ABSTRACT

Understanding the full range of interactions between human groups and volcanic eruptions is of great importance for predicting volcanic hazards, but also for insights into human behavior and the ways in which populations adapt to catastrophic events. Most accounts of human/volcano interaction are confined to the past few hundred years, limiting the number of cases and the formulation of predictive models. In this multidisciplinary study, dendrochronological and geochemical analysis of tree-rings will be used to date prehistoric and unrecorded historic period eruptions with a high degree of both accuracy and precision. Dates derived from these methods can then be combined with the archaeological record or historic documentation to investigate and model the ways in which human groups interact with volcano eruptions.
Preliminary geochemical data from trees affected by the 1943-1952 CE eruption of Paricutin, Michoacan, Mexico, show changes in phosphorus, calcium, and strontium concentrations during the eruption. Some of these same signatures show up in the wood from prehistoric structures in the vicinity of Sunset Crater Volcano (~1050-1100 CE) in northern Arizona. This project will increase the sample size and verify the results before applying them in other volcanological settings and to re-interpret prehistoric adaptations to the Sunset Crater eruption.
This project involves collaborators from three different scientific disciplines and institutions to accomplish multidisciplinary research that will improve understanding of forest ecosystems and human responses to eruptions. An increased understanding of human-volcano interactions may eventually allow for better management of populations affected by eruptions, potentially saving lives and property. The research will also be used in curriculum for a statewide academic competition for high school students, undergraduate and graduate level courses at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, and a UA program, "Students Across Borders," which helps minority students participate in geosciences research. Scientific presentations and articles will occur in geosciences and archaeology. Results from this research will also be incorporated into new exhibits at the Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments.

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