Christopher Harpel
I work with VDAP's foreign partners to better understand the eruption histories and hazards of their dangerous volcanoes. My work focusses on volcanic stratigraphy with an emphasis on field-based projects. I also develop regional and local tephrostratigraphies using ash layers in cores and am developing new applications for long-lived plant species to provide insight into past volcanic activity.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. from Oregon State University
M.Sc. from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
B.Sc. from Western Washington University
Science and Products
Geochemical data for the Pacheco stage tephra-fall deposits from Misti volcano, Arequipa, Peru
These data are derived from pumice and scoria from Pacheco stage (as defined by Harpel et al., 2021) tephra-fall deposits (TFD) emplaced between
Electron microprobe geochemical data for glass from the Khonkho tephra
These data are presented to geochemically characterize glass from the informally named Khonkho tephra, an ashfall deposit that crops out at the Khonkho Wankane archaeological site in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia. The Khonkho tephra appears to have been emplaced by a major explosive eruption from a currently unknown volcanic source. The unit forms a marker bed at an archaeologically important stratigr
Radiocarbon ages, whole-rock geochemical data, and pumice density measurements for the Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit, Misti volcano, southern Peru
These data are derived from the Pleistocene Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit (TFD) which erupted from Misti volcano, Arequipa, southern Peru. The deposit represents a major eruption of Misti and these data are used to characterize the deposit. The radiocarbon ages are from units bracketing the Sacarosa TFD and constrain its eruption age. Whole-rock major and trace element concentrations for Sacarosa p
Isopach, lithic isopleth, and pyroxene, Fe-Ti oxide, and plagioclase geochemistry data for the Orange Tuff, West Java, Indonesia
The Orange Tuff is an informally named tephra-fall deposit that crops out extensively in the volcanic highlands to the south and southwest of Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. The data included in this data release documents the deposit thickness and maximum sizes of lithics present at sites throughout its distribution. Additional tables document dispersal areas calculated from within hand-drawn isopac
The Khonkho tephra: A large-magnitude volcanic eruption coincided with the rise of Tiwanaku in the Andes
We report a tephra deposit in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia, which was deposited by a major, previously unrecognized eruption sometime between AD 400 and 720. Archaeological data suggest these centuries were characterized by a substantial community migration to Tiwanaku, where social interaction networks gave birth to one of the Andes’ first large complex societies. Here we provide an
Authors
Erik J. Marsh, Christopher Harpel, David Damby
To mix or not to mix: Details of magma storage, recharge, and remobilization during the Pacheco stage at Misti Volcano, Peru (≤21–2 ka)
We investigate ten of the most recent tephra-fall deposits emplaced between ≤21–2 ka from the Pacheco stage of Misti volcano, Peru, to elucidate magma dynamics and explosive eruption triggers related to magma storage, recharge, and remobilization. Whole-rock, glass, and mineral textures and compositions indicate the presence of broadly felsic, intermediate, and mafic magmas in a chemically and the
Authors
Marie K. Takach, Frank J. III Tepley, Christopher Harpel, Rigoberto Aguilar, Marco Rivera
The late Pleistocene Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit, Misti Volcano, Arequipa, Peru: Its magma, eruption, and implications for past and future activity
Between 38.5 ka cal BP and 32.4 ka cal BP, a dacitic Volcanic Explosivity Index 5 eruption at Misti volcano emplaced the Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit. Its biotite phenocrysts, fine grain size, scarce lithics, and abundant loose crystals characterize the deposit at locations sampled. The eruption’s ~ 800 °C magma rose rapidly from ~ 10 km depth, culminating in a Plinian eruption which reached a mas
Authors
Christopher Harpel, JJ Cuno, Marie K. Takach, M. Rivera, Rigoberto Aguilar, Frank III Tepley, F. Garcia-Arenal
Estratigrafía preliminar del flanco Este del volcán de Santa Ana
We present the eruption sequence for the east flank of Santa Ana volcano, which we divide into the sections above and below the Tierra Blanca Joven (TBJ) formation. The sequence below the TBJ suggests a series of mafic magmatic eruptions that began before 7,800 cal BP and continued until after 5,800 cal BP. These eruptions emplaced tephra-fall and pyroclastic-density-current deposits. The sequence
Authors
Dennis Lemus, Christopher Harpel, Angela V. Garcia, Demetrio Escobar, Alexander Hernandez, Estefany Alvarenga
Nuevos datos: Avalancha de escombros de Acajutla, volcán Santa Ana
The Acajutla debris-avalanche deposit is dated to about 40,000 cal BP. The dating is based on two 14C dates on pieces of wood from the debris-avalanche deposit recovered from a core at the Santa Águeda School Center. The debris-avalanche deposit overlies a 1.2-m-thick paleosol and four ash layers. One of these ash layers is geochemically correlated to the Los Chocoyos ash from Atitlán Caldera, wh
Authors
Angela V. Garcia, Christopher Harpel, Walter Hernandez, Demetrio Escobar, Luis E. Mixco, Charles Lewis, Linda Scott Cummings
