Pyroclastic transport and

deposition
Christoph Breitkreuz,
TU Bergakademie Freiberg

Two main types of pyroclastic

transport and deposit:
1. Fallout > deposit = tephra
2. Flow

Eolian fractionation!

Mt. St. Helens, 1980

Phonolitic fallout deposit,

Meidob Hills, NW Sudan

Fallout layer between

ignimbrites;
Bandelier Tuffs,
Jemez Mtns, New
Mexico

Diagenetically compacted fallout deposit, Permian, N Chile

Laacher See, Eifel, W Germany, ballistic block

Fallout upon water - water-lain fallout deposits

Lacustrine fallout deposit, Permian, N Italy

Various types of grading!

Formation of pyroclastic flows:

- lava(-dome) collapse
- eruption column collapse

Branney & Kokelaar 2002

Mt. Pelee, 1902/3, Martinique

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Mt. Unzen 1991-1995

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Block-and-ash-flow deposit:
result of an explosive lava dome eruption

Meidob Hills, NW Sudan

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Parameters controlling eruption column collapse:

Fig. 2.5 Stability fields for convecting and collapsing columns in terms of vent radius and
magmatic volatile content. Magma discharge rate (right side) is largely a function of vent
radius (left side) whereas exit velocity (bottom) is largely a function of volatile content (top)
(Orton 1996, from Wilson, Sparks & Walker, 1980).

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Ngauruhoe 1978, New Zealand

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What drives pyroclastic flows?

Kinetic energy, gravity, turbulence and fluidisation!
Large spectrum of processes and deposits:

Cool

Hot

dilute turbulent
often phreatomagmatic

dense
hot
weakly turbulent to laminar

Surges and
cool pyroclastic flows s.s.

Hot pyroclastic flows s.s.

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Surge deposits: pyroclastic cross stratification!

G. Wrner

Laacher See, Eifel, W Germany

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Lithofacies types of
surge deposits
Fig. 5.10 Classification
of base surge bedform
and
internal
crossstratification
variations
related to depositional
rate (relative to transport
rate; vertical axis) and
surge temperature and
moisture
content
(horizontal axis); flow
comes from left (From
Cas & Wright 1987, after
Allen 1982).

Fig. 5.11 Proximal to distal (LFS) and vertical (VFS) facies variation in pyroclastic
surge beds (i.e. single depositional units) on Songaksan tuff ring (after Chough &
Sohn, 1990). The lateral facies sequence (LFS 1) was distilled from common
downcurrent facies transitions in flank deposits whereas vertical facies sequences
(VFS) are distilled using Harpers (1984) method of facies sequence analysis. VFS1
and VFS2 are from proximal near-vent deposits, probably where short-lived pyroclastic
surges were overladen by suspended sediment fallout (compare with Lowe, 1988).
LFS1, and its vertical expression (VFS3) indicates downcurrent decrease in particle
concentration, grain size, and suspended-load fallout rate with a resultant increase in
traction and sorting processes (from Orton 1996).

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Fig. 5.14 Schematic

diagram showing the
structure and idealised
deposits
of
one
pyroclastic flow (From
Cas & Wright 1987).

Ground surge deposit,

E California

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Low-angle cross stratification

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Deposition by aggradation

Branney & Kokelaar (2002)

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Branney & Kokelaar (2002)

Se genera cuando la parte inferior

de la CDP es lo suficientemente
diluida (escasa a nula interaccin
de partculas)
y la velocidad es muy baja
(procesos de traccin o saltacin).
Las partculas caen directamente.

Caractersticas de los depsitos

Macizos y sin estratificacin, aunque una dbil fbrica
direccional puede formarse si la velocidad es suficiente para
orientar las partculas.

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Pyroclastic fractionation:
>> important compositional
changes in crystal-rich flows!

elutriation

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Pyroclastic
flow deposits
Gradacin
may show various types of
grading:

Brohltal, Laacher See, Eifel, W

Germany

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Accretionary
Lapilli

Schumacher & Schmincke 1991

Hailstone-like ashaggregates from wet

eruption clouds and
co-flow-ash clouds,
Trigger by rain
possible!

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Vesiculated Tuff: surge/fall deposits from wet fine ash clouds

Osteifel

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Professor!
Dont forget to make some drawings about

Proximal distal facies variation

Lateral facies variation

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Can pyroclastic flows climb mountains?

