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Terminal middle Pleistocene eruptions of Changbaishan-Tianchi volcano in northeast China: Triggered by the glacial/interglacial climatic transition?
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  • Bo Pan,
  • Jiandong Xu,
  • Tanzhuo Liu,
  • Jingwei Zhang,
  • Bingrui Zhou,
  • Guangpei Zhong
Bo Pan
Institute of Geology, CEA, Institute of Geology, CEA

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jiandong Xu
Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration
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Tanzhuo Liu
Columbia University, Columbia University
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Jingwei Zhang
Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration
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Bingrui Zhou
Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration
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Guangpei Zhong
Changbaishan Volcano Observation, Changbaishan Volcano Observation
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Abstract

High-resolution 40Ar/39Ar dating of Bingchang (BC) eruptions of Changbaishan-Tianchi volcano in NE China yields an oldest plateau age of 137.7 ka, well coinciding with the onset of the Penultimate Deglaciation (PDG). Subsequent eruptions occurred at 132.5-131.7 and 124.2 ka during the PDG and the early phase of the Last Interglacial. The BC tephra in marine sediments from the Japan Sea was deposited during the glacial/interglacial climatic transition. These findings suggest that the BC eruptions were likely triggered by depressurization of the volcano’s magma chamber through mountain glacial melting/retreat during the early phase of the PDG. The peak timing of the Penultimate Glacial Maximum thus derived falls between 142.7-137.7 ka, closely tied to the time of maximum global ice volume/sea level drop at ~140 ka. Since the BC tephra is widely dispersed in marine sediments in the Japan Sea, it will serve as a new well-dated stratigraphic marker for the region.