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A possible volcanic origin for the Greenland ice core Pt anomaly near the Bølling-Allerød/Younger Dryas boundary

Title	A possible volcanic origin for the Greenland ice core Pt anomaly near the Bølling-Allerød/Younger Dryas boundary
Authors	Charlotte E. Green, James U. L. Baldini, Richard J. Brown, Hans-Ulrich Schmincke, Marie Edmonds, Thomas C. Meisel
Magazine	PLOS One
Date	09/18/2025
DOI	10.1371/journal.pone.0331811
Introduction	The Younger Dryas Event (YDE) stands as the most recent and thoroughly understood millennial-scale cooling period. While a deglacial meltwater pulse is the conventionally accepted trigger, recent alternative hypotheses include a bolide impact and volcanism. A notable geochemical anomaly, characterised by high Pt/Ir and Pt/Al ratios, exists within the Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP2) ice core, broadly aligning with the YDE's onset. This anomaly offers a potential geochemical indicator for the events preceding the YDE. Earlier studies proposed that an impact from an unknown type of high-Pt/low-Ir iron meteorite might have produced this Pt elevation. However, its timing closely corresponds with a significant sulphur elevation in the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) ice core and the approximate 13 ka eruption of the Laacher See volcano, suggesting a potential volcanic source. This study assesses both hypotheses by i) presenting novel geochemical data from the Laacher See Tephra (LST) and ii) verifying the Pt elevation's timing relative to the YDE initiation on the GICC05 timescale. Our geochemical findings, particularly iridium and platinum data, strongly indicate that the Laacher See eruption (LSE) was highly improbable as the origin of the Greenland Pt elevation. Furthermore, we support recent research indicating a chronological difference of several decades between the Pt elevation and the NGRIP sulphur elevation, the YDE's start at 12,870 ± 30 yr BP (where present is 1950 CE), and the closest published age for the LSE (12,880 ± 40 yr BP, noting that newer age determinations could shift this date back by ~130 years). Drawing on contemporary data that show Pt elevations in ice cores and sediments can stem from volcanic eruptions, we propose that the GISP2 Pt anomaly represents fractionated volcanic material from a different, unidentified volcanic eruption. Volcanic gas condensates from submarine volcanic complexes, particularly Niuatahi-Motutahi (Tonga rear arc), exhibit Platinum Group Element (PGE) geochemistry that most closely resembles the Pt elevation. Consequently, we suggest this Pt elevation signifies highly fractionated material from an Icelandic subglacial or submarine fissure eruption. The 14-year duration of the Pt elevation also aligns more consistently with a fissure eruption than with an instantaneous event.
Quote	Charlotte E. Green, James U. L. Baldini and Richard J. Brown et al. A possible volcanic origin for the Greenland ice core Pt anomaly near the Bølling-Allerød/Younger Dryas boundary. PLoS ONE. 2025. Vol. 20(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0331811
Element	Platinum (Pt) , Iridium (Ir) , Aluminum (Al) , Sulfur (S)
Materials	Precious Metals , Steel and Iron-Based Alloys , Chemical Compounds , Other Specific Ceramics
Topics	Environmental and Green Materials , Computational Materials Science , Catalytic Materials
Industry	Research & Laboratory

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