9527060 Self Recent work on the Columbia River flood basalts and the ongoing Kilauea eruption has led to a new hypothesis for the emplacement of flood basalt lava flows. Contrary to the results of previous workers, flood basalt lava flows could not have been turbulent. Instead, evidence indicates that these flows were emplaced over a period of years as inflating pahoehoe sheet flows. While the physical evidence is compelling, initial work still leaves many unanswered questions about the mechanics of the eruption and emplacement of these huge lava flows. Review of available data and conducting some new field experiments with an emphasis on large sheet flows will provide insight into inner workings of flood basalt lava flows. This investigation of the key physical processes will allow L. Keszthelyi to extend his current numerical modeling efforts of the CRB flows initiated under an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship. Combining careful measurement of flood basalt lava flows in the CRB and observation of active flows in Hawaii into numerical models is the only way to place quantitative constraints on the emplacement style and eruption duration of continental flood basalt lava flows. This will lay the necessary foundation for future quantitative estimates of the atmospheric and climatic impact of flood basalt eruptions. The proposed research will also lead to significant advances in understanding the behavior of lava flows in general.
