Geologist Willie Scott collects ash from Redoubt Volcano. Using a template, he collects a measured area of ash which has fallen on snow. The sample is bagged, dried, and weighed; results are used in conjuction with measurements at many other points along the fallout path to compute an accurate eruption volume measurement. Redoubt Volcano is in the background.
Image courtesy of AVO / U.S. Geological Survey.