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El Chichon volcanic ash in the stratosphere: Particle abundances and size distributions after the 1982 eruption
Author(s) -
Gooding James L.,
Clanton Uel S.,
Gabel Elizabeth M.,
Warren Jack L.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl010i011p01033
Subject(s) - stratosphere , volcanic ash , volcano , explosive eruption , vulcanian eruption , silicic , geology , silicic acid , mineralogy , atmospheric sciences , caldera , environmental science , geochemistry , magma , oceanography
Volcanic ash particles collected from the stratosphere after the March/April, 1982 explosive eruption of El Chichòn volcano, Mexico, were mostly 2‐40‐µm vesicular shards of silicic volcanic glass that varied in abundance, at 16.8‐19.2 km altitude, from 200 m −3 (30‐49°N lat.) in May to 1.3 m −3 (45‐75°N) in October. At the minimum, the ash cloud covered latitudes 10‐60°N in July and 10°S‐75°N in October. In May and July, ash particles were mostly free, individual shards (and clusters of shards) but, by October, were intimately associated with liquid droplets (presumably, sulfuric acid). In May 1982, the total stratospheric burden of ash was at least 240 tons (2.2 × 10 8 g) although the total ash injected into the stratosphere by the eruption was probably 480‐8400 tons.