DOI: 10.5066/p1vlz7fb
title: Simulations of tephra fall from Popocatépetl and Nevado de Toluca Volcanoes

description: This data release contains results of 6,000 simulations of volcanic ashfall from eruptions at Popocatépetl and Nevado de Teluca volcanoes in Mexico. From each model simulation, the deposit thickness was recorded at the location of a sediment core from Lake Chalco on the southeast edge of Mexico City (19.25718N, 98.97549W).
 
These results are reported in the accompanying paper:
 
Hodgetts, A.G.E., Watt, S.F.L., Smith, V.C., Sunye-Puchol, I, Mastin, L.G., Brown, E.T., Valero-Garces, 
B., Stockhecke, M., Ortega-Guerrero, B., Caballero, M., Lozano-Garcia, S., Arce, J.L., Werne, J.P., 
Fawcett, P., Noren, A., Brady-Shannon, K., (2025) A 400-kyr perspective on arc volcanism: 
an exceptional explosive eruption record from Central Mexico, Geological Society of America Bulletin
 
The 6,000 runs were divided into six sets of 1,000: three sets simulated eruptions from Popocatépetl, 
and three simulated eruptions from Nevado de Toluca.  Eruption source parameters for each set are as follows:
 
Set #            volcano         volume     duration     plume height
                                        km3 DRE       hrs           km asl
1               Popocatépetl      0.004        0.20          15.39
2                             "            0.040        1.80          22.99
3                             "            0.400        7.30          28.69
4            Nevado de Toluca  0.004        0.20          14.68
5                               "           0.040        1.80          21.28
6                               "           0.400        7.30          27.98
 
This data release contains the following files: 
 
Popo_input.inp       --Example Ash3d input file for Popocatépetl.  This file can be run using Ash3d
                         (https://code.usgs.gov/vsc/Ash3d/volcano-ash3d) along with NOAA NCEP Reanalysis 1
                         wind files (https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.ncep.reanalysis.html).  
                         Instructions in the Ash3d repository explain how to read this input file, and
                         set up and run the code.
                         Line 55 of this input file gives the eruption start time, duration, plume
                         height, and volume (DRE) for run #1 of set #1 above.  To run any other simulation
                         in set #1, substitute the eruption start time on line 55 with the start time
                         of that run, given in column 2 of the file "output_table.txt".  To run
                         any simulation in set #2 or #2, substitute the eruption duration, volume, and
                         plume height on line 55 with the corresponding value in the table above.
Toluca_input.inp     --Example input file for Nevado de Toluca.  Line 55 of this input file gives
                         inputs to run simulation #1 of set #4 in the table above.  To run any other
                         simulation in sets 4, 5, or 6, modify line 55 of this input file in the same 
                         way as explained for Popo_input.inp
 
output_summary.txt   --Summary output file containing the following:
                       column 1:  run number each of the six sets of runs given in the table above
                              2:  Eruption start date and time for each run number, given in 
                                    format "hhhhmmddhh.hh" where "yyyy" is the year, "mm" is the
                                    numerical month, "dd" is the day of the month, and "hh.hh" is
                                    hour and decimal hour of the day.
                            3-8:  thicknesses at the Lake Chalco core site for runs from sets 1, 2, 3, 4, 
                                    5, and 6 respectively.