Forensic recovery of transient eruption parameters for the 2360 BP fall deposit, Mount Meager, British Columbia

The 2360 BP eruption of Mount Meager, Canada featured an explosive subplinian onset resulting in dacitic fallout tephra and associated pumiceous pyroclastic flow deposits, followed by the effusion of dacite lava and the deposition of a thick sequence of block and ash flow deposits. Fall deposits are distributed to the NE of the vent onto a rugged, deeply incised landscape. The central axis of deposition is similar to 063 degrees Az; the lateral margins of the fall deposit are massive to unbedded whereas deposits underlying the plume axis feature complex bedding relationships. We present componentry and granulometry data for eight outcroppings of the fall deposit (four on plume axis and four off plume axis). Vertical cross-sections, based on surface outcrops and drill core logs from local commercial drilling programs, are used to relate the accessory lithics to their source depth in the underlying subvolcanic basement. These combined datasets inform on the dynamics of this explosive phase of the eruption including variations in column height, eruption intensity, atmospheric conditions, and depth to fragmentation front. The lateral variations within the fall strata reflect the effects of the prevailing atmospheric conditions on the form and dispersal pattern of the subplinian plume. Vertical variations in granulometry and componentry of the fall deposits are used to track temporal changes in eruption intensity and column height and the transient influence of the jetstream on the dispersal pattern of the plume. Lastly, vertical variations in lithic componentry, combined with our knowledge of the subsurface geology, are used to quantitatively track the deepening of the fragmentation front Our computed results show that the fragmentation front migrated from similar to 640 m to similar to 1160 m below the vent over the course of the 2360 BP Mount Meager eruption. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.