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A new date for the Taupo eruption, New Zealand

Abstract

The Taupo eruption was a complex volcanic event that represents the most recent activity at the Taupo Volcanic Centre1 in the North Island of New Zealand. The average2 of many radiocarbon ages dates the eruption at AD 130. The records of ancient China and Rome refer to events in AD 186 of the type which follow a major volcanic eruption, and we present here reasons for considering that these events were due to the Taupo eruption, and that the true date of the eruption is AD 186.

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Wilson, C., Ambraseys, N., Bradley, J. et al. A new date for the Taupo eruption, New Zealand. Nature 288, 252–253 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/288252a0

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