Interrelations among pyroclastic surge,pyroclastic flow,and lahars in Smith Creek valley during first minutes of 18 May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens,USA

A devastating pyroclastic surge and resultant lahars at Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980 produced several catastrophic flowages into tributaries on the northeast volcano flank. The tributaries channeled the flows to Smith Creek valley, which lies within the area devastated by the surge but was unaffected by the great debris avalanche on the north flank. Stratigraphy shows that the pyroclastic surge preceded the lahars; there is no notable “wet” character to the surge deposits. Therefore the lahars must have originated as snowmelt, not as ejected water-saturated debris that segregated from the pyroclastic surge as has been inferred for other flanks of the volcano. In stratigraphic order the Smith Creek valley-floor materials comprise (1) a complex valley-bottom facies of the pyroclastic surge and a related pyroclastic flow, (2) an unusual hummocky diamict caused by complex mixing of lahars with the dry pyroclastic debris, and (3) deposits of secondary pyroclastic flows. These units are capped by silt containing accretionary lapilli, which began falling from a rapidly expanding mushroom-shaped cloud 20 minutes after the eruption's onset. The Smith Creek valley-bottom pyroclastic facies consists of (a) a weakly graded basal bed of fines-poor granular sand, the deposit of a low-concentration lithic pyroclastic surge, and (b) a bed of very poorly sorted pebble to cobble gravel inversely graded near its base, the deposit of a high-concentration lithic pyroclastic flow. The surge apparently segregated while crossing the steep headwater tributaries of Smith Creek; large fragments that settled from the turbulent surge formed a dense pyroclastic flow along the valley floor that lagged behind the front of the overland surge. The unusual hummocky diamict as thick as 15 m contains large lithic clasts supported by a tough, brown muddy sand matrix like that of lahar deposits upvalley. This unit contains irregular friable lenses and pods meters in diameter, blocks incorporated from the underlying dry and hot pyroclastic material that had been deposited only moments earlier. The hummocky unit is the deposit of a high-viscosity debris flow which formed when lahars mingled with the pyroclastic materials on Smith Creek valley floor. Overlying the debris flow are voluminous pyroclastic deposits of pebbly sand cut by fines-poor gas-escape pipes and containing charred wood. The deposits are thickest in topographic lows along margins of the hummocky diamict. Emplaced several minutes after the hot surge had passed, this is the deposit of numerous secondary pyroclastic flows derived from surge material deposited unstably on steep valley sides.     

Fall vs flow activity during the 1991 climactic eruption of Pinatubo Volcano (Philippines)

Six years after the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, deep erosion incisions into the pyroclastic deposits accumulated around the volcano enabled us to investigate the stratigraphy of the climactic deposits both in valley bottoms and on contiguous ridges. Stratigraphic relationships between fall, flow, and surge deposits in the Marella drainage system indicate that during the climactic eruption a progressive shift occurred from an early convective regime, to a transitional regime feeding both the plinian convective column and mostly dilute density currents, to a fully collapsing regime producing mostly dense pyroclastic flows. Syn-plinian dilute density currents (surges) propagated up to ~10 km from the crater, both along valley bottoms and on contiguous ridges of the Marella Valley, whereas post-plinian pyroclastic flows had greater runout (~13 km), were confined to valleys and were not associated with significant surges. Stratigraphic study and grain-size analyses allow the identification of three types of intra-plinian deposits: (a) lower and often coarse-grained surge deposits, emplaced during the accumulation of the coarsest portion of the fallout bed at time intervals of ~16-24 min; (b) upper fine-grained surge deposits, interstratified with the fine-grained portion of the fall bed and emplaced at shorter time intervals of ~3-13 min; and (c) small-volume, channel-confined, massive pumiceous flow deposits interbedded with the upper surges in the upper fine-grained fall bed. Maximum clast size isopleths of 1.6 and 0.8 cm for lithics (ML) and 2.0 and 4.0 cm for pumices (MP) show almost symmetrical distribution around the vent, indicating that the passing of the typhoon Yunya during the climactic eruption had little effect on trajectories of high-Reynold-number clasts. Significant distortion was, however, observed for the 3.2-cm ML and 6.0-cm MP proximal isopleths, whose patterns were probably influenced by the interaction of the clasts falling from column margins with the uprising co-ignimbrite ash plumes. Application of the Carey and Sparks (1986) model to the undisturbed isopleths generated by the umbrella cloud yields a maximum column height of ~42 km, in good agreement with satellite measurements. Systematic stratigraphic and vertical grain-size studies of the plinian fall deposit in the Marella Valley, combined with satellite data and eyewitness accounts, reveal that the carrying capacity of the convective column and related fallout activity peaked in the early phase of the eruption, beginning slightly before 13:41 and gradually declined until its cessation 3 h later. Most of the pumiceous pyroclastic flow deposits were emplaced after the end of the fallout activity at ~16:30 but before the summit caldera collapse at approximately 19:11. Only a small volume of pumiceous flow deposits accumulated after the final caldera collapse. In contrast to the previous reconstruction of Holasek et al. (1996), which interpreted the progressive lowering of the column, documented by satellite data, as due to a decreasing mass eruption rate, we suggest that a progressive shift from a plinian column to a large co-ignimbrite column could also account for such a variation.     

