Erratum to Compositional variations and magma mixing in the 1991 eruptions of Hudson volcano,Chile

The August 1991 eruptions of Hudson volcano produced ~2.7 km³ (dense rock equivalent, DRE) of basaltic to trachyandesitic pyroclastic deposits, making it one of the largest historical eruptions in South America. Phase 1 of the eruption (P1, April 8) involved both lava flows and a phreatomagmatic eruption from a fissure located in the NW corner of the caldera. The paroxysmal phase (P2) began several days later (April 12) with a Plinian-style eruption from a different vent 4 km to the south-southeast. Tephra from the 1991 eruption ranges in composition from basalt (phase 1) to trachyandesite (phase 2), with a distinct gap between the two erupted phases from 54–60 wt% SiO₂. A trend of decreasing SiO₂ is evident from the earliest part of the phase 2 eruption (unit A, 63–65 wt% SiO₂) to the end (unit D, 60–63 wt% SiO₂). Melt inclusion data and textures suggest that mixing occurred in magmas from both eruptive phases. The basaltic and trachyandesitic magmas can be genetically related through both magma mixing and fractional crystallization processes. A combination of observed phase assemblages, inferred water content, crystallinity, and geothermometry estimates suggest pre-eruptive storage of the phase 2 trachyandesite at pressures between ~50–100 megapascal (MPa) at 972 ± 26°C under water-saturated conditions (log fO₂ –10.33 (±0.2)). It is proposed that rising P1 basaltic magma intersected the lower part of the P2 magma storage region between 2 and 3 km depth. Subsequent mixing between the two magmas preferentially hybridized the lower part of the chamber. Basaltic magma continued advancing towards the surface as a dyke to eventually be erupted in the northwestern part of the Hudson caldera. The presence of tachylite in the P1 products suggests that some of the magma was stalled close to the surface (<0.5 km) prior to eruption. Seismicity related to magma movement and the P1 eruption, combined with chamber overpressure associated with basalt injection, may have created a pathway to the surface for the trachyandesite magma and subsequent P2 eruption at a different vent 4 km to the south-southeast. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Petrology and sulfur and chlorine emissions of the 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung,Bali, Indonesia

 The 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung produced 0.95 km³ dense rock equivalent (DRE) of olivine±hornblende-bearing, weakly phyric, basaltic andesite tephra and lava. Evidence for magma mixing in the eruptive products includes whole-rock compatible and incompatible trace element trends, reverse and complex compositional zoning of mineral phases, disequilibrium mineral assemblages, sieve-textured plagioclase phenocrysts, and augite rims on reversely zoned orthopyroxene. Basalt magma mixed with pre-existing andesite magma shortly before eruption to yield basaltic andesite with a temperature of 1040–1100  °C at an assumed pressure of 2 kb, f O₂>NNO, and an average melt volatile content (H₂O±CO₂) of 4.3 wt.%. Magma-mixing end members may have provided some of the S and Cl emitted in the eruption. Glass inclusions in phenocrysts contain an average of 650 ppm S and 3130 ppm Cl as compared with 70 ppm and 2220 ppm, respectively, in the matrix glass. Maximum S and Cl contents of glass inclusions approach 1800 and 5000 ppm, respectively. Application of the petrologic method to products of the 1963 eruption for estimating volatile release yields of 2.5×10¹²g (Mt) of SO₂ and 3.4 Mt of Cl released from the 0.65 km³ of juvenile tephra which contributed to stratospheric injection of H₂SO₄ aerosols on 17 March and 16 May, when eruption column heights exceeded 20 km above sea level. An independent estimate of SO₂ release from atmospheric aerosol loading (11–12 Mt) suggests that approximately 7 Mt of SO₂ was injected into the stratosphere. The difference between the two estimates can be most readily accounted for by the partitioning of S, as well as some Cl, from the magma into a water-rich vapor phase which was released upon eruption. For other recent high-S-release eruptions of more evolved and oxidized magmas (El Chichón, Pinatubo), the petrologic method gives values two orders of magnitude less than independent estimates of SO₂ emissions. Results from this study of the Agung 1963 magma and its volatile emissions, and from related studies on eruptions of more mafic magmas, suggest that SO₂ emissions from eruptions of higher-S-solubility magma may be more reliably estimated by the petrologic method than may those from more-evolved magma eruptions. Received: 29 June 1994 / Accepted: 25 April 1996     

Geochemistry and magmatic properties of eruption episodes from Haroharo linear vent zone, Okataina Volcanic Centre, New Zealand during the last 10 kyr

