@article{gledocs_11858_8389, author = {Cisneros de León, Alejandro and Schindlbeck‐Belo, Julie C. and Kutterolf, Steffen and Danišík, Martin and Schmitt, Axel K. and Freundt, Armin and Pérez, Wendy and Harvey, Janet C. and Wang, Kuo‐Lung and Lee, Hao‐Yang}, title = {A history of violence: magma incubation, timing and tephra distribution of the Los Chocoyos supereruption (Atitlán Caldera, Guatemala)}, year = {2021-01-11}, abstract = {The climactic Los Chocoyos (LCY) eruption from Atitlán caldera (Guatemala) is a key chronostratigraphic marker for the Quaternary period given the extensive distribution of its deposits that reached both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Despite LCY tephra being an important marker horizon, a radioisotopic age for this eruption has remained elusive. Using zircon (U–Th)/He geochronology, we present the first radioisotopically determined eruption age for the LCY of 75 ± 2 ka. Additionally, the youngest zircon crystallization 238U–230Th rim ages in their respective samples constrain eruption age maxima for two other tephra units that erupted from Atitlán caldera, W‐Fall (130 +16/−14 ka) and I‐Fall eruptions (56 +8.2/−7.7 ka), which under‐ and overlie LCY tephra, respectively. Moreover, rim and interior zircon dating and glass chemistry suggest that before eruption silicic magma was stored for >80 kyr, with magma accumulation peaking within ca. 35 kyr before the LCY eruption during which the system may have developed into a vertically zoned magma chamber. Based on an updated distribution of LCY pyroclastic deposits, a new conservatively estimated volume of ~1220 ± 150 km3 is obtained (volcanic explosivity index VEI > 8), which confirms the LCY eruption as the first‐ever recognized supereruption in Central America.}, note = { \url {http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8389}}, }