A high-precision age estimate of the Holocene Plinian eruption of Mount Mazama, Oregon, USA

Egan, J., Staff, R. and Blackford, J. (2015) A high-precision age estimate of the Holocene Plinian eruption of Mount Mazama, Oregon, USA. Holocene, 25(7), pp. 1054-1067. (doi: 10.1177/0959683615576230)

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Abstract

The climactic eruption of Mount Mazama in Oregon, North America, resulted in the deposition of the most widespread Holocene tephra deposit in the conterminous United States and south-western Canada. The tephra forms an isochronous marker horizon for palaeoenvironmental, sedimentary and archaeological reconstructions, despite the current lack of a precise age estimate for the source eruption. Previous radiocarbon age estimates for the eruption have varied, and Greenland ice-core ages are in disagreement. For the Mazama tephra to be fully utilised in tephrochronology and palaeoenvironmental research, a refined (precise and accurate) age for the eruption is required. Here, we apply a meta-analysis of all previously published radiocarbon age estimations (n = 81), and perform Bayesian statistical modelling to this data set, to provide a refined age of 7682–7584 cal. yr BP (95.4% probability range). Although the depositional histories of the published ages vary, this estimate is consistent with that estimated from the GISP2 ice-core of 7627 ± 150 yr BP (Zdanowicz et al., 1999). Keywords

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Staff, Dr Richard
Authors: Egan, J., Staff, R., and Blackford, J.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
Journal Name:Holocene
Publisher:Sage
ISSN:0959-6836
ISSN (Online):1477-0911
Published Online:25 March 2015

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