Collaborative Research: Dendrochronological, Volcanological, and Archeological Study of Cinder Cone Eruptions of Paricutin and Sunset Crater

了解人类群体和火山喷发之间的全面互动对于预测火山灾害非常重要，而且对于洞察人类行为和人们适应灾难性事件的方式也非常重要。大多数关于人类/火山相互作用的描述都局限于过去几百年，限制了病例数量和预测模型的制定。在这项多学科的研究中，树轮的树状年代学和地球化学分析将被用来确定史前和未记录的历史时期喷发的日期，具有高度的准确性和精确度。然后，从这些方法得出的日期可以与考古记录或历史文献相结合，以调查和模拟人类群体与火山喷发相互作用的方式。受1943-1952年墨西哥米却肯州帕里库廷CE喷发影响的树木的初步地球化学数据显示，喷发期间磷、钙和锶的浓度发生了变化。其中一些相同的签名出现在亚利桑那州北部日落陨石坑火山(约公元1050-1100年)附近史前建筑的木材中。该项目将增加样本量并验证结果，然后将其应用于其他火山环境，并重新解释史前对日落陨石坑喷发的适应。该项目涉及来自三个不同科学学科和机构的合作者，以完成多学科研究，以增进对森林生态系统和人类对喷发的反应的了解。进一步了解人类与火山之间的相互作用最终可能有助于更好地管理受火山喷发影响的人群，从而有可能挽救生命和财产。这项研究还将被用于全州范围内的高中生学术竞赛、亚利桑那大学和北亚利桑那大学的本科生和研究生课程的课程，以及帮助少数族裔学生参与地球科学研究的UA项目“学生跨越国界”。科学报告和文章将在地球科学和考古学上发表。这项研究的结果也将被纳入日落陨石坑和乌帕特基国家纪念碑的新展品。

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.