TY - JOUR KW - Cryptotephra KW - eastern Mediterranean KW - Kos plateau tuff KW - Kos-nisyros-yali volcanic complex KW - MIS 5e KW - Tephrochronology KW - Tephrostratigraphy KW - Trace elements AU - Shuang Zhang AU - Simon Blockley AU - Simon Armitage AU - Chris Satow AU - Christina Manning AU - Omry Barzilai AU - Elisabetta Boaretto AU - Dustin White AU - Rhys Timms AB -

The Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT), was an enormous caldera forming eruption originating from a vent within the Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex, occurring at 161 ka. It is the largest recognised Late Quaternary eruption in the Eastern Mediterranean. With its distinctive, highly silicic chemical composition, the resulting ash deposits have been used both as a synchronous marker for palaeoenvironmental records in the region, and to provide information on eruption processes and magnitude. Here, we describe ash layers detected at multiple sites (deep-sea sequences and a terrestrial archaeological site) with ages generated by radiometric dating and sapropel correlation, to demonstrate the existence of a later, but geochemically similar eruption from the Kos volcano which has not previously been identified in proximal volcanic units. This eruption is dated to MIS 5e (\~124\textendash129 ka), i.e. \~40 kyr younger than the KPT. This tephra marks the start of MIS5e, and presents a rare opportunity to independently and precisely align paleoenvironmental records and archaeological sites during a time of rapid warming and sea level rise analogous to the present day. The presence of multiple tephras also implies the possibility of multiple eruptions during this period. This adds to our knowledge of the active and hazardous nature of Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex.

BT - Quaternary Science Reviews DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108054 N2 -

The Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT), was an enormous caldera forming eruption originating from a vent within the Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex, occurring at 161 ka. It is the largest recognised Late Quaternary eruption in the Eastern Mediterranean. With its distinctive, highly silicic chemical composition, the resulting ash deposits have been used both as a synchronous marker for palaeoenvironmental records in the region, and to provide information on eruption processes and magnitude. Here, we describe ash layers detected at multiple sites (deep-sea sequences and a terrestrial archaeological site) with ages generated by radiometric dating and sapropel correlation, to demonstrate the existence of a later, but geochemically similar eruption from the Kos volcano which has not previously been identified in proximal volcanic units. This eruption is dated to MIS 5e (\~124\textendash129 ka), i.e. \~40 kyr younger than the KPT. This tephra marks the start of MIS5e, and presents a rare opportunity to independently and precisely align paleoenvironmental records and archaeological sites during a time of rapid warming and sea level rise analogous to the present day. The presence of multiple tephras also implies the possibility of multiple eruptions during this period. This adds to our knowledge of the active and hazardous nature of Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex.

PY - 2023 EP - 108054 T2 - Quaternary Science Reviews TI - Distal tephra reveal new MIS 5e Kos eruptions: Implications for the chronology and volcanic evolution histories in the Eastern Mediterranean region UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379123001026 VL - 307 SN - 0277-3791 ER -