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
 | Highlight paper
 | 
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

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Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on cp-2024-64', Anonymous Referee #1, 25 Nov 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Margaret Harlan, 04 Feb 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on cp-2024-64', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Dec 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Margaret Harlan, 04 Feb 2025
  • RC3: 'Comment on cp-2024-64', Anonymous Referee #3, 14 Dec 2024
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Margaret Harlan, 04 Feb 2025

Peer review completion

AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (19 Feb 2025) by Alberto Reyes
AR by Margaret Harlan on behalf of the Authors (17 Jun 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
EF by Daria Karpachova (17 Jun 2025)  Supplement 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (13 Nov 2025) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (10 Dec 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (22 Jan 2026)
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (26 Jan 2026) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
AR by Margaret Harlan on behalf of the Authors (16 Feb 2026)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (19 Feb 2026) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (25 Feb 2026)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (13 Mar 2026)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (13 Mar 2026) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
AR by Margaret Harlan on behalf of the Authors (02 Apr 2026)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
EF by Mario Ebel (02 Apr 2026)  Supplement 
ED: Publish as is (08 Apr 2026) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
AR by Margaret Harlan on behalf of the Authors (14 Apr 2026)  Manuscript 
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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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