Sedimentation of volcanic particles

Abstract

AbstractVolcanic eruptions present many hazards including pyroclastic flows and volcanic mud flows (lahars) that together have caused the death of more than 65000 people in the last two centuries (e.g. eruptions of Tambora 1815, Mount Pelee 1902 and Nevado del Ruiz 1985). However tephra (volcanic rock and glass fragments) can be transported in the atmosphere for long times and distances after the eruptive event, representing one of the most widespread hazards with significant human health consequences and the potential to significantly affect crucial economical sectors such as agriculture, social services, tourism and industry. In addition, the associated deposits retain a considerable amount of information of the generating processes, such as total erupted mass, initial grainsize distribution and also important constraints on plume dynamics and eruption intensity. As a result, the study of tephra fallout is crucial to the understanding of volcanic processes and to the hazard assessment of volcanoes. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)