Russell Blong
Biographic Data
| ID | 4509306 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Russell Blong |
| GIVEN NAMES | Russell |
| FAMILY NAME | Blong |
| SIGNATURE | BLONG R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Macquarie University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9284-3747 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 55 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1972 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Holocene tephras in the New Guinea highlands
In the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), tephras are key chronostratigraphic markers for archaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies. Here, mid-Late-Holocene tephras are geochemically fingerprinted and correlated across seventeen sites in PNG. This enables the first regional scale assessment of the distribution of these tephras, with implications for both assessing eruption magnitude and interpreting site stratigraphy. In the past, stratigr…
The Size Inherited Age Effect on Radiocarbon Dates of Alluvial Deposits
Radiocarbon dates on charred plant remains are often used to define the chronology of archives such as lake cores and fluvial sequences. However, charcoal is often older than its depositional context because old-wood can be burnt and a range of transport and storage stages exist between the woodland and stream or lake bed (“inherited age”). In 1978, Blong and Gillespie dated four size fractions of charcoal found floating or saltating in the Macdo…
Inherited age of floating charcoal fragments in a sand-bed stream, Macdonald River, NSW, Australia
Radiocarbon dates on multiple individual charcoal fragments floating together down the Macdonald River, New South Wales, Australia, have calibrated ages spanning >1700 years. Partial explanations of this range of inherited ages can be attributed to the inbuilt age of living biomass, charcoalisation conditions, hillslope transport and storage and/or valley floor (fluvial) transport and storage, but the contribution of each of these components can …
Evaluating the Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect in Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
We examined the radiocarbon ( 14 C) reservoir effect in Lake Kutubu using tephrochronology and terrestrial plant material to deliver a precise age-depth profile and sedimentation rates for this lake. Based on the presence of two tephra horizons (Tibito and Olgaboli), we found a reservoir age offset in sediments of between 1490 and 2280 14 C yr using the sediment ages derived from the lead-210 ( 210 Pb) dating method. The live submerged biological…
Significance and timing of the mid-17th-century eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
Tibito Tephra was first recorded in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1971. By the late 1970s, the tephra had been mapped across tens of thousands of square kilometres, traced to its source on Long Island in the Bismarck Sea, and linked to pyroclastic density currents in the Matapun Beds on the island. With a tephra fall volume >10 km 3 , this eruption was clearly one of the 10 largest globally in the past 600 years. Although alm…
Dating the Last Major Eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
William Dampier, one of England’s greatest navigators, named, described, and drew a profile of Long Island, Papua New Guinea in 1700. As this island produced a very large volcanic eruption with a disputed seventeenth- or eighteenth-century date, his observations assist in determining whether the eruption occurred before or after his visit. This contribution uses Dampier’s recorded observations to elucidate where the Roebuck was when the Long Isla…
Fiji's worst natural disaster
At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelih…
The 2003 Heat Wave in France
In an analysis of the French episode of heat wave in 2003, this article highlights how heat wave dangers result from the intricate association of natural and social factors. Unusually high temperatures, as well as socioeconomic vulnerability, along with social attenuation of hazards, in a general context where the anthropogenic contribution to climate change is becoming more plausible, led to an excess of 14,947 deaths in France, between August 4…
Accounting for variability in commercial flood damage estimation
Flooding in the business district of Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, in 2001 allowed the collection and analysis of commercial flood damage data. Analysis indicated that direct losses were significant, totalling A$2.5 million. Data were variable owing to differences in the vulnerability of businesses to flood damage, differences in the impacts of the hazard upon businesses and survey uncertainty. Little direct relationship was found between …
A geography of natural perils
Earthquakes, tropical cyclones and floods are the most important natural perils in terms of human deaths on a global basis. In Australia, at least 4300 deaths in the last 200 years have been produced by heatwaves; about 2000–2200 each by tropical cyclones and floods; and bushfires and lightning strikes have each killed at least 650 people. On a global basis it appears that floods, tropical storms, droughts and earthquakes are the most damaging na…
The Rabaul eruption, 1994
Deaths in Natural Hazards in the Solomon Islands
Archival and library search techniques have been used to establish extensive databases on deaths and damage resulting from natural hazards in the Solomon Islands. Although the records of fatalities are certainly incomplete, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, landslides, tsunami and earthquakes appear to have been the most important. Only 22 per cent of the recorded deaths have resulted from meteorological hazards but a single event could chan…
Natural Hazards in the Papua New Guinea Highlands
Like most areas of the earth's surface, the Papua New Guinea Highlands experience a variety of natural hazards. This paper considers landslide, frost, volcanic, and epidemic hazards. It presents a number of case studies, including some dating from the pre-European contact period. An attempt is made to assess the relative significance of hazards in the area in terms of deaths per decade. Some of the evidence presented suggests that government inte…
