Eruptive history of Holocene explosive activity at Erciyes volcano (Turkey) constrained by proximal and distal tephra records

Mount Erciyes, the largest active volcano of Central Anatolia (Turkey), erupted explosively during the Holocene, producing the Karagüllü, Perikartin, and Dikkartin rhyolitic tuff rings. These eruptions occurred along regional fault systems and were partially destroyed by subsequent lava domes at the end of the phreatomagmatic phases, generating block-and-ash flows. Despite the proximity of major urban areas such as Kayseri (~1 million inhabitants), the timing, magnitude, and eruptive sequence of these explosive events have remained poorly constrained, as previous cosmogenic and radiogenic dating attempts lacked sufficient precision to resolve their chronology. To improve the Holocene explosive eruptive history of Mount Erciyes and assess regional ash dispersal, we integrate detailed tephrostratigraphic observations, glass shard geochemistry (major and trace elements), and radiocarbon dating of organic-rich paleosols. Our results indicate that the Karagüllü tuff ring formed at 11,258 ± 56 cal BP, followed by the Perikartin eruption at 9,700 ± 100 cal BP. Although no clear stratigraphic contacts or datable paleosols were identified for Dikkartin, its glass composition closely matches the regional Mediterranean S1 tephra, dated to approximately 9 ka BP. Distal correlations confirm the presence of Karagüllü tephra in the Black Sea tephra and Romanian lake records, indicating that Central Anatolian eruptions dispersed volcanic ash over several hundred to more than a thousand kilometres across Europe and the eastern Mediterranean during the early Holocene. Trace element data further support a distal dispersal of Dikkartin and Perikartin ashes to the Mediterranean basin. While Dikkartin has been classified as a Plinian eruption, the possibility of near-synchronous eruptive activity between Dikkartin and Perikartin cannot be excluded. These results refine the regional tephrochronological framework and underscore the need to reassess volcanic hazards in Central Turkey and surrounding regions.

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (TURVO, PID2023-147255NB-I00; MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), the EU (ERDF; Horizon 2020–MSCA PÜSKÜRÜM, Grant 101024337), and the Italian PNRR–NextGenerationEU through the ÇoraDrill project (CUP B83C25001180001).