Characterization of aerosols from eruptions of Mount St. Helens

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.211.4484.830· OSTI ID:5480059

Chuan, R L; Woods, D C; McCormick, M P

Measurements of mass concentration and size distribution of aerosols from eruptions of Mount St. Helens as well as morphological and elemental analyses were obtained between 7 April and 7 August 1980. In situ measurements were made in early phreatic and later, minor phreatomagmatic eruption clouds near the vent of the volcano and in plumes injected into the stratosphere from the major eruptions of 18 and 25 May. The phreatic aerosol was characterized by an essentially monomodal size distribution dominated by silicate particles larger than 10 micrometers in diameter. The phreatomagmatic eruption cloud was multimodal; the large size mode consisted of silicate particles and the small size modes were made up of mixtures of sulfuric acid and silicate particles. The stratospheric aerosol from the main eruption exhibited a characteristic narrow single mode with particles less than 1 micrometer in diameter and nearly all of the mass made up of sulfuric acid droplets.

• OSTI ID: 5480059
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 211; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID RAIN
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ERUPTION
FEDERAL REGION X
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MONITORING
MOUNTAINS
MT ST HELENS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION SOURCES
RAIN
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SIZE
SOLS
SULFURIC ACID
USA
WASHINGTON