New tephra horizons from Oxygen Isotope Stage 5 in the North Atlantic: correlation potential for terrestrial, marine and ice-core archives

Tephra horizons of Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 5 age, from two cores in the North Atlantic have been analysed geochemically. The results show that seve ral discrete tephra horizons are present, which have an Icelandic provenanc e. Tephras of basaltic geochemistry dominate the sequences. Correlation of the cores is based on the occurrence of a basaltic tephra near the base of OIS 5e. A rhyolitic tephra has been discovered within OIS 5e sediments in a core from the SE Norwegian Sea, which is geochemically identical to the mi ddle Eemian tephra found in several cores from the Nordic Seas. This tephra is probably widespread and thus, the potential exists for its wider detect ion in terrestrial sequences on mainland Europe and the Greenland ice cores . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.