Fish Canyon Tuff

The Fish Canyon Tuff is the large volcanic ash flow deposit resulting from one of the largest known explosive eruptions on Earth, estimated at 1,200 cu mi (5,000 km3).[1] (see List of largest volcanic eruptions) The eruption was centered at La Garita Caldera in southwest Colorado. The tuff can be assumed to belong to one eruption due to its high chemical consistency (SiO2=bulk 67.5–68.5% (dacite), matrix 75–76% (rhyolite) and consistent phenocryst content (35–50%) and composition (plagioclase, sanidine, quartz, biotite, hornblende, sphene, apatite, zircon, Fe-Ti oxides are the primary phenocrysts). This tuff and eruption is part of the larger San Juan volcanic field and Mid-Tertiary ignimbrite flare-up.

Fish Canyon Tuff eruption
The Fish Canyon Tuff ignimbrite
VolcanoLa Garita Caldera
DateAbout 28 million years ago
TypeUltra-Plinian
LocationColorado, United States
37°45′23″N 106°56′03″W
VEI8

See also

References

  1. Ort, Michael. "Largest explosive eruptions:". Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.