Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

J.W. Vallance

Publications and source records attributed to J.W. Vallance.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2008

Characteristics, extent and origin of hydrothermal alteration at Mount Rainier Volcano, Cascades Arc, USA: Implications for debris-flow hazards and mineral deposits

Hydrothermal alteration at Mount Rainier waxed and waned over the 500,000-year episodic growth of the edifice. Hydrothermal minerals and their stable-isotope compositions in samples collected from outcrop and as clasts from Holocene debris-flow deposits identify three distinct hypogene argillic/advanced argillic hydrothermal environments: magmatic-hydrothermal, steam-heated, and magmatic steam (fumarolic), with minor superimposed supergene alteration. The 3.8 km 3 Osceola Mudflow (5600 y BP) and coeval phreatomagmatic F tephra contain the highest temperature and most deeply formed hydrothermal minerals. Relatively deeply formed magmatic-hydrothermal alteration minerals and associations in clasts include quartz (residual silica), quartz–alunite, quartz–topaz, quartz–pyrophyllite, quartz–dickite/kaolinite, and quartz–illite (all with pyrite). Clasts of smectite–pyrite and steam-heated opal–alunite–kaolinite are also common in the Osceola Mudflow. In contrast, the Paradise lahar, formed by collapse of the summit or near-summit of the edifice at about the same time, contains only smectite–pyrite and near-surface steam-heated and fumarolic alteration minerals. Younger debris-flow deposits on the west side of the volcano (Round Pass and distal Electron Mudflows) contain only low-temperature smectite–pyrite assemblages, whereas the proximal Electron Mudflow and a < 100 y BP rock avalanche on Tahoma Glacier also contain magmatic-hydrothermal alteration minerals that are exposed in the avalanche headwall of Sunset Amphitheater, reflecting progressive incision into deeper near-conduit alteration products that formed at higher temperatures. The pre-Osceola Mudflow alteration geometry is inferred to have consisted of a narrow feeder zone of intense magmatic-hydrothermal alteration limited to near the conduit of the volcano, which graded outward to more widely distributed, but weak, smectite–pyrite alteration within 1 km of the edifice axis, developed chiefly in porous breccias. The edifice was capped by a steam-heated alteration zone, most of which resulted from condensation of fumarolic vapor and oxidation of H 2 S in the unsaturated zone above the water table. Weakly developed smectite–pyrite alteration extended into the west and east flanks of the edifice, spatially associated with dikes that are localized in those sectors; other edifice flanks lack dikes and associated alteration. The Osceola collapse removed most of the altered core and upper east flank of the volcano, but intensely altered rocks remain on the uppermost west flank. Major conclusions of this study are that: (1) Hydrothermal–mineral assemblages and distributions at Mount Rainier can be understood in the framework of hydrothermal processes and environments developed from studies of ore deposits formed in analogous settings. (2) Frequent eruptions supplied sufficient hot magmatic fluid to alter the upper interior of the volcano hydrothermally, despite the consistently deep (≥ 8 km) magma reservoir which may have precluded formation of economic mineral deposits within or at shallow depths beneath Mount Rainier. The absence of indicator equilibrium alteration-mineral assemblages in the debris flows that effectively expose the volcano to a depth of 1–1.5 km also suggests a low potential for significant high-sulfidation epithermal or porphyry-type mineral deposits at depth. (3) Despite the long and complex history of the volcano, intensely altered collapse-prone rocks were spatially restricted to near the volcano's conduit system and summit, and short distances onto the upper east and west flanks, due to the necessary supply of reactive components carried by ascending magmatic fluids. (4) Intensely altered rocks were removed from the summit, east flank, and edifice interior by the Osceola collapse, but remain on the upper west flank in the Sunset Amphitheater area and present a continuing collapse hazard. (5) Visually conspicuous rocks on the lower east and mid-to-lower west flanks are not intensely altered and probably have not significantly weakened the rock, and thus do not present significant collapse hazards. (6) Alteration developed most intensely within breccia units, because of their high permeability and porosity. Volcanoes with abundant near-conduit upper-edifice breccias are prone to alteration increasing the possibility of collapse, whereas those that are breccia-poor (e.g., massive domes) are less prone to alteration.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗
USGS2008

Digital Data for Volcano Hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington, Revised 1998