Azorella compacta's long-term growth rate, longevity, and potential for dating geomorphological and archaeological features in the arid southern Peruvian Andes
We determine the long-term growth rate and longevity of an Azorella compacta growing on Misti volcano, near Arequipa, Peru to investigate the species' capacity as a geochronological resource. Using 14C dating on stem pieces sequestered within the plant's cushion, which grows larger through time, we obtain ages of 15 ± 15 14C yrs BP and 165 ± 15 14C yrs BP at depths of 15 cm and 29 cm below the cus
Authors
Christopher Harpel, Catherine Kleier, Rigoberto Aguilar
The Orange Tuff: A Late Pleistocene tephra-fall deposit emplaced by a VEI 5 silicic Plinian eruption in West Java, Indonesia
A VEI 5 dacite eruption emplaced the Orange Tuff about between 34.3 cal kBP and 17.2 cal kBP. Gunung Salak is the unit’s source and the Orange Tuff represents the most recent such eruption from any of the volcanoes southwest of Bogor, Indonesia. The Orange Tuff is the region’s first such documented tephra-fall deposit whose characteristics and phenocryst geochemistry make it readily identifiable o
Authors
Christopher Harpel, Kushendratno, James Stimac, Cecilia F. Avendaño Rodriguez de Harpel, Sofyan Primulyana
Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon
This field guide for the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Scientific Assembly 2017 focuses on volcaniclastic sediments from Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon. The trip spends four days in the field and includes nine stops at each volcano. For completeness, this guidebook also includes sixteen optional stops in the Mount S
Authors
Thomas C. Pierson, Lee Siebert, Christopher J. Harpel, Kevin M. Scott
Bibliography of literature pertaining to Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanic fields
On May 25-27, 1980, Long Valley caldera was rocked by four M=6 earthquakes that heralded the onset of a wave of seismic activity within the caldera which has continued through the present. Unrest has taken the form of seismic swarms, uplift of the resurgent dome, and areas of vegetation killed by increased CO2 emissions, all interpreted as resulting from magma injection into different levels benea
Authors
John W. Ewert, Christopher J. Harpel, Suzanna K. Brooks, Mae Marcaida
Bibliography of literature pertaining to Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanic fields
No abstract available.
Authors
John W. Ewert, Christopher J. Harpel, Suzanna K. Brooks
Bibliography of literature from 1990-1997 pertaining to Holocene and fumarolic Pleistocene volcanoes of Alaska, Canada, and the conterminous United States
The 1980's and 1990's were marked by frequent worldwide destructive volcanic
eruptions. Significant loss of life and property during eruptions, and extensive media coverage of
volcanic events around the globe have brought volcanic processes and hazards increasingly to the
forefront of scientific, governmental, and public attention (e.g., Casadevall, 1994; Pringle, 1994).
A result of these circums
Authors
Christopher J. Harpel, John W. Ewert
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Geochemical data for the Pacheco stage tephra-fall deposits from Misti volcano, Arequipa, Peru
These data are derived from pumice and scoria from Pacheco stage (as defined by Harpel et al., 2021) tephra-fall deposits (TFD) emplaced between
Electron microprobe geochemical data for glass from the Khonkho tephra
These data are presented to geochemically characterize glass from the informally named Khonkho tephra, an ashfall deposit that crops out at the Khonkho Wankane archaeological site in Jesus de Machaca, Bolivia. The Khonkho tephra appears to have been emplaced by a major explosive eruption from a currently unknown volcanic source. The unit forms a marker bed at an archaeologically important stratigr
Radiocarbon ages, whole-rock geochemical data, and pumice density measurements for the Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit, Misti volcano, southern Peru
These data are derived from the Pleistocene Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit (TFD) which erupted from Misti volcano, Arequipa, southern Peru. The deposit represents a major eruption of Misti and these data are used to characterize the deposit. The radiocarbon ages are from units bracketing the Sacarosa TFD and constrain its eruption age. Whole-rock major and trace element concentrations for Sacarosa p
Isopach, lithic isopleth, and pyroxene, Fe-Ti oxide, and plagioclase geochemistry data for the Orange Tuff, West Java, Indonesia
The Orange Tuff is an informally named tephra-fall deposit that crops out extensively in the volcanic highlands to the south and southwest of Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. The data included in this data release documents the deposit thickness and maximum sizes of lithics present at sites throughout its distribution. Additional tables document dispersal areas calculated from within hand-drawn isopac
The Khonkho tephra: A large-magnitude volcanic eruption coincided with the rise of Tiwanaku in the Andes
We report a tephra deposit in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia, which was deposited by a major, previously unrecognized eruption sometime between AD 400 and 720. Archaeological data suggest these centuries were characterized by a substantial community migration to Tiwanaku, where social interaction networks gave birth to one of the Andes’ first large complex societies. Here we provide an
Authors
Erik J. Marsh, Christopher Harpel, David Damby
