| 1. |
- Lind, Ewa, 1968-
(författare)
-
Tephra horizons in the North Atlantic region during the Early Holocene
- 2014
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Uncertainties about the rate and magnitude of future climate change have drawn attention to the climate variability following the Late Glacial-Early Holocene transition, c. 12-8 ka BP. Tephrochronology is a method that uses volcanic ash as isochrons in order to link, date and synchronise geological and palaeoclimatic records which could provide a better understanding of short rapid climate shifts but also the timing of these.The main purpose of this thesis was to improve and refine the Late Younger Dryas-Early Holocene (c. 12-8 ka BP) tephrochronological framework with focus on dating and identification of new and previously known tephra horizons in the North Atlantic region. A special emphasis was to identify tephra horizons contemporary to short rapid climate events that occurred during the period; the Preboreal Oscillation (c. 11.3 ka BP), the Erdalen events (c. 10.0-9.8 ka BP), the 9.3 ka BP and the 8.2 ka BP events. Additional purposes have been to evaluate the potential of XRF ITRAX core-scanning to identify tephra in lake sediments but also as a tool in palaeoclimate studies.The potential of tephrochronology for linking climate archives across the North Atlantic region is a main outcome in this thesis. Specific results include five new tephra horizons; four identified on the Faroe Islands and one in Central Norway. Two previously known tephras, the Hässeldalen and Askja-S tephras, were identified on the Faroe Islands for the first time and at new locations in Sweden which confirmed their widespread distribution in NW Europe. Several of these tephras have the potential to become marker horizons for some of the short rapid climate events which occurred during the Late Younger Dryas-Early Holocene but their importance is yet to be determined. Further results show that the XRF core scanner can be used successfully to identify high concentrations of basaltic tephra but also to identify palaeoclimatic events in lake sediments.
|
|
| 2. |
- Larsson, Simon A., 1990-
(författare)
-
Ashes to ashes : Applications of tephrochronology in Scandinavia
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The project presented in this thesis provides two examples of applications of tephrochronology in Scandinavia. The usage of tephra deposits preserved in sediments—i.e. horizons of volcanic ashes, detected either as visible layers or as low-concentration “cryptotephras”—is demonstrated to be a strong and versatile tool for chronological control of individual sediment sequences and for correlation between study sites on both local and wider-regional scales.Fieldwork was done at a number of study sites in southernmost Sweden and mid-Norway to sample sediments formed in lakes and peatlands during the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition, i.e. c. 16,000–8,000 years ago. Labwork was then performed to analyse the sediments by methods to estimate organic matter, organic and carbonate carbon, and elemental contents as well as to find datable macrofossils and to detect tephra occurrences. Among the detected tephras between the different study sites, identifications were made of the Fosen Tephra, the Hässeldalen Tephra, the Vedde Ash, and the Laacher See Tephra. These were used for the purposes of either application in the project; (1) a palaeoclimate reconstruction at Körslättamossen, with new proxy analyses and correlations to a previous study of the same site as well as to other studies in Europe via linkages established by the tephras, and (2) a palaeoglaciological reconstruction on the Fosen peninsula, based on correlations between study sites using the detected tephras to assess the timing of glacial retreat in the area.The palaeoclimate reconstruction at Körslättamossen and correlation to previous studies provides new information about the climatic development in Europe after the end of the last ice age, specifically regarding the timing of the cold stage known as the Younger Dryas. Detailed knowledge of such events, spatially and temporally, is necessary to understand the behaviour of the climate system in the past and, thereby, its behaviour in the present and the future. This is one of several studies demonstrating the usefulness of tephrochronology for such research questions.The palaeoglaciological reconstruction on the Fosen peninsula, also relating to the Younger Dryas, is one of a few recent studies which demonstrate the strengths of tephra investigations in providing evidence for the timing of events on more local scales than the wider spatial perspective more often utilised in tephrochronological applications. Other than resulting in a significantly revised chronology for the retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the study area, this study should also encourage new, similar tephra studies in future Quaternary research.In addition to the direct results of either study (mainly presented in the related scientific papers) and the addition of new reference data for later tephra studies, the thesis also discusses further implications of the results and observations made with emphasis on considerations and study design issues in Quaternary research at large and for the tephrochronologist in particular.
|
|
