Open AccessA 100‐year record of North Pacific volcanism in an ice core from Eclipse Icefield, Yukon Territory, Canada
Author(s) -
Yalcin Kaplan,
Wake Cameron P.,
Germani Mark S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2002jd002449
Subject(s) - geology , volcano , ice field , ice core , volcanism , empirical orthogonal functions , volcanology , eclipse , oceanography , physical geography , climatology , earth science , geomorphology , paleontology , geography , tectonics , glacier , physics , astronomy
A record of regionally significant volcanic eruptions in the North Pacific over the last century has been developed using a glaciochemical record from Eclipse Icefield, Yukon Territory, Canada. Tephrochronology of the Eclipse ice core provides positive identification of the 1907 Ksudach, Kamchatka, the 1912 Katmai, Alaska, the 1947 Hekla, Iceland, and the 1989 Redoubt, Alaska, eruptions. Non‐sea‐salt SO 4 2− residuals above a robust spline and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis were used to identify volcanic SO 4 2− signatures. Volcanic sulfate values are more conservatively identified by the EOF analysis as sulfate deposition from other sources is more robustly accounted for. Some eruptions are also recorded as peaks in non‐sea‐salt chloride. The volcanic signals in the Eclipse ice core are mostly attributable to Alaskan, Aleutian, or Kamchatkan eruptions. Conversely, the Eclipse ice core provides a poor record of globally significant tropical eruptions. These results are promising for the development of longer ice core based records of paleovolcanism in the North Pacific rim.