Geology topics

R.J. Motyka

Publications and source records attributed to R.J. Motyka.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2007

Hazard assessment of the Tidal Inlet landslide and potential subsequent tsunami, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

An unstable rock slump, estimated at 5 to 10 × 10 6 m 3 , lies perched above the northern shore of Tidal Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. This landslide mass has the potential to rapidly move into Tidal Inlet and generate large, long-period-impulse tsunami waves. Field and photographic examination revealed that the landslide moved between 1892 and 1919 after the retreat of the Little Ice Age glaciers from Tidal Inlet in 1890. Global positioning system measurements over a 2-year period show that the perched mass is presently moving at 3–4 cm annually indicating the landslide remains unstable. Numerical simulations of landslide-generated waves suggest that in the western arm of Glacier Bay, wave amplitudes would be greatest near the mouth of Tidal Inlet and slightly decrease with water depth according to Green’s law. As a function of time, wave amplitude would be greatest within approximately 40 min of the landslide entering water, with significant wave activity continuing for potentially several hours.

Alaska↗

USGS1985

Stable-isotope evidence for a magmatic component in fumarole condensates from Augustine Volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska, U.S.A.

D/H and 18O 16O ratios have been determined for fumarole condensates from Augustine Volcano, an active calc-alkaline stratovolcano in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska. The isotopic data for the condensates form a linear ?? D-?? 18O array from low-temperature fluids (< 100??C) which are essentially local meteoric water (?? D {reversed tilde equals} -150???, ?? 18O {reversed tilde equals} -19???) to high-temperature (>450??C) fluids collected at the volcano summit which are enriched in both D and 18O (?? D {reversed tilde equals} -35???, ?? 18O {reversed tilde equals} +3.5???). Several lines of evidence suggest that the D-and 18O-rich condensates likely are "magmatic" fluids released into the hydrothermal system during and immediately after the 1976 eruption. Prior to 1976, the Augustine hydrothermal system was dominated completely by local meteoric waters. Between 1976 and 1982, fumarole condensates were observed to be variable mixtures of the "magmatic" fluid and meteoric water, with the proportion of the former systematically decreasing as the hydrothermal system cooled following the 1976 eruption. ?? 1985.

Chemical Geology↗