Provenance, stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene tephra from Vestfirðir, Iceland

David J. Harning; Thor Thordarson; Áslaug Geirsdóttir; Kate Zalzal; Gifford H. Miller

doi:10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007

Provenance, stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene tephra from Vestfirðir, Iceland

David J. Harning, Thor Thordarson, Áslaug Geirsdóttir, Kate Zalzal, Gifford H. Miller

Continental Scientific Drilling Facility

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tephrochronology facilitates the interpretation and correlation of terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records in and around Iceland. The Holocene tephra record on the Vestfirðir peninsula has until now been poorly known. Based on detailed analysis of major element chemistry, we present a holistic tephra stratigraphy and chronology (n = 30) generated from four lakes located on northeastern Vestfirðir. Key markers are Tv-3, the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra series along with the Hekla VF, Katla EG, Hekla T, Hekla 4 (intermediate component) and Hekla 3 (intermediate component), Snæfellsjökull-1, Landnám (basalt and rhyolite), Katla 920, Hekla 1693 and Bárðarbunga 1716 tephra layers. Notably, we also document two early Holocene intermediate tephra from the Hekla volcano, the oldest yet identified. Imperfections in the continuity of tephra records between lakes indicate gaps produced by either variable ash plume trajectories or periodic ice coverage (glacier or seasonal) of the lakes. The northernmost lake, Skorarvatn, archives three tephra layers consistent with the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra layer series formed by eruptions in the same time frame as the well-known Saksunarvatn tephra from the Faroe Islands. Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils bounding Skorarvatn's upper and basal tephra layers from the 10 ka series indicate that they were produced by at least three large, successive eruptions from Grímsvötn over ∼240 years. The composite Vestfirðir tephra stratigraphy and chronology presented here will enable better age control and synchronization between paleoclimate records in the northern North Atlantic.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	59-76
Number of pages	18
Journal	Quaternary Geochronology
Volume	46
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007
State	Published - Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Icelandic Center for Research (RANNÍS) through grants awarded to DJH (# 163431051 ) and ÁG and GHM (Grant-of-Excellence # 070272011 , # 130775051 , Grant-of-Excellence # 141573052 ) as well as a University of Iceland PhD grant (2010–2012) awarded to KZ. þorsteinn Jónsson and Sveinbjörn Steinþórsson are thanked for exceptional lake coring assistance over several winter field campaigns. We gratefully acknowledge Christopher Hayward (University of Edinburgh) as well as Sigurður Jakobsson, Guðmundur Guðfinnsson, Sydney Gunnarson and Bergrún Óladóttir (University of Iceland) for their assistance with tephra prep and microprobe analyses. Thorough and constructive reviews from the editor and two anonymous reviewers have substantially improved the manuscript. Appendix A

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

10 ka Grímsvötn tephra series
Hekla
Holocene
Iceland
Lake sediment
Tephrochronology

Publisher link

10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007

Find It

Find It at U of M Libraries

Cite this

@article{e20d3e49f60442878d2f7598cb8a44c9,

title = "Provenance, stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene tephra from Vestfir{\dh}ir, Iceland",

abstract = "Tephrochronology facilitates the interpretation and correlation of terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records in and around Iceland. The Holocene tephra record on the Vestfir{\dh}ir peninsula has until now been poorly known. Based on detailed analysis of major element chemistry, we present a holistic tephra stratigraphy and chronology (n = 30) generated from four lakes located on northeastern Vestfir{\dh}ir. Key markers are Tv-3, the 10 ka Gr{\'i}msv{\"o}tn tephra series along with the Hekla VF, Katla EG, Hekla T, Hekla 4 (intermediate component) and Hekla 3 (intermediate component), Sn{\ae}fellsj{\"o}kull-1, Landn{\'a}m (basalt and rhyolite), Katla 920, Hekla 1693 and B{\'a}r{\dh}arbunga 1716 tephra layers. Notably, we also document two early Holocene intermediate tephra from the Hekla volcano, the oldest yet identified. Imperfections in the continuity of tephra records between lakes indicate gaps produced by either variable ash plume trajectories or periodic ice coverage (glacier or seasonal) of the lakes. The northernmost lake, Skorarvatn, archives three tephra layers consistent with the 10 ka Gr{\'i}msv{\"o}tn tephra layer series formed by eruptions in the same time frame as the well-known Saksunarvatn tephra from the Faroe Islands. Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils bounding Skorarvatn's upper and basal tephra layers from the 10 ka series indicate that they were produced by at least three large, successive eruptions from Gr{\'i}msv{\"o}tn over ∼240 years. The composite Vestfir{\dh}ir tephra stratigraphy and chronology presented here will enable better age control and synchronization between paleoclimate records in the northern North Atlantic.",

keywords = "10 ka Gr{\'i}msv{\"o}tn tephra series, Hekla, Holocene, Iceland, Lake sediment, Tephrochronology",

