Reconstruction of the 29th December 2013 eruption of San Miguel volcano, El Salvador, using video, photographs, and pyroclastic deposits

Brown, Richard James; Hernández, Walter; Escobar, Demetrio; Gutierrez, Eduardo; Crummy, Julia; Cole, Rosemary; Tournigand, Pierre-Yves. 2022 Reconstruction of the 29th December 2013 eruption of San Miguel volcano, El Salvador, using video, photographs, and pyroclastic deposits. Volcanica, 5 (2). 271-293. 10.30909/vol.05.02.271293

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text (Open Access Paper) San_miguel_vol.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

San Miguel (or Chaparrastique) volcano, El Salvador, erupted on the 29th December 2013, after almost 40 years of quiescence. Initial vent-clearing explosions ejected ballistic blocks and produced a pyroclastic density current (PDC) that flowed down the upper flanks. Plume rise speeds peaked at 50–70 m s-1 and declined over time. The main phase of the VEI 2 eruption produced a Subplinian plume that dispersed 106 m3 ash >20 000 km2 across El Salvador in to Honduras. Plume structure was complex due to strong wind shear and to contributions from co-PDC ash. Tephra fall deposits dispersed westwards include a basal white ash layer of ash-coated clasts and ash aggregates, a grey fine ash co-PDC layer, and a layer of coarse ash to fine lapilli-grade scoria. The eruption provides a useful case study to understand the range of volcanic activity at the volcano and to refine hazard maps.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.30909/vol.05.02.271293
ISSN:	2610-3540
Date made live:	09 Sep 2022 12:03 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533179

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...