Volcanoes to Vineyards: Geologic Field Trips through the Dynamic Landscape of the Pacific Northwest
This volume contains guides for 33 geological field trips offered in conjunction with the October 2009 GSA Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. Showcasing the region’s geological diversity, the peer-reviewed papers included here span topics ranging from accreted terrains and mantle plumes to volcanoes, floods, and vineyard terroir. Locations visited throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho encompass Astoria to Zillah. More than just a series of maps, the accompanying descriptions, observations, and conclusions offer new insights to the geologic processes and history of the Pacific Northwest insights that will inspire readers to put their boots on the evidence (or perhaps sip it from a glass of Pinot!) as they develop their own understanding of this remarkable and dynamic corner of the world.
Eruption-related lahars and sedimentation response downstream of Mount Hood: Field guide to volcaniclastic deposits along the Sandy River, Oregon
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Published:January 01, 2009
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CiteCitation
Thomas C. Pierson, William E. Scott, James W. Vallance, Patrick T. Pringle, 2009. "Eruption-related lahars and sedimentation response downstream of Mount Hood: Field guide to volcaniclastic deposits along the Sandy River, Oregon", Volcanoes to Vineyards: Geologic Field Trips through the Dynamic Landscape of the Pacific Northwest, Jim E. O’Connor, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Ian P. Madin
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Abstract
Late Holocene dome-building eruptions at Mount Hood during the Timberline and Old Maid eruptive periods resulted in numerous dome-collapse pyroclastic flows and lahars that moved large volumes of volcaniclastic sediment into temporary storage in headwater canyons of the Sandy River. During each eruptive period, accelerated sediment loading to the river through erosion and remobilization of volcanic fragmental debris resulted in very high sediment-transport rates in the Sandy River during rain- and snowmelt-induced floods. Large sediment loads in excess of the river's transport capacity led to channel aggradation, channel widening, and change to a braided channel form in the lowermost reach of the river, between 61 and 87 km downstream from the volcano. The post-eruption sediment load moved as a broad bed-material wave, which in the case of the Old Maid eruption took ~2 decades to crest 83 km downstream. Maximum post-eruption aggradation levels of at least 28 and 23 m were achieved in response to Timberline and Old Maid eruptions. In each case, downstream aggradation cycles were initiated by lahars, but the bulk of the aggradation was achieved by fluvial sediment transport and deposition. When the high rates of sediment supply began to diminish, the river degraded, incising the channel fills and forming progressively lower sets of degradational terraces. A variety of debris-flow, hyperconcentrated-flow, and fluvial (upper and lower flow regime) deposits record the downstream passage of the sediment waves that were initiated by these eruptions. The deposits also presage a hazard that may be faced by communities along the Sandy River when volcanic activity at Mount Hood resumes.
- aggradation
- bedload
- Cascade Range
- Cenozoic
- Clackamas County Oregon
- clastic sediments
- debris flows
- erosion
- eruptions
- field trips
- floods
- fluvial sedimentation
- geologic hazards
- guidebook
- Holocene
- Hood River County Oregon
- hydrology
- lahars
- mass movements
- Mount Hood
- North America
- Oregon
- pyroclastic flows
- Quaternary
- rivers and streams
- road log
- sediment transport
- sedimentation
- sedimentation rates
- sediments
- transport
- United States
- upper Holocene
- volcanic risk
- volcaniclastics
- water erosion
- Sandy River