Mass flux decay timescales of volcanic particles due to aeolian processes in the Argentinian Patagonia steppe.

We investigate the timescales of the horizontal mass flux decay of wind remobilised volcanic particles in Argentina, associated with the tephra-fallout deposit produced by the 2011-2012 Cordón Caulle (Chile) eruption. Particle removal processes are controlled by complex interactions of meteorological conditions, surface properties and particle depletion with time. We find that ash remobilisation follows a two-phase exponential decay with specific timescales for the initial input of fresh ash (1-74 days) and the following soil stabilisation processes (3-52 months).