NSFGEO-NERC: Collaborative Research: MexiDrill: Developing a 350,000 year record of climate and environmental change in tropical North America
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: School of Archaeology
Abstract
The primary scientific objective of this joint NSF-GEO/NERC proposal is to obtain a continuous, high-resolution record of past changes in climate and volcanism in the Mexico City region over the last 350,000 years. We will analyse a recently recovered ~350 metre-long core from the Lake Chalco basin on the southern outskirts of Mexico City. This sediment sequence will be among the longest archives of climate, environment, and biota from a region presently lacking such records. Information obtained from these cores will help understand the mechanisms that caused past climate shifts, which is critical for evaluating impacts of ongoing and future climate change. Mexico is projected to become drier in the coming decades-centuries in response to ongoing climate change, and these anthropogenic changes will be superimposed on natural variability in climate systems that are not fully understood. This project will extract information on the temperature and precipitation over the last 350,000 years to evaluate the drivers of the climate. The Chalco sedimentary sequence also provides a unique record of the explosive volcanism in the Mexico City region, with ash from more than 150 volcanic eruptions preserved. These volcanic ash layers are likely to be from the major stratovolcanoes that surround Mexico City and the extensive monogenetic field situated in the southern part of the city. We will use these eruption deposits to obtain a chronology for the core and establish the magnitude and frequency of past eruptions. This information on the long-term history of these volcanoes will be invaluable for hazard and risk assessments for this densely populated region.
Planned Impact
Sediments from Lake Chalco hold geologic, paleoenvironmental, and palaeobiological information of value to the global scientific community, and directly relevant to the >20 million people living in the Basin of Mexico. Results of this project will contribute to an improved understanding of climate and hydrological balance in one of the most densely populated urban centers on Earth. Hydrological balance impacts agriculture and drinking water as well as affecting vulnerability to disease. We will feed this information back to the authorities through our colleagues at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.
Our work will provide an improved fundamental understanding of the rates of past volcanism, and impacts of past eruptions of the volcanoes in and around Mexico City. We will work with our colleagues at UNAM to inform revised assessments of volcanic hazard and risk. These assessments will be used by National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) to develop evacuation plans, for future eruption scenarios; and are used to inform long term urban and infrastructure planning.
Residents of Mexico City, including visitors to the region, tour guides and tourist agencies; and people generally interested in climate and volcanoes will all benefit from the additional knowledge of the past climate and the eruption histories of the volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. For public outreach, our team will: 1) incorporate field guides from Mexico into the 'Flyover Country' mobile app, which will be available in English and Spanish, and 2) develop a half hour documentary for broadcast on the USA Pubic Broadcasting Service (PBS) network and dissemination through various educational channels.
Our work will provide an improved fundamental understanding of the rates of past volcanism, and impacts of past eruptions of the volcanoes in and around Mexico City. We will work with our colleagues at UNAM to inform revised assessments of volcanic hazard and risk. These assessments will be used by National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) to develop evacuation plans, for future eruption scenarios; and are used to inform long term urban and infrastructure planning.
Residents of Mexico City, including visitors to the region, tour guides and tourist agencies; and people generally interested in climate and volcanoes will all benefit from the additional knowledge of the past climate and the eruption histories of the volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. For public outreach, our team will: 1) incorporate field guides from Mexico into the 'Flyover Country' mobile app, which will be available in English and Spanish, and 2) develop a half hour documentary for broadcast on the USA Pubic Broadcasting Service (PBS) network and dissemination through various educational channels.
Publications
Brown E
(2019)
Scientific drilling of Lake Chalco, Basin of Mexico (MexiDrill)
in Scientific Drilling
Smith VC
(2020)
The magnitude and impact of the 431 CE Tierra Blanca Joven eruption of Ilopango, El Salvador.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Martínez-Abarca R
(2021)
Sedimentary stratigraphy of Lake Chalco (Central Mexico) during its formative stages
in International Journal of Earth Sciences
Wallace KL
(2022)
Community established best practice recommendations for tephra studies-from collection through analysis.
in Scientific data
Sunyé-Puchol I
(2022)
Reconstructing the middle to late Pleistocene explosive eruption histories of Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and Tláloc-Telapón volcanoes in Central México
in Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
Smith V
(2023)
Handbook of Archaeological Sciences
Description | We have described, dated and chemically characterised the deposits of the major explosive eruptions of the largest volcanoes surrounding Mexico City (published in Sunye-Puchol et al., 2022) and the Chalco basin. These constraints on the deposits provide a better understanding of the timescales of large eruptions from Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and Tláloc-Telapón. These data have been used to interpret the data from the Chalco (MexiDrill) core and have aided the construction of the age model for the core. |
Exploitation Route | This data will be useful for those working on mitigating the volcanic hazards in the densely populated Mexico City and surrounding region. |
Sectors | Education Government Democracy and Justice |
Description | Community Established Best Practice Recommendations for Tephra Studies - from Collection through Analysis. |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | NEIF facility access |
Amount | £40,661 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 2407.0321 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2021 |
Title | Glass chemistry data from Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and Tláloc-Telapón volcanoes in Central México |
Description | Major element glass chemistry data |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | None yet |
URL | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027321002420?via%3Dihub#s0190 |
Title | Radiocarbon measurements determined using an accelerator mass spectrometer |
Description | Radiocarbon data from the MexiDrill core. These have been uplaoded to the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | The age depth model for the MexiDrill core. |
Description | NSF partners of the MexiDrill project |
Organisation | University of Minnesota, Duluth |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working together on the larger MexiDrill project. We are helping to develop the chornology for the core. |
Collaborator Contribution | Sedimentology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. |
Impact | Publications and conference abstracts listed in relevant sections. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | UNAM |
Organisation | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
Country | Mexico |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Glass chemistry data |
Collaborator Contribution | Samples and field work support |
Impact | Paper listed in the publications section |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Natural History Museum volcano outreach event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We had a stand at the volcanoes public outreach event in the Natural History Museum, London on Monday 7th January. Our team had a stand focussed on 'Dating the Past', with actives and information on ways in which we date sedimentary sequences and events (such as tephrochronology, radiocarbon dating). We had a game that challenged participants to arrange 3-5 events in chronological order, e.g., building of the Egyptian pyramids, advent of farming, first ceramics; and we had slices of wood for children to work out how old the tree was when it was cut down that they could decorate. More than 180 slices were handed out and decorated. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://twitter.com/OxfordTephra/status/1612374919777501185 |
Description | Public presentation, Fukui prefecture, Japan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Gave a general presentation on tephrochronology to the general public in Japan. This presentation was translated, and featured aspects of my research. I was invited to this event, which was scheduled to mark the 5th anniversary of the Varve Museum in Fukui, Prefecture. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | http://varve-museum.pref.fukui.lg.jp/en/ |
Description | Short course at Geological Society of America meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Around 60 postgraduate research students, postdocs and other researchers from mainly the US attended a virtual workshop organised by Dr Amy Myrbo (collaborator on the proposal) and Dr Maarten Blaauw (PI on the proposal). The workshop attracted around 60 participants and was held over 4 multiple-hour sessions. Student reviews were highly positive; they reported better knowledge of Bayesian age-modelling of deposits dated using radiocarbon and other dates (e.g., 210Pb). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://maarten14c.github.io/GSA_agemodeling/intro.html |