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Identification and significance of a visible, basalt‐rich Vedde Ash layer in a Late‐glacial sequence on the Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
Author(s) -
Davies Siwan M.,
Turney Chris S. M.,
Lowe J. John
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.611
Subject(s) - tephra , geology , rhyolite , basalt , horizon , glacial period , volcano , tephrochronology , geochemistry , volcanic ash , sequence (biology) , archaeology , paleontology , volcanic rock , geography , physics , astronomy , biology , genetics
This paper reports the discovery of a visible, tephra horizon of Late‐glacial age from the site of Loch Ashik in the Isle of Skye, the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Although the tephra shards have a bimodal geochemical composition identical to that of the Vedde Ash (a well known marker horizon within Late‐glacial sequences. The horizon at Ashik is dominated by basaltic shards and devitrified tephra shards, giving the layer its characteristic black colour. Only rhyolitic shards have previously been reported from Vedde Ash horizons in the British Isles. This new evidence raises some important questions about the factors that govern the distribution and accumulation of basaltic tephra, and about the methods used to detect ash shards in basins distal to centres of volcanic activity. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.