They exhibit mantle bedding—the deposits directly overlie pre-existing topography and maintain a uniform thickness over relatively short distances.
The distribution of pyroclastic ash depends largely on the direction of wind at intermediate and high altitudes between approximately 4.5 – 13 km.
The 1912 eruption in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Alaska) covered an area greater than 100,000 km2 to a depth of six mm.
Pyroclastic falls exhibit lateral and commonly vertical variations in the nature and size of fragments.
The 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius[2] produced the Pompeii Pumice which is an example of lateral and vertical variations.