- kinetic energy from column collapse (e.g. Taupo, New Zealand)
- expanded flow concept (Branney & Kokelaar 1992) (e.g.
Campanian Ignimbrite, Italy, Fisher et al. 1993)

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Post-depositional processes in hot pyroclastic flow deposits:

1. welding compaction, in extreme cases: rheomorphism
2. gas + fluid escape >> vapor phase crystallisation

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Fig. 5.17 Model of sedimentation and initiation of

rheomorphic flow during the early accumulation phase of
ignimbrite D on a slightly inclined basal topography. Note
that pure flattening (compaction) is the first step of
deformation affecting the freshly deposited pyroclastic
material in both cases. Shear flow, in this configuration, is
always secondary and depends on a critical load pressure
as well as on the speed of the upward prograding
cooling/lithification front (From Kobberger & Schminke
1999).

Rheomorphic ignimbrite

Fig. 5.16 Steps of the depositional and rheomorphic

flow history of ignimbrite D by sketching the major
stages of deposition including the successive vertical
changes of pyroclast strain, the development of fabrics
crucial to define the related deformation mechanism,
and the progression in ascending and descending
lithification fronts. The model is based on the
configuration of a gently but evenly inclined basal
topography during deposition and rheomorphic flow
(From Kobberger & Schminke 1999).

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Diagenetic compaction
non-welded ignimbrite,
N Chile, Permian
>> Branney and Sparks 1990

Welding-compaction
Teplice ignimbrite, Late Carboniferous,
Czech Republic

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From Marcelo Arnosio

Eutaxitic texture

fiamme

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Blue Creek
ignimbrite,
Idaho, USA

Parataxitic texture
Botzen Porphyry,
Permian N Italy

In hot thick deposits:

Adsorption of volatiles back
into the glass >>
disappearance of vesicles
and interclast pores
(Sparks et al. 1999)

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Post-depositional processes in hot pyroclastic flow deposits:

1. welding compaction, in extreme cases: rheomorphism
2. gas + fluid escape >> vapor phase crystallisation
Concept:
- Depositional unit
- Cooling unit
Smith 1961
Fig. 5.15 Cross section through part of the Upper
Bandelier Tuff, showing welding and crystallisation zones.
The ignimbrite is a compound cooling unit, and shows an
upward increase in the degree of welding in cooling units
I-III. Recognisable flow units are much thinner in units IV
and V, and nearer the source they pass into densely welded
tuff, continuing the trend towards higher temperature of
emplacement of successive pumice flows that is more
clearly shown by units I-III. Note, the topography that the
ignimbrite fills in is cut into older ignimbrites and
basement, including Precambrian (cross section is
approximately normal to movement direction of the
pumice flows) (From Cas & Wright 1987, after R. L.
Smith & Bailey 1966).

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Bishop Tuff, Owens Gorge, E

California

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Vapor phase crystals on ash fragment, SEM

image (experiment by Grunder et al. 2005)

Non-welded ignimbrite
Sillar Facies: lithification by vapor
phase crystallisation; typical
crystals in SiO2-rich systems:
cristobalite, tridymite, sanidine
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Degassing pipes

fines-depleted

From Marcelo Arnosio

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Fig. 5.21 Occurences of gas segregation structures in pyroclastic flow deposits. 1, Pipes and pods
generated initially or formed entirely by intraflow gas sources during emplacement; 1a, formed by
continued post-emplacement gas flow; 2, formed from heated ground water and incorporating
fluviatile pebbles; 3, formed above burnt vegetation and logs (From Cas & Wright 1987).

Partially eroded degassing pipes, Bishop Tuff, E California

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Fig.

5.20 Zones of vapour-phase

crystallisation and devitrification in the
Bishop Tuff. Fumarole mounds project from
top of vapour-phase zone through nonwelded ash (From Cas & Wright 1987, after
Sheridan 1970).

Sillar facies with

fumarole mounds and
curved cooling joints

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Hydroclastic flow deposit

(from collapse of a
phreatomagmatic eruption
column)

Szentbekkalla,
Hungary

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How to distinguish a pyroclastic flow deposit from a

sedimentary mass flow deposit?
Criteria for a hot emplacement
- welding-compaction (careful with diagenetic
compaction (Branney and Sparks 1990) !)
- high T crystallisation domains: spherulites and
lithophysae
- degassing pipes
- in-situ cooling joints in large lava clasts and lithics
- AMS
Problem: there are hot Lahars (e.g. Arguden and Rudolfo 1990)!

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