Holocene alluvial fan and terrace formation in the Bowland Fells,Northwest England

In the Bowland Fells, Lancashire, northwest England, in the headwater valleys of the Hodder river system, is a suite of Holocene fluvial landforms. Debris cones and alluvial fans at tributary junctions, and river terraces along the main valleys post-date late Pleistocene forms and pre-date the modern valley floor alluvial forms. Eight ¹⁴C dates from wood samples incorporated within the terrace and fan deposits have allowed two main phases of Holocene erosion to be identified with debris cone/fan deposition taking place after c. 5400 BP but before c. 1900 BP and again at c. 900 BP. Some of the fans and cones are complex with deposits attributable to both phases; others are simple and attributable only to the later phase. In the headwaters an upper terrace at c. 5400 BP pre-dates the cones and a lower terrace is contemporaneous with the first debris cone phase. Lower downvalley the youngest of three terraces date from c. 5000 BP or earlier indicating that the sequence is less complex downstream.     

Basaltic pyroclastic flows of Fuji volcano, Japan: characteristics of the deposits and their origin

Fuji volcano is the largest active volcano in Japan, and consists of Ko-Fuji and Shin-Fuji volcanoes. Although basaltic in composition, small-volume pyroclastic flows have been repeatedly generated during the Younger stage of Shin-Fuji volcano. Deposits of those pyroclastic flows have been identified along multiple drainage valleys on the western flanks between 1,300 and 2,000 m a.s.l., and have been stratigraphically divided into the Shin-Fuji Younger pyroclastic flows (SYP) 1 to 4. Downstream debris flow deposits are found which contain abundant material derived from the pyroclastic flow deposits. The new¹⁴C ages for SYP1 to SYP4 are 3.2, 3.0, 2.9, and 2.5 ka, respectively, and correspond to a period where explosive summit eruptions generated many scoria fall deposits mostly toward the east. The SYP1 to SYP4 deposits consist of two facies: the massive facies is about 2 m thick and contains basaltic bombs of less than 50 cm in size, scoria lapilli, and fresh lithic basalt fragments supported in an ash matrix; the surge facies is represented by beds 1 to 15 cm thick, consisting mainly of ash with minor amount of fine lapilli. The bombs and scoria are 15 to 30% in volume within the massive facies. The ashes within the SYP deposits consist largely of comminuted basalt lithics and crystals that are derived from the Middle-stage lava flows exposed at the western flanks. SYP1 to SYP4 were only dispersed down the western flanks. The reason for this one-sided distribution is the asymmetric topography of the edifice; the western slopes of the volcano are the steepest (over 34 degrees). Most pyroclastic materials cannot rest stably on the slopes steeper than 33 degrees. Therefore, ejecta from the explosive summit eruptions that fell on the steep slopes tumbled down the slopes and were remobilized as high-temperature granular flows. These flows consisted of large pyroclastics and moved as granular avalanches along the valley bottom. Furthermore, the avalanching flows increased in volume by abrasion from the edifice and generated abundant ashes by the collision of clasts. The large amount of the fine material was presumably available within the transport system as the basal avalanches propagated below the angle of repose. Taking the typical kinetic friction coefficient of small pyroclastic flows, such flows could descend the western flanks where scattered houses are below 1,000 m a.s.l. A similar type of pyroclastic flow could result if explosive summit eruptions occur in the future.Editorial responsibility: R Cioni     

