Geomorphic disturbances are widely recognized as important processes that influence plant-community development and landscape-scale vegetation patterns [e.g., Veblen and Ashton (1978), Garwood et al. (1979), Swanson et al. (1988), and Malanson (1993)]. In volcanically active areas such as the Pacific Northwest, mudflows are locally important geomorphic disturbance events governing short- and long-term ecological conditions. Volcanic mudflows can scour and inundate river valleys with large volumes of debris (Janda et al. 1981; Pierson 1985; Vallance and Scott 1997; Scott 1988; Vallance 2000; Kovanen et al. 2001) and influence plant succession tens of kilometers downstream from their points of origin (Halpern and Harmon 1983; Adams and Dale 1987;Wood and del Moral 1987; Frenzen et al. 1988). In addition to altering plant succession, large volcanic mudflows can initiate a cascading chain of secondary disturbances that further modify the landscape and affect subsequent ecological responses (see Swanson and Major, Chapter 3, this volume).
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Frenzen, P.M. et al. (2005). Geomorphic Change and Vegetation Development on the Muddy River Mudflow Deposit. In: Dale, V.H., Swanson, F.J., Crisafulli, C.M. (eds) Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-28150-9_6
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