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Title: Recurrence rates of volcanism in basaltic volcanic fields: An example from the Springerville volcanic field, Arizona

Journal Article · · Geological Society of America, Bulletin
 [1];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
  2. Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States)

A spatio-temporal near-neighbor model is used to identify and map variations in the recurrence rate of volcanism in the Springerville volcanic field, Arizona, a large field on the Colorado Plateau boundary. Detailed mapping of individual lava flows and their associated vents, together with radiometric and paleomagnetic dating, demonstrates that 366 volcanic events have formed the Springerville volcanic field. A near-neighbor spatio-temporal recurrence-rate model using seven near-neighbor volcanoes and a 0.5 m.y. time window reveals that (1) areas of waxing and waning magmatism in the Springerville volcanic field are much more localized and (2) volcanic activity within these areas is much more intense than implied by field-wide temporal trends. Because volcanic activity is spatially and temporally clustered, forecasting subsequent activity is more successful if the spatio-temporal recurrence-rate model is used, rather than the average recurrence rates. This success indicates that spatio-temporal recurrence-rate models are useful tools for the quantification of long-term volcanic hazards in basaltic volcanic fields. 61 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs.

OSTI ID:
420775
Journal Information:
Geological Society of America, Bulletin, Vol. 108, Issue 10; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English