TITLE:
Volcaniclastic Deposit Analysis Using Grain Size, Digital and Stereological Techniques
AUTHORS:
Alberto Rangel-Durán, Vanessa Verónica Espejel-García, Alejandro Villalobos-Aragón, Daphne Espejel-García, Jorge Lucero-Álvarez, Abraham Gilberto Mendez-Salas
KEYWORDS:
Volcaniclastic, Lahar, Avalanche, Statistics, Chihuahua
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.13 No.4,
December
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: This study undertook a comprehensive sedimentological and grain-size
analysis of two previously uncharacterized volcanoclastic deposits exposed in
the northwestern sector of Chihuahua City, Mexico. The primary objective was to
propose a systematic genetic classification for these deposits, employing
traditional sedimentological techniques and an advanced computerized
granulometric analysis technique based on orthogonal images to discern their
grain size distribution. Through these studies, evidence was sought to classify
them genetically, presenting arguments to define them either as a lahar or a
volcanic debris avalanche. Results were critically compared against existing
literature data pertaining to lahars and debris avalanches, yielding moderate
success. The analysis identified one of the deposits as a non-eruptive or
post-eruptive lahar. This identification was substantiated by the delineation
of distinct overbank and transition facies within the deposit, providing
compelling evidence for its genetic classification.