Tephrochronology of a ~70 ka-long marine record in the Marsili Basin (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) S. Tamburrino a,e, ⁎, D.D. Insinga a , N. Pelosi a , C. Kissel b , C. Laj c , L. Capotondi d , M. Sprovieri e a Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero IAMC-CNR, Calata Porta di Massa, Interno Porto di Napoli 80, 80133 Napoli, Italy b Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Universitè Paris-Saclay, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France c Ecole Normale Supérieure, Département de Géosciences PSL, Research Universitè, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 5, France d Istituto Scienze Marine ISMAR-CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy e Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero IAMC-CNR, Via del Mare 3, 91021, Campobello di Mazara (Tp), Italy abstract article info Article history: Received 16 December 2015 Received in revised form 7 July 2016 Accepted 9 July 2016 Available online 12 July 2016 A sequence of tephra layers is studied in a 13.9 m-long deep-sea core (MD01-2474G) from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. The chronology of the succession is provided by a high-resolution age-depth model based on iso- tope stratigraphy and AMS radiocarbon dating, which place the succession of events in a time interval spanning the last 70 ka. Based on a precise chronological framework and proximal-distal correlations, the Y-1, Y-6 and Y-7 main marker tephras were identified. Compositional data on fresh micro-pumice or glass shards of selected tephras were correlated with the coeval volcanic activity of Aeolian Arc (Vulcano and Salina), Mt. Etna, Phlegrean Fields Pantelleria and Ischia. The tephra sequence contains a number of deposits documenting recurrent activity on Vulcano Island at ca. 6.9 ka BP (MD3), ca. 16.7 ka BP (MD11), ca. 23.2 ka BP (MD14), ca. 29.6 ka BP (MD15), ca. 36.9 ka BP (MD22) and ca. 42.5 ka BP (MD27). The results presented in this study improve the southern Tyrrhenian Sea tephrostratigraphic framework and provide new insights into chemistry and dispersal area of Aeolian Arc pyroclastic deposits in this sector of the Central Mediterranean. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Oxygen stratigraphy Tephra Aeolian Arc Brown Tuffs Y-1 Y-6 Y-7 1. Introduction Large volumes of volcanic deposits characterise the sedimentary re- cord of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea from the inner shelf to the deep basin environment (e.g. Paterne et al., 1988; Calanchi et al., 1994; Di Roberto et al., 2008; de Alteriis et al., 2010; Tamburrino et al., 2015). These deposits are related to the volcanic activity occurring during the Quaternary along the eastern Tyrrhenian margin (Somma-Vesuvius, Phlegrean Fields, Procida Island and Ischia Island in the Campania Plain) and in the Aeolian Arc. The tephra studies already pointed out the presence of distal ashes coming from Mt. Etna and Pantelleria Island (Paterne et al., 1986, 2008; Morabito et al., 2014; Petrosino et al., 2016). Previous research on marine cores collected from the southern Tyrrhenian largely focused on primary tephra layers over the last 200 ka (e.g. Paterne et al., 1986, 1988, 1990, 2008; McCoy and Cornell, 1990; Narcisi and Vezzoli, 1999; Van den Bogaard et al., 1999; de Alteriis et al., 2010; Albert et al., 2012; Tamburrino et al., 2015) and a number of papers characterised outer shelf to slope records through an integrated stratigraphic approach (e.g. Buccheri et al., 2002; Budillon et al., 2005; Insinga et al., 2008; Sacchi et al., 2005, 2009; Lirer et al., 2013; Iorio et al., 2014; Morabito et al., 2014; Petrosino et al., 2016). A robust reference succession for the deep sea, however, is still an open issue for different reasons. The proximity of the eruptive vents along with a complex bathymetry (e.g. active canyons and chan- nels) make it difficult to discriminate between deposition of pyroclastics and volcaniclastic turbidites (Di Roberto et al., 2008). Very variable sed- imentation rates in the deep-sea can also lead to amalgamation of close- in-time tephra layers (e.g. Paterne et al., 1986; Morabito et al., 2014). A detailed tephrostratigraphic framework for the southern Tyrrhenian Sea is also hampered by the scarcity of proximal data (including single glass chemistry of proximal deposits and chronology of eruptive events onland). This is particularly true for the Aeolian Arc and the island of Is- chia, although some work has successfully carried out (Albert et al., 2012; Tomlinson et al., 2014). A more comprehensive database has been provided in recent years for the Phlegrean Fields and Somma- Vesuvius (e.g. Santacroce et al., 2008; Smith et al., 2011; Tomlinson et al., 2012). Finally, volcanic ash deposition in distal sites is irrespective of the eruptive mechanism or intensity but, instead, depends by a num- ber of variable parameters, such as the amount of ash generated during the eruption, the high and low atmosphere dynamics and the environ- mental conditions on the seabed (e.g. Sulpizio et al., 2008, 2014). This uncertainty affects tephra dispersal and may lead to “unexpected” oc- currences or non-occurrences in a study area (e.g. Albert et al., 2012; Insinga et al., 2014). ⁎ Corresponding author at: IAMC-CNR Napoli. E-mail address: stella.tamburrino@iamc.cnr.it (S. Tamburrino). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2016.07.002 0377-0273/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jvolgeores Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 327 (2016) 23–39