Scholarlink

<p>Regional geologic histories are key to mitigating the impact of geologic hazards on nearby communities, but standard geochronology remains costly and labor-intensive. In contrast, surface roughness derived from high-resolution topographic data is an emerging technique for relative and absolute dating of geomorphic features, yet its applicability to volcanic terrains remains largely unexplored. Here, we evaluate if changes in lava flow roughness can be reliably quantified and used as a proxy for lava flow age. We compile an inventory of 17 predominantly postglacial lava flows in the Mount Adams Volcanic Field (Washington, USA) spanning ~4–31&#xa0;ka, including 6 radiometrically dated flows. We calculate surface roughness for each lava flow from 1&#xa0;m LiDAR Digital Elevation Models using a moving-window standard deviation of slope metric. We fit both linear and exponential models to the roughness–age relationship and evaluate model performance using nonlinear least-squares regression, corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), and Monte Carlo simulations. Results demonstrate that surface roughness decreases systematically with age and is best described by an exponential decay function (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.96), with a well-constrained surface roughness decay constant corresponding to a characteristic smoothing timescale of ~6&#xa0;ka. These results, which represent proof of concept, demonstrate that lava flow surfaces undergo progressive smoothing consistent with diffusive geomorphic processes. This approach, the first of its kind for lava flows, offers a rapid and inexpensive tool for reconstructing volcanic histories and may improve hazard assessments for volcanoes worldwide.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Surface roughness dating for lava flows: a new remote sensing geochronometer for volcanic hazard assessment

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

查看全文
  • Isaac E. Pope,
  • Paul Santi,
  • Wendy A. Bohrson

摘要

Regional geologic histories are key to mitigating the impact of geologic hazards on nearby communities, but standard geochronology remains costly and labor-intensive. In contrast, surface roughness derived from high-resolution topographic data is an emerging technique for relative and absolute dating of geomorphic features, yet its applicability to volcanic terrains remains largely unexplored. Here, we evaluate if changes in lava flow roughness can be reliably quantified and used as a proxy for lava flow age. We compile an inventory of 17 predominantly postglacial lava flows in the Mount Adams Volcanic Field (Washington, USA) spanning ~4–31 ka, including 6 radiometrically dated flows. We calculate surface roughness for each lava flow from 1 m LiDAR Digital Elevation Models using a moving-window standard deviation of slope metric. We fit both linear and exponential models to the roughness–age relationship and evaluate model performance using nonlinear least-squares regression, corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), and Monte Carlo simulations. Results demonstrate that surface roughness decreases systematically with age and is best described by an exponential decay function (R2 = 0.96), with a well-constrained surface roughness decay constant corresponding to a characteristic smoothing timescale of ~6 ka. These results, which represent proof of concept, demonstrate that lava flow surfaces undergo progressive smoothing consistent with diffusive geomorphic processes. This approach, the first of its kind for lava flows, offers a rapid and inexpensive tool for reconstructing volcanic histories and may improve hazard assessments for volcanoes worldwide.