PDCD-DAT – A global database of pyroclastic density current deposit field data

Joshua Brown, Rebecca Williams , Sarah Ogburn, Briitany Brand, Eric Breard, Sylvain J Charbonnier, Natasha Joanne Dowey , Josef Dufek, Mark Jellinek, Ulrich Kueppers, Gert Lube, Pete Rowley 

Pyroclastic density currents represent one of the deadliest hazards posed by active volcanoes. Analysis of their deposits provides valuable insights into their internal dynamics and informs numerical simulations of pyroclastic density currents which underpin many volcanic hazard assessments. We present PDCD-DAT, a global database of pyroclastic density current deposit characteristics compiled from peer-reviewed literature. The database includes both quantitative datasets (e.g., grain size, density, bedform dimensions, thickness) and qualitative descriptors (e.g., sedimentary structures, lithofacies). PDCD-DAT includes data from 85 source publications, covering 97 eruptions or eruptive phases, and 214 individual depositional units from 55 globally distributed volcanoes. Eruptions recorded in the database range from VEI 1-8. We highlight examples of potential applications of the database, which include i) comparison of single deposit case studies to global datasets, ii) informing input parameters and conditions for numerical and analogue models of pyroclastic density currents, iii) validation of numerical and analogue models against a wide variety of natural case study deposit architectures, and iv) estimating hazard impact metrics of pyroclastic density currents from past eruptions. We show that the database represents a useful tool for improving our ability to model pyroclastic density currents, predict their associated hazards and understand the relationships between the internal dynamics of pyroclastic density currents and the properties of their deposits. PDCD-DAT is integrated with the FlowDat Mass Flow Database, which provides a sustainable platform for the database. We aim for PDCD-DAT to be expanded in the future through addition of pyroclastic density current deposit datasets from new field studies conducted by the volcanology research community.