The first part of the week involved attending a workshop at the University of Oregon on benchmarking numerical ash flow models. These models are based on input conditions from field investigations and large-scale experiments and are valuable in improving volcanic hazard assessment. The workshop was attended by 43 participants from global institutions, with the goal of discussing recent advances in ash flow modeling, current challenges, and future pathways and objectives.
The second half of the week took us to Crater Lake, where 15 researchers from the US, UK, Germany, and New Zealand gathered, each with experience in field volcanology and modelling. The field trip involved studying deposits from the Mount Mazama eruption from 7,700 years ago, which formed what is now known as Crater Lake. The main aim of this field trip was to collect samples of ash flow deposits while developing a framework for field and lab analysis methodologies. Such data is critical for understanding and modelling volcanic ash flows and for hazard evaluation.
As part of our Boise State role, we sampled according to the method used in our own previous studies. We will compare our results with those of the other samplers who used different sampling strategies. This is important in establishing measurement standards, which feed into models and improve analysis of these volcanic deposits and hazards.