Post-10 ka rhyolitic eruptions from the Haroharo linear vent zone, Okataina Volcanic Centre, have occurred from several simultaneously active vents spread over 12 km. Two of the three eruption episodes have tapped multiple compositionally distinct homogeneous magma batches. Three magmas totalling ~8 km³ were erupted during the 9.5 ka Rotoma episode. The most evolved Rotoma magma (SiO₂=76.5–77.9 wt%, Sr=96–112 ppm) erupted from a southeastern vent, and is characterised by a cummingtonite-dominant mineralogy, a temperature of 739±14°C, and fO₂ of NNO+0.52±0.11. The least evolved (SiO₂=75.0–76.4 wt%, Sr=128–138 ppm, orthopyroxene+ hornblende-dominant) Rotoma magma erupted from several vents, and was hotter (764±18°C) and more reduced (NNO+0.40±0.13). The ~11 km³ Whakatane episode occurred at 5.6 ka and also erupted three magmas, each from a separate vent. The most evolved (SiO₂=73.3–76.2 wt%, Sr=88–100 ppm) Whakatane magma erupted from the southwestern (Makatiti) vent and is cummingtonite-dominant, cool (745±11°C), and reduced (NNO+0.34±0.08). The least evolved (SiO₂=72.8–74.1 wt%, Sr=132–134 ppm) magma was erupted from the northeastern (Pararoa) vent and is characterised by an orthopyroxene+ hornblende-dominant mineralogy, temperature of 764±18°C, and fO₂ of NNO+0.40±0.13. Compositionally intermediate magmas were erupted during the Rotoma and Whakatane episodes are likely to be hybrids. A single ~13 km³ magma erupted during the intervening 8.1 ka Mamaku episode was relatively homogeneous in composition (SiO₂=76.1–76.8 wt%, Sr=104–112 ppm), temperature (736±18°C), and oxygen fugacity (NNO+0.19±0.12). Some of the vents tapped a single magma while others tapped several. Deposit stratigraphy suggests that the eruptions alternated between magmas, which were often simultaneously erupted from separate vents. Both effusive and explosive activity alternated, but was predominantly effusive (>75% erupted as lava domes and flows). The plumbing systems which fed the vents are inferred to be complex, with magma experiencing different conditions in the conduits. As the eruption of several magmas was essentially concurrent, the episodes were likely triggered by a common event such as magmatic intrusion or seismic disturbance.     

The Pomici di Avellino eruption of Somma-Vesuvius (3.9 ka bp). Part I: stratigraphy, compositional variability and eruptive dynamics

The stratigraphic succession of the Pomici di Avellino Plinian eruption from Somma-Vesuvius has been studied through field and laboratory data in order to reconstruct the eruption dynamics. This eruption is particularly important in the Somma-Vesuvius eruptive history because (1) its vent was offset with respect to the present day Vesuvius cone; (2) it was characterised by a distinct opening phase; (3) breccia-like very proximal fall deposits are preserved close to the vent and (4) the pyroclastic density currents generated during the final phreatomagmatic phase are among the most widespread and voluminous in the entire history of the volcano. The stratigraphic succession is, here, divided into deposits of three main eruptive phases (opening, magmatic Plinian and phreatomagmatic), which contain five eruption units. Short-lived sustained columns occurred twice during the opening phase (H_t of 13 and 21.5 km, respectively) and dispersed thin fall deposits and small pyroclastic density currents onto the volcano slopes. The magmatic Plinian phase produced the main volume of erupted deposits, emplacing white and grey fall deposits which were dispersed to the northeast. Peak column heights reached 23 and 31 km during the withdrawal of the white and the grey magmas, respectively. Only one small pyroclastic density current was emplaced during the main Plinian phase. In contrast, the final phreatomagmatic phase was characterised by extensive generation of pyroclastic density currents, with fallout deposits very subordinate and limited to the volcano slopes. Assessed bulk erupted volumes are 21 × 10⁶ m³ for the opening phase, 1.3–1.5 km³ for the main Plinian phase and about 1 km³ for the final phreatomagmatic phase, yielding a total volume of about 2.5 km³. Pumice fragments are porphyritic with sanidine and clinopyroxene as the main mineral phases but also contain peculiar mineral phases like scapolite, nepheline and garnet. Bulk composition varies from phonolite (white magma) to tephri-phonolite (grey magma).     

Voluminous lava flows at Oldoinyo Lengai in 2006: chronology of events and insights into the shallow magmatic system

The largest natrocarbonatite lava flow eruption ever documented at Oldoinyo Lengai, NW Tanzania, occurred from March 25 to April 5, 2006, in two main phases. It was associated with hornito collapse, rapid extrusion of lava covering a third of the crater and emplacement of a 3-km long compound rubbly pahoehoe to blocky aa-like flow on the W flank. The eruption was followed by rapid enlargement of a pit crater. The erupted natrocarbonatite lava has high silica content (3% SiO₂). The eruption chronology is reconstructed from eyewitness and news media reports and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data, which provide the most reliable evidence to constrain the eruption’s onset and variations in activity. The eruption products were mapped in the field and the total erupted lava volume estimated at 9.2 ± 3.0 × 10⁵ m³. The event chronology and field evidence are consistent with vent construct instability causing magma mixing and rapid extrusion from shallow reservoirs. It provides new insights into and highlights the evolution of the shallow magmatic system at this unique natrocarbonatite volcano.     

The contemporaneous emission of low-K and high-K trachybasalts and the role of the NE Rift during the 2002 eruptive event,Mt. Etna,Italy

Mount Etna volcano erupted almost simultaneously on its northeastern and southern flanks between October 27 and November 3, 2002. The eruption on the northeastern flank lasted for 8 days, while on the southern flank it continued for 3 months. The northeastern flank eruption was characterized by the opening of a long eruptive fracture system between 2,900 and 1,900 m.a.s.l. A detailed survey indicates that the fractures’ direction shifted during the opening from N10W (at the NE Crater, 2,900 m) to N45E (at its lowest portion, 1,900 m) and that distinct magma groups were erupted at distinct fracture segments. Based on their petrological features, three distinct groups of rocks have been identified. The first group, high-potassium porphyritic (HKP), is made up of porphyritic lavas with a Porphyritic Index (P.I.) of 20–32 and K₂O content higher than 2 wt%. The second group is represented by lavas and tephra with low modal phenocryst abundance (P.I. < 20) named here oligo-phyric (low-phyric), and K₂O content higher than 2 wt% (HKO, high-potassium oligophyric). The third group, low-potassium oligophyric (LKO), consists of tephra with oligophyric texture (P.I. < 20) but K₂O content < 2 wt%. K-rich magmas (HKP and HKO) are similar to the magma erupted on the southern flank, