The Eltville Tephra (Western Europe) age revised: Integrating stratigraphic and dating information from different Last Glacial loess localities

Four new luminescence ages bracketing the ET and two ages directly generated from the tephra horizon are presented and combined with all available data. The 1σ age range of the Bayesian age modelling yields a deposition age between 23.2 and 25.6 ka, which is in excellent agreement with two new luminescence ages from the tephra of 24.1 ± 1.9 ka (quartz) and 24.3 ± 1.8 ka (pIRIR290) and a peak of volcanic minerals in the Dehner Maar core around 24.3 ka. This age is clearly older than previously suggested for the ET volcanic eruption, but fits better with stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental evidence. Therefore, the ET was deposited during phases of strong aeolian activity of the Greenland Stadial 3. Additionally, for the first time, a correlation can be made between the ET and tephra layers recognized in the Eifel Maar lake cores.