Glass shards from ancient New Zealand volcanic eruption found 3,000 miles away
Some 1,800 years ago, New Zealand's Taupō volcano last erupted, and the massive blast flung shards of glass all the way to Antarctica. Now, scientists have discovered six glass fragments that were hurled 5,000 kilometres south and buried beneath 280 metres of Antarctic ice over 2,000 years ago. A seventh shard, generated by an earlier eruption of the same volcano, assisted the team in determining their precise origins and confirming the timing of the event. Scientists have discovered six glass fragments that were hurled 5,000 kilometres south and buried beneath 280 metres of Antarctic ice over 2,000 years ago. The discovery was made after a seventh shard, generated by an earlier eruption of the same volcano, assisted the team in determining their precise origins and confirming the timing of the event. The researchers found seven glass shards about 10 to 20 microns long and made of the granite-like mineral rhyolite at a depth of 279 meters. Their geochemical composition matched that of previous Taup eruption samples collected in New Zealand. In fact, one shard matched volcanic glass created during the Taup volcano's earlier Ōruanui supereruption 25,600 years ago, and the one which took place 65,000 Years ago was the biggest eruption that still has an impact on the surrounding environment including the dacitic Mount Tauhara explosion.
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Some 1,800 years ago, New Zealand's Taupō volcano last erupted, and the massive blast flung shards of glass all the way to Antarctica.
Now, scientists have discovered six glass fragments that were hurled 5,000 kilometres south and buried beneath 280 metres of Antarctic ice over 2,000 years ago.
A seventh shard, generated by an earlier eruption of the same volcano, assisted the team in determining their precise origins and confirming the timing of the event.
Researchers have been trying to find evidence, in the form of radiocarbon dating of trees that were killed by the blast, but it is argued that the gathered information may have been contaminated.
The radiocarbon dating of trees suggests that the eruption took place around the date of A.D. 232, however, some researchers say that it could have occurred up to two centuries later.
As quoted by Science Alert, environmental scientist Stephen Piva, who is also the study's lead author and a PhD candidate at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, said: "Combined, the seven shards provide a unique and undeniable double fingerprint of the Taupō volcano as the source."
As per the latest study, published in Scientific Reports, scientists said that they studied an ice core 764 meters long, which was extracted from the Ross Ice Sheet in West Antarctica. It is packed with some 83,000 years of climate information.
The researchers found seven glass shards about 10 to 20 microns long and made of the granite-like mineral rhyolite at a depth of 279 meters.
Their geochemical composition matched that of previous Taup eruption samples collected in New Zealand. In fact, one shard matched volcanic glass created during the Taup volcano's earlier Ōruanui supereruption 25,600 years ago.
Lake Taupō, which is in the centre of New Zealand's North Island, fills the caldera of the Taupō Volcano.
Taupō began erupting approximately 300,000 years ago, and a few more laterwards. The one which took place 65,000 years ago was the biggest eruption that still has an impact on the surrounding environment including the dacitic Mount Tauhara explosion.
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주제: New Zealand