Publications
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Tapping the Earth's natural heat Tapping the Earth's natural heat
T he Earth is a bountiful source of heat. It continuously produces heat at depth, primarily by the decay of naturally radioactive chemical elements (principally uranium, thorium, and potassium) that occur in small amounts in all rocks. This deep heat then rises toward the cooler surface, where scientists can measure the rate of its escape through the Earth's crust. The annual heat loss...
Authors
Wendell A. Duffield, J.H. Sass, M.L. Sorey
Fractionation of families of major, minor, and trace metals across the melt-vapor interface in volcanic exhalations Fractionation of families of major, minor, and trace metals across the melt-vapor interface in volcanic exhalations
Chemical families of metals fractionate systematically as they pass from a silicate melt across the interface with the vapor phase and on into a cooled volcanic plume. We measured three groups of metals in a small suite of samples collected on filters from the plumes of Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Etna (Sicily), and Merapi (Java) volcanoes. These were the major, minor, and trace metals of the...
Authors
T. K. Hinkley, M.-F. Le Cloarec, G. Lambert
The 1989-1990 eruptions of Redoubt Volcano: an introduction The 1989-1990 eruptions of Redoubt Volcano: an introduction
Redoubt Volcano, located on the west side of Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska, erupted explosively on over 20 separate occasions between December 14, 1989 and April 21, 1990. Fourteen lava domes were emplaced in the summit area, thirteen of which were subsequently destroyed. The eruption caused economic losses estimated at over $160,000,000 making this the second most costly eruption...
Authors
T. P. Miller, B. A. Chouet
Development of lava tubes in the light of observations at Mauna Ulu, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Development of lava tubes in the light of observations at Mauna Ulu, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
During the 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu eruption on Kilauea's upper east rift zone, lava tubes were observed to develop by four principal processes: (1) flat, rooted crusts grew across streams within confined channels; (2) overflows and spatter accreted to levees to build arched roofs across streams; (3) plates of solidified crust floating downstream coalesced to form a roof; and (4) pahoehoe...
Authors
D. W. Peterson, R. T. Holcomb, R.I. Tilling, R.L. Christiansen
The role of magmas in the formation of hydrothermal ore deposits The role of magmas in the formation of hydrothermal ore deposits
Magmatic fluids, both vapour and hypersaline liquid, are a primary source of many components in hydrothermal ore deposits formed in volcanic arcs. These components, including metals and their ligands, become concentrated in magmas in various ways from various sources, including subducted oceanic crust. Leaching of rocks also contributes components to the hydrothermal fluid—a process...
Authors
Jeffrey W. Hedenquist, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Surface degassing and modifications to vesicle size distributions in active basalt flows Surface degassing and modifications to vesicle size distributions in active basalt flows
The character of the vesicle population in lava flows includes several measurable parameters that may provide important constraints on lava flow dynamics and rheology. Interpretation of vesicle size distributions (VSDs), however, requires an understanding of vesiculation processes in feeder conduits, and of post-eruption modifications to VSDs during transport and emplacement. To this end...
Authors
K. V. Cashman, M. T. Mangan, S. Newman
Six years of change in Lake Nyos, Cameroon, yield clues to the past and cautions for the future Six years of change in Lake Nyos, Cameroon, yield clues to the past and cautions for the future
The catastrophic release of gas from Lake Nyos, Cameroon, in 1986 caused substantial but incomplete mixing of the stratified water column. The post-release evolution of water-column structure has been monitored through April 1992. Changes began immediately after the event as rainfall and inflow brought dilute fluid into the surface layer. Inflow and surface mixing have gradually deepened...
Authors
William C. Evans, L. D. White, M. L. Tuttle, G.W. Kling, G. Tanyileke, R. L. Michel
Hydrothermal systems of the Cascade Range, north-central Oregon Hydrothermal systems of the Cascade Range, north-central Oregon
Quaternary volcanoes of the Cascade Range form a 1,200- kilometer-long arc that extends from southern British Columbia to northern California. The section of the Cascade Range volcanic arc in central Oregon is characterized by relatively high Quaternary volcanic extrusion rates and hot-spring discharge rates. Stableisotope data and measurements of hot-spring heat discharge indicate that...
Authors
S. E. Ingebritsen, Robert H. Mariner, David R. Sherrod
Multiple flow processes accompanying a dam-break flood in a small upland watershed, Centralia, Washington Multiple flow processes accompanying a dam-break flood in a small upland watershed, Centralia, Washington
On October 5, 1991, following 35 consecutive days of dry weather, a 105-meter long, 37-meter wide, 5.2-meter deep concrete-lined watersupply reservoir on a hillside in the eastern edge of Centralia, Washington, suddenly failed, sending 13,250 cubic meters of water rushing down a small, steep tributary channel into the city. Two houses were destroyed, several others damaged, mud and...
Authors
John E. Costa