The concentration of ash in volcanic plumes, inferred from dispersal data
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
1-1-1994
Abstract
The mass concentration of pyroclasts of a particular grain size decreases as an exponential function of time in the body of the umbrella cloud that forms at the top of explosive volcanic-eruption plumes. Data on deposit-thickness variations and grain-size distributions of ash deposits can be used to infer particle concentrations in volcanic clouds using a simple physical model for sedimentation from umbrella clouds. The concentrations of ash in plumes that penetrate the operating heights of commercial aviation greatly exceed the concentrations that cause engine damage and failure (>2000 mg/m3) and dangerous concentrations (>50 mg/m3) can persist for hundreds of kilometers downwind of the vent. However, aggregation of volcanic ash in the atmosphere can lead to much more rapid decreases in concentration. -Authors
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
US Geological Survey Bulletin
Volume
2047
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Bursik, M. I., R. S.J. Sparks, S. N. Carey, and J. S. Gilbert. "The concentration of ash in volcanic plumes, inferred from dispersal data." US Geological Survey Bulletin 2047, (1994). https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/1087