Revisiting the age of the Jumento volcano, Chichinautzin Volcanic Field (Central Mexico), using in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be
Abstract Previous studies on Jumento volcano, based on radiocarbon dating and comparative morphometric analysis, suggest that it could be the youngest volcano of the Sierra Chichinautzin. Here we establish a new chronology of the emplacement of the Late Holocene lava flows of Jumento volcano using in situ-produced 10Be cosmic ray exposure (CRE) dating of quartz xenocrysts to test this hypothesis. Depending on the choice of the cosmogenic nuclide production parameters in the exposure age calculators used, the mean 10Be CRE ages ranges between 1.86 ± 0.68 ka and 2.41 ± 0.97 ka for the inner lava flow and between 1.90 ± 0.29 ka and 2.49 ± 0.41 ka for the breakout lava flow. These preliminary mean 10Be CRE ages confirm that the Jumento volcano is one of the youngest volcanoes of the Sierra Chichinautzin although slightly older than the Xitle volcano. This first 10Be eruption chronology of the Sierra Chichinautzin shows that 10Be CRE dating represents an alternative approach to date volcanic rocks, not only for the Sierra Chichinautzin but also for other volcanic fields, especially when no charcoal or paleosoils are available for radiocarbon dating. Furthermore, it suggests that in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclide dating has considerable potential to throw light on the volcanic history and eruption recurrence of this volcanic field, in order to provide enough data for the mitigation of the hazards and related risks in Mexico City, the city of Cuernavaca and the small towns around the volcanic field.