Showing papers in "Bulletin of Volcanology in 1999"
TL;DR: In this article, a comparison of the characteristics of erupted material, including microlite textures, chemical compositions, and H2O contents, with eruptive parameters suggests that devolatilization-induced crystallization of the magma occurred to a varying extent prior to at least nine of the explosive events.
Abstract: Dacite tephras produced by the 1991 pre-climactic eruptive sequence at Mt. Pinatubo display extreme heterogeneity in vesicularity, ranging in clast density from 700 to 2580 kg m–3. Observations of the 13 surge-producing blasts that preceded the climactic plinian event include radar-defined estimates of column heights and seismically defined eruptive and intra-eruptive durations. A comparison of the characteristics of erupted material, including microlite textures, chemical compositions, and H2O contents, with eruptive parameters suggests that devolatilization-induced crystallization of the magma occurred to a varying extent prior to at least nine of the explosive events. Although volatile loss progressed to the same approximate level in all of the clasts analyzed (weight percent H2O=1.26-1.73), microlite crystallization was extremely variable (0–22%). We infer that syn-eruptive volatile exsolution from magma in the conduit and intra-eruptive separation of the gas phase was facilitated by the development of permeability within magma residing in the conduit. Correlation of maximum microlite crystallinity with repose interval duration (28–262 min) suggests that crystallization occurred primarily intra-eruptively, in response to the reduction in dissolved H2O content that occurred during the preceding event. Detailed textural characterization, including determination of three-dimensional shapes and crystal size distributions (CSD), was conducted on a subset of clasts in order to determine rates of crystal nucleation and growth using repose interval as the time available for crystallization. Shape and size analysis suggests that crystallization proceeded in response to lessening degrees of feldspar supersaturation as repose interval durations increased. We thus propose that during repose intervals, a plug of highly viscous magma formed due to the collapse of vesicular magma that had exsolved volatiles during the previous explosive event. If plug thickness grew proportionally to the square root of time, and if magma pressurization increased during the eruptive sequence, the frequency of eruptive pulses may have been modulated by degassing of magma within the conduit. Dense clasts in surge deposits probably represent plug material entrained by each subsequent explosive event.
308 citations
TL;DR: In the early stages of Kilauea Volcano, lava cooling and crystallization was observed to occur in the upper parts of the lava channel as mentioned in this paper, and the transition from pahoehoe to pyroxene microlites occurred at a distance of 1.9 km from the vent.
Abstract: Samples collected from a lava channel active at Kilauea Volcano during May 1997 are used to con- strain rates of lava cooling and crystallization during early stages of flow. Lava erupted at near-liquidus tem- peratures (F1150 7C) cooled and crystallized rapidly in upper parts of the channel. Glass geothermometry indi- cates cooling by 12-14 7C over the first 2 km of trans- port. At flow velocities of 1-2 m/s, this translates to cooling rates of 22-50 7C/h. Cooling rates this high can be explained by radiative cooling of a well-stirred flow, consistent with observations of non-steady flow in proximal regions of the channel. Crystallization of plag- ioclase and pyroxene microlites occurred in response to cooling, with crystallization rates of 20-50% per hour. Crystallization proceeded primarily by nucleation of new crystals, and nucleation rates of F10 4 /cm 3 s are similar to those measured in the 1984 open channel flow from Mauna Loa Volcano. There is no evidence for the large nucleation delays commonly assumed for plagioclase crystallization in basaltic melts, possibly a reflection of enhanced nucleation due to stirring of the flow. The transition of the flow surface morphology from pahoehoe to 'a'aoccurred at a distance of 1.9 km from the vent. At this point, the flow was thermally stratified, with an interior temperature of F1137 7C and crystallinity of F15%, and a flow surface tempera- ture of F1100 7C and crystallinity of F45%. 'A'afor- mation initiated along channel margins, where crust was continuously disrupted, and involved tearing and clotting of the flow surface. Both observations suggest that the transition involved crossing of a rheological threshold. We suggest this threshold to be the develop- ment of a lava yield strength sufficient to prevent vis- cous flow of lava at the channel margin. We use this concept to propose that 'a'aformation in open chan- nels requires both sufficiently high strain rates for con- tinued disruption of surface crusts and sufficient groundmass crystallinity to generate a yield strength equivalent to the imposed stress. In Hawai'i, where lava is typically microlite poor on eruption, these combined requirements help to explain two common observations on 'a'aformation: (a) 'a'aflow fields are generated when effusion rates are high (thus promoting crustal disruption); and (b) under most eruption conditions, lava issues from the vent as pahoehoe and changes to 'a'aonly after flowing some distance, thus permitting sufficient crystallization.
248 citations
Abstract: The evolution of the Somma-Vesuvius caldera has been reconstructed based on geomorphic observations, detailed stratigraphic studies, and the distribution and facies variations of pyroclastic and epiclastic deposits produced by the past 20,000 years of volcanic activity. The present caldera is a multicyclic, nested structure related to the emptying of large, shallow reservoirs during Plinian eruptions. The caldera cuts a stratovolcano whose original summit was at 1600–1900 m elevation, approximately 500 m north of the present crater. Four caldera-forming events have been recognized, each occurring during major Plinian eruptions (18,300 BP "Pomici di Base", 8000 BP "Mercato Pumice", 3400 BP "Avellino Pumice" and AD 79 "Pompeii Pumice"). The timing of each caldera collapse is defined by peculiar "collapse-marking" deposits, characterized by large amounts of lithic clasts from the outer margins of the magma chamber and its apophysis as well as from the shallow volcanic and sedimentary units. In proximal sites the deposits consist of coarse breccias resulting from emplacement of either dense pyroclastic flows (Pomici di Base and Pompeii eruptions) or fall layers (Avellino eruption). During each caldera collapse, the destabilization of the shallow magmatic system induced decompression of hydrothermal–magmatic and hydrothermal fluids hosted in the wall rocks. This process, and the magma–ground water interaction triggered by the fracturing of the thick Mesozoic carbonate basement hosting the aquifer system, strongly enhanced the explosivity of the eruptions.
197 citations
TL;DR: In the case of Shiveluch volcano, the failure was triggered by a disturbance of the vol- canic edifice related to the ascent of a new batch of vis- cous magma.