Field observations and surface characteristics of pristine block-and-ash flow deposits from the 2006 eruption of Merapi Volcano,Java, Indonesia

A series of pristine block-and-ash flow deposits from the May–June 2006 eruption of Merapi represent an exceptional record of small-volume pyroclastic flows generated by gravitational lava-dome collapses over a period of about two months. The deposits form nine overlapping lobes reaching ~ 7 km from the summit in the Gendol River valley on the volcano's southern flank, which were produced by successive flows generated during and after the major dome-collapse event on June 14. Both, single pulse (post-June 14 events) and multiple-pulse pyroclastic flows generated by sustained dome collapses on June 14 are recognised and three types of deposits, spread over an area of 4.7 km², are distinguished, totalling 13.3 × 10⁶ m³: (1) valley-confined basal avalanche deposits (11.7 × 10⁶ m³) in the Gendol River valley, (2) overbank pyroclastic-flow and associated surge deposits (1.4 × 10⁶ m³), where parts of the basal avalanche spread laterally onto interfluves and were subsequently channeled into the surrounding river valleys and (3) dilute ash-cloud surge deposits (0.2 × 10⁶ m³) along valley margins. Variations in the distribution, surface morphology and lithology of the deposits are related to the source materials involved in individual pyroclastic-flow-forming events and varying modes of transport and deposition of the different flows. Inferred flow velocities of the largest block-and-ash flows generated on June 14 vary from 43.8–13.5 m/s for the basal avalanche and from 62.6–24.2 m/s for the ash-cloud surge. The minimum temperatures range from 400 °C for the basal avalanche to 165 °C for the overlying ash cloud. Due to the potential of being re-channeled into adjacent river valleys and flowing laterally away from the main river channel, the overbank pyroclastic flows are considered the most hazardous part of the block-and-ash flow system. The conditions that lead to their development during flow transport and deposition must be taken into account when assessing future pyroclastic flow hazards at Merapi and similar volcanoes elsewhere.     

Transport and deposition of pyroclastic material from the ∼1000 A.D. caldera-forming eruption of Volcán Ceboruco, Nayarit, Mexico

The complex eruption sequence from the ∼1000 A.D. caldera-forming eruption of Volcán Ceboruco, known as the Jala Pumice, offers an exceptional opportunity to examine how pyroclastic material is transported and deposited from pyroclastic density currents over variable topography. Three main pyroclastic surge deposits (S1, S2, and S3) and two pyroclastic flow deposits (Marquesado and North-Flank PFDs) were emplaced during this eruption. Pyroclastic surge deposits are massive, planar, or cross-bedded, poor-to-well sorted, and display fluctuations in thickness, median diameter, sorting, and lithology as a function of distance, topography, and flow dynamics. Marquesado pyroclastic flow deposits reveal lateral variations from massive, poorly sorted deposits located within 5 km of Ceboruco to planar bedded, moderately well sorted deposits located >15 km away over the nearly horizontal topography to the south of Ceboruco. North-Flank pyroclastic flow deposits also reveal lateral variations from massive, poorly sorted deposits located within 4 km of Ceboruco to planar bedded, moderately well sorted deposits located 8 km away atop an escarpment that steeply rises 230 m from the northern valley floor. Field observations, granulometric analyses, component analyses, and crystal sedimentation calculations along flow-parallel sampling transects all suggest that both surges and flows were density stratified currents, where deposition occurred from a basal region of higher particle concentration that was supplied from an overlying dilute layer that transports particles in suspension. This supports the idea of a transition between “flow” and “surge” end members with variations in particle concentration. Topography greatly affects the transport and depositional capacity of the pyroclastic density currents as a result of “blocking”, either by topographic obstacles or by abrupt breaks at the base of volcano slopes, whereas the origin of Jala Pumice surge deposits (phreatomagmatic versus magmatic) appears to have little impact on their flow dynamics. Editorial responsibility: A.W. Woods This revised version was published in February 2005 with corrections to the title. An erratum to this article is available at .     

