Particle Fall through the

atmosphere
Lecture #5
Ashfall Class 2009

Distance d travelled by an object falling for

time t:
Time t taken for an object to fall distance d:

Instantaneous velocity vi of a falling object

after elapsed time t:
Instantaneous velocity vi of a falling object
that has travelled distance d:
Average velocity va of an object that has
been falling for time t (averaged over time):
Average velocity va of a falling object that
has travelled distance d (averaged over
time):
use g = 9.8 m/s (metres per second squared; which might be thought
of as "metres per second, per second. Assuming SI units, g is measured
in metres per second squared, so d must be measured in metres, t in
seconds and v in metres per second.
air resistance is neglected--- quite inaccurate after only 5 seconds

Particle Fallout
After a very short time, ~4 seconds, particles
will reach a terminal velocity in earth's
atmosphere, with their gravitational attraction
to the earth balanced by air resistance. Small
particles have dominant air resistance (fall
slowly) while large particles have dominant
gravity (fall rapidly).

Reynolds Number
Re
Reynolds number is a dimensionless number
(i.e. it has no units) that is a measure of the
type of flow through a fluid. In the case of
falling particles, this describes the way that air
flows around the particle. There are three
basic types:
laminar where Re < 0.4,
intermediate where 0.4 < Re < 500, and
turbulent where Re > 500.

RN =dvt/

Fast-falling
Large
Pyroclasts

Medium and
small pyroclasts

D=
1mm

D=
1m

.01
cm/
s
Laminar flow;
RN =

10-2

10
m/s
RN = 20

RN = 40

RN = 104

Turbulent flow;
RN = 106

Fluid dynamics applies dimensionless analysis of fall of spheres in the

atmosphere, which shows that experience with large pyroclasts might not apply
to smaller ones which fall much more slowly

Conventional Wisdom:
Particle Reynolds
number, Re :
Particle Settling ratio of inertial force
p

to viscous force per

unit mass

Drag force:

(i) viscous drag

(friction between
the fluid and the
particle surface)

Rep = Vtd / v
Vt = particle terminal

fall velocity;
d = particle diameter;
v = fluid kinematic
viscosity

(ii) form drag

(inertial force
caused by the
acceleration of
fluid around the
particle as it falls)

Rep :
> 500 turbulent
1-500 transitional
<1 laminar

From Sparks et al. [1997]

particle accelerates due to gravity

Larger pyroclasts,
those >2mm in
diameter, fall in a
turbulent flow
regime (Re> 500)
through the
atmosphere. Small
pyroclasts, <1/16
mm (62 m or 4 ),
fall in laminar flow
regime (Re<0.4).
Intermediate size
particles are
transitional.

Particle Terminal Fall Velocity

For large particles (Rep > 500)
inertial forces dominate:

4
d
(

f)
g
t

3
C
d

For small particles (Rep < 1)

- viscous forces dominate:
2
pgd

Vt
18

d = particle diameter

p = particle density

p = particle density

g = acceleration due to gravity

f = fluid density

d = particle diameter

g = acceleration due to gravity

v = kinematic viscosity

Cd = dimensionless drag coefficient

10

Fall of spherical particles in earths atmosphere

Schneider et al., 1999, J Geophys Res 104 4037-4050

Particle Terminal Fall Velocity

Mean particle size
at ~330 km from
MSH (Ritzville,
WA) was 20
microns; Vt ~0.20.4 ms-1

100 micron
diameter
particle has
Vt of ~4-7
ms-1
12

Atmospheric Structure

Environmental parameters determined from the radiosonde sounding taken

13
at Spokane International Airport at 1800 UTC on 18 May 1980.

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Bonadonna et al., 1998

Figure 2 Typical stereo-pair taken at 8o tilt angle.

Owen P Mills, MS
thesis, Michigan Tech,
2007

Figure 3. Digital elevation map produced from stereo-pair in Figure 2.

Augustine ash P Izbekov

Ash is NOT
spherical!
Riley et al., 2003

Riley et al., 2003

Rose W I, C M Riley and S Dartevelle, 2003, J Geology, 111:115-124.

Riley et al., 2003

Riley et al., 2003

Riley et al., 2003

Riley et al., 2003

Rose W I, C M Riley and S Dartevelle, 2003, J Geology, 111:115-124.

Rose W I, C M Riley and S Dartevelle, 2003, J Geology, 111:115-124.

Riley et al., 2003