Abstract: Investigation of well-exposed volcaniclastic deposits of Shiveluch volcano indicates that large-scale failures have occurred at least eight times in its history: approximately 10,000, 5700, 3700, 2600, 1600, 1000, 600 14 C BP and 1964 AD. The volcano was stable during the Late Pleistocene, when a large cone was formed (Old Shiveluch), and became unstable in the Holocene when repetitive collapses of a portion of the edifice (Young Shiveluch) generated debris avalanches. The transition in stability was connected with a change in composition of the erupting magma (increased SiO2 from ca. 55-56% to 60-62%) that resulted in an abrupt increase of viscosity and the production of lava domes. Each failure was triggered by a disturbance of the vol- canic edifice related to the ascent of a new batch of vis- cous magma. The failures occurred before magma in- truded into the upper part of the edifice, suggesting that the trigger mechanism was indirectly associated with magma and involved shaking by a moderate to large volcanic earthquake and/or enhancement of edif- ice pore pressure due to pressurised juvenile gas. The failures typically included: (a) a retrogressive landslide involving backward rotation of slide blocks; (b) frag- mentation of the leading blocks and their transforma- tion into a debris avalanche, while the trailing slide blocks decelerate and soon come to rest; and (c) long- distance runout of the avalanche as a transient wave of debris with yield strength that glides on a thin weak layer of mixed facies developed at the avalanche base. All the failures of Young Shiveluch were immediately followed by explosive eruptions that developed along a similar pattern. The slope failure was the first event, followed by a plinian eruption accompanied by partial fountain collapse and the emplacement of pumice flows. In several cases the slope failure depressurised the hydrothermal system to cause phreatic explosions that preceded the magmatic eruption. The collapse-in- duced plinian eruptions were moderate-sized and ordi- nary events in the history of the volcano. No evidence for directed blasts was found associated with any of the slope failures.
166 citations
TL;DR: The first phase of the eruption represents the partial emptying of the shallow reservoir, the top of which is within the volcanic edifice, and the transition from the effusive phase to the lava fountain phase was triggered by intrusion of a volatile-rich magma batch that rose from a depth of 11-22 km into the shallow magma chamber as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: During the 1944 eruption of Vesuvius a sudden change occurred in the dynamics of the eruptive events, linked to variations in magma composition. K-phonotephritic magmas were erupted during the effusive phase and the first lava fountain, whereas the emission of strongly porphyritic K-tephrites took place during the more intense fountain. Melt inclusion compositions (major and volatile elements) highlight that the magmas feeding the eruption underwent differentiation at different pressures. The K-tephritic volatile-rich melts (up to 3 wt.% H2O, 3000 ppm CO2, and 0.55 wt.% Cl) evolved to reach K-phonotephritic compositions by crystallization of diopside and forsteritic olivine at total fluid pressure higher than 300 MPa. These magmas fed a very shallow reservoir. The low-pressure differentiation of the volatile-poor K-phonotephritic magmas (H2O<1 wt.%) involved mixing, open-system degassing, and crystallization of leucite, salite, and plagioclase. The eruption was triggered by intrusion of a volatile-rich magma batch that rose from a depth of 11–22 km into the shallow magma chamber. The first phase of the eruption represents the partial emptying of the shallow reservoir, the top of which is within the volcanic edifice. The newly arrived magma mixed with that resident in the shallow reservoir and forced the transition from the effusive to the lava fountain phase of the eruption.
126 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a personal checklist is provided to examine each participant in a crisis team's own actions and contribution to the crisis effort, and the checklist falls generally in two categories: are my presence and actions for the public good? Are my words and actions collegial, ie, courteous, respectful, and fair? Numerous specific solutions to common crisis problems are also offered.
Abstract: Stress during volcanic crises is high, and any friction between scientists can distract seriously from both humanitarian and scientific effort Friction can arise, for example, if team members do not share all of their data, if differences in scientific interpretation erupt into public controversy, or if one scientist begins work on a prime research topic while a colleague with longer-standing investment is still busy with public safety work Some problems arise within existing scientific teams; others are brought on by visiting scientists Friction can also arise between volcanologists and public officials Two general measures may avert or reduce friction: (a) National volcanologic surveys and other scientific groups that advise civil authorities in times of volcanic crisis should prepare, in advance of crises, a written plan that details crisis team policies, procedures, leadership and other roles of team members, and other matters pertinent to crisis conduct A copy of this plan should be given to all current and prospective team members (b) Each participant in a crisis team should examine his or her own actions and contribution to the crisis effort A personal checklist is provided to aid this examination Questions fall generally in two categories: Are my presence and actions for the public good? Are my words and actions collegial, ie, courteous, respectful, and fair? Numerous specific solutions to common crisis problems are also offered Among these suggestions are: (a) choose scientific team leaders primarily for their leadership skills; (b) speak publicly with a single scientific voice, especially when forecasts, warnings, or scientific disagreements are involved; (c) if you are a would-be visitor, inquire from the primary scientific team whether your help would be welcomed, and, in general, proceed only if the reply is genuinely positive; (d) in publications, personnel evaluations, and funding, reward rather than discourage teamwork Models are available from the fields of particle physics and human genetics, among others
109 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a linear retrieval model using a least-squares fitting approach was applied to airborne thermal infrared data of the Little Glass Mountain and Crater Glass rhyolite flows at Medicine Lake Volcano (California) as a case study.
Abstract: Remote monitoring of active lava domes pro- vides insights into the duration of continued lava extru- sion and detection of potentially associated explosive activity. On inactive flows, variations in surface texture ranging from dense glass to highly vesicular pumice can be related to emplacement time, volatile content, and internal structure. Pumiceous surface textures also pro- duce changes in thermal emission spectra that are clear- ly distinguishable using remote sensing. Spectrally, the textures describe a continuum consisting of two pure end members, obsidian and vesicles. The distinct spec- tral features of obsidian are commonly muted in pu- mice due to overprinting by the vesicles, which mimic spectrally neutral blackbody emitters. Assuming that this energy combines linearly in direct proportion to the percentage of vesicles, the surface vesicularity can be estimated by modeling the pumice spectrum as a lin- ear combination of the glass and blackbody spectra. Based on this discovery, a linear retrieval model using a least-squares fitting approach was applied to airborne thermal infrared data of the Little Glass Mountain and Crater Glass rhyolite flows at Medicine Lake Volcano (California) as a case study. The model produced a ve- sicularity image of the flow with values from 0 to F70%, which can be grouped into three broad textural classes: dense obsidian, finely vesicular pumice, and coarsely vesicular pumice. Values extracted from the image compare well with those derived from SEM anal- ysis of collected samples as well as with previously re- ported results. This technique provides the means to accurately map the areal distributions of these textures, resulting in significantly different values from those de- rived using aerial photographs. If applied to actively deforming domes, this technique will provide volcano- logists with an opportunity to monitor dome-wide de- gassing and eruptive potential in near-real-time. In July 1999 such an effort will be possible for the first time when repetitive, global, multispectral thermal infrared data become available with the launch of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Ra- diometer (ASTER) instrument aboard the Earth Ob- serving System satellite.
