Catalog of Mount St. Helens 2004-2005 Tephra Samples with Major and Trace-element Geochemistry

Abstract

This open-file report presents a catalog of information about 135 ash samples along with geochemical analyses of bulk ash, glass and individual mineral grains from tephra deposited as a result of volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens, Washington, from October 1, 2004 until August 15, 2005. This data, in conjunction with that in a companion report on 2004–2007 Mount St. Helens dome samples by Thornber and others (2008a) are presented in support of the contents of the U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1750 (Sherrod and others, ed., 2008). Readers are referred to appropriate chapters in USGS Professional Paper 1750 for detailed narratives of eruptive activity during this time period and for interpretations of sample characteristics and geochemical data presented here. All ash samples reported herein are currently archived at the David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington. The Mount St. Helens 2004–2005 Tephra Sample Catalogue along with bulk, glass and mineral geochemistry are tabulated in 6 worksheets of the accompanying Microsoft Excel file, of2008-1131.xls. Samples in all tables are organized by collection date. Table 1 is a detailed catalog of sample information for tephra deposited downwind of Mount St. Helens between October 1, 2004 and August 18, 2005. Table 2 provides major- and trace-element analyses of 8 bulk tephra samples collected throughout that interval. Major-element compositions of 82 groundmass glass fragments, 420 feldspar grains, and 213 mafic (clinopyroxene, amphibole, hypersthene, and olivine) mineral grains from 12 ash samples collected between October 1, 2004 and March 8, 2005 are presented in tables 3 through 5. In addition, trace-element abundances of 198 feldspars from 11 ash samples (same samples as major-element analyses) are provided in table 6. Additional mineral and bulk ash analyses from 2004 and 2005 ash samples are published in chapters 30 (oxide thermometry; Pallister and others, 2008), 32 (amphibole major elements; Thornber and others, 2008b) and 37 (210Pb; 210Pb/226Pa; Reagan and others, 2008) of U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1750 (Sherrod and others, 2008). A brief overview of sample collection methods is given below as an aid to deciphering the tephra sample catalog. This is followed by an explanation of the categories of sample information (column headers) in table 1. A summary of the analytical methods used to obtain the geochemical data in this report introduces the presentation of major- and trace-element geochemistry of Mount St. Helens 2004–2005 tephra samples in tables 2–6. Rhyolite glass standard analyses are reported (Appendix 1) to demonstrate the accuracy and precision of similar glass analyses presented herein.