Articles | Volume 22, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1057-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1057-2026
Research article
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29 May 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 29 May 2026

Cryptotephra in the East Antarctic Mount Brown South ice core

Margaret M. Harlan, Jodi Fox, Helle Astrid Kjær, Tessa R. Vance, Anders Svensson, and Eliza Cook

Data sets

MBS2023 - The Mount Brown South ice core chronologies and chemistry data, Version 1 T. R. Vance et al. https://doi.org/10.26179/352b-6298

The Mount Brown South surface core (MBS1718 "Alpha'', "Bravo'', and "Charlie'') chronologies and stable water isotope records, Version 1 A. Moy et al. https://doi.org/10.26179/372t-4q89

El Niño Southern Oscillation signal in a new East Antarctic ice core, Mount Brown South, Version 1 C. K. Crockart https://doi.org/10.4225/15/58eedf6812621

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Editorial statement
This manuscript introduces an innovative method for identifying cryptotephra in Antarctic ice cores, which could lead to significant new findings at Mount Brown South (MBS) and throughout Antarctica. The manuscript describes the identification of two new cryptotephra horizons in the MBS ice core from Wilhelm II Land in Antarctica. These cryptotephra originate from the mid-1980s eruptive period of Mt. Erebus and the cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Cerro Hudson. These two tephra horizons are an important addition to the East Antarctic tephrochronological framework. The findings of this study challenge previous assumptions about transport trajectories and pathways and satellite-era ice core chronologies, offering new insights into atmospheric circulation dynamics.
Short summary
The ~300 m Mount Brown South ice core (MBS) was drilled in coastal East Antarctica in 2017-2018. Here, we combine atmospheric modeling, ice core chemistry, and eruption records to sample a ~20 m MBS companion core for volcanic ash. We identified two ash layers, geochemically correlated with eruptions of Mt. Erebus (1985) and Cerro Hudson (1991). This study proves long-range transport of ash to East Antarctica, validating MBS as an untapped record of high latitude Southern Hemisphere volcanism.
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