107 citations
TL;DR: A comparison of the chemistry of four tephras derived from 18 September through June 1996, and two larger events on 23 September and 11 October, and from 1996 (initial and larger eruptions on 17 and 18 June) suggest that episodes of magma mixing occurred in separate magma pockets within the upper part of the magma plumbing system, producing juvenile andesitic scoria and bombs as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Ruapehu volcano erupted intermittently between September and November 1995, and June and July 1996, producing juvenile andesitic scoria and bombs. The volcanic activity was characterized by small, sequential phreatomagmatic and strombolian eruptions. The petrography and geochemistry of dated samples from 1995 (initial magmatic eruption of 18 September 1995, and two larger events on 23 September and 11 October), and from 1996 (initial and larger eruptions on 17–18 June) suggest that episodes of magma mixing occurred in separate magma pockets within the upper part of the magma plumbing system, producing juvenile andesitic magma by mixing between relatively high (1000–1200 °C)- and low (∼1000 °C)- temperature (T) end members. Oscillatory zoning in pyroxene phenocrysts suggests that repeated mixing events occurred prior to and during the 1995 and 1996 eruptions. Although the 1995 and 1996 andesitic magmas are products of similar mixing processes, they display chronological variations in phenocryst clinopyroxene, matrix glass, and whole-rock compositions. A comparison of the chemistry of magnesian clinopyroxene in the four tephras indicates that, from 18 September through June 1996, the tephras were derived from at least two discrete high-temperature (high-T) batches of magma. Crystals of magnesian clinopyroxene in the 23 September and 11 October tephras appear to be derived from different high-T magma batches. Whole-rock and matrix-glass compositions of all tephras are consistent with their derivation from distinct mixed melts. We propose that, prior to 1995 there was a shallow low-temperature (low-T) magma storage system comprising crystal-rich mush and remnant magma from preceding eruptive episodes. Crystal clots and gabbroic inclusions in the tephras attest to the existence of relict crystal mush. At least two discrete high-T magmas were then repeatedly injected into the mush zone, forming discrete and mixed magma pockets within the shallow system. The intermittent 1995 and 1996 eruptions sequentially tapped these magma pockets.
97 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that the amplification due to solidification is so weak that its effect is almost insignificant, whereas viscosity variation provides a strong active mechanism for flow localization.
Abstract: During a basaltic fissure eruption heat transfer from the hot magma to the surrounding rock causes a dramatic increase in the magmatic viscosity and solidification at the margins. Both viscosity contrast and solidification can amplify initial variations in the flow rate and lead to localization of the flow along the strike of the fissure. However, for typical parameters, amplification driven by solidification is slower and significantly weaker than amplification driven by viscosity variations. In fact, for the parameters examined, the amplification due to solidification is so weak that its effect is almost insignificant, whereas viscosity variation provides a strong active mechanism for flow localization. Laboratory experiments illustrate viscous localization and suggest that this mechanism is robust. The dependence of viscosity on temperature can cause a small change in the pressure of the magma chamber to lead to a large jump in the flow rate of magma through the fissure.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a landslide of approximately 200,000 m3 occurred on the northeastern flank of the volcano La Fossa on the island of Vulcano, producing a small tsunami in the bay between Punte Nere and Punta Luccia.
Abstract: On 20 April 1988 a landslide of approximately 200,000 m3 occurred on the northeastern flank of the volcano La Fossa on the island of Vulcano. The landslide fell into the sea, producing a small tsunami in the bay between Punte Nere and Punta Luccia that was observed locally in the neighbouring harbour called Porto Levante. The slide occurred during a period of unrest at the volcano that was monitored very accurately. The study of this event is composed of two parts, the simulation of the landslide and the simulation of the ensuing tsunami; the former is studied by means of a Lagrangian-type numerical model in which the landslide is seen as a multibody system, an ensemble of material-deforming blocks interacting together during their motion; the latter is simulated according to the Eulerian view by solving the shallow-water approximation to Navier-Stokes equations of fluid dynamics, with the incorporation of a forcing term depending on the slide motion. Technically, the slide evolution is computed first, and this result is then used to evaluate the excitation term of the hydraulic equations and to calculate the tsunami propagation. Computed wave fronts radiate both toward the open sea, with rapid amplitude decay, and along the shore, in the form of edge waves that lose energy slowly. Comparison between model outputs and observations can be carried out only in a qualitative way owing to the absence of tide-gauge records, and results are satisfactory.
85 citations
TL;DR: In this article, five new stepwise-heating 40 ar/39 ar ages and one new high-sensitivity 14 c date of ash-fall and ash-flow deposits from late Quaternary silicic volcanoes in northern Central America document the eruption rates and frequencies of five major rhyodacite and rhyolite calderas.
Abstract: Five new stepwise-heating 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages and one new high-sensitivity 14 C date of ash-fall and ash-flow deposits from late Quaternary silicic volcanoes in northern Central America document the eruption rates and frequencies of five major rhyodacite and rhyolite calderas (Atitlan, Amatitlan, Ayarza, Coatepe- que, and Ilopango) located north of the basalt, ande- site, and dacite stratovolcanoes of the Central Ameri- can volcanic front. These deposits form extensive time- stratigraphic horizons that intercalate regionally, and knowledge of dates and stratigraphy provides a valua- ble framework for age determinations of more local- ized volcanic and nonvolcanic events. The new data, es- pecially when integrated with previous stratigraphic and dating work, show that all five calderas erupted several times in the past 200 ka and, despite a lack of historic activity, should be considered as active centers that could produce highly explosive eruptions again. Because of their locations near the highly vulnerable economic hearts of Guatemala and El Salvador, the risks of eruptions from these calderas should be care- fully considered along with risks of major earthquakes and volcanic front volcanoes, which are much more fre- quent but inflict less severe and extensive damage. This
TL;DR: In this article, the role of carbon dioxide in the dynamics of magma ascent in explosive eruptions is investigated by means of numerical modeling, and the effect of the presence of a two-component (water + carbon dioxide) exsolving gas phase is investigated.
Abstract: The role of carbon dioxide in the dynamics of magma ascent in explosive eruptions is investigated by means of numerical modeling. The model is steady, one-dimensional, and isothermal; it calculates the separated flow of gas and a homogeneous mixture of liquid magma and crystals. The magma properties are calculated on the basis of magma composition and crystal content and are allowed to change along the conduit due to pressure decrease and gas exsolution. The effect of the presence of a two-component (water + carbon dioxide) exsolving gas phase is investigated by performing a parametric study on the CO2/(H2O+CO2) ratio, which is allowed to vary from 0 to 0.5 at either constant total volatile or constant water content. The relatively insoluble carbon dioxide component plays an important role in the location of the volatile-saturation and magma-fragmentation levels and in the distribution of the flow variables in the volcanic conduit. In detail, the results show that an increase of the proportion of carbon dioxide produces a decrease of the mass flow rate, pressure, and exit mixture density, and an increase of the exit gas volume fraction and depth of the fragmentation level. A relevant result is the different role played by water and carbon dioxide in the eruption dynamics; an increasing amount of water produces an increase of the mass flow rate, and an increasing amount of carbon dioxide produces a decrease. Even small amounts of carbon dioxide have major consequences on the eruption dynamics, implying that the multicomponent nature of the volcanic gas must be taken into account in the prediction of the eruption scenario and the forecasting of volcanic hazard.
