| Title | Ocean-rafted pumice constrains postglacial relative sea-level and supports Holocene ice cap survival |
| |
| Author | Farnsworth, W R; Blake, W, Jr; Guðmundsdóttir, E R; Ingólfsson, Ó; Kalliokoski, M H; Larsen, G; Newton, A J; Óladóttir, B A; Shomacker, A |
| Source | Quaternary Science Reviews vol. 250, 106654, 2020 p. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106654  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2020 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20200529 |
| Publisher | Elsevier Ltd. |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Area | Svalbard; Norway; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Iceland |
| Lat/Long WENS | 8.0000 31.0000 86.0000 76.0000 |
| Subjects | surficial geology/geomorphology; stratigraphy; geochemistry; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; tephrochronology; sea level changes; raised beaches; shoreline changes; sediments; pumice;
volcanism; mining; mine waste products; slag; Katla Volcano; Mýrdalsjökull Ice Cap; Ice caps; Phanerozoic; Cenozoic; Quaternary |
| Illustrations | location maps; graphs; tables; diagrams; cross-plots |
| Released | 2020 11 24 |
| Abstract | Distally deposited tephra from explosive volcanic eruptions can be a powerful tool for precise dating and correlation of sedimentary archives and landforms. However, the morphostratigraphic and
chronological potential of ocean-rafted pumice has been under-utilized considering its long observational history and widespread distribution on modern and palaeo-shorelines around the world. Here we analyze the geochemical composition and elevation
data of 60 samples of ocean-rafted pumice collected since 1958 from raised beaches on Svalbard. Comparison of pumice data with postglacial relative sea-level history suggests eight distinct pumice rafting events throughout the North Atlantic during
the Middle and Late Holocene. Analyzed ocean-rafted pumice exhibit consistent silicic composition characteristic of deposits from Iceland's volcanic system, Katla. Eruption-triggered jökulhlaups are key drivers of the transport of pumice from the
Katla caldera to beyond the coast of Iceland and into the surface currents of the North Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the correlation of distinct, high-concentration pumice horizons from Katla deposited along raised Middle Holocene beach ridges in Svalbard
further advocates for the persistence of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap through the Holocene thermal maximum. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 327564 |
|
|