Comparison of Large Tephra Eruptions

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LARGE HISTORIC TEPHRA ERUPTIONS - WORLDWIDE*

PRE-HISTORIC TEPHRA ERUPTIONS - WESTERN U.S.**

AREA		ERUPTION	CALDERA	DATE	VOLUME (cu km)
WASHINGTON
	Mt. St. Helens
		1980 eruption	.	1980 A.D.	0.2
OREGON
	Mt. Hood
		Old Maid eruptive period	.	1800 A.D.	0.15
		Timberline eruptive period	.	400 A.D.	0.7
	Newberry Volcano
		BOF pumice and ashflow	Newberry	700 A.D.	0.01
		Lava Butte	.	5050 B.C.	0.03
		lapilli tuff of west flank	Newberry	0.3 Ma	10+
		Tepee Draw Tuff	Newberry	0.5 Ma	10+
	South Sister
		Devils Hill vents	.	60 A.D.	0.07
		Rock Mesa	.	180 B.C.	0.1
	Mt. Mazama
		Llao Rock	.	5850 B.C.	10
		Climactic	Crater Lake	5680 B.C.	75
	Harney Basin
		Rattlesnake Tuff	WSW of Burns	6.6 Ma	500+?
		Prater Creek Tuff	Unnamed	8.8 Ma	10+?
		Devine Canyon Tuff	E of Burns	9.5 Ma	100+?
CALIFORNIA
	Mono Craters
		North Mono eruption	.	1445 A.D.	0.?
	Inyo Craters
		Obsidian Dome vent	.	1400 A.D.	0.02
		Deadman Creek vent	.	1400 A.D.	0.1
		Glass Creek vent	.	1400 A.D.	0.1
	Long Valley
		Bishop Tuff	Long Valley	0.73 Ma	600+
IDAHO AND WYOMING
	Yellowstone - Island Park
		Lava Creek Tuff	Yellowstone	0.6 Ma	1,000
		Mesa Falls Tuff	Henrys Fork	1.2 Ma	280
		Huckleberry Ridge Tuff	Huckleberry Ridge	2.0 Ma	2,500
IDAHO
	Heise Volcanic Field
		tuff of Kilgore	Kilgore	4.3 Ma	1,000
		tuff of Blue Creek	Blue Creek	6.0 Ma	1,400
		tuff of Blacktail	Blacktail	6.5 Ma	1,500
NEW MEXICO
		Bandelier Tuff Members
		....Tshirige	.	1.1 Ma	200+
		....Otowi	Toledo	1.4 Ma	200+
NEVADA
	South Central
		Thirsty Canyon Tuff Members
		....Labyrinth Canyon	Black Mtn.	6.2 Ma	1
		....Gold Flat	Black Mtn.	6.? Ma	20
		....Trail Ridge	Black Mtn.	6.? Ma	50
		....Spearhead	Black Mtn.	6.7 Ma	125
		....Rocket Wash	Black Mtn.	7.5 Ma	125
		Timber Mountain Tuff Members
		....Ammonia Tanks	Timber Mtn.	11.1 Ma	900
		....Rainier Mesa	Timber Mtn.	11.3 Ma	1,200
		Paintbrush Tuff Members
		....Tiva Canyon	Oasis Valley	12.5 Ma	1,000
		....Yucca Flat	Oasis Valley	12.? Ma	8
		....Pah Canyon	Claim Canyon	12.? Ma	20
		....Topopah Spring	Claim Canyon	13.2 Ma	250
	Central
		Shingle Pass Tuff Members
		....Upper	Unnamed	26.0 Ma	1,100
		....Lower	Unnamed	26.7 Ma	700
		Monotony Tuff	Unnamed	27.3 Ma	3,000
		Windous Butte Tuff	Williams Ridge	31.4 Ma	3,500
	Eastern (and W. UTAH)
		Hiko/Racer Canyon Tuff	Caliente	18.6 Ma	1,000
		Harmony Hills Tuff	Caliente	21.0 Ma	700
		Bauers Tuff	Caliente	22.7 Ma	1,000
		Leach Canyon Tuff	Caliente	24.0 Ma	1,800
		Wah Wah Springs Tuff	Indian Peak	29.5 Ma	3,200+
		Cottonwood Wash Tuff	Indian Peak	30.6 Ma	1,500
COLORADO (San Juan Volcanic Field)
	Southeastern caldera complex
		Treasure Mountain Tuff Members
		....Ra Jadero	Summitville	28.4 Ma	125
		....Ojito Creek	Summitville	29.0 Ma	55
		....Middle	Platoro	29.2 Ma	70
		....La Jara Canyon	Platoro	29.3 Ma	750
		....Lower	Platoro	29.5 Ma	70+
		Tuff of Rock Creek	Platoro	32.0 Ma	20
	Central caldera cluster
		Tuff of Cochetopa Creek	San Luis	26.1 Ma	75
		Nelson Mtn. Tuff	San Luis	26.1 Ma	300
		Tuff of Cebolla Creek	San Luis	26.? Ma	75
		Rat Creek Tuff	San Luis	26.3 Ma	50-
		Snowshoe Mtn. Tuff	Creede	26.6 Ma	500+
		Wason Park Tuff	South River	27.2 Ma	500+
		Carpenter Ridge Tuff	Bachelor	27.4 Ma	1,000+
		Fish Canyon Tuff	La Garita	27.8 Ma	3,000+
		Masonic Park Tuff	Mount Hope	38.4 Ma	750
	Western caldera cluster
		Sunshine Peak Tuff	Lake City	23.1 Ma	300
		Crystal Lake Tuff	Silverton	28.0 Ma	75
		Sapinero Mesa Tuff	Uncompahgre/San Juan	28.2 Ma	1,000+
		Dillon Mesa Tuff	Uncompahgre?	28.? Ma	75
		Blue Mesa Tuff	Lost Lake	28.? Ma	300
		Ute Ridge Tuff	Ute Creek	28.4 Ma	500+