TL;DR: The most famous example is the Pebble Creek Formation (previously known as the Bridge River Assemblage) as discussed by the authors, which comprises the eruptive products of a 2350 calendar year B.P. eruption of the Mount Meager volcanic complex.
Abstract: The Pebble Creek Formation (previously known as the Bridge River Assemblage) comprises the eruptive products of a 2350 calendar year B.P. eruption of the Mount Meager volcanic complex and two rock avalanche deposits. Volcanic rocks of the Pebble Creek Formation are the youngest known volcanic rocks of this complex. They are dacitic in composition and con- tain phenocrysts of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, amphi- bole, biotite and minor oxides in a glassy groundmass. The eruption was episodic, and the formation com- prises fallout pumice (Bridge River tephra), pyroclastic flows, lahars and a lava flow. It also includes a unique form of welded block and ash breccia derived from col- lapsing fronts of the lava flow. This Merapi-type brec- cia dammed the Lillooet River. Collapse of the dam triggered a flood that flowed down the Lillooet Valley. The flood had an estimated total volume of 10 9 m 3 and inundated the Lillooet Valley to a depth of at least 30 m above the paleo-valley floor 5.5 km downstream of the blockage. Rock avalanches comprising mainly blocks of Plinth Assemblage volcanic rocks (an older formation making up part of the Mount Meager vol- canic complex) underlie and overlie the primary vol- canic units of the Formation. Both rock avalanches are unrelated to the 2350 B.P. eruption, although the post- eruption avalanche may have its origins in the over- steepened slopes created by the explosive phase of the eruption. Much of the stratigraphic complexity evident in the Pebble Creek Formation results from deposition in a narrow, steep-sided mountain valley containing a major river.
TL;DR: In this article, a detailed facies analysis of hyaloclastites and associated lavas from eight table mountains and similar "hyalocaloclastite volcanoes" in the Icelandic rift zone contradict a rapid and continuous, entirely subglacial evolution of most volcanoes studied.
Abstract: Detailed facies analysis of hyaloclastites and associated lavas from eight table mountains and similar "hyaloclastite volcanoes" in the Icelandic rift zone contradict a rapid and continuous, "monogenetic", entirely subglacial evolution of most volcanoes studied. The majority of the exposed hyaloclastite deposits formed in large, stable lakes as indicated by widespread, up to 300-m-thick, continuous sections of deep water, shallow water and emergent facies. Salient features include extensively layered or bedded successions comprising mainly debris flow deposits, turbidites, base surge and fallout deposits consisting of texturally and compositionally variable, slightly altered hyaloclastites, as well as sheet and pillow lavas. In contrast, chaotic assemblages of coarser-grained, more poorly sorted and more strongly palagonitized hyaloclastite tuffs and breccias, as well as scoria and lava are interpreted to have formed under sub- or englacial conditions in small, chimney-like ice cavities or ice-bound lakes. Irregularly shaped and erratically arranged hyaloclastite bodies produced at variable water levels appear to have resulted mainly from rapid changes of the eruptive environment due to repeated build-up and drainage of ice-bound lakes as well as the restricted space between the ice walls. We distinguish a "deep water" facies formed during high water levels of the lake, a hydroclastic shallow water and emergent facies (leakage of the lake or growth of the volcano above the water surface). Our model implies the temporary existence of large, stable lakes in Iceland probably formed by climatically induced ice melting. The highly complex edifices of many table mountains and similar volcanoes were constructed during several eruptive periods in changing environments characterized by contrasting volcanic and sedimentary processes.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the depositional features of two valley-filling debris avalanche deposits to reveal their transportation and depositional mechanisms and found that the debris-avalanche matrix was mainly produced by shearing at the bottom and margins of the avalanche.
Abstract: The depositional features of two valley-filling debris avalanche deposits were studied to reveal their transportation and depositional mechanisms. The valley-filling Iwasegawa debris avalanche deposit (ca. 0.1 km3) is distributed along the valleys at the southeastern foot of Tashirodake Volcano, northern Honshu, Japan. Debris-avalanche blocks range in size from 0.3 km3) is distributed along the valleys at the eastern-southeastern foot of Ontake Volcano, central Japan. Debris-avalanche blocks range in size from <25 m proximally to <7 m in the medial zone. Debris-avalanche matrix percentages increase from 50–70% in the proximal zone to 80% in the distal zone. The debris-avalanche matrix is more abundant (80–90%) at the bottom part of the deposit. Deformation structures observed in the debris-avalanche blocks include elongation, folding, conjugate reverse faults, and numerous minor faults in unconsolidated materials. Lithic components within the debris-avalanche matrix tend to have a higher percentage of plucked clasts from the adjacent underlying formations. A Bingham "plug flow" model is consistent with the transportation and depositional mechanisms of the valley-filling debris avalanches. In the plug of the debris avalanche, fragile blocks were transported without major rupturing due to relatively small shear stresses in regions of small strain rate. The debris-avalanche matrix was mainly produced by shearing at the bottom and margins of the avalanche. Valley-filling debris avalanches tend to have smaller debris-avalanche blocks and larger amounts of debris-avalanche matrix than do unconfined debris avalanches. These differences may be due to disaggregation of debris-avalanche blocks by shearing against valley walls and interaction between debris-avalanche blocks and valley walls. Oriented wood logs and branches, reverse grading of clasts at the base, and a higher proportion of incorporated clasts at the base are interpreted to result from shearing along the bottom and valley walls.
TL;DR: In this article, changes of vesicularity, vesicle deformation, and crystallinity across the pāhoehoe-aǫ transition as preserved in two different eruptions, a brief, high-velocity effusion of lava from Kīlauea Volcano on 1 February 1996, and a small breakout from an ephemeral vent within a larger channel produced during the 1868 eruption of Mauna Loa.
Abstract: Pāhoehoe and ‘a‘ā are the most common surface morphologies in basaltic lava flows, yet no predictive models exist to link physical parameters of flow emplacement to changes in their surface textures and rheological properties. We have characterized changes of vesicularity, vesicle deformation, and crystallinity across the pāhoehoe–‘a‘ā transition as preserved in two different eruptions, a brief, high-velocity effusion of lava from Kīlauea Volcano on 1 February 1996, and a small breakout from an ephemeral vent within a larger channel produced during the 1868 eruption of Mauna Loa. This allowed us to compare conditions leading to the pāhoehoe–‘a‘ā transition for both open channel flow (Kīlauea 1996) and reactivation of lava from an ephemeral vent (Mauna Loa 1868). Textural changes across the transition include (a) decrease in vesicularity and vesicle number density, (b) increase in microlite crystallinity and crystal number density, and (c) increase in vesicle deformation. The results support past qualitative descriptions of the transition and highlight the importance of plagioclase crystallinity in controlling lava rheology and surface morphology.