Mount Rainier at 4393 meters (14,410 feet) is the highest peak in the Cascade Range; a dormant volcano having glacier ice that exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. This tremendous mass of rock and ice, in combination with great topographic relief, poses a variety of geologic hazards, both during inevitable future eruptions and during the intervening periods of repose. The volcano's past behavior is the best guide to possible future hazards. The written history (about A.D. 1820) of Mount Rainier includes one or two small eruptions, several small debris avalanches, and many small lahars (debris flows originating on a volcano). In addition, prehistoric deposits record the types, magnitudes, and frequencies of other events, and areas that were affected. Mount Rainier deposits produced since the latest ice age (approximately during the past 10,000 years) are well preserved. Studies of these deposits indicate we should anticipate potential hazards in the future. Some phenomena only occur during eruptions such as tephra falls, pyroclastic flows and surges, ballistic projectiles, and lava flows while others may occur without eruptive activity such as debris avalanches, lahars, and floods. The five geographic information system (GIS) volcano hazard data layers used to produce the Mount Rainier volcano hazard map in USGS Open-File Report 98-428 (Hoblitt and others, 1998) are included in this data set. Case 1, case 2, and case 3 layers were delineated by scientists at the Cascades Volcano Observatory and depict various lahar innundation zones around the mountain. Two additional layers delineate areas that may be affected by post-lahar sedimentation (postlahar layer) and pyroclastic flows (pyroclastic layer).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2008

Digital Data for Volcano Hazards of the Mount Hood Region, Oregon

Snow-clad Mount Hood dominates the Cascade skyline from the Portland metropolitan area to the wheat fields of Wasco and Sherman Counties. The mountain contributes valuable water, scenic, and recreational resources that help sustain the agricultural and tourist segments of the economies of surrounding cities and counties. Mount Hood is also one of the major volcanoes of the Cascade Range, having erupted repeatedly for hundreds of thousands of years, most recently during two episodes in the past 1,500 yr. The last episode ended shortly before the arrival of Lewis and Clark in 1805. When Mount Hood erupts again, it will severely affect areas on its flanks and far downstream in the major river valleys that head on the volcano. Volcanic ash may fall on areas up to several hundred kilometers downwind. The purpose of the volcano hazard report USGS Open-File Report 97-89 (Scott and others, 1997) is to describe the kinds of hazardous geologic events that have happened at Mount Hood in the past and to show which areas will be at risk when such events occur in the future. This data release contains the geographic information system (GIS) data layers used to produce the Mount Hood volcano hazard map in USGS Open-File Report 97-89. Both proximal and distal hazard zones were delineated by scientists at the Cascades Volcano Observatory and depict various volcano hazard areas around the mountain. A second data layer contains points that indicate estimated travel times of lahars.

Oregon↗
USGS2006

Progress made in understanding Mount Rainier's hazards

At 4392 m high, glacier-clad Mount Rainier dominates the skyline of the southern Puget Sound region and is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park. About 2.5 million people of the greater Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area can see Mount Rainier on clear days, and 150,000 live in areas swept by lahars and floods that emanated from the volcano during the last 6,000 years (Figure 1). These lahars include the voluminous Osceola Mudflow that floors the lowlands south of Seattle and east of Tacoma, and which was generated by massive volcano flank-collapse. Mount Rainier's last eruption was a light dusting of ash in 1894; minor pumice last erupted between 1820 and 1854; and the most recent large eruptions we know of were about 1100 and 2300 years ago, according to reports from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Washington↗
USGS2004

