Terminal middle Pleistocene eruptions of Changbaishan-Tianchi volcano in
northeast China: Triggered by the glacial/interglacial climatic
transition?
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.