TL;DR: The Middle Jurassic Tuttle Lake Formation in the northern Sierra Nevada, California, comprises a thick volcaniclastic sequence deposited in a submarine island-arc setting and penetrated by numerous related hypabyssal intrusions.
Abstract: The Middle Jurassic Tuttle Lake Formation in the northern Sierra Nevada, California, comprises a thick volcaniclastic sequence deposited in a submarine island-arc setting and penetrated by numerous related hypabyssal intrusions. A composite andesite-diorite intrusive complex ≥4.5 km long and ≥1.5 km thick was emplaced while the host Tuttle Lake sediments were still wet and unconsolidated. Large parts of the intrusive complex consist of peperite formed where andesitic magma intruded and intermixed with tuff, lapilli-tuff and tuff-breccia. The southern half of the complex consists of augite-phyric andesite containing peperite in numerous small, isolated pockets and in more extensive, laterally continuous zones. The peperites comprise three main types recognized previously in other peperite studies. Fluidal peperite consists of small (≤30 cm), closely spaced, at least partly interconnected, globular to amoeboid andesite bodies enclosed by tuff. This peperite type developed during intrusion of magma into fine-grained wet sediment along unstable interfaces, and fluidization of the sediment facilitated development of complex intrusive geometries. Blocky peperite and mixed blocky and fluidal peperite formed where magma intruded coarser sediment and underwent variable degrees of brittle fragmentation by quenching and dynamic stressing of rigid margins, possibly aided by small steam explosions. The northern half of the intrusive complex consists predominantly of a different type of peperite, in which decimetre-scale plagioclase-phyric andesite clasts with ellipsoidal, elongate, or angular, polyhedral shapes are closely packed to widely dispersed within disrupted host sediment. Textural features suggest the andesite clasts were derived from conduits through which magma was flowing, and preserved remnants of the conduits are represented by elongate, sinuous bodies up to 30 m or more in length. Disruption and dispersal of the andesite clasts are inferred to have occurred at least partly by steam explosions that ripped apart a network of interconnected feeder conduits penetrating the host sediments. Closely packed peperite is present adjacent to mappable intrusions of coherent andesite, and along the margin of a large mass of coarse-grained diorite. These coherent intrusions are considered to be major feeders for this part of the complex. Examples of magma/wet sediment interaction similar in scale to the extensive peperites described here occur elsewhere in ancient island-arc strata in the northern Sierra Nevada. Based on these and other published examples, large-scale peperites probably are more common than generally realized and are likely to be important in settings where thick sediment sequences accumulate during active volcanism. Careful mapping in well-exposed terrains may be required to recognize large-scale peperite complexes of this type.
TL;DR: In this paper, a 3D model for near-vent channelized lava flows is presented, where the authors assume the lava to be an isothermal Newtonian liquid flowing in a rectangular channel down a constant slope.
Abstract: We introduce a 3D model for near-vent channelized lava flows. We assume the lava to be an isothermal Newtonian liquid flowing in a rectangular channel down a constant slope. The flow velocity is calculated with an analytical steady-state solution of the Navier-Stokes equation. The surface velocity and the flow rate are calculated as functions of the flow thickness for different flow widths, and the results are compared with those of a 2D model. For typical Etna lava flow parameters, the influence of levees on the flow dynamics is significant when the flow width is less than 25 m. The model predicts the volume flow rate corresponding to the surface velocity, taking into account that both depend on flow thickness. The effusion rate is a critical parameter to evaluate lava flow hazard. We propose a model to calculate the effusion rate given the lava flow width, the topograhic slope, the lava density, the surface flow velocity, and either the lava viscosity or the flow thickness.
TL;DR: The origin and development of erosion-modified, erosion-transformed, and erosion-induced depressions in volcanic terrains are reviewed and systematized in this paper, which considers structural, geomorphic, and climatic factors that contribute to the topographic modification of summit or flank depressions on volcanoes.
Abstract: The origin and development of erosion-modified, erosion-transformed, and erosion-induced depressions in volcanic terrains are reviewed and systematized. A proposed classification, addressing terminology issues, considers structural, geomorphic, and climatic factors that contribute to the topographic modification of summit or flank depressions on volcanoes. Breaching of a closed crater or caldera generated by volcanic or non-volcanic processes results in an outlet valley. Under climates with up to ∼2000–2500 mm annual rainfall, craters, and calderas are commonly drained by a single outlet. The outlet valley can maintain its dominant downcutting position because it quickly enlarges its drainage basin by capturing the area of the primary depression. Multi-drained volcanic depressions can form if special factors, e.g., high-rate geological processes, such as faulting or glaciation, suppress fluvial erosion. Normal (fluvial) erosion-modified volcanic depressions the circular rim of which is derived from the original rim are termed erosion craters or erosion calderas, depending on the pre-existing depression. The resulting landform should be classed as an erosion-induced volcanic depression if the degradation of a cluster of craters produces a single-drained, irregular-shaped basin, or if flank erosion results in a quasi-closed depression. Under humid climates, craters and calderas degrade at a faster rate. Mostly at subtropical and tropical ocean-island and island-arc volcanoes, their erosion results in so-called amphitheater valleys that develop under heavy rainfall (>∼2500 mm/year), rainstorms, and high-elevation differences. Structural and lithological control, and groundwater in ocean islands, may in turn preform and guide development of high-energy valleys through rockfalls, landsliding, mudflows, and mass wasting. Given the intense erosion, amphitheater valleys are able to breach a primary depression from several directions and degrade the summit region at a high rate. Occasionally, amphitheater valleys may create summit depressions without a pre-existing crater or caldera. The resulting, negative landforms, which may drain in several directions and the primary origin of which is commonly unrecognizable, should be included in erosion-transformed volcanic depressions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured bubble size distributions (BSD) measured in granite glasses after degassing and compared with the results of measurements of rapidly degassed products of Mt. Etna and Vulcano Island.
