Modeling Lahar Inundation with the Aid of Historic Flow Deposits at Redoubt Volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska

By: Alexandra Iezzi '15

Advising Faculty: Douglas Thompson

Redoubt Volcano is a 3108 m tall stratocone located in Cook Inlet, Alaska, that explosively erupts roughly every 20 years. The five eruptions since 1900 all share the common characteristic of being accompanied by multiple large to very large lahars (108 to 109 m,) as well as many that are smaller in magnitude (104 to 106 m.) About 35 km from the crater of Redoubt Volcano lies the Drift River Marine Terminal that, if inundated, has the potential to cause an oil spill comparable in size to the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Non-Newtonian lahar flows evolve as they move down valley as a result of their bulking and debulking processes.

The aim of this project was to model the largest lahars from the three most recent eruptions of Redoubt to better predict the area of inundation during future eruptions.

This honors thesis may be read in its entirety at Digital Commons @ Connecticut College.

http://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/physicshp/6/

Related Fields: Physics