Seasonally resolved stratigraphy at Jwalapuram India shows regional surface warming after the Toba volcanic super-eruption
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: 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 multiproxy paleoclimate 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 multiannual regional warming. Our results underline the complex responses of regional environments to the Toba super-eruption, which extend beyond a simple widespread "volcanic winter."
Source: PNAS Nexus
Authors: Gopesh Jha, Mafalda Costa, Anna Tsoupra, Cristina Barrocas Dias, Ola Kwiecien, Jack Longman, Sebastian F M Breitenbach, Peter Ditchfield, Deepak Kumar Jha, Rachel Rudd, Devara Anil, Roshan Paladugu, Sindu Shree, Hema Achyuthan, Rachna Raj, K Krishnan, Nicole Boivin, Patrick Roberts, Michael Petraglia
Institutions: University of Évora, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, University of Tübingen, Northumbria University, University of Oxford, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Anna University, Chennai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Griffith University, The University of Queensland, Smithsonian Institution
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,202
OpenAlex ID: W4409207843