The propagation of gravity currents over complex terrain. Dust storms, volcanic eruptions, rivers rushing sediment into lakes and seas, and spillages of toxic liquids and gases, are all examples of environmental problems that can occur, and when they do, they threaten both wild life and human communities. This project involves research that will provide quantitative understanding of key processes in these problems from which reliable software will be built to predict their consequences. The soft ....The propagation of gravity currents over complex terrain. Dust storms, volcanic eruptions, rivers rushing sediment into lakes and seas, and spillages of toxic liquids and gases, are all examples of environmental problems that can occur, and when they do, they threaten both wild life and human communities. This project involves research that will provide quantitative understanding of key processes in these problems from which reliable software will be built to predict their consequences. The software will produce an animation of dust containing fluids moving over a landscape of arbitrary complexity.Read moreRead less
Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain th ....Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain the formation and location of major ore deposits of nickel, copper and platinum in Western Australia and elsewhere around the world.Read moreRead less
The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected ....The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected outcomes include: the ability to predict rates of lava flow cooling and advance, indicators of hazardous lava dome collapse, improved volcanic hazard assessments, explanations of the genesis of world-class magmatic ore deposits, and new interpretations of planetary surface morphologies.Read moreRead less