Lahar Hazards at Casita and San Cristóbal Volcanoes, Nicaragua

Casita and San Cristóbal volcanoes are part of a volcano complex situated at the eastern end of the Cordillera de los Maribios. Other centers of volcanism in the complex include El Chonco, Cerro Moyotepe, and La Pelona. At 1745 m, San Cristóbal is the highest and only historically active volcano of the complex. The volcano’s crater is 500 to 600 m across and elongate east to west; its western rim is more than 100 m higher than its eastern rim. The conical volcano is both steep and symmetrical. El Chonco, which lies west of San Cristóbal, is crudely conical but has been deeply dissected by streams. Cerro Moyotepe to the northeast of San Cristóbal is even more deeply incised by erosion than El Chonco, and its crater is breached by erosion. Casita volcano, about 5 km east of San Cristóbal volcano, comprises a broad ridge like form, elongate along an eastwest axis, that is deeply dissected. Nested along the ridge are two craters. The younger one, La Ollada crater, truncates an older smaller crater to the east near Casita’s summit (1430 m). La Ollada crater is about 1 km across and 100 m deep. Numerous small fumarole fields occur near the summit of Casita and on nearby slopes outside of the craters. Casita volcano overlaps the 3-km-wide crater of La Pelona to the east. Stream erosion has deeply incised the slopes of La Pelona, and it is likely the oldest center of the Casita-San Cristóbal volcano complex. In late October and early November 1998, torrential rains of Hurricane Mitch caused numerous slope failures in Central America. The most catastrophic occurred at Casita volcano, on October 30, 1998. At Casita, five days of heavy rain triggered a 1.6-million-cubic-meter rock and debris avalanche that generated an 2- to 4- million-cubic-meter debris flow that swept down the steep slopes of the volcano. The debris flow spread out across the volcano’s apron, destroyed two towns, and killed more than 2500 people. In prehistoric time, Casita erupted explosively to form ash-fall deposits (tephra), debris avalanches, lava flows, and hot flowing mixtures of ash and rock (called pyroclastic flows). The chronology of activity at Casita is rather poorly known. Its last documented eruption occurred 8300 years ago, and included a pyroclastic flow. Tephra deposits exposed in the east crater suggest the possibility of subsequent eruptions. Work prior to Hurricane Mitch suggested that a part of the volcano’s apron that included the area inundated during the 1998 event south of Casita was a lahar pathway. Erosion during Hurricane Mitch revealed that at least three large lahars descended this pathway to distances of up to 10 km. This report describes the hazards of landslides and lahars in general, and discusses potential hazards from future landslides and lahars at San Cristóbal and Casita volcanoes in particular. The report also shows, in the accompanying lahar hazard-zonation maps, which areas are likely to be at risk from future landslides and lahars at Casita and San Cristóbal.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2001

Volcano hazards at Fuego and Acatenango, Guatemala

The Fuego-Acatenango massif comprises a string of five or more volcanic vents along a north-south trend that is perpendicular to that of the Central American arc in Guatemala. From north to south known centers of volcanism are Ancient Acatenango, Yepocapa, Pico Mayor de Acatenango, Meseta, and Fuego. Volcanism along the trend stretches back more than 200,000 years. Although many of the centers have been active contemporaneously, there is a general sequence of younger volcanism, from north to south along the trend. This massive volcano complex towers more than 3500 meters (m) above the Pacific coastal plain to the south and 2000 m above the Guatemalan Highlands to the north. The volcano complex comprises remnants of multiple eruptive centers, which periodically have collapsed to form huge debris avalanches. The largest of these avalanches extended more than 50 kilometers (km) from its source and covered more than 300 square km. The volcano has potential to produce huge debris avalanches that could inundate large areas of the Pacific coastal plain. In areas around the volcanoes and downslope toward the coastal plain, more than 100,000 people are potentially at risk from these and other flowage phenomena.

Acatenango;Fuego↗
USGS2001

Lahar hazards at Agua volcano, Guatemala

At 3760 m, Agua volcano towers more than 3500 m above the Pacific coastal plain to the south and 2000 m above the Guatemalan highlands to the north. The volcano is within 5 to 10 kilometers (km) of Antigua, Guatemala and several other large towns situated on its northern apron. These towns have a combined population of nearly 100,000. It is within about 20 km of Escuintla (population, ca. 100,000) to the south. Though the volcano has not been active in historical time, or about the last 500 years, it has the potential to produce debris flows (watery flows of mud, rock, and debris—also known as lahars when they occur on a volcano) that could inundate these nearby populated areas.

