9614330 Fink The proposed research will combine field observations, theoretical analyses, and laboratory simulations to characterize and quantify the physical processes that accompany the interactions of lava flows and glacial ice. The resulting models will be used to calculate the quantities, timing, and locations of melt water likely to be generated by future eruptions of lava at the summits and flanks of glaciated volcanoes. The initial application will be to Mount Rainier, Washington, where the most probable eruptive activity would involve lava flows in the vicinity of glacial ice and snow, and where concerted efforts at hazards assessment by members of the U.S. Geological Survey and other researchers are ongoing. Laboratory simulations will use polyethylene glycol wax injected into cold water to reproduce the types of structures and textures generated when lava solidifies in contact with ice. These models should allow the textures and morphologies of the lava flows to be used to deduce their eruption rates.
