First finding of Icelandic tephra in Czechia: Vedde Ash identified in palaeolake sediments of Stará Jímka

ABSTRACT

In this study, we report the first documented occurrence of the Icelandic Vedde Ash (VA) in the Bohemian Forest, identified within palaeolake sediments from Stará Jímka, Czechia, representing the first Icelandic tephra layer identified in Czechia. As part of ongoing efforts to close existing tephrochronological gaps in Eastern Central Europe, two parallel lacustrine sediment cores were investigated for the presence of cryptotephra layers. Two discrete tephra horizons were identified: one corresponding to the previously reported Laacher See Tephra (~13 ka BP) and a second layer (found in both cores) that we attribute to the VA (~12 ka BP) based on combined stratigraphic, chronological and geochemical evidence. These layers constitute key chronostratigraphic markers and together establish a robust chronological framework for correlating and dating Late Glacial sedimentary archives across Central and Northern Europe. In addition, the identification of the VA in the Bohemian Forest has the potential to support independent evaluation of Greenland–Europe climate and ecosystem coupling, substantially improving the spatial tephrochronological coverage and addressing a major gap in Eastern Central Europe.