To mix or not to mix: Details of magma storage, recharge, and remobilization during the Pacheco stage at Misti Volcano, Peru (≤21–2 ka)
We investigate ten of the most recent tephra-fall deposits emplaced between ≤21–2 ka from the Pacheco stage of Misti volcano, Peru, to elucidate magma dynamics and explosive eruption triggers related to magma storage, recharge, and remobilization. Whole-rock, glass, and mineral textures and compositions indicate the presence of broadly felsic, intermediate, and mafic magmas in a chemically and the
Authors
Marie K. Takach, Frank J. III Tepley, Christopher Harpel, Rigoberto Aguilar, Marco Rivera
The late Pleistocene Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit, Misti Volcano, Arequipa, Peru: Its magma, eruption, and implications for past and future activity
Between 38.5 ka cal BP and 32.4 ka cal BP, a dacitic Volcanic Explosivity Index 5 eruption at Misti volcano emplaced the Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit. Its biotite phenocrysts, fine grain size, scarce lithics, and abundant loose crystals characterize the deposit at locations sampled. The eruption’s ~ 800 °C magma rose rapidly from ~ 10 km depth, culminating in a Plinian eruption which reached a mas
Authors
Christopher Harpel, JJ Cuno, Marie K. Takach, M. Rivera, Rigoberto Aguilar, Frank III Tepley, F. Garcia-Arenal
Estratigrafía preliminar del flanco Este del volcán de Santa Ana
We present the eruption sequence for the east flank of Santa Ana volcano, which we divide into the sections above and below the Tierra Blanca Joven (TBJ) formation. The sequence below the TBJ suggests a series of mafic magmatic eruptions that began before 7,800 cal BP and continued until after 5,800 cal BP. These eruptions emplaced tephra-fall and pyroclastic-density-current deposits. The sequence
Authors
Dennis Lemus, Christopher Harpel, Angela V. Garcia, Demetrio Escobar, Alexander Hernandez, Estefany Alvarenga
Nuevos datos: Avalancha de escombros de Acajutla, volcán Santa Ana
The Acajutla debris-avalanche deposit is dated to about 40,000 cal BP. The dating is based on two 14C dates on pieces of wood from the debris-avalanche deposit recovered from a core at the Santa Águeda School Center. The debris-avalanche deposit overlies a 1.2-m-thick paleosol and four ash layers. One of these ash layers is geochemically correlated to the Los Chocoyos ash from Atitlán Caldera, wh
Authors
Angela V. Garcia, Christopher Harpel, Walter Hernandez, Demetrio Escobar, Luis E. Mixco, Charles Lewis, Linda Scott Cummings
Azorella compacta's long-term growth rate, longevity, and potential for dating geomorphological and archaeological features in the arid southern Peruvian Andes
We determine the long-term growth rate and longevity of an Azorella compacta growing on Misti volcano, near Arequipa, Peru to investigate the species' capacity as a geochronological resource. Using 14C dating on stem pieces sequestered within the plant's cushion, which grows larger through time, we obtain ages of 15 ± 15 14C yrs BP and 165 ± 15 14C yrs BP at depths of 15 cm and 29 cm below the cus
Authors
Christopher Harpel, Catherine Kleier, Rigoberto Aguilar
The Orange Tuff: A Late Pleistocene tephra-fall deposit emplaced by a VEI 5 silicic Plinian eruption in West Java, Indonesia
A VEI 5 dacite eruption emplaced the Orange Tuff about between 34.3 cal kBP and 17.2 cal kBP. Gunung Salak is the unit’s source and the Orange Tuff represents the most recent such eruption from any of the volcanoes southwest of Bogor, Indonesia. The Orange Tuff is the region’s first such documented tephra-fall deposit whose characteristics and phenocryst geochemistry make it readily identifiable o
Authors
Christopher Harpel, Kushendratno, James Stimac, Cecilia F. Avendaño Rodriguez de Harpel, Sofyan Primulyana
Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon
This field guide for the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Scientific Assembly 2017 focuses on volcaniclastic sediments from Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon. The trip spends four days in the field and includes nine stops at each volcano. For completeness, this guidebook also includes sixteen optional stops in the Mount S
Authors
Thomas C. Pierson, Lee Siebert, Christopher J. Harpel, Kevin M. Scott
Bibliography of literature pertaining to Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanic fields
On May 25-27, 1980, Long Valley caldera was rocked by four M=6 earthquakes that heralded the onset of a wave of seismic activity within the caldera which has continued through the present. Unrest has taken the form of seismic swarms, uplift of the resurgent dome, and areas of vegetation killed by increased CO2 emissions, all interpreted as resulting from magma injection into different levels benea
Authors
John W. Ewert, Christopher J. Harpel, Suzanna K. Brooks, Mae Marcaida
Bibliography of literature pertaining to Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanic fields
No abstract available.
Authors
John W. Ewert, Christopher J. Harpel, Suzanna K. Brooks
Bibliography of literature from 1990-1997 pertaining to Holocene and fumarolic Pleistocene volcanoes of Alaska, Canada, and the conterminous United States
The 1980's and 1990's were marked by frequent worldwide destructive volcanic
eruptions. Significant loss of life and property during eruptions, and extensive media coverage of
volcanic events around the globe have brought volcanic processes and hazards increasingly to the
forefront of scientific, governmental, and public attention (e.g., Casadevall, 1994; Pringle, 1994).
A result of these circums
Authors
Christopher J. Harpel, John W. Ewert
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.