Phasing and climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu

Giyoon Lee; Andrea Burke; William Hutchison; Patrick Sugden; Celeste Smith; Joseph R.  McConnell; Michael  Sigl; Clive  Oppenheimer; Sune Olander  Rasmussen; Jørgen Peder  Steffensen; Seung Ryeol  Lee; Jinho  Ahn

doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01713-z

Phasing and climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu

Giyoon Lee, Andrea Burke, William Hutchison, Patrick Sugden, Celeste Smith, Joseph R. McConnell, Michael Sigl, Clive Oppenheimer, Sune Olander Rasmussen, Jørgen Peder Steffensen, Seung Ryeol Lee, Jinho Ahn^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the Common Era, initiated in late 946. It remains uncertain whether its two main compositional phases, rhyolite and trachyte, were expelled in a single eruption or in two. Investigations based on proximal and medial ash have not resolved this question, prompting us to turn to high-resolution ice-core evidence. Here, we report a suite of glaciochemical and tephra analyses of a Greenlandic ice core, identifying the transition from rhyolitic to trachytic tephra with corresponding spikes in insoluble particle fallout. By modeling annual snow accumulation, we estimate an interval of one to two months between these spikes, which approximates the hiatus between two eruptive phases. Additionally, negligible sulfur mass-independent fractionation, near-synchroneity between particle and sulfate deposition, and peak sulfur fallout in winter all indicate an ephemeral aerosol veil. These factors limited the climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption.

Original language	English
Article number	549
Number of pages	8
Journal	Communications Earth & Environment
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01713-z
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2024

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Light Element Analysis Facility (LEAF): Light Element Analysis Facility (LEAF)
Irvine, J. T. S. (PI), Baker, R. (CoI) & Miller, D. N. (CoI)
EPSRC
5/04/20 → 4/04/23
Project: Standard
Taking Earth's volcanic pulse: Taking Earth's volcanic pulse: understanding global volcanic hazards by unlocking the ice core isotope archive
Hutchison, W. (PI)
Medical Research Council
1/10/19 → 30/09/23
Project: Fellowship
Electon Microscopy: Electon Microscopy for the characterisation and manipulation of advanced function materials and their interfaces at the nanoscale
Irvine, J. T. S. (PI), Baker, R. (CoI) & Zhou, W. (CoI)
EPSRC
1/04/18 → 2/09/20
Project: Standard

Extended Data for Lee et al. (2024) Communications Earth & Environment.xlsx
Lee, G. (Creator), Burke, A. (Creator), Hutchison, W. (Creator), Sugden, P. (Creator), Smith, C. (Creator), McConnell, J. R. (Creator), Sigl, M. (Creator), Oppenheimer, C. (Creator), Rasmussen, S. O. (Creator), Steffensen, J. P. (Creator), Lee, S. R. (Creator) & Ahn, J. (Creator), Figshare, 2024
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.26549344.v1
Dataset

Cite this

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title = "Phasing and climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu",

abstract = "The Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the Common Era, initiated in late 946. It remains uncertain whether its two main compositional phases, rhyolite and trachyte, were expelled in a single eruption or in two. Investigations based on proximal and medial ash have not resolved this question, prompting us to turn to high-resolution ice-core evidence. Here, we report a suite of glaciochemical and tephra analyses of a Greenlandic ice core, identifying the transition from rhyolitic to trachytic tephra with corresponding spikes in insoluble particle fallout. By modeling annual snow accumulation, we estimate an interval of one to two months between these spikes, which approximates the hiatus between two eruptive phases. Additionally, negligible sulfur mass-independent fractionation, near-synchroneity between particle and sulfate deposition, and peak sulfur fallout in winter all indicate an ephemeral aerosol veil. These factors limited the climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption.",

author = "Giyoon Lee and Andrea Burke and William Hutchison and Patrick Sugden and Celeste Smith and McConnell, {Joseph R.} and Michael Sigl and Clive Oppenheimer and Rasmussen, {Sune Olander} and Steffensen, {J{\o}rgen Peder} and Lee, {Seung Ryeol} and Jinho Ahn",

