Major Element and Trace Element Compositions of Tephra Layers Found in European Varved Lake Records

This database contains major and trace element compositions of European tephra and metadata for the datasets and lakes they were found in. It was created by collecting data from scientific literature to support the synchronisation of annually-resolved lake sediment records during the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition (25 ka BP to 8 ka BP). 49 individual tephra layers across 19 varved lake records have been included, with Lago di Grande Monticchio being the largest contributor of geochemical data with 28 layers. The Vedde Ash and Laacher See tephra are the most common layers, being found in 6 different varved records, and highlight the potential of refining the absolute age estimates for these tephra layers using varve chronologies and for synchronising regional paleoclimate archives. This project is the first stage in a 5-years plan funded by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Data Stewardship Scholarship to incorporate a global dataset of tephra geochemical data in varved sediment records. Further stages of this project will focus on different regions and timescales.