Abstract: Experiments on degassing of water-saturated granite melts with a pressure drop from 100 and 450 MPa to 40 and 120 MPa, respectively, at temperatures close to feldspar liquidus (750–700 °C), were carried out to determine the modality of water exsolution and vesicle formation at the liquidus temperature. Pressure-drop rates as small as approximately 100 bar/day were used. Uniform space distributions of bubbles of exsolved water were obtained with starting glass containing a small fraction (≈0.5 vol.%) of trapped air bubbles. Volume crystallization of feldspar was observed in degassed melts supplied with seeds. Bubble size distributions (BSD) measured in granite glasses after degassing are presented. Data on vesicle characteristics (number, radius, area, elongation) were acquired on images digitized with standard software, while the reconstruction of size distributions was performed with the Schwartz-Saltikov "unfolding" procedure. Bubble size distributions of size classes in the range 5–1000 μm were acquired with proper magnification and satisfactory statistical reliability of determined number densities. The BSDs of the experimental samples are compared with the results of measurements of rapidly degassed products of Mt. Etna and Vulcano Island. Many particular features of the bubble nucleation and growth can be distinguished in an individual BSD. However, the general BSD of the whole data set, including natural ones, can be relatively well described with linear regression in bilogarithmic coordinates. The slope of this regression is approximately 2.8±0.1. This dependence is in striking contrast with distributions theoretically predicted with classical nucleation models based on homogeneous nucleation of vesicles. The theoretical distribution requires the occurrence of strong maxima that are not observed in our experimental and natural samples, thus arguing for heterogeneous nucleation mechanisms.
TL;DR: In this article, Rheomorphic ignimbrite D (13.4 Ma, Upper Mogan Formation on Gran Canaria), a multiple flow single cooling unit, is divided into four major structural zones that differ in fabric and finite strain of deformed pyroclasts.
Abstract: Rheomorphic ignimbrite D (13.4 Ma, Upper Mogan Formation on Gran Canaria), a multiple flow–single cooling unit, is divided into four major structural zones that differ in fabric and finite strain of deformed pyroclasts. Their structural characteristics indicate contrasting deformation mechanisms during rheomorphic flow. The zones are: (a) a basal zone (vitrophyre) with pure uniaxial flattening perpendicular to the foliation; (b) an overlying shear zone characterized by asymmetric fabrics and a significantly higher finite strain, with an ellipsoid geometry similar to stretched oblate bodies; (c) a central zone with a finite strain geometry similar to that of the underlying shear zone but without evidence of a rotational strain component; and (d) a slightly deformed to non-deformed top zone where the almost random orientation of subspherical pyroclasts suggests preservation of original, syn-depositional clast shapes. Rheomorphic flow in D is the result of syn- to post-depositional remobilization of a hot pyroclastic flow as shown by kinematic modeling based on: (a) the overall vertical structural zonation suggested by finite strain and fabric analysis; (b) the relation of shear sense to topography; (c) the interrelationship of the calculated vertical cooling progression at the base of the flow (formation of vitrophyre) and the related vertical changes in strain geometry; (d) the complex lithification history; and (e) the consequent mechanisms of deformational flow. Rheomorphic flow was caused by load pressure due to an increase in the vertical accumulation of pyroclastic material on a slope of generally 6–8°. We suggest that every level of newly deposited pyroclastic flow material of D first passed through a welding process that was dominated by compaction (pure flattening) before rheomorphic deformation started.
TL;DR: The Cerro Chascon-Runtu Jarita Complex is a group of ten Late Pleistocene (∼85 ka) lava domes located in the Andean Central Volcanic Zone of Bolivia.
Abstract: The Cerro Chascon-Runtu Jarita Complex is a group of ten Late Pleistocene (∼85 ka) lava domes located in the Andean Central Volcanic Zone of Bolivia. These domes display considerable macroscopic and microscopic evidence of magma mixing. Two groups of domes are defined chemically and geographically. A northern group, the Chascon, consists of four lava bodies of dominantly rhyodacite composition. These bodies contain 43–48% phenocrysts of plagioclase, quartz, sanidine, biotite, and amphibole in a microlite-poor, rhyolitic glass. Rare mafic enclaves and selvages are present. Mineral equilibria yield temperatures from 640 to 750 °C and log ƒO2 of –16. Geochemical data indicate that the pre-eruption magma chamber was zoned from a dominant volume of 68% to minor amounts of 76% SiO2. This zonation is best explained by fractional crystallization and some mixing between rhyodacite and more evolved compositions. The mafic enclaves represent magma that intruded but did not chemically interact much with the evolved magmas. A southern group, the Runtu Jarita, is a linear chain of six small domes (<1 km3 total volume) that probably is the surface expression of a dike. The five most northerly domes are composites of dacitic and rhyolitic compositions. The southernmost dome is dominantly rhyolite with rare mafic enclaves. The composite domes have lower flanks of porphyritic dacite with ∼35 vol.% phenocrysts of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, and hornblende in a microlite-rich, rhyodacitic glass. Sieve-textured plagioclase, mixed populations of disequilibrium plagioclase compositions, xenocrystic quartz, and sanidine with ternary composition reaction rims indicate that the dacite is a hybrid. The central cores of the composite domes are rhyolitic and contain up to 48 vol.% phenocrysts of plagioclase, quartz, sanidine, biotite, and amphibole. This is separated from the dacitic flanks by a banded zone of mingled lava. Macroscopic, microscopic, and petrologic evidence suggest scavenging of phenocrysts from the silicic lava. Mineral equilibria yield temperatures of 625–727 °C and log ƒO2 of –16 for the rhyolite and 926–1000 °C and log ƒO2 of –9.5 for the dacite. The rhyolite is zoned from 73 to 76% SiO2, and fractionation within the rhyolite composition produced this variation. Most of the 63–73% SiO2 compositional range of the lava in this group is the result of mixing between the hybrid dacite and the rhyolite. Eruption of both groups of lavas apparently was triggered by mafic recharge. A paucity of explosive activity suggests that volatile and thermal exchanges between reservoir and recharge magmas were less important than volume increase and the lubricating effects of recharge by mafic magmas. For the Runtu Jarita group, the eruption is best explained by intrusion of a dike of dacite into a chamber of crystal-rich rhyolite close to its solidus. The rhyolite was encapsulated and transported to the surface by the less-viscous dacite magma, which also acted as a lubricant. Simultaneous effusion of the lavas produced the composite domes, and their zonation reflects the subsurface zonation. The role of recharge by hotter, more fluid mafic magma appears to be critical to the eruption of some highly viscous silicic magmas.
TL;DR: The tube-fed pāhoehoe lava flows covering much of the northeast flank of Kīlauea Volcano are named the "Ailā'au flows".