note = "Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2018R1A5A1024958, 2020M1A5A1110607); the Basic Research Project (GP2021-006) of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT of Korea; the EPSRC Light Element Analysis Facility Grant (EP/T019298/1); the Strategic Equipment Resource Grant (EP/R023751/1); U.S. National Science Foundation grants (1023672 and 1925417); Villum Investigator Project IceFlow grant (16572); a Philip Leverhulme prize in Earth Sciences (PLP-2021-167); UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S033505/1); the European Research Council under the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 820047).",

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doi = "10.1038/s43247-024-01713-z",

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AU - Lee, Giyoon

AU - Burke, Andrea

AU - Hutchison, William

AU - Sugden, Patrick

AU - Smith, Celeste

AU - McConnell, Joseph R.

AU - Sigl, Michael

AU - Oppenheimer, Clive

AU - Rasmussen, Sune Olander

AU - Steffensen, Jørgen Peder

AU - Lee, Seung Ryeol

AU - Ahn, Jinho

N1 - Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2018R1A5A1024958, 2020M1A5A1110607); the Basic Research Project (GP2021-006) of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT of Korea; the EPSRC Light Element Analysis Facility Grant (EP/T019298/1); the Strategic Equipment Resource Grant (EP/R023751/1); U.S. National Science Foundation grants (1023672 and 1925417); Villum Investigator Project IceFlow grant (16572); a Philip Leverhulme prize in Earth Sciences (PLP-2021-167); UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S033505/1); the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 820047).

PY - 2024/10/1

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N2 - The Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the Common Era, initiated in late 946. It remains uncertain whether its two main compositional phases, rhyolite and trachyte, were expelled in a single eruption or in two. Investigations based on proximal and medial ash have not resolved this question, prompting us to turn to high-resolution ice-core evidence. Here, we report a suite of glaciochemical and tephra analyses of a Greenlandic ice core, identifying the transition from rhyolitic to trachytic tephra with corresponding spikes in insoluble particle fallout. By modeling annual snow accumulation, we estimate an interval of one to two months between these spikes, which approximates the hiatus between two eruptive phases. Additionally, negligible sulfur mass-independent fractionation, near-synchroneity between particle and sulfate deposition, and peak sulfur fallout in winter all indicate an ephemeral aerosol veil. These factors limited the climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption.

AB - The Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the Common Era, initiated in late 946. It remains uncertain whether its two main compositional phases, rhyolite and trachyte, were expelled in a single eruption or in two. Investigations based on proximal and medial ash have not resolved this question, prompting us to turn to high-resolution ice-core evidence. Here, we report a suite of glaciochemical and tephra analyses of a Greenlandic ice core, identifying the transition from rhyolitic to trachytic tephra with corresponding spikes in insoluble particle fallout. By modeling annual snow accumulation, we estimate an interval of one to two months between these spikes, which approximates the hiatus between two eruptive phases. Additionally, negligible sulfur mass-independent fractionation, near-synchroneity between particle and sulfate deposition, and peak sulfur fallout in winter all indicate an ephemeral aerosol veil. These factors limited the climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption.

U2 - 10.1038/s43247-024-01713-z

DO - 10.1038/s43247-024-01713-z

M3 - Article

SN - 2662-4435

VL - 5

JO - Communications Earth & Environment

JF - Communications Earth & Environment

M1 - 549

ER -

Phasing and climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu

Abstract

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Light Element Analysis Facility (LEAF): Light Element Analysis Facility (LEAF)

Taking Earth's volcanic pulse: Taking Earth's volcanic pulse: understanding global volcanic hazards by unlocking the ice core isotope archive

Electon Microscopy: Electon Microscopy for the characterisation and manipulation of advanced function materials and their interfaces at the nanoscale

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Extended Data for Lee et al. (2024) Communications Earth &amp; Environment.xlsx

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Extended Data for Lee et al. (2024) Communications Earth & Environment.xlsx