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Alatorre-Ibargüengoitia & Delgado-Granados 2006
Alatorre-Ibargüengoitia, M.A. and Delgado-Granados, H. (2006). Experimental determination of drag coefficient for volcanic materials: Calibration and application of a model to Popocatépetl volcano (Mexico) ballistic projectiles. Geophysical Research Letters 33: doi: 10.1029/2006GL026195. issn: 0094-8276.

This study shows the results of experiments performed in a subsonic wind tunnel to measure drag coefficients (Cd) for volcanic particles emitted by Popocat¿petl volcano (Mexico). The results indicate that volcanic projectiles move in a range of Reynolds number (Re) values where Cd is independent of Re. Drag coefficients of volcanic fragments were found between the values of spheres and cubes with low values. In this study, initial conditions of the ballistic equations were calibrated with the "launching" kinetic energy from ballistics expelled by Popocat¿petl volcano during the eruptive event of December 17, 1998. The maximum range of the projectiles calculated with the experimentally measured drag coefficient is in better agreement with the field and observational data reported here than using the values of geometrical bodies as in previous studies. Our study can be useful for definition of safety zones around volcanoes to protect people and infrastructure adequately.

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Abstract

Keywords
Volcanology, Volcanoclastic deposits, Volcanology, Eruption mechanisms and flow emplacement, Volcanology, Explosive volcanism, Volcanology, Experimental volcanism, Volcanology, Volcanic hazards and risks
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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