Volcanic Processes in the Sedimentary Record

Book excerpt: Volcanoes and sedimentary systems are linked by a strong relationship. The ascent and eruption of magma liberates large volumes of material, through a variety of mechanisms, to the surrounding environment, with subsequent sediment input and transport influencing the evolution of that environment. This connection between volcanism and adjacent sedimentary systems has long attracted the attention of geologists, giving rise to an increasing body of academic research over the past three decades. Volcanic Processes in the Sedimentary Record: When Volcanoes Meet the Environment collects innovative works exploring how volcanoes and sedimentary systems interact, moving from the processes directly associated with eruptive behaviour, to the most distal sedimentary offshoots, where volcanogenic particles are accumulated during or after volcanic activity. In doing this, different volcanic and environmental settings are explored, travelling through space and time, showing how volcaniclastic detritus is produced and dispersed by volcanic, volcano-sedimentary and sedimentary mechanisms, via processes affecting development of volcanic edifices themselves through to the most distal depocentres.