Ultra-distal Kamchatkan ash on Arctic Svalbard: Towards hemispheric cryptotephra correlation

• Published in: Quaternary science reviews Vol. 164; pp. 230 - 235
• Main Authors: van der Bilt, Willem G.M., Lane, Christine S., Bakke, Jostein
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15-05-2017
• Subjects: Arctic; Cryptotephra; Holocene; Pacific; Svalbard; Svalbard; Arctic; Pacific; Holocene; Cryptotephra
• ISSN: 0277-3791; 1873-457X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.04.007

Rapidly deposited and geochemically distinct volcanic ash (tephra) markers represent a powerful chronological tool that enables precise dating and correlation of geological archives. Recent analytical advances now allow fingerprinting of non-visible ash (cryptotephra) over thousands of kilometers. This has opened up tantalizing possibilities for the intercontinental synchronization of records. We present geochemical evidence to demonstrate that ash from a Svalbard lake sediment core correlates to the Kamchatkan KS2 eruption. By expanding the known dispersal range of cryptotephra by thousands of kilometers and linking the Pacific and Atlantic Arctic, this study raises cryptotephra analysis to a new level. Also, the presented findings mark a step towards a hemispheric tephrochronological framework. Finally, this study highlights the importance of looking beyond proximal volcanic sources to find a correlation.
•Kamchatkan ash traced to the Arctic Svalbard archipelago.•Robust geochemical correlation with the KS2 eruption of Ksudach volcano.•The presented horizon expands known cryptotephra dispersal by 1000s of kms.•This study marks a key step towards hemispheric tephrochronological framework.•Ultra-distal find of KS2 enables pan-Arctic paleoclimate record synchronization.