Volcanic Hazards
Volcanic Hazards
The Nature of Highland Valleys, Central Papua New Guinea
Zusammen j assung: Die Morphogenese der Hochlandtaler von Central Papua, Neu-Guinea. Obgleich Bik (1967) andeutete, dafi die Bergtaler des Papua Neu Guinea-Hochlandes oberflachlich den von Louis (1957, 1964) beschriebenen ?Flachmuldentalern mit Rah menhohen gleichen, sind eingehende Untersuchungen erst kurzlich unternommen worden. Die Hangfufibereiche in einer Anzahl von Talern erge ben sich aus dem fortwahrenden Zuwachs von tonreichen Sedimenten…
Landslide form and hillslope morphology
(1974). Landslide form and hillslope morphology: An example from New Zealand. Australian Geographer: Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 425-438
Methods of Slope Profile Measurement in the Field
Volcanic Hazards
Volcanic Hazards
Fiji's worst natural disaster
At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelih…
Evaluating the Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect in Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
We examined the radiocarbon ( 14 C) reservoir effect in Lake Kutubu using tephrochronology and terrestrial plant material to deliver a precise age-depth profile and sedimentation rates for this lake. Based on the presence of two tephra horizons (Tibito and Olgaboli), we found a reservoir age offset in sediments of between 1490 and 2280 14 C yr using the sediment ages derived from the lead-210 ( 210 Pb) dating method. The live submerged biological…
Significance and timing of the mid-17th-century eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
Tibito Tephra was first recorded in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1971. By the late 1970s, the tephra had been mapped across tens of thousands of square kilometres, traced to its source on Long Island in the Bismarck Sea, and linked to pyroclastic density currents in the Matapun Beds on the island. With a tephra fall volume >10 km 3 , this eruption was clearly one of the 10 largest globally in the past 600 years. Although alm…
The Rabaul eruption, 1994
The Size Inherited Age Effect on Radiocarbon Dates of Alluvial Deposits
Radiocarbon dates on charred plant remains are often used to define the chronology of archives such as lake cores and fluvial sequences. However, charcoal is often older than its depositional context because old-wood can be burnt and a range of transport and storage stages exist between the woodland and stream or lake bed (“inherited age”). In 1978, Blong and Gillespie dated four size fractions of charcoal found floating or saltating in the Macdo…
Inherited age of floating charcoal fragments in a sand-bed stream, Macdonald River, NSW, Australia
Radiocarbon dates on multiple individual charcoal fragments floating together down the Macdonald River, New South Wales, Australia, have calibrated ages spanning >1700 years. Partial explanations of this range of inherited ages can be attributed to the inbuilt age of living biomass, charcoalisation conditions, hillslope transport and storage and/or valley floor (fluvial) transport and storage, but the contribution of each of these components can …
Dating the Last Major Eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
William Dampier, one of England’s greatest navigators, named, described, and drew a profile of Long Island, Papua New Guinea in 1700. As this island produced a very large volcanic eruption with a disputed seventeenth- or eighteenth-century date, his observations assist in determining whether the eruption occurred before or after his visit. This contribution uses Dampier’s recorded observations to elucidate where the Roebuck was when the Long Isla…
Accounting for variability in commercial flood damage estimation
Flooding in the business district of Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, in 2001 allowed the collection and analysis of commercial flood damage data. Analysis indicated that direct losses were significant, totalling A$2.5 million. Data were variable owing to differences in the vulnerability of businesses to flood damage, differences in the impacts of the hazard upon businesses and survey uncertainty. Little direct relationship was found between …
A geography of natural perils
Earthquakes, tropical cyclones and floods are the most important natural perils in terms of human deaths on a global basis. In Australia, at least 4300 deaths in the last 200 years have been produced by heatwaves; about 2000–2200 each by tropical cyclones and floods; and bushfires and lightning strikes have each killed at least 650 people. On a global basis it appears that floods, tropical storms, droughts and earthquakes are the most damaging na…
Deaths in Natural Hazards in the Solomon Islands
Archival and library search techniques have been used to establish extensive databases on deaths and damage resulting from natural hazards in the Solomon Islands. Although the records of fatalities are certainly incomplete, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, landslides, tsunami and earthquakes appear to have been the most important. Only 22 per cent of the recorded deaths have resulted from meteorological hazards but a single event could chan…
Methods of Slope Profile Measurement in the Field
Methods of Slope Profile Measurement in the Field
Landslide form and hillslope morphology
(1974). Landslide form and hillslope morphology: An example from New Zealand. Australian Geographer: Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 425-438
The Nature of Highland Valleys, Central Papua New Guinea
Zusammen j assung: Die Morphogenese der Hochlandtaler von Central Papua, Neu-Guinea. Obgleich Bik (1967) andeutete, dafi die Bergtaler des Papua Neu Guinea-Hochlandes oberflachlich den von Louis (1957, 1964) beschriebenen ?Flachmuldentalern mit Rah menhohen gleichen, sind eingehende Untersuchungen erst kurzlich unternommen worden. Die Hangfufibereiche in einer Anzahl von Talern erge ben sich aus dem fortwahrenden Zuwachs von tonreichen Sedimenten…
Volcanic Hazards
