Heterogeneity, Correlatives, and Proposed Stratigraphic Nomenclature of Hayes Tephra Set H, Alaska

Several Holocene tephra deposits of Hayes volcano constitute a marker horizon in southern and east-central Alaska. Their identification is aided by high amphibole/pyroxene ratio and biotite in trace amounts, unique among Holocene tephra deposits of the region. However, correlations are obscured by chemical heterogeneity of the glass which occurs at a scale less than the size of a lapilli. Single-shard analyses confirm that the heterogeneity is due neither to fractionation nor to plagioclase microlites. The heterogeneity may be due to mixing of magmas prior to eruption. It is proposed that the deposits be informally called Hayes tephra set H.