Ice Core and Palaeoclimatic Evidence for the Timing and Nature of the Great Mid-13th Century Volcanic Eruption

摘要

Ice cores from both the Arctic and Antarctic record a massive volcanic eruption in around _(AD) 1258. The inter-hemispheric transport of ash and sulphate aerosol suggests a low-latitude explosive eruption, but the volcano responsible is not known. This is remarkable given estimates of the magnitude of the event, which range up to 5 * 10~(14) - 2 * 10~(15) kg (-200-800 km~3 of dense magma), which would make this the largest eruption of the historic period, and one of the very largest of the Holocene. The associated collapse caldera could have had a diameter up to 10-30 km. Palaeoclimate reconstructions indicate very cold austral and boreal summers in _(AD) 1257-59, consistent with known patterns of continental summer cooling following tropical, sulphur-rich explosive eruplosive eruptions. This suggests an eruption in _(AD) 1257, producing a stronger climate forcing than hitherto recognized.