长白山天池火山千年大喷发火山碎屑流堆积的粒度特征与地质意义

火山碎屑流堆积因其巨大的危害性而成为火山学研究的重要课题之一。文中对长白山区天池火山千年大喷发火山碎屑流堆积进行了粒度分析。分析结果表明,火山碎屑流堆积分选差,伴生的灰云浪堆积分选性好。火山碎屑流堆积中的岩屑和浮岩的平均最大粒度随着离开火山口距离的加大而减小,反映火山碎屑流搬运过程中存在重力分选和机械磨损作用。火山碎屑流在搬运过程中发生了流体化作用,离开火山口越远流体化速度越小,反映火山碎屑流在搬运过程中发生了流体化去气作用,这种作用使火山碎屑流的粘度和屈服强度增加而导致沉积。流体化速度是控制搬运距离的因素之一,远源多渠道火山碎屑流的汇合使流体化速度增大,搬运距离更远,造成的灾害范围也增大     

Block‐and‐ash flow deposit of the Narcondam Volcano: Product of dacite–andesite dome collapse in the Burma–Java subduction complex

Narcondam Island in the Andaman Sea represents a dacite–andesite dome volcano in the volcanic chain of the Burma–Java subduction complex. The pyroclasts of andesitic composition are restricted to the periphery of the dome predominantly in the form of block‐and‐ash deposits and minor base surge deposits. Besides pyroclastic deposits, andesitic lava occurs dominantly at the basal part of the dome whereas dacitic lava occupies the central part of the dome. The pyroclasts are represented by non‐vesiculated to poorly vesiculated blocks of andesite, lapilli, and ash. The hot debris derived from dome collapse was deposited initially as massive to reversely‐graded beds with the grain support at the lower part and matrix support at the upper part. This sequence is overlain by repetitive beds of lapilli breccia to tuff breccia. These deposits are recognized as a basal avalanche rather than lahar deposit. This basal avalanche was punctuated by an ash‐cloud surge deposit representing a sequence of thinly bedded units of normal graded unit to parallel laminated beds.     

Pyroclastic flows from the 1991 eruption of Unzen volcano,Japan

Pyroclastic flows from Unzen were generated by gravitational collapse of the growing lava dome. As soon as the parental lobe failed at the edge of the dome, spontaneous shattering of lava occurred and induced a gravity flow of blocks and finer debris. The flows had a overhanging, tongue-like head and cone- or rollershaped vortices expanding outward and upward. Most of the flows traveled from 1 to 3 km, but some flows reached more than 4 km, burning houses and killing people in the evacuated zone of Kita-kamikoba on the eastern foot of the volcano. The velocities of the flows ranged from 15 to 25 m/s on the gentle middle flank. Observations of the flows and their deposits suggest that they consisted of a dense basal avalanche and an overlying turbulent ash cloud. The basal avalanche swept down a topographic low and formed to tongue-like lobe having well-defined levees; it is presumed to have moved as a non-Newtonian fluid. The measured velocities and runout distances of the flows can be matched to a Bingham model for the basal avalanche by the addition of turbulent resistance. The rheologic model parameters for the 29 May flow are as follows: the density is 1300 kg/m³, the yield strength is 850 Pa, the viscosity is 90 Pa s, and the thickness of the avalanche is 2 m. The ash cloud is interpreted as a turbulent mixing layer above the basal avalanche. The buoyant portions of the cloud produced ash-fall deposits, whereas the dense portions moved as a surge separated from the parental avalanche. The ash-cloud surges formed a wide devastated zone covered by very thin debris. The initial velocities of the 3 June surges, when they detached from avalanches, are determined by the runout distance and the angle of the energy-line slope. A comparison between the estimated velocities of the 3 June avalanches and the surges indicates that the surges that extended steep slopes along the avalanche path, detached directly from the turbulent heads of the avalanches. The over-running surge that reached Kita-Kamikoba had an estimated velocity higher than that of the avalanche; this farther-travelled surge is presumed to have been generated by collapse of a rising ash-cloud plume.     

