Field Methods in Volcanology and Tephrostratigraphy
July 15-26, 2025
This course will deliver a hands-on experience to students who wish to learn how to study volcanic tephra deposits in the field. The course will include lectures about the Wrangell Volcanic Field and Mt Churchill – the source of the north and east lobes of the White River ash deposits. We will also learn how to use field data to estimate eruption volume, magnitude and VEI, and examine volcano hazards and implications for Alaska and Canada. The field trip will take place over 11 days in Alaska and Canada. We will visit outcrops of the White River ash, north and east lobes, learn how to log a stratigraphic section from tephra deposits, sampling, and a tephra isopach exercise. After returning from the field, students will compile isopach data and discuss eruption magnitude and modern-day hazards in the event Mt Churchill erupts in the future.
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