Central Mediterranean explosive volcanism and tephrochronology during the last 630 ka based on the sediment record from Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid, located in the Central Mediterranean region downwind of the Italian volcanoes, has great potential for developing a detailed record of the explosive activity of these volcanoes. Electron microprobe and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry geochemical analyses of juvenile glass fragments of previously not analysed tephra layers of the DEEP site sediment record of Lake Ohrid expand the existing tephrostratigraphy for the interval Marine Isotope Stages 1–16. The geochemical signatures of all tephra layers suggest an origin exclusively from the Italian volcanism. Eight of these tephra layers have potential equivalents in marine and terrestrial archives of the Central Mediterranean region (OH-DP-1966/SC5/A7; OH-DP-1955/CES1/A2; OH-DP-1055/S1; OH-DP-1006/S2; OH-DP-0997/S3, OH-DP-0710/S8/C-51; OH-DP-0766/ODP5/P-13; OH-DP-0505/ODP4). Nine tephra layers, which have not been described so far, help to reconstruct the late volcanic activity of Mount Vulture (OH-DP-2439) and the Paleovulsini (OH-DP-1998), the pre- and post Rio Rava activity of the Roccamonfina volcano (OH-DP-1911/-1812/-1733/-1640/-1527), the early activity of the Aeolian Arc (OH-DP-1513/-1520), and the Bracciano activity of the Monti Sabatini volcanic district (OH-DP-1175). The multi-proxy dataset and chronology of the DEEP site sediments allowed definition of the climatostratigraphic position for all tephra layers and constrain the ages of so far unknown and/or undated tephra layers. The presented data provide a crucial increase of knowledge of the Middle Pleistocene tephrostratigraphy in the Central Mediterranean back to 630 ka and allows new insights of the volcanic activity of Roccamonfina, the Roman Province, the Campanian Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the Aeolian Arc, Pantelleria, and Mount Vulture.