Swift snowmelt and floods (lahars) caused by great pyroclastic surge at Mount St Helens volcano,Washington, 18 May 1980

The initial explosions at Mount St. Helens, Washington, on the moring of 18 May 1980 developed into a huge pyroclastic surge that generated catastrophic floods off the east and west flanks of the volcano. Near-source surge deposits on the east and west were lithic, sorted, lacking in accretionary lapilli and vesiculated ash, not plastered against upright obstacles, and hot enough to char wood — all attributes of dry pyroclastic surge. Material deposited at the surge base on steep slopes near the volcano transformed into high-concentration lithic pyroclastic flows whose deposits contain charred wood and other features indicating that these flows were hot and dry. Stratigraphy shows that even the tail of the surge had passed the east and west volcano flanks before the geomorphically distinct floods (lahars) arrived. This field evidence undermines hypotheses that the turbulent surge was itself wet and that its heavy components segregated out to transform directly into lahars. Nor is there evidence that meters-thick snow-slab avalanches intimately mixed with the surge to form the floods. The floods must have instead originated by swift snowmelt at the base of a hot and relatively dry turbulent surge. Impacting hot pyroclasts probably transferred downslope momentum to the snow surface and churned snow grains into the surge base. Melting snow and accumulating hot surge debris may have moved initially as thousands of small thin slushflows. As these flows removed the surface snow and pyroclasts, newly uncovered snow was partly melted by the turbulent surge base; this and accumulating hot surge debris in turn began flowing, a self-sustaining process feeding the initial flows. The flows thus grew swiftly over tens of seconds and united downslope into great slushy ejecta-laden sheetfloods. Gravity accelerated the floods to more than 100 km/h as they swept down and off the volcano flanks while the snow component melted to form great debris-rich floods (lahars) channeled into valleys.     

The 1982 eruptions of El Chichon volcano,Mexico (3): Physical properties of pyroclastic surges

Two major pyroclastic surges generated during the 4 April 1982 eruption of El Chichon devastated an area of 153 km² with a quasi-radial distribution around the volcano. The hot surge clouds carbonized wood throughout their extent and were too hot to allow accretionary lapilli formation by vapor condensation. Field evidence indicates voidage fraction of 0.99 in the surge cloud with extensive entrainment of air. Thermal calculations indicate that heat content of pyroclasts can heat entrained air and maintain high temperatures in the surge cloud. The dominant bed form of the surge deposits are sand waves shaped in dune forms with vertical form index of 10–20, characterized by stoss-side erosion and lee-side deposition of 1–10 cm reversely graded laminae. A systematic decrease in maximum lithic diameter with distance from source is accompanied by decrease in wavelength and amplitude. Modal analysis indicates fractionation of glass and pumice from the surge cloud relative to crystals, resulting in loss of at least 10%–25% of the cloud mass due to winnowing out of fines during surge emplacement. Greatest fractionation from the –1.0–0.0– grain sizes reflects relatively lower pumice particle density in this range and segregation in the formative stages of the surge cloud. Extensive pumice rounding indicates abrasion during bed-load transport. Flow of pyroclastic debris in the turbulent surge cloud was by combination of bed-load and suspended-load transport. The surges are viewed as expanding pyroclastic gravity flows, which entrain and mix with air during transport. The balance between sedimentation at the base of the surge cloud and expansion due to entrainment of air contributed to low cloud density and internal turbulence, which persisted to the distal edge of the surge zone.     

