, 12,100 ± 170 ¹⁴C years BP). Some of these layers were also observed in the South Adriatic core IN68-9 in addition to younger (AP2, sub-Plinian eruption, Somma–Vesuvius, 3225 ± 140 ¹⁴C years BP), and older layers (Pomici di Base eruption, Somma–Vesuvius, 18,300 ± 150 ¹⁴C years BP). Significant is the tephra record of core RF95-7 that, for the first time in the Adriatic Sea, reports the occurrence of tephra layers older than 60 ka: the well known Mediterranean tephra layers X2 (ca. 70 ka), W1 (ca. 140 ka) and V2 (Roman origin, ca. 170 ka) as well as other tephra layers attributed, on the basis of geochemistry and biostratigraphy, to explosive eruptions occurred at Vico (138 ± 2 and 151 ± 3 ka BP) and Ischia (147–140 ka BP).     

Uranium loss and aragonite–calcite age discordance in a calcitized aragonite stalagmite

We analyzed uranium-series concentrations and isotopic ratios in a mixed aragonite and calcite stalagmite from Juxtlahuaca Cave, from the Sierra Madre del Sur of Mexico. The U-series data for the aragonite layers return highly precise and stratigraphically correct ages over the past ca. 4300 years. In contrast, age determinations from calcite layers are too old by several hundred years relative to the precise aragonite ages, have analytical uncertainties an order of magnitude larger than aragonite ages, and yield ages that do not overlap the aragonite ages within analytical uncertainties. Based on geochemical and petrographic observations, we interpret the calcite layers to have formed from recrystallization of aragonite soon after primary aragonite deposition. Calcite occurs as discontinuous lenses on and off the growth axis, and laminae can be traced between aragonite and calcite layers, demonstrating that visible growth banding is not effaced in the recrystallization process. Paired aragonite-calcite U-series data from coeval stratigraphic layers demonstrate that uranium concentrations decrease by two orders of magnitude during calcitization, and result in decreased (²³⁴U/²³⁸U). Uranium loss during diagenesis mimics a need for an age correction using an initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th ratio one to two orders of magnitude larger than the bulk Earth ratio of 4.4 ± 2.2 × 10⁻⁶. A need for apparent high initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th ratios results from ingrowth of ²³⁰Th during ²³⁴U decay.     

Seismic isolation foundations with effective attenuation zones

In this paper, a new configuration of seismic isolation foundation containing several concrete layers and some rubber blocks is proposed. The concrete layers and the rubber blocks are placed periodically to form a periodic foundation. To study the isolation ability of this new configuration of periodic foundation, an equivalent analytical model is established. For practical applications, two very useful formulas are obtained. Using these formulas, the low bound frequency and the width of the first attenuation zone can be directly approximated without the calculation of dispersion structure. This new configuration of seismic isolation foundation enjoys the first attenuation zone between 2.15 Hz and 15.01 Hz, which means that the components of seismic waves with frequencies from 2.15 Hz to 15.01 Hz cannot propagate upward in the foundation. To illustrate the efficiency of this seismic isolation foundation, the seismic responses of a 6-story frame with three different foundations are simulated. Numerical simulations show that the seismic responses of the structure with the periodic foundation are greatly attenuated as compared with those of the structure with no isolation base or with traditional rubber bearings.     

40Ar/39Ar temporal framework for the Alleret maar lacustrine sequence (French Massif-Central): Volcanological and paleoclimatic implications

The Alleret maar (Massif Central, France) is part of the few Western European early middle Pleistocene lacustrine sequences. In the AL3 core several new ash layers were recovered in the 10 first meters of the sedimentary filling. We obtained three ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages, which range from 683 ± 5 ka (MSWD: 1.2, n = 17) to 722 ± 6 ka (MSWD: 3.2, n = 18). All the studied ash layers belong to the Super-Besse eruptive cycle of the Sancy volcano. Based on the chronostratigraphy that we have derived we estimate that the age of the main eruption could correspond to the Sancy volcano caldera formation at 725 ka close to the end of MIS 18 and that the Super-Besse explosive episode duration lasted only about 40 ka. The time framework we build evidences that the Alleret lacustrine sequence represents a time interval of probably 180 ka spanning from MIS 18 to MIS 14. This sequence offers the first well constrained comparison between terrestrial environmental history and that preserved in marine sediments during the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution.     

Two extraterrestrial dust horizons found in the Dome Fuji ice core,East Antarctica

Two silicate-rich dust layers were found in the Dome Fuji ice core in East Antarctica, at Marine Isotope Stages 12 and 13. Morphologies, textures, and chemical compositions of constituent particles reveal that they are high-temperature melting products and are of extraterrestrial origin. Because similar layers were found ～ 2000 km east of Dome Fuji, at EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica)-Dome C, particles must have rained down over a wide area 434 and 481 ka. The strewn fields occurred over an area of at least 3 × 10⁶ km². Chemical compositions of constituent phases and oxygen isotopic composition of olivines suggest that the upper dust layer was produced by a high-temperature interaction between silicate-rich melt and water vapor due to an impact explosion or an aerial burst of a chondritic meteoroid on the inland East Antarctic ice sheet. An estimated total mass of the impactor, on the basis of particle flux and distribution area, is at least 3 × 10⁹ kg. A possible parent material of the lower dust layer is a fragment of friable primitive asteroid or comet. A hypervelocity impact of asteroidal/cometary material on the upper atmosphere and an explosion might have produced aggregates of sub-μm to μm-sized spherules. Total mass of the parent material of the lower layer must exceed 1 × 10⁹ kg. The two extraterrestrial horizons, each a few millimeters in thickness, represent regional or global meteoritic events not identified previously in the Southern Hemisphere.