Local tephra as an age-determination tool; Example of 2.3 ka Yakedake volcano tephra in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan

Kojima, Satoru*; Kagami, Saya   ; Yokoyama, Tatsunori   ; Kariya, Yoshihiko*; Katayama, Yoshikazu*; Nishio, Gaku*

A local tephra embedded in a hand-auger boring core drilled at near-shore of Kinugasanoike Pond about 4.6 km NE of Mt.Yakedake, one of the most active volcanoes in central Japan, is composed mainly of several kinds of volcanic glass shards (microlite-bearing, blocky, fluted and micro-vesicular types) with minor amounts of crystal minerals including quartz, plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, and pyroxene. Plant remains recovered from the horizon 10 cm below the tephra layer yield C ages of 2,331-2,295 (19.2% probability distribution) and 2,270-2,155 (76.2% probability distribution) cal yrs BP. We measured major element compositions of 241 individual glass shards using Electron Probe Micro Analyzer. They are plotted on the SiO-KO, SiO-NaO+KO, and FeO-KO diagrams in a region different from those of major regional tephras distributed in central Japan. The clast and chemical compositions coincide with those of a tephra embedded in the Nakao pyroclastic flow deposits distributed about 2 km NNW of Mt. Yakedake dated as around 2,300 cal yrs BP. The tephra could be used as a local marker of 2,300 cal yrs BP in the southern part of Northern Japan Alps.