Pyroclastic flow deposits of the 1991 eruption of Volcán de Colima,Mexico

The April 16, 1991, eruption of Volcán de Colima represents a classical example of partial dome collapse with the generation of progressively longer-runout, Merapi-type pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 4 km along the El Cordoban gullies (East, Central and West). The flows filled the gullies with block-and-ash flow deposits up to 10 m thick, of which, after 7 years of erosion, only remnants remained in the El Cordoban West and East gullies. The El Cordoban Central gully, however, provided a well-preserved and incised longitudinal section of the 1991 deposits. The deposits were emplaced as proximal and distal facies, separated by a change in slope angle from >30° to <20°. The proximal facies consists of massive, clast-supported flow units (up to 1 m thick) with andesite blocks locally supported by a matrix of coarse ash and devoid of segregation structures or grading. The distal facies consists of a massive, matrix-supported deposit up to 8 m thick, which contains dispersed andesite blocks in a fine ash matrix. In the distal facies, a train of blocks marks flow-unit upper boundaries and, although sorting is poor, some grading is present. Thin, finely stratified, or dune-bedded layers of fine ash material are locally present above or below units of both facies. Sedimentologic parameters show that the size or fraction of large pyroclasts (larger than –1 ) decreases from proximal to distal facies, as the percentage of matrix (0 to 4 ) increases, especially immediately beyond the break in slope. We propose that the propagation of the Colima pyroclastic flows is critically dependent on local slope angle, the presence of erodible slope debris, and the decrease in grain size with distance from the vent. The progressive fining is probably caused by some combination of erosion, clast breakup and deposition of larger pyroclasts, and is itself influenced by the slope angle. In the proximal region, the flows moved as granular avalanches, in which interacting grains ground each other and erosion occurred to produce an overriding dilute ash cloud. The maximum runout distance of the avalanches was controlled by the angle of repose of the material, and the volume and grain size of source and eroded material. Because the slope angle is close to the repose angle for this debris, granular avalanches were not able to propagate far beyond the change in slope. If, however, an avalanche had enough mass in finer grain size fractions, at least part of the flow continued beyond the break in slope and across the volcano apron, propagating in a turbulent state and depositing surge layers, or in an otherwise settling-modified state and depositing block-and-ash flow layers.Editorial responsibility: T Druitt     

Co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposits of the 1991 eruptions of Fugen-dake, Unzen Volcano, Japan

Fugen-dake, the main peak of Unzen Volcano, began a new eruption sequence on November 17, 1990. On May 20, 1991, a new lava dome appeared near the eastern edge of the Fugen-dake summit. Small-scale, 10⁴–10⁶ m³ in volume, Merapi-type block and ash flows were frequently generated from the growing lava dome during May–June, 1991. These pyroclastic flows were accompanied by co-ignimbrite ash plumes that deposited ash-fall deposits downwind of the volcano. Three examples of co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposits from Unzen pyroclastic flows are described. The volume of fall deposits was estimated to be about 30% by volume of the collapsed portions of the dome that formed pyroclastic flows. This proportion is smaller than that described for other larger co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposits from other volcanoes. Grain size distributions of the Unzen co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposits are bi-modal or tri-modal. Most ashes are finer than 4 phi and two modes were observed at around 4–7 phi and 9 phi. They are composed mainly of groundmass fragments. Fractions of another mode at around 2 phi are rich in crystals derived from dome lava. Some of the fine ash component fell as accretionary lapilli from the co-ignimbrite ash cloud indicating either moisture or electrostatic aggregation. We believe that the co-ignimbrite ash of Unzen block and ash flows were formed by the mechanical fracturing of the cooling lava blocks as they collapsed and moved down the slope. These ashes were entrained into the convective plumes generated off the tops of the moving flows.     

Generation of pyroclastic flows and surges by hot-rock avalanches from the dome of Mount St. Helens volcano,USA

Several hot-rock avalanches have occurred during the growth of the composite dome of Mount St. Helens, Washington between 1980 and 1987. One of these occurred on 9 May 1986 and produced a fan-shaped avalanche deposit of juvenile dacite debris together with a more extensive pyroclastic-flow deposit. Laterally thinning deposits and abrasion and baking of wooden and plastic objects show that a hot ash-cloud surge swept beyond the limits of the pyroclastic flow. Plumes that rose 2–3 km above the dome and vitric ash that fell downwind of the volcano were also effects of this event, but no explosion occurred. All the facies observed originated from a single avalanche. Erosion and melting of craterfloor snow by the hot debris caused debris flows in the crater, and a small flood that carried juvenile and other clasts north of the crater. A second, broadly similar event occured in October 1986. Larger events of this nature could present a significant volcanic hazard.     

