Volcanic Ash Record in the Siple Dome Ice Core
N.W. Dunbar 1 , A. Kurbatov 2 , G.A. Zielinski 2 , W.C. McIntosh 1 ,
P.B. Price 3 , R.C. Bay 3
1. E&ES Department, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM, 87801
2. Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5790
3. Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720

• Visual identification
• Sulfate record
• Searching at depth of known eruptions
• Optical dust logger

Tephra layers found in
Siple Dome
A ice core
0
A total of 40 layers with adequate ash for chemical analysis have been found.

Analysis of tephra layers in the Siple Dome core indicates derivation from:
Mt. Berlin (most layers)
Mt. Takahe
Pleiades Volcanic Center/Mt. Melbourne local basaltic centers in the Royal Society Range at least one non-Antarctic volcano

Microbeam chemical analysis of glass shards in tephra layers coupled with statistical difference calculations allows:
1. Correlation to tephra layers in other ice cores
2. Correlation to eruptions of known age to provide timestratigraphic markers

Siple Dome core Taylor Dome core
97.2-97.7 m
703 yrs before 1995
79.2 m
1147 yrs bef. 1995??
Prefer 675+/-25 yrs before 1996

Mt. Berlin
10.3+/-2.7
Mt. Takahe
8.2+/-2.7
Mt. Hudson
11.1+/-1.8

TIf
Mt. Takahe
8.2+/-2.7
Mt. Berlin
10.3+/-2.7
Mt. Hudson
11.1+/-1.8

Mt. Berlin
24.7+/-1.5
Mt. Berlin
18.2+/-5.8
Mt. Berlin
<118.7+/-2.5??
Mt. Berlin
<92.2+/-0.9

• There are many identifiable and analyzable tephra layers in the Siple
Dome Ice Core, and probably will be in other WAIS cores
• Most tephra layers are locally-derived, most having been erupted from
Mt. Berlin, located in West Antarctica, although Mt. Takahe, the
Pleiades volcano and some basaltic centers are also represented.
• Several non-local tephra (probably South American) have also been identified
• Cross correlation of tephra layers between ice cores allow for betterdated cores to aid in dating of other cores. This also provide absolute time-stratigraphic markers between cores
• Chronology of tephra layers in the upper part of the Siple Dome core agree well with existing chronology, however agreement in the lower part of the core is less good.
• Further dating of source ashes (Mt. Berlin) may provide further information about age of lower Siple Dome tephra layers