Rare Earth Elements from an ice core in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica indicate a dust provenance change at the end of the last deglaciation

We present a Rare Earth Elements (REE) record at decadal resolution determined in the EPICA ice core drilled in Dronning Maud Land (EDML) in the Atlantic Sector of the East Antarctic Plateau, covering the transition from the last glacial age (LGA) to the early Holocene (26 600 7500 yr BP). Additionally, samples from potential source areas (PSAs) for Antarctic dust were analysed for their REE characteristics. The dust provenance is discussed by comparing the REE fingerprints in the ice core and the PSAs samples. We find a shift in REE composition at 15 200 yr BP in the ice core samples. Before 15 200 yr BP, the dust composition is very uniform and its provenance was likely to be dominated by a South American source. After 15 200 yr BP, multiple sources such as Australia and New Zealand become relatively more important, albeit South America is possibly still an important dust supplier. A similar change in the dust characteristics was observed in the EPICA Dome C ice core at around ∼15 000 yr BP. A return to more glacial dust characteristics between ∼8300 and ∼7500 yr BP, as observed in the EPICA Dome C core, could not be observed in the EDML core. Consequently, the dust provenance at the two sites must have been different at that time. © Author(s) 2011.