Lithic breccias in pyroclastic flow deposits on St. Kitts,West Indies

Lithic-rich breccias are described from within a sequence of young (2000–3000 yrs B.P.) scoria and ash flow deposits erupted from Mount Misery and an older pumice and ash flow deposit (ignimbrite) on St. Kitts. Cross sections constructed through pyroclastic flow fans in well-exposed sea cliffs 4–6 km from the vent show that the lithic breccias are lensoid deposits which seem to occur as channel-shaped accumulations (up to > 20 m thick and > 150 m wide) within flow units. The best-developed example infills a deeply incised channel cut into older flow units. The coarsest lithic breccias are clast supported and fines depleted and grade laterally and vertically through finer-grained, matrix-supported breccias into scoria and ash flow deposits. Coarse scoria-concentration zones mainly occur at the tops of scoria and ash flow units but also at the bases, and gas-segregation pipes are common. The lithic breccias are a type of body-concentration deposit as they pass laterally into normal scoria and ash flow deposits and, where best developed, clearly occur above a reversely graded basal shear zone or layer. Grain-size studies indicate the lithic breccias and parent flows are strongly fines depleted and were highly fluidized. We suggest this may be a feature of many Lesser Antillean pyroclastic flows because of increased turbulence-induced fluidization resulting from a high degree of surface roughness caused by the steep (up to 40 °) irregular slopes, densely vegetated sinuous gullies of the tropical volcanoes, and ingestion and ignition of large amounts of lush vegetation. Accumulation of batches of lithics concentrated in the highly fluidized flows began at the break in slope where flows moved from gullies across hydraulic jumps onto the outer coastal flanks. The accumulations of breccias continued to move and be channelled down the central parts of the flows. Initially, on crossing onto the lower slopes, some of these flows seem to have had very powerfully erosive, nondepositional heads, and in the extreme example a deep channel as long as 1–2 km may have cut through underlying flow units at least as far as the present coastline. Much of the overriding remainder of the flow then drained away laterally. Thin, fine-grained ash flow deposits may form a marginal overbank facies to the pyroclastic flow fans.     

The influence of debris flows on channels and valley floors in the Oregon Coast Range,U.S.A.

Debris flows are one of the most important processes which influence the morphology of channels and valley floors in the Oregon Coast Range. Debris flows that initiate in bedrock hollows at heads of first-order basins erode the long-accumulated sediment and organic debris from the floors of headwater, first- and second-order channels. This material is deposited on valley floors in the form of fans, levees, and terraces. In channels, deposits of debris flows control the distribution of boulders. The stochastic nature of sediment supply to alluvial channels by debris flows promotes cycling between channel aggradation which results in a gravel-bed morphology, and channel degradation which results in a mixed bedrock- and boulder-bed morphology. Temporal and spatial variability of channel-bed morphology is expected in other landscapes where debris flows are an important process.     

The entrance of pyroclastic flows into the sea, II. theoretical considerations on subaqueous emplacement and welding

The submarine counterparts of late Quaternary subaerial pyroclastic flow deposits off the western flanks of Dominica, Lesser Antilles, have been investigated by 3.5 kHz seismic profiling and dredging (cruise EN20 of R/V “Endeavor”). Block-and-ash flow deposits formed by dome collapse and a welded ignimbrite from a prominent fan at Grande Savanne, Dominica. This fan can be traced underwater as a major constructional ridge (2–4 km wide and 200–400 m thick) to over 13 km offshore at a water depth of 1800 m. The submarine ridge has a volume of 14 km³ and has the characteristic morphology of a debris flow apron composed of several individual units. The evidence suggests that pyroclastic flows can move underwater without losing their essential character.     

Mass flows and river response in rapid uplifting regions – A case of lower Yarlung Tsangpo basin,southeast Tibet,China

The fluvial geomorphology in tectonically active (particularly rapid uplift) regions often undergoes continuous change. The rapid uplift is coincident with high erosion rates; consequently, incised valleys are formed. Mass flows (for example, avalanches, landslides, and debris flows) in incised valleys can markedly influence fluvial processes and even reshape valley geomorphology. However, these processes and long-term evolution corresponding to mass flows require further clarification. Field campaigns were carried out in the region near the Yigong Tsangpo and Palong Tsangpo Rivers (hereafter the Yigong and Palong Rivers), the two largest tributaries of the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River, to examine the feedback between fluvial processes and mass flows. Remote sensing images from recent decades were used to compare the channel morphology before and after typical mass flows (particularly catastrophic ones). The morphology of the lower Yigong River has evidently been impacted by landslides, while that of the Palong River has mainly been shaped by glacial processes and debris flows. At present, the morphology of the latter consists of alternating sections of gorges and wide valleys, with a staircase-like longitudinal profile. The gorge sections exhibit single and deeply incised channels with a high-gradient channel bed and terraces. In contrast, the wide valley sections consist of lakes, braided or anabranching channels, gentle bed gradients, and thick alluvial deposits. Debris flows occur more frequently in gullies in the reaches of the gorge sections and rarely in gullies along the wide valley sections. The occurrence of mass flow events has resulted in an imbalance of the previous (quasi-)equilibrium in the river morphology; however, this has triggered negative feedback that is driving the transient river morphology to a new state of (quasi-)equilibrium.     

