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Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods pp 1–11Cite as

Dendrochronology, Volcanic Eruptions

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Synonyms

Dust veil; Extrusive volcanism; Tephra deposition

Definition

Dating of events associated with volcanism that leaves a permanent marker in tree-ring records. Such events include air temperature cooling, deposition of ash layers, lava flows, and magmatic degassing.

Introduction

The geological applications of dendrochronology cover a wide range of topics, from paleoseismology (Jacoby 1997) to paleovolcanism and its effects on climate (Zielinski 2000). With specific regard to volcanic eruptions, tree-ring records have been used in multiple ways to date events associated with explosive and effusive volcanism, including magmatic degassing. Because wood formation is influenced by environmental factors (Plomion et al. 2001), tree species that are directly or indirectly impacted by volcanic eruptions can record such events in their growth layers. Datable volcanic effects on woody species range from annihilation (death dates) to rebirth (establishment dates) but also include growth...

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  1. DendroLab, University of Nevada, Mailstop 154, Reno, Nevada, 89557-0154, USA

    Franco Biondi

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  1. School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    W. Jack Rink

  2. Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Jeroen Thompson

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Biondi, F. (2014). Dendrochronology, Volcanic Eruptions. In: Rink, W., Thompson, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_24-1

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