Progetto PNRA18_00158 CHIMERA "CryptotepHra In Marine sEquences of the Ross Sea, Antarctica: implications and potential applications" - UO GIGLIO (DTA.AD001.388)

Area tematica

Scienze del sistema Terra e tecnologie per l'ambiente

Area progettuale

Struttura responsabile del progetto di ricerca

Istituto di Scienze Polari (ISP)

Responsabile di progetto

FEDERICO GIGLIO
Telefono: 051
E-mail: federico.giglio@cnr.it

Abstract

Marine sediments of Antarctica contain well preserved tephra, especially when sequences suffer small disturbance and sedimentation rate are high. If fingerprinted, dated and linked to a volcanic source, tephra become time-synchronous markers for independent correlations between geological archives. Tephra record can be significantly extended by examining successions for the presence of cryptotephra. These are essential to increase the number of eruptions recognizable of any magnitude and in distal occurrences. Recently, a cryptotephra record was found in a core from the Joides Basin (Ross Sea). In the same area, a number of marine cores were sampled in past Italian expeditions likely contain cryptotephra not yet investigated. On these bases, the project proposes to: 1) RE-EXAMINE MARINE SEDIMENT CORES sampled on the continental shelf basins of the Ross Sea; 2) IDENTIFY, DATE AND FINGERPRINT CRYPTOTEPHRA INTERCALATED in these sequences; 3) MAKE MARINE CRYPTOTEPHRA EASILY IDENTIFIABLE AS A STRATIGRAPHIC MARKERS; 4) SYNCHRONIZE AND CORRELATE THEM WITH ANTARCTIC TEPHRA ARCHIVES and 5) USE THESE STRATIGRAPHIC MARKERS FOR THE PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTIONS.

Obiettivi

1) Identify, date and characterize in detail cryptotephra (and tephra) in the sediment sequences deposited on the continental shelf basins of the ross sea;
2) Significantly increase the number of recognized eruption including those of intermediate magnitude and/or more distal occurrences of the largest eruptions;
3) Make cryptotephra easily identifiable as a stratigraphic marker in all the antarctic natural archives;
4) Synchronize and correlate natural archives extrapolating information obtained from each archive into a regional to continental framework. in particular, to correlate marine sequences with antarctic ice cores where cryptotephra have been widely recognized.
5) Detailed and valuable records of eruptive history of the antarctic volcanoes;
6) Understanding possible interactions between volcanic activity and cryosphere dynamic;
7) Estimation of atmospheric paleo-circulation based on volcanic ash dispersal;
8) Reconstruction of the ice shelf oscillations after the last glacial maximum;
9) Magnetic properties of sediments and stratigraphic variations in magnetic mineralogy correlated with paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes occurred in sedimentary basin.

Data inizio attività

23/04/2020

Parole chiave

Ross Sea, Tephra fingerprinting, Marine sediments

Ultimo aggiornamento: 23/06/2025