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Behaviours of pyroclastic and analogue materials, in dry and wet environments, for use in experimental modelling of pyroclastic density currents

Walding, Nemi; Williams, Rebecca; Rowley, Pete; Dowey, Natasha; Parsons, Daniel; Bird, Anna

Authors

Pete Rowley

Natasha Dowey

Daniel Parsons



Abstract

Modelling pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) is a challenging yet essential element of hazard assessment. PDCs are unpredictable and internal processes are often difficult to measure directly. Analogue experiments have been an important tool for investigating internal PDC dynamics. Typically, analogue experiments have removed moisture from experimental materials to limit cohesion. However, this does not well represent natural systems, where moisture can be introduced into a PDC. In this study, we investigate pyroclastic and analogue materials in dynamic (i.e., flowing), static (i.e., stationary), wet and dry experiments to explore fundamental behaviours. The addition of moisture can lead to fundamental changes in material properties resulting in significant impacts on geomechanical behaviours (size, density, internal friction angle), fluidisation and flowability. This work highlights the importance of validating the material choice used in modelling experiments, especially in wet conditions, and provides insights into flow dynamics of PDCs and depositional architecture of their deposits.

Citation

Walding, N., Williams, R., Rowley, P., Dowey, N., Parsons, D., & Bird, A. (2025). Behaviours of pyroclastic and analogue materials, in dry and wet environments, for use in experimental modelling of pyroclastic density currents. Volcanica, 8(1), 261–285. https://doi.org/10.30909/vol/oxkm9163

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 27, 2024
Online Publication Date May 16, 2025
Publication Date 2025
Deposit Date Oct 16, 2024
Publicly Available Date May 16, 2025
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 1
Pages 261–285
DOI https://doi.org/10.30909/vol/oxkm9163
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4866880

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Copyright Statement
©The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed un-der the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.





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