Antigua↗
USGS2001

Lahar hazards at Mombacho Volcano, Nicaragua

Mombacho volcano, at 1,350 meters, is situated on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and about 12 kilometers south of Granada, a city of about 90,000 inhabitants. Many more people live a few kilometers southeast of Granada in 'las Isletas de Granada and the nearby 'Peninsula de Aseses. These areas are formed of deposits of a large debris avalanche (a fast moving avalanche of rock and debris) from Mombacho. Several smaller towns with population, in the range of 5,000 to 12,000 inhabitants are to the northwest and the southwest of Mombacho volcano. Though the volcano has apparently not been active in historical time, or about the last 500 years, it has the potential to produce landslides and debris flows (watery flows of mud, rock, and debris -- also known as lahars when they occur on a volcano) that could inundate these nearby populated areas. -- Vallance, et.al., 2001

Granada↗
USGS1998

Volcano hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington, revised 1998

Mount Rainier—at 4393 meters (14,410 feet) the highest peak in the Cascade Range—is a dormant volcano whose load of glacier ice exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. This tremendous mass of rock and ice, in combination with great topographic relief, poses a variety of geologic hazards, both during inevitable future eruptions and during the intervening periods of repose. The volcano’s past behavior is the best guide to possible future hazards. The written history of Mount Rainier encompasses the period since about A.D. 1820, during which time one or two small eruptions, several small debris avalanches, and many small lahars (debris flows originating on a volcano) have occurred. This time interval is far too brief to serve as a basis for estimating the future behavior of a volcano that is several hundreds of thousands of years old. Fortunately, prehistoric deposits record the types, magnitudes, and frequencies of past events, and show which areas were affected by them. At Mount Rainier, as at other Cascade volcanoes, deposits produced since the latest ice age (approximately during the past 10,000 years) are well preserved. Studies of these deposits reveal that we should anticipate potential hazards from some phenomena that only occur during eruptions and from others that may occur without eruptive activity. Tephra falls, pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges, ballistic projectiles, and lava flows occur only during eruptions. Debris avalanches, lahars, and floods commonly accompany eruptions, but can also occur during dormant periods. This report (1) explains the various types of hazardous geologic phenomena that could occur at Mount Rainier, (2) shows areas that are most likely to be affected by the different phenomena, (3) estimates the likelihood that the areas will be affected, and (4) recommends actions that can be taken to protect lives and property. It builds upon and revises a similar document prepared by D.R. Crandell in 1973. Our revision was motivated by the availability of new information about Mount Rainier’s geologic history, by advances in the field of volcanology, and by the need to assess hazards in a more quantitative manner than in Crandell’s pioneering report.

Washington↗
USGS1997

Volcano hazards in the Mount Hood region, Oregon

Mount Hood is a potentially active volcano close to rapidly growing communities and recreation areas. The most likely widespread and hazardous consequence of a future eruption will be for lahars (rapidly moving mudflows) to sweep down the entire length of the Sandy (including the Zigzag) and White River valleys. Lahars can be generated by hot volcanic flows that melt snow and ice or by landslides from the steep upper flanks of the volcano. Structures close to river channels are at greatest risk of being destroyed. The degree of hazard decreases as height above a channel increases, but large lahars can affect areas more than 30 vertical meters (100 vertical feet) above river beds. The probability of eruption-generated lahars affecting the Sandy and White River valleys is 1-in-15 to l-in-30 during the next 30 years, whereas the probability of extensive areas in the Hood River Valley being affected by lahars is about ten times less. The accompanying volcano-hazard-zonation map outlines areas potentially at risk and shows that some areas may be too close for a reasonable chance of escape or survival during an eruption. Future eruptions of Mount Hood could seriously disrupt transportation (air, river, and highway), some municipal water supplies, and hydroelectric power generation and transmission in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.

Oregon↗
USGS1995

Volcano hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington

Mount Rainier—at 4393 meters (14,410 feet) the highest peak in the Cascade Range—is a dormant volcano whose load of glacier ice exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. This tremendous mass of rock and ice, in combination with great topographic relief, poses a variety of geologic hazards, both during inevitable future eruptions and during the intervening periods of repose. The volcano’s past behavior is the best guide to possible future hazards. The written history of Mount Rainier encompasses the period since about A.D. 1820, during which time one or two small eruptions, many small debris flows, and several small debris avalanches have occurred. This time interval is far too brief to serve as a basis for estimating the future behavior of a volcano that is several hundreds of thousands of years old. Fortunately, prehistoric deposits record the types, magnitudes, and frequencies of past events, and show which areas were affected by them. At Mount Rainier, as at other Cascade volcanoes, deposits produced since the latest ice age (approximately during the past 10,000 years) are well preserved. Studies of these deposits reveal that we should anticipate potential hazards from some phenomena that only occur during eruptions and from others that may occur without eruptive activity. Tephra falls, pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges, ballistic projectiles, and lava flows occur only during eruptions. Debris avalanches, debris flows, and floods commonly accompany eruptions, but can also occur during dormant periods. This report (1) explains the various types of hazardous geologic phenomena that could occur at Mount Rainier, (2) shows areas that are most likely to be affected by the different phenomena, (3) estimates the likelihood that the areas will be affected, and (4) recommends actions that can be taken to protect lives and property. It builds upon and revises a similar document prepared by D.R. Crandell in 1973. Our revision was motivated by the availability of new information about Mount Rainier’s geologic history, by advances in the field of volcanology, and by the need to assess hazards in a more quantitative manner than in Crandell’s pioneering report.