**Sources of information include: Bacon, C.R., 1983, Eruptive history of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake caldera Cascade Range, U.S.A.: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 18, no. 1-4, p. 57-115. Bailey, R.A., Miller, C.D., and Sieh, K., 1989, Excursion 13B: Long Valley caldera and Mono-Inyo volcanic chain, eastern California, in Chapin, C.E. and Zidek, J. (eds), Field excursions to volcanic terranes in the western United States, Volume II: Cascades and Intermountain West: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir 47, p. 227-254. Best, M.G., Christiansen, E.H., Deino, A.L., Gromme, G.S., McKee, E.H., and Noble D.C., 1989, Excursion 3A: Eocene through Miocene volcanism in the Great Basin of the western United States, in Chapin, C.E. and Zidek, J. (eds), Field excursions to volcanic terranes in the western United States, Volume II: Cascades and Intermountain West: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir 47, p. 91-134. Bonnichsen, B., Christiansen, R.L., Morgan, L.A., Moye, F.J., Hackett, W.R., Leeman, W.P., Honjo, N., Jenks, M.D., and Godchaux,M.M., 1989, Excursion 4A: Silicic volcanic rocks in the Snake River Plain-Yellowstone Plateau province, in Chapin, C.E. and Zidek, J. (eds), Field excursions to volcanic terranes in the western United States, Volume II: Cascades and Intermountain West: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir 47, p. 134-183. Christiansen, R.L., 1979, Cooling units and composite sheets in relation to caldera structure, in Chapin, C.E. and Elston, W.E. (eds), Ash-Flow Tuffs: Geological Society of America Special Paper 180, p. 29-42. Jensen, R.A., 1995, Roadside Guide to the Geology of Newberry Volcano: Bend, Oregon, CenOreGeoPub, 155 p. Lipman, P.W., 1989, Excursion 16B: Oligocene-Miocene San Juan volcanic field, Colorado, in Chapin, C.E. and Zidek, J., eds., Field excursions to volcanic terranes in the western United States, Volume I: Southern Rocky Mountain region: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Memoir 46, p. 303-380. MacLeod, N.S., Sherrod, D.R., Chitwood, L.A., and Jensen, R.A., 1995, Geologic map of Newberry Volcano, Deschutes, Klamath, and Lake Counties, Oregon: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Geologic Investigations Map I-2455. Scott, W.E., 1987, Holocene rhyodacite eruptions on the flanks of South Sister volcano, Oregon, in Fink, J.H., ed., The Emplacement of Silicic Domes and Lava Flows: Geological Society of America Special Paper 212, p. 25-53. Wood, C.A. and Kienle, J. (eds), 1990, Volcanoes of North America: Cambridge University Press, 354 p.