Nevado Huascarán Ice Core Dust Morphology and Mineralogy 1960-2018 CE Weber, A.; Kutuzov, S.; Beaudon, E.; Sierra-Hernández, M.R.; Davis, M.E.; Bayless, L.; Kenny, D.V; Thompson, L.G. Weber, A. Kutuzov, S. Beaudon, E. Sierra-Hernández, M.R. Davis, M.E. Bayless, L. Kenny, D.V Thompson, L.G. Tropics earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (identified mineral,null,null,dimensionless,null,ice cores,null,electron microscopy,C,Mineralogical assignment for a particle analzed by SEM-EDS) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (dust,null,null,dimensionless,null,ice cores,null,image analysis,N,Aspect Ratio of a particle analyzed by SEM-EDS as determined with Fiji) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (grain size parameter,null,null,micrometer,null,ice cores,null,image analysis,N,Equivalent circular diameter of a particle analyzed by SEM-EDS as determined with Fiji) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (dust,null,null,dimensionless,null,ice cores,null,image analysis,N,Circularity of a particle analyzed by SEM-EDS as determined with Fiji) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (sample identification,null,null,dimensionless,null,ice cores,null,null,C,Name of the sample analyzed by SEM-EDS where the name describes the temporal interval that the sample represents) earth science/paleoclimate/ice cores (identified mineral,null,null,dimensionless,null,ice cores,null,electron microscopy,C,Mineralogical group assignment for a particle analyzed by SEM-EDS) earth science/paleoclimate/ice core earth science/paleoclimate/ice core (Nevado Huascarán>LATITUDE -9.11>LONGITUDE -77.61) Mineral dust plays an important role in governing Earth’s energy balance by scattering electromagnetic radiation back to space and by reducing the surface albedo of glaciers. However, in the tropical Andes of South America, long-term mineral dust observational records are extremely scarce and spatially limited; likewise, little has been done to characterize the morphological and mineralogical properties of dust in this region. Here we present a multidecadal mineral dust record obtained from a tropical ice core with emphasis on the size distributions, shape characteristics, and mineral compositions of single particles. We used a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to characterize 1887 individual mineral grains (<5 µm) preserved in an ice core from Nevado Huascarán (Peru) and we interpret the results in context of dust provenance. The SEM-derived particle sizes are found to follow a lognormal distribution with circularities and aspect ratios typical of aerosols. Approximately 60% of the mineral particles are consistent with clay mineralogy (e.g., illite, kaolinite, montmorillonite), indicating that the particles originate primarily from soils in distal source areas. The relative abundance of quartz, feldspar, and mica in the ice core is comparatively low and likely reflects local dust derived from granodiorites and phyllites near the glacial margins. STUDY NOTES: Morphological data and mineralogical assignments for 1887 individually characterized mineral dust particles preserved in uppermost ~80 meters of the 2019 Huascarán Col A ice core (HC-19A), as determined by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). NCEI-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/paleoclimatology - NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology Investigator : Weber, A. Investigator : Kutuzov, S. Investigator : Beaudon, E. Investigator : Sierra-Hernández, M.R. Investigator : Davis, M.E. Investigator : Bayless, L. Investigator : Kenny, D.V Investigator : Thompson, L.G. 2026-06-22 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/44923 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/trop/huascaran/weber2026b/weber2026-hc19a.txt https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/trop/huascaran/weber2026b/weber2026-hc19a.txt English https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/paleo-search/study/44923 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/icecore/trop/huascaran/weber2026b/weber2026-hc19a.txt Austin M. Weber, Stanislav Kutuzov, Emilie Beaudon, M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández, Mary Davis, Laurel H. Bayless, Don Kenny, and Lonnie G. Thompson2026Ice core insights into the morphology and composition of mineral dust deposited in the tropical Peruvian AndesEGUsphere10.5194/egusphere-2026-3846 START YEAR: 1960 CE * END YEAR: 2018 CE -77.61 -9.11 -77.61 -9.11