Microanalysis of Fine Insoluble Particulates from the Colle Gnifetti Ice Core
Abstract
New methodological advancements allow for the capture and quantitative analysis of fine (5-10 μm) and ultra-fine (<4μm) insoluble particles from an ice core. This study examined several intervals from the Colle Gnifetti ice core, targeting deposits that were tied to volcanic eruptions using glaciochemical signatures. We used SEM/EDS to analyze all materials and the NIST DTSA-II methodology and software to provide fully quantitative data. One interval, from 57.67- 57.88 meters, had dust, minerals, and three (5-8 μm) rhyolitic tephra particles. According to the existing timescale developed using annual layer counting, this interval corresponds the late 400s CE. These tephra particles will help to confirm the existing timescale by providing tephrochronological context for the ice core, as well as, once a specific Icelandic source eruption is determined, provide context for atmospheric circulation at the time of deposition. The other intervals analyzed for this study had minerals and dust grains, but no tephra deposits. This study expands the number of established tephra sources in the Colle Gnifetti ice core, and establishes the framework for mapping insoluble particulate sources and related changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. Acknowledgements Arcadia fund grant AC3862. NSF grants PLR-1543361 and 1142007. Drilling and recovery team at the Climate and Environmental Physics Institute of the University of Bern. Ice core processing and analysis teams at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Bremerhaven, and the Climate and Environmental Physics Institute, University of Bern.
- Publication:
-
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018EGUGA..2011503H