Washington↗
USGS1995

Sedimentology, Behavior, and Hazards of Debris Flows at Mount Rainier, Washington

Mount Rainier is potentially the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range because of its great height, frequent earthquakes, active hydrothermal system, and extensive glacier mantle. Many debris flows and their distal phases have inundated areas far from the volcano during postglacial time. Two types of debris flows, cohesive and noncohesive, have radically different origins and behavior that relate empirically to clay content. The two types are the major subpopulations of debris flows at Mount Rainier. The behavior of cohesive flows is affected by the cohesion and adhesion of particles; noncohesive flows are dominated by particle collisions to the extent that particle cataclasis becomes common during near-boundary shear. Cohesive debris flows contain more than 3 to 5 percent of clay-size sediment. The composition of these flows changed little as they traveled more than 100 kilometers from Mount Rainier to inundate parts of the now-populated Puget Sound lowland. They originate as deep-seated failures of sectors of the volcanic edifice, and such failures are sufficiently frequent that they are the major destructional process of Mount Rainier's morphologic evolution. In several deposits of large cohesive flows, a lateral, megaclast-bearing facies (with a mounded or hummocky surface) contrasts with a more clay-rich facies in the center of valleys and downstream. Cohesive flows at Mount Rainier do not correlate strongly with volcanic activity and thus can recur without warning, possibly triggered by non-magmatic earthquakes or by changes in the hydrothermal system. Noncohesive debris flows contain less than 3 to 5 percent clay-size sediment. They form most commonly by bulking of sediment in water surges, but some originate directly or indirectly from shallow slope failures that do not penetrate the hydrothermally altered core of the volcano. In contrast with cohesive flows, most noncohesive flows transform both from and to other flow types and are, therefore, the middle segments of flow waves that begin and end as flood surges. Proximally, through the bulking of poorly sorted volcaniclastic debris on the flanks of the volcano, flow waves expand rapidly in volume by transforming from water surges through hyperconcentrated stream flow (20 to 60 percent sediment by volume) to debris flow. Distally, the transformations occur more slowly in reverse order - from debris flow, to hyperconcentrated flow, and finally to normal streamflow with less than 20 percent sediment by volume. During runout of the largest noncohesive flows, hyperconcentrated flow has continued for as much as 40 to 70 kilometers. Lahars (volcanic debris flows and their deposits) have occurred frequently at Mount Rainier over the past several thousand years, and generally they have not clustered within discrete eruptive periods as at Mount St. Helens. An exception is a period of large noncohesive flows during and after construction of the modern summit cone. Deposits from lahar-runout flows, the hyperconcentrated distal phases of lahars, document the frequency and extent of noncohesive lahars. These deposits also record the following transformations of debris flows: (1) the direct, progressive dilution of debris flow to hyperconcentrated flow, (2) deposition of successively finer grained lobes of debris until only the hyperconcentrated tail of the flow remains to continue downstream, and (3) dewatering of coarse debris flow deposits to yield fine-grained debris flow or hyperconcentrated flow. Three planning or design case histories represent different lengths of postglacial time. Case I is representative of large, infrequent (500 to 1,000 years on average) cohesive debris flows. These flows need to be considered in long-term planning in valleys around the volcano. Case II generalizes the noncohesive debris flows of intermediate size and recurrence (100 to 500 years). This case is appropriate for consideration in some structural design. Case III flows are