Natural Hazards in the Papua New Guinea Highlands
Like most areas of the earth's surface, the Papua New Guinea Highlands experience a variety of natural hazards. This paper considers landslide, frost, volcanic, and epidemic hazards. It presents a number of case studies, including some dating from the pre-European contact period. An attempt is made to assess the relative significance of hazards in the area in terms of deaths per decade. Some of the evidence presented suggests that government inte…
Volcanic Hazards
Deaths in Natural Hazards in the Solomon Islands
Archival and library search techniques have been used to establish extensive databases on deaths and damage resulting from natural hazards in the Solomon Islands. Although the records of fatalities are certainly incomplete, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, landslides, tsunami and earthquakes appear to have been the most important. Only 22 per cent of the recorded deaths have resulted from meteorological hazards but a single event could chan…
The Rabaul eruption, 1994
A geography of natural perils
Earthquakes, tropical cyclones and floods are the most important natural perils in terms of human deaths on a global basis. In Australia, at least 4300 deaths in the last 200 years have been produced by heatwaves; about 2000–2200 each by tropical cyclones and floods; and bushfires and lightning strikes have each killed at least 650 people. On a global basis it appears that floods, tropical storms, droughts and earthquakes are the most damaging na…
Accounting for variability in commercial flood damage estimation
Flooding in the business district of Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, in 2001 allowed the collection and analysis of commercial flood damage data. Analysis indicated that direct losses were significant, totalling A$2.5 million. Data were variable owing to differences in the vulnerability of businesses to flood damage, differences in the impacts of the hazard upon businesses and survey uncertainty. Little direct relationship was found between …
The 2003 Heat Wave in France
In an analysis of the French episode of heat wave in 2003, this article highlights how heat wave dangers result from the intricate association of natural and social factors. Unusually high temperatures, as well as socioeconomic vulnerability, along with social attenuation of hazards, in a general context where the anthropogenic contribution to climate change is becoming more plausible, led to an excess of 14,947 deaths in France, between August 4…
Fiji's worst natural disaster
At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelih…
Dating the Last Major Eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
William Dampier, one of England’s greatest navigators, named, described, and drew a profile of Long Island, Papua New Guinea in 1700. As this island produced a very large volcanic eruption with a disputed seventeenth- or eighteenth-century date, his observations assist in determining whether the eruption occurred before or after his visit. This contribution uses Dampier’s recorded observations to elucidate where the Roebuck was when the Long Isla…
Significance and timing of the mid-17th-century eruption of Long Island, Papua New Guinea
Tibito Tephra was first recorded in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1971. By the late 1970s, the tephra had been mapped across tens of thousands of square kilometres, traced to its source on Long Island in the Bismarck Sea, and linked to pyroclastic density currents in the Matapun Beds on the island. With a tephra fall volume >10 km 3 , this eruption was clearly one of the 10 largest globally in the past 600 years. Although alm…
Evaluating the Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect in Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
We examined the radiocarbon ( 14 C) reservoir effect in Lake Kutubu using tephrochronology and terrestrial plant material to deliver a precise age-depth profile and sedimentation rates for this lake. Based on the presence of two tephra horizons (Tibito and Olgaboli), we found a reservoir age offset in sediments of between 1490 and 2280 14 C yr using the sediment ages derived from the lead-210 ( 210 Pb) dating method. The live submerged biological…
Inherited age of floating charcoal fragments in a sand-bed stream, Macdonald River, NSW, Australia
Radiocarbon dates on multiple individual charcoal fragments floating together down the Macdonald River, New South Wales, Australia, have calibrated ages spanning >1700 years. Partial explanations of this range of inherited ages can be attributed to the inbuilt age of living biomass, charcoalisation conditions, hillslope transport and storage and/or valley floor (fluvial) transport and storage, but the contribution of each of these components can …
The Size Inherited Age Effect on Radiocarbon Dates of Alluvial Deposits
Radiocarbon dates on charred plant remains are often used to define the chronology of archives such as lake cores and fluvial sequences. However, charcoal is often older than its depositional context because old-wood can be burnt and a range of transport and storage stages exist between the woodland and stream or lake bed (“inherited age”). In 1978, Blong and Gillespie dated four size fractions of charcoal found floating or saltating in the Macdo…
Holocene tephras in the New Guinea highlands
In the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), tephras are key chronostratigraphic markers for archaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies. Here, mid-Late-Holocene tephras are geochemically fingerprinted and correlated across seventeen sites in PNG. This enables the first regional scale assessment of the distribution of these tephras, with implications for both assessing eruption magnitude and interpreting site stratigraphy. In the past, stratigr…
Geography (14 works) · Geology (10 works) · Archaeology (8 works) · History (8 works) · History (8 works) · Landslides and related hazards (7 works) · Volcano (6 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (5 works) · Natural hazard (5 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (5 works)