Environmental Science
Volcanic Ash and the Making of Soil Chronosequences
Quick fact
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens deposited ash that, within just a few decades, began forming recognizable soil layers—showing how quickly weathering can act.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a forest whose soil is made of countless ancient volcanic eruptions—each one a layer in a time cake. Yet, how can we tell how old each slice is?