Plinian and co-ignimbrite tephra fall from the

A study of pyroclastic deposits from the 1815 Tambora eruption reveals two distinct phases of activity, i.e., four initial tephra falls followed by generation of pyroclastic flows and the production of major co-ignimbrite ash fall. The first explosive event produced minor ash fall from phreatomagmatic explosions (F-1 layer). The second event was a Plinian eruption (F-2) correlated to the large explosion of 5 April 1815, which produced a column height of 33 km with an eruption rate of 1.1 × 10⁸ kg/s. The third event occurred during the lull in major activity from 5 to 10 April and produced minor ash fall (F-3). The fourth event produced a 43-km-high Plinian eruption column with an eruption rate of 2.8 × 10⁸ kg/s during the climax of activity on 10 April. Although very energetic, the Plinian events were of short duration (2.8 h each) and total erupted volume of the early (F-1 to F-4) fall deposits is only 1.8 km³ (DRE, dense rock equivalent). An abrupt change in style of activity occurred at end of the second Plinian event with onset of pyroclastic flow and surge generation. At least seven pyroclastic flows were generated, which spread over most of the volcano and Sanggar peninsula and entered the ocean. The volume of pyroclastic flow deposits on land is 2.6 km³ DRE. Coastal exposures show that pyroclastic flows entering the sea became highly fines depleted, resulting in mass loss of about 32%, in addition to 8% glass elutriation, as indicated by component fractionation. The subaqueous pyroclastic flows have thus lost about 40% of mass compared to the original erupted mixture. Pyroclastic flows and surges from this phase of the eruption are stratigraphically equivalent to a major ash fall deposit (F-5) present beyond the flow and surge zone at 40 km from the source and in distal areas. The F-5 fall deposit forms a larger proportion of the total tephra fall with increasing distance from source and represents about 80% of the total at a distance of 90 km and 92% of the total tephra fall from the 1815 eruption. The field relations indicate that the 20-km³ (DRE) F-5 deposit is a co-ignimbrite ash fall, generated largely during entrance of pyroclastic flows into the ocean. Based on the observed 40% fines depletion and component fractionation from the flows, the large volume of the F-5 co-ignimbrite ash requires eruption of 50 km³ (DRE, 1.4 × 10¹⁴ kg) pyroclastic flows.     

The Holocene Pucón eruption of Volcán Villarrica, Chile: deposit architecture and eruption chronology

The Pucón eruption was the largest Holocene explosive outburst of Volcán Villarrica, Chile. It discharged >1.0 km³ of basaltic-andesite magma and >0.8 km³ of pre-existing rock, forming a thin scoria-fall deposit overlain by voluminous ignimbrite intercalated with pyroclastic surge beds. The deposits are up to 70 m thick and are preserved up to 21 km from the present-day summit, post-eruptive lahar deposits extending farther. Two ignimbrite units are distinguished: a lower one (P1) in which all accidental lithic clasts are of volcanic origin and an upper unit (P2) in which basement granitoids also occur, both as free clasts and as xenoliths in scoria. P2 accounts for ∼80% of the erupted products. Following the initial scoria fallout phase, P1 pyroclastic flows swept down the northern and western flanks of the volcano, magma fragmentation during this phase being confined to within the volcanic edifice. Following a pause of at least a couple of days sufficient for wood devolatilization, eruption recommenced, the fragmentation level dropped to within the granitoid basement, and the pyroclastic flows of P2 were erupted. The first P2 flow had a highly turbulent front, laid down ignimbrite with large-scale cross-stratification and regressive bedforms, and sheared the ground; flow then waned and became confined to the southeastern flank. Following emplacement of pyroclastic surge deposits all across the volcano, the eruption terminated with pyroclastic flows down the northern flank. Multiple lahars were generated prior to the onset of a new eruptive cycle. Charcoal samples yield a probable eruption age of 3,510 ± 60 ¹⁴C years BP.