Quaternary volcanic ash zones on the Iceland Plateau, southern Norwegian Sea

• Published in: Journal of Quaternary Science
• Main Authors: Sjwøholm, Jorunn, Sejrup, Hans Petter, Furnes, Harald
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1991
• Subjects: Norwegian Sea; Saksunarvatn; Iceland Plateau; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3390060205; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjqs.3390060205; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jqs.3390060205

Abstract Four Quaternary volcanic ash zones in the southern Norwegian Sea have been investigated in core P57‐7 from the Iceland Plateau. Both the geochemical composition and morphological variation of each ash layer have been studied. The four volcanic ash zones appear in the light oxygen isotope stages 1, 5, 7 and 11. The ash zones are composed of transparent platy grains, light brown transparent grains, brown blocky and black blocky grains and white/transparent pumice, and each zone shows a distinct stratigraphic evolution. The geochemical results show a mixture of basaltic and silicic grains in each ash zone, and that each zone contains grains from more than one eruption. The geochemical investigations strongly suggest that all the ashes are derived from Iceland. The youngest ash zone includes two layers, which based on their geochemical composition and stratigraphic position are correlated with the 14 C‐dated Vedde Ash (10 600 yr BP) and Saksunarvatn Ash (9 100 yr BP). Possible sources on Iceland for these layers are discussed.