Abstract: The tube-fed pāhoehoe lava flows covering much of the northeast flank of Kīlauea Volcano are named the 'Ailā'au flows. Their eruption age, based on published and six new radiocarbon dates, is approximately AD 1445. The flows have distinctive paleomagnetic directions with steep inclinations (40°–50°) and easterly declinations (0°–10°E). The lava was transported ∼40 km from the vent to the coast in long, large-diameter lava tubes; the longest tube (Kazumura Cave) reaches from near the summit to within several kilometers of the coast near Kaloli Point. The estimated volume of the 'Ailā'au flow field is 5.2±0.8 km3, and the eruption that formed it probably lasted for approximately 50 years. Summit overflows from Kīlauea may have been nearly continuous between approximately AD 1290 and 1470, during which time a series of shields formed at and around the summit. The 'Ailā'au shield was either the youngest or the next to youngest in this series of shields. Site-mean paleomagnetic directions for lava flows underlying the 'Ailā'au flows form only six groups. These older pāhoehoe flows range in age from 2750 to 2200 years. Lava flows from most of these summit eruptions also reached the coast, but none appears as extensive as the 'Ailā'au flow field. The chemistry of the melts erupted during each of these summit overflow events is remarkably similar, averaging approximately 6.3 wt.% MgO near the coast and 6.8 wt.% MgO near the summit. The present-day caldera probably formed more recently than the eruption that formed the 'Ailā'au flows (estimated termination ca. AD 1470). The earliest explosive eruptions that formed the Keanakāko'i Ash, which is stratigraphically above the 'Ailā'au flows, cannot be older than this age.
TL;DR: A first-order leveling survey across the northeast part of the Yellowstone caldera in September 1998 showed that the floor near Le Hardy Rapids rose 24±5 mm relative to the rim at Lake Butte since the previous survey in September 1995.
Abstract: A first-order leveling survey across the northeast part of the Yellowstone caldera in September 1998 showed that the central caldera floor near Le Hardy Rapids rose 24±5 mm relative to the caldera rim at Lake Butte since the previous survey in September 1995. Annual surveys along the same traverse from 1985 to 1995 tracked progressive subsidence near Le Hardy Rapids at an average rate of –19±1 mm/year. Earlier, less frequent surveys measured net uplift in the same area during 1923–1976 (14±1 mm/year) and 1976–1984 (22±1 mm/year). The resumption of uplift following a decade of subsidence was first detected by satellite synthetic aperture radar interferometry, which revealed approximately 15 mm of uplift in the vicinity of Le Hardy Rapids from July 1995 to June 1997. Radar interferograms show that the center of subsidence shifted from the Sour Creek resurgent dome in the northeast part of the caldera during August 1992 to June 1993 to the Mallard Lake resurgent dome in the southwest part during June 1993 to August 1995. Uplift began at the Sour Creek dome during August 1995 to September 1996 and spread to the Mallard Lake dome by June 1997. The rapidity of these changes and the spatial pattern of surface deformation suggest that ground movements are caused at least in part by accumulation and migration of fluids in two sill-like bodies at 5–10 km depth, near the interface between Yellowstone's magmatic and deep hydrothermal systems.
TL;DR: Pahoehoe toe dimensions, morphology, and branching relationships were analyzed in flows emplaced during 1972 at Mauna Ulu, a satellitic shield on the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i.
Abstract: Pahoehoe toe dimensions, morphology, and branching relationships were analyzed in flows emplaced during 1972 at Mauna Ulu, a satellitic shield on the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i. In order to characterize regions within flow fields dominated by networks of pahoehoe toes, measurements of toe length, width, thickness, and orientation were completed for 445 toes at 13 sites. Variations in site characteristics, including slope, substrate, and position in the flow field allow an evaluation of the effects of such parameters on toe dimensions. Toe surface morphology (ropy or smooth), local flow lobe position (interior or margin), and connective relationships between toes were documented in the form of detailed toe maps. These maps show the number of branches connecting a given toe to other toes in its local pahoehoe network and illustrate branching patterns. Statistical analyses of toe dimensions and comparisons of pahoehoe toe study sites and sub-populations combined with field observations, evaluation of toe maps, and qualitative examination of toe dimension size distributions show the following: (a) Although there are significant variations at a given site, toes typically have mean lengths (101 cm) greater than mean widths (74 cm) and mean widths greater than mean thicknesses (19 cm); sites that have mean widths greater than mean lengths are those with lower slopes. (b) Where significant site-to-site variations in mean values of a given toe dimension were apparent, these differences could not be directly related to site characteristics. (c) Ropy toes have significantly larger mean values of length, width, and number of branches than smooth toes, and toes with three or more branches have greater lengths, widths, and thicknesses than toes with two or fewer branches, suggesting concentration of flow in these toe types. (d) The skewness of all size distributions of toe length and width to larger values suggests that toes are transitional to larger sheets and channels, consistent with field observations; and (e) Two distinct types of branching patterns (called monolayer and centrally ridged) were observed in preserved pahoehoe flow lobes. The significant variability in measured toe dimensions at Mauna Ulu suggests that toe dimensions are influenced by numerous locally defined, random factors, and that an approach based on stochastic methods can be used to model pahoehoe flow emplacement.
TL;DR: A 200m section of Koolau basalt was sampled in the 1.6km Trans-Koolau (T-K) tunnel as mentioned in this paper, which provides a deeper, presumably older, sampling of the shield.
Abstract: A 200-m section of Koolau basalt was sampled in the 1.6-km Trans-Koolau (T–K) tunnel. The section includes 126 aa and pahoehoe lava flows, five dikes and ten thin ash units. This volcanic section and the physical characteristics of the lava flows indicate derivation from the nearby northwest rift zone of the Koolau shield. The top of the section is inferred to be 500–600 m below the pre-erosional surface of the Koolau shield. Therefore, compared with previously studied Koolau lavas, this section provides a deeper, presumably older, sampling of the shield. Shield lavas from Koolau Volcano define a geochemical end-member for Hawaiian shields. Most of the tunnel lavas have the distinctive major and trace element abundance features (e.g. relatively high SiO2 content and Zr/Nb abundance ratio) that characterize Koolau lavas. In addition, relative to the recent shield lavas erupted at Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, most Koolau lavas have lower abundances of Sc, Y and Yb at a given MgO content; this result is consistent with a more important role for residual garnet during the partial melting processes that created Koolau shield lavas. Koolau lavas with the strongest residual garnet signature have relatively high 87Sr/86Sr, 187Os/188Os, 18O/16O, and low 143Nd/144Nd. These isotopic characteristics have been previously interpreted to reflect a source component of recycled oceanic crust that was recrystallized to garnet pyroxenite. This component also has high La/Nb and relatively low 206Pb/204Pb, geochemical characteristics which are attributed to ancient pelagic sediment in the recycled crust. Although most Koolau lavas define a geochemical endmember for Hawaiian shield lavas, there is considerable intrashield geochemical variability that is inferred to reflect source characteristics. The oldest T–K tunnel lava flow is an example. It has the lowest 87Sr/86Sr, Zr/Nb and La/Nb, and the highest 143Nd/144Nd ratio found in Koolau lavas. In most respects it is similar to lavas from Kilauea Volcano. Therefore, the geochemical characteristics of the Koolau shield, which define an end member for Hawaiian shields, reflect an important role for recycled oceanic crust, but the proportion of this crust in the source varied during growth of the Koolau shield.
