Volcanically-derived deposits and sequences: a unified terminological scheme for application in modern and ancient environments

The genesis of particles and their transport mechanisms are the two fundamental factors driving the accumulation of sediments associated with volcanism or derived from volcanic sources. These factors are therefore the most important criteria on which to base a useful classification of sediments in such environments. However, the relative significance of the nature of particles v. the transporting mechanism forming a deposit varies in existing terminological schemes: those schemes applied where volcanological contextual information is available tend to give precedence to the transportation process; whereas sedimentological schemes examining ancient deposits tend to focus principally on the nature of particles. Here, we provide an outline of the challenges in classifying volcanically derived sediments and put forward a scheme that aims to bridge current terminological differences and accommodate variable levels of uncertainty. This work defines three endmembers ( primary volcaniclastic , secondary volcaniclastic , volcanic epiclastic ) that correspond to (a) deposits whose particles are produced, transported and emplaced directly by volcanic mechanisms; (b) deposits whose particles are produced directly by volcanic events but transported and accumulated by non-volcanic mechanisms, either in continuum with the events or after interim storage; (c) deposits whose particles are produced by weathering/erosion of volcanic terrains and transportation of derived material by non-volcanic mechanisms. When the complex combination of genetic and transportation processes accumulating volcaniclastic sequences is not clear, but a strong relationship between an eruptive event and the studied volcaniclastic deposit can still be demonstrated, a further category ( volcanogenic ) has been introduced.