TY - JOUR
T1 - Seasonally-resolved stratigraphy at Jwalapuram India shows regional surface warming after the Toba volcanic super-eruption
AU - Jha, Gopesh
AU - Costa, Mafalda
AU - Tsoupra, Anna
AU - Dias, Cristina Barrocas
AU - Kwiecien, Ola
AU - Longman, Jack
AU - Breitenbach, Sebastian F M
AU - Ditchfield, Peter W.
AU - Jha, Deepak Kumar
AU - Rudd, Rachel
AU - Anilkumar, Devara
AU - Paladugu, Roshan
AU - Shree, Sindu
AU - Achyuthan, Hema
AU - Raj, Rachna
AU - Krishnan, K.
AU - Boivin, Nicole
AU - Roberts, Patrick
AU - Petraglia, Michael D.
PY - 2025/4/7
Y1 - 2025/4/7
N2 - Understanding the nature and tempo of global environmental responses to the ∼74,000 BP (∼74 ka) Toba volcanic super-eruption is based primarily on historical analogies and climate models that lack ground-truthing in regions distal to eruptions. Here, we report the first proxy-based terrestrial record of the immediate environmental impact of the Younger Toba Tuff (YTT) eruption on the hominin-occupied ecosystem in peninsular India, spanning six annual monsoonal cycles directly following the YTT event. We present a multi-proxy palaeoclimate dataset from Jwalapuram in southern India, featuring a geochemical characterization of multiple YTT tephra and hardpan layers, complemented by detailed stratigraphic observations, sedimentological insights, and stable carbon isotope data. Taken together, these multiple lines of evidence show a progressive trend of tephra weathering and strong evapotranspiration in the immediate aftermath of the YTT, suggesting multi-annual regional warming. Our results underline the complex responses of regional environments to the Toba super-eruption, which extend beyond a simple widespread ‘volcanic winter’.
AB - Understanding the nature and tempo of global environmental responses to the ∼74,000 BP (∼74 ka) Toba volcanic super-eruption is based primarily on historical analogies and climate models that lack ground-truthing in regions distal to eruptions. Here, we report the first proxy-based terrestrial record of the immediate environmental impact of the Younger Toba Tuff (YTT) eruption on the hominin-occupied ecosystem in peninsular India, spanning six annual monsoonal cycles directly following the YTT event. We present a multi-proxy palaeoclimate dataset from Jwalapuram in southern India, featuring a geochemical characterization of multiple YTT tephra and hardpan layers, complemented by detailed stratigraphic observations, sedimentological insights, and stable carbon isotope data. Taken together, these multiple lines of evidence show a progressive trend of tephra weathering and strong evapotranspiration in the immediate aftermath of the YTT, suggesting multi-annual regional warming. Our results underline the complex responses of regional environments to the Toba super-eruption, which extend beyond a simple widespread ‘volcanic winter’.
KW - Indian subcontinent
KW - Indian summer monsoon (ISM)
KW - Young Toba Tuff (YTT)
KW - climate change
KW - short-term impact
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105003177379
U2 - 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf109
DO - 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf109
M3 - Article
C2 - 40255322
SN - 2752-6542
VL - 4
SP - 1
EP - 24
JO - PNAS Nexus
JF - PNAS Nexus
IS - 4
M1 - pgaf109
ER -