TL;DR: In this paper, cloud and vegetation-penetrating LHH-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) were used to investigate persistently active volcanoes and prehistoric calderas in East Java, Indonesia.
Abstract: Volcanoes in humid tropical environments are frequently cloud covered, typically densely vegetated and rapidly eroded. These factors complicate field and laboratory studies and even the basic identification of potentially active volcanoes. Numerous previous studies have highlighted the potential value of radar remote sensing for volcanology in equatorial regions. Here, cloud- and vegetation-penetrating LHH-band (λ≈24 cm) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) are used to investigate persistently active volcanoes and prehistoric calderas in East Java, Indonesia. The LHH-band JERS-1 SAR produces high-spatial-resolution (18 m) imagery with relatively high incidence angle that highlights structures and topographic variations at or greater than the wavelength scale while minimising geometrical distortions such as layover and foreshortening. These images, along with Internet browse data derived from the Canadian RADARSAT mission, provide new evidence relating regional tectonics to volcanism throughout East Java. Volcanic events, such as caldera collapse at the Tengger caldera, appear to have been partly controlled by northwest-aligned faults related to intra-arc sedimentary basins. Similar regional controls appear important at historically active Lamongan volcano, which is encircled by numerous flank maars and cinder cones. A previously undocumented pyroclastic sheet and debris avalanche deposit from the Jambangan caldera complex is also manifested in the synoptic radar images. At the currently active Semeru volcano these data permit identification of recent pyroclastic flow and lahar deposits. Radar data therefore offer a valuable tool for mapping and hazard assessment at late Quaternary volcanoes. The criteria developed in the analysis here could be applied to other regions in the humid tropics.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that pyroclastic suspension currents with initial mass fluxes of 107-1012 kg/s can spread for tens of kilometers with only limited cooling, although they move as supercritical, strongly entraining currents.
Abstract: Analogue experiments in part I led to the conclusion that pyroclastic flows depositing very high-grade ignimbrite move as dilute suspension currents. In the thermo–fluid–dynamical model developed, the degree of cooling of expanded turbulent pyroclastic flows dynamically evolves in response to entrainment of air and mass loss to sedimentation. Initial conditions of the currents are derived from column-collapse modeling for magmas with an initial H2O content of 1–3 wt.% erupting through circular vents and caldera ring-fissures. The flows spread either longitudinally or radially from source up to a runout distance that increases with higher mass flux but decreases with higher gas content, temperature, bottom slope and coarser initial grain size. Progressive dilution by entrainment and sedimentation causes pyroclastic currents to transform into buoyant ash plumes at the runout distance. The ash plumes reach stratospheric heights and distribute 30–80% of the erupted material as widespread co-ignimbrite ash. Pyroclastic suspension currents with initial mass fluxes of 107-1012 kg/s can spread for tens of kilometers with only limited cooling, although they move as supercritical, strongly entraining currents for the eruption conditions considered here. With increasing eruption mass flux, cooling during passage through the fountain diminishes while cooling during flow transport increases. The net effect is that eruption temperature exerts the prime control on emplacement temperature. Pyroclastic suspension currents can form welded ignimbrite across their entire extent if eruption temperature is To>1.3.Tmw, the minimum welding temperature. High eruption rates, a large fraction of fine ash, and a ring-fissure vent favor the formation of extensive high-grade ignimbrite. For very hot eruptions producing sticky, partially molten pyroclasts, analysis of particle aggregation systematics shows that factors favoring longer runout also favor more efficient aggregation, which reduces runout. As a result, very high-grade ignimbrites cannot spread more than a few tens of kilometers from their source. In cooler pyroclastic currents, particles do not aggregate, and the sedimentation process may involve re-entrainment of particles, which potentially leads to more extensive cooling and longer runout; such effects, however, are only significant when net erosion of substrate occurs. Model results can be employed to estimate mass flux and duration of ignimbrite eruptions from measured ignimbrite masses and aspect ratios. The model also provides an alternative explanation of the observed decrease in H/Lratios with ignimbrite mass.
TL;DR: In this article, the variations in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission from the Summit Craters of Mt. Etna were determined, with particular reference to the period 1993-1995.
Abstract: The variations in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission from the Summit Craters of Mt. Etna were determined, with particular reference to the period 1993–1995. Vehicle-based weekly measurements of SO2 flux, using a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC), suggest new input of magma into the main feeder system of the volcano between 1993 and 1995. Minimal flux values (<1000 t/day) preceded the two eruptive events in the period 1987–1995. Only approximately 9.5% of the magma that contributed the SO2 emission was erupted during the same period.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze digital topographic data collected in September 1993 over a ∼500-km2 portion of K*lauea Volcano, Hawai'i, by the C-band (5.6-cm wavelength) topographic synthetic aperture radar (TOPSAR) airborne interferometric radar.
Abstract: We analyze digital topographic data collected in September 1993 over a ∼500-km2 portion of K*lauea Volcano, Hawai'i, by the C-band (5.6-cm wavelength) topographic synthetic aperture radar (TOPSAR) airborne interferometric radar. Field surveys covering an ∼1-km2 area of the summit caldera and the distal end of an ∼8-m-thick 'a'* flow indicate that the 10-m spatial resolution TOPSAR data have a vertical accuracy of 1–2 m over a variety of volcanic surfaces. After conversion to a common datum, TOPSAR data agree favorably with a digital elevation model (DEM) produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with the important exception of the region of the ongoing eruption (which postdates the USGS DEM). This DEM comparison gives us confidence that subtracting the USGS data from TOPSAR data will produce a reasonable estimate of the erupted volume as of September 1993. This subtraction produces dense rock equivalent (DRE) volumes of 392, 439, and 90×106 m3 for the Pu'u '*'*, K*pa'ianah*, and episode 50–53 stages of the eruption, respectively. These are 124, 89, and 94% of the volumes calculated by staff of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) but do not include lava of K*pa'ianah* and episodes 50–53 that flowed into the ocean and are thus invisible to TOPSAR. Accounting for this lava increases the TOPSAR volumes to 124, 159, and 129% of the HVO volumes. Including the ±2-m uncertainty derived from the field surveys produces TOPSAR-derived volumes for the eruption as a whole that range between 81 and 125% of the USGS-derived values. The vesicularity- and ocean-corrected TOPSAR volumes yield volumetric eruption rates of 4.5, 4.5, and 2.7 m3/s for the three stages of the eruption, which compare with HVO-derived values of 3.6, 2.8, and 2.1 m3/s, respectively. Our analysis shows that care must be taken when vertically registering the TOPSAR and USGS DEMs to a common datum because C-band TOPSAR penetrates only partially into thick forest and therefore produces a DEM within the tree canopy, whereas the USGS DEM is adjusted for vegetation.