author = "Harning, \{David J.\} and Thor Thordarson and {\'A}slaug Geirsd{\'o}ttir and Kate Zalzal and Miller, \{Gifford H.\}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Icelandic Center for Research (RANN{\'I}S) through grants awarded to DJH (\# 163431051 ) and {\'A}G and GHM (Grant-of-Excellence \# 070272011 , \# 130775051 , Grant-of-Excellence \# 141573052 ) as well as a University of Iceland PhD grant (2010–2012) awarded to KZ. {\th}orsteinn J{\'o}nsson and Sveinbj{\"o}rn Stein{\th}{\'o}rsson are thanked for exceptional lake coring assistance over several winter field campaigns. We gratefully acknowledge Christopher Hayward (University of Edinburgh) as well as Sigur{\dh}ur Jakobsson, Gu{\dh}mundur Gu{\dh}finnsson, Sydney Gunnarson and Bergr{\'u}n {\'O}lad{\'o}ttir (University of Iceland) for their assistance with tephra prep and microprobe analyses. Thorough and constructive reviews from the editor and two anonymous reviewers have substantially improved the manuscript. Appendix A Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 Elsevier B.V. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2018",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "46",

pages = "59--76",

journal = "Quaternary Geochronology",

issn = "1871-1014",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Provenance, stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene tephra from Vestfirðir, Iceland

AU - Harning, David J.

AU - Thordarson, Thor

AU - Geirsdóttir, Áslaug

AU - Zalzal, Kate

AU - Miller, Gifford H.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Icelandic Center for Research (RANNÍS) through grants awarded to DJH (# 163431051 ) and ÁG and GHM (Grant-of-Excellence # 070272011 , # 130775051 , Grant-of-Excellence # 141573052 ) as well as a University of Iceland PhD grant (2010–2012) awarded to KZ. þorsteinn Jónsson and Sveinbjörn Steinþórsson are thanked for exceptional lake coring assistance over several winter field campaigns. We gratefully acknowledge Christopher Hayward (University of Edinburgh) as well as Sigurður Jakobsson, Guðmundur Guðfinnsson, Sydney Gunnarson and Bergrún Óladóttir (University of Iceland) for their assistance with tephra prep and microprobe analyses. Thorough and constructive reviews from the editor and two anonymous reviewers have substantially improved the manuscript. Appendix A Publisher Copyright: © 2018 Elsevier B.V. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2018/6

Y1 - 2018/6

N2 - Tephrochronology facilitates the interpretation and correlation of terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records in and around Iceland. The Holocene tephra record on the Vestfirðir peninsula has until now been poorly known. Based on detailed analysis of major element chemistry, we present a holistic tephra stratigraphy and chronology (n = 30) generated from four lakes located on northeastern Vestfirðir. Key markers are Tv-3, the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra series along with the Hekla VF, Katla EG, Hekla T, Hekla 4 (intermediate component) and Hekla 3 (intermediate component), Snæfellsjökull-1, Landnám (basalt and rhyolite), Katla 920, Hekla 1693 and Bárðarbunga 1716 tephra layers. Notably, we also document two early Holocene intermediate tephra from the Hekla volcano, the oldest yet identified. Imperfections in the continuity of tephra records between lakes indicate gaps produced by either variable ash plume trajectories or periodic ice coverage (glacier or seasonal) of the lakes. The northernmost lake, Skorarvatn, archives three tephra layers consistent with the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra layer series formed by eruptions in the same time frame as the well-known Saksunarvatn tephra from the Faroe Islands. Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils bounding Skorarvatn's upper and basal tephra layers from the 10 ka series indicate that they were produced by at least three large, successive eruptions from Grímsvötn over ∼240 years. The composite Vestfirðir tephra stratigraphy and chronology presented here will enable better age control and synchronization between paleoclimate records in the northern North Atlantic.

AB - Tephrochronology facilitates the interpretation and correlation of terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records in and around Iceland. The Holocene tephra record on the Vestfirðir peninsula has until now been poorly known. Based on detailed analysis of major element chemistry, we present a holistic tephra stratigraphy and chronology (n = 30) generated from four lakes located on northeastern Vestfirðir. Key markers are Tv-3, the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra series along with the Hekla VF, Katla EG, Hekla T, Hekla 4 (intermediate component) and Hekla 3 (intermediate component), Snæfellsjökull-1, Landnám (basalt and rhyolite), Katla 920, Hekla 1693 and Bárðarbunga 1716 tephra layers. Notably, we also document two early Holocene intermediate tephra from the Hekla volcano, the oldest yet identified. Imperfections in the continuity of tephra records between lakes indicate gaps produced by either variable ash plume trajectories or periodic ice coverage (glacier or seasonal) of the lakes. The northernmost lake, Skorarvatn, archives three tephra layers consistent with the 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra layer series formed by eruptions in the same time frame as the well-known Saksunarvatn tephra from the Faroe Islands. Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils bounding Skorarvatn's upper and basal tephra layers from the 10 ka series indicate that they were produced by at least three large, successive eruptions from Grímsvötn over ∼240 years. The composite Vestfirðir tephra stratigraphy and chronology presented here will enable better age control and synchronization between paleoclimate records in the northern North Atlantic.

KW - 10 ka Grímsvötn tephra series

KW - Hekla

KW - Holocene

KW - Iceland

KW - Lake sediment

KW - Tephrochronology

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85045412740

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045412740&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007

DO - 10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.007

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85045412740

SN - 1871-1014

VL - 46

SP - 59

EP - 76

JO - Quaternary Geochronology

JF - Quaternary Geochronology

ER -

Provenance, stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene tephra from Vestfirðir, Iceland

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Publisher link

Find It

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this