VOLCANIC LANDSLIDES
Marysvale Volcanic Field, Southwest Utah
The Marysvale volcanic field experienced multiple sector collapse events during the Oligocene to Miocene. Many aspects of these these massive slides are still poorly understood including: initiation, mobility, and the paleoenvironmental conditions existing during episodes of collapse. My research has focused on detailed geologic mapping of these slides to understand emplacement mechanisms (funded by the USGS EdMap Program - Smith et al., 2019a), and using UAV photogrammetry and geochemistry to analyze volcaniclastic stratigraphy to understand the paleoenvironmental conditions present during the emplacement of various volcanic landslides or gravity slides (Smith et al., 2019b). Ongoing research includes the analysis of dikes and paleo stress conditions during the initiation of the Sevier, Markagunt, and Black Mountains gravity slides.