This project is for field and related studies on the 7,200-yr old Socompa volcano avalanche deposit, north Chile, which is arguably the best exposed large avalanche deposit in the world. Fieldwork will focus on elucidating the original shape and stratigraphy of the volcano, determining the trajectories within the avalanche of individual components of the original volcanic edifice and deciphering the post-collapse history of the volcano. Digital elevation models and existing computational algorithms for the kinetics of moving avalanches will be used to model the trajectories of individual components and to determine the source regions of debris streams within the avalanche deposit remote sensing data will be used. All of these will be used to determine, as far as possible, the kinetics of the avalanche itself.