Professional Paper↗
USGS1993

Water fact sheet, history of landslides and debris flows at Mount Rainier

Many landslides and debris flows have originated from Mount Rainier since the retreat of glaciers from Puget Sound about 10,000 years ago. The recurrent instability is due to several factors--height of the steep-sided volcanic cone, frequent volcanic activity, continuous weakening of rock by steam and hot, chemical-laden water, and exposure of unstable areas as the mountains glaciers have receded. The landslide scars and deposits tell a fascinating story of the changing shape of the volcano. Landslides occur when part of the volcano "collapses" or fails and slides away from the rest of the volcano. The failed mass rapidly breaks up into a jumble of disaggregated pieces that flow at high velocity like a fluid. Clay and water in the debris cause further change to a liquid slurry known as a debris flow or mudflow. Volcanic debris flows are also widely known by the Indonesian term "lahar." Although the largest debris flows at Rainier form from landslides, many smaller flows are caused by volcanic eruptions, intense rainfall, and glacial-outburst floods.

Washington↗
USGS1992

Sedimentology, behavior, and hazards of debris flows at Mount Rainier, Washington

Mount Rainier is potentially the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range because of its great height, frequent earthquakes, active hydrothermal system, and extensive glacier mantle. Many debris flows and their distal phases have inundated areas far from the volcano during postglacial time. Two types of debris flows, cohesive and noncohesive, have radically different behavior that relates empirically to clay content. The two types represent the observable end members of a continuum of debris flow characteristics at Mount Rainier. Cohesive flows exhibit behavior affected by the cohesion and adhesion of particles; noncohesive flows are dominated by particle collisions to the extent of extensive particle cataclasis during near-boundary shear. Cohesive debris flows contain more than 3 to 5 percent of clay-size sediment. The composition of these flows changed little during flow for more than 100 kilometers from Mount Rainier where they inundate parts of the now-populated Puget Sound Lowland. They originate as deep-seated failures of sectors of the volcanic edifice at a frequency indicating that such failures are the major destructional process of its morphologic evolution. In several deposits of large cohesive flows, a lateral, megaclast-bearing facies (with a mounded or hummocky surface) contrasts with a more clay-rich facies in the center of valleys and downstream. Cohesive flows at Mount Rainier do not correlate strongly with volcanic activity and thus can recur without warning, possibly triggered by nonmagmatic seismicity or by destabilization associated with the hydrothermal system. Noncohesive debris flows contain less than 3 to 5 percent of clay-size sediment. They form most commonly by hulking of sediment in water surges, but some originate directly or indirectly from shallow slope failures that do not penetrate the hydrothermally altered core of the volcano. In contrast with cohesive flows, most noncohesive flows transform both from and to other flow types, so that the debris flows are the middle segments of flow waves beginning and ending as flood surges. Proximally, through the bulking of poorly sorted, volcaniclastic debris on the flanks of the volcano, flow waves expand rapidly in volume by transforming from water surges through hyperconcentrated streamflow (20 to 60 percent sediment by volume) to debris flow. Distally, the transformations occur more slowly in reverse order--from debris flow, to hyperconcentrated flow, and finally to normal streamflow with less than 20 percent sediment by volume. During runout of the largest noncohesive flows, hyperconcentrated flow has occurred for as much as 40 to 70 kilometers. Lahars (volcanic debris flows and their deposits) occurred at Mount Rainier throughout later postglacial time and not as groups of closely time-related flows during discrete eruptive periods as at Mount St. Helens. An exception is a period of large noncohesive flows during and after construction of the modern summit cone. Laharrunout flows, the hyperconcentrated flows forming the distal phases of lahars, document the frequency and extent of noncohesive lahars. Deposits record the following transformations of debris flows: (1) the direct, progressive dilution of debris flow to hyperconcentrated flow, (2) deposition of successively finer grained lobes of debris until only the hyperconcentrated tail of the flow remains to continue downstream, and (3) dewatering of coarse debris flow deposits to yield fine-grained debris flow or hyperconcentrated flow. Three planning or design case histories represent different lengths of postglacial time. Case I is representative of large, infrequent (500 to 1,000 years on average) cohesive debris flows. These flows need to be considered in long-term planning in valleys around the volcano. Case II generalizes the noncohesive debris flows of intermediate size and recurrence (100 to 500 years). This case is appropriate for consideration in some structural design. Case III flows are relatively small but more frequent (less than 100 years on average).

Washington↗