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Catastrophic debris avalanche deposit of Socompa volcano, northern ChileBetween 10,000 and 500 yr ago the Socompa volcano in northern Chile experienced a catastrophic collapse of a 70 deg sector of the original cone, causing a debris avalanche that descended nearly 3000 m vertically and traveled more than 35 km from the volcano. The deposits cover some 490 sq km and have a minimum volume of 15 cu km. Parts of the original cone slumped in a nearly coherent form and are now preserved as large blocks more than 400 m high. The primary avalanche traveled northwestward over sloping ground before coming to rest transiently, forming a prominent marginal ridge, and then slid away northeastward to form a secondary flow, overriding much of the primary avalanche deposit. Abundant, prismatic, jointed dacite blocks within the debris avalanche deposit and a thin, fine-grained pumiceous deposit beneath it suggest that the collapse was triggered by magmatic activity and may have been accompanied by a violent lateral blast. Collapse was followed by eruption of pumiceous pyroclastic flows and extrusion of voluminous dacite domes.
Document ID
19860032173
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Francis, P. W.
(Lunar and Planetary Institute Houston, TX, United States)
Gardeweg, M.
(Lunar and Planetary Inst. Houston, TX, United States)
Ramirez, C. F.
(Servicio Nacional de Geologia y Mineria Santiago, Chile)
Rothery, D. A.
(Open University Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1985
Publication Information
Publication: Geology
Volume: 13
ISSN: 0091-7613
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
86A16911
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASW-3389
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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