Eastern Mediterranean volcanism during marine isotope stages 9 to 7e (335–235 ka): Insights based on cryptotephra layers at Tenaghi Philippon, Greece

Tephra layers preserved in distal sedimentary archives represent chronicles of explosive volcanism that can complement the often more fragmentary information from near-source volcanic deposits to establish complete volcanic histories. With regard to these aspects, the Middle Pleistocene of the Eastern Mediterranean region stands out as it has a complex and diverse, but as yet largely unexplored record of volcanic eruptions. Here we present the first distal tephra record for the Eastern Mediterranean region spanning from 335 to 235 ka (corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages [MIS] 9 to 7e); our record has been derived from peat cores from the iconic terrestrial climate archive of Tenaghi Philippon (NE Greece). We have identified twenty-seven cryptotephra layers that represent eruptions from diverse Mediterranean sources. Six cryptotephra layers can be linked to Campanian volcanoes, and another six layers are tentatively correlated to Aeolian Arc volcanism. Of the ten cryptotephra layers that we have identified as deriving from the Aegean Arc, eight originate from Santorini volcano and two are tentatively attributed to either Kos or Milos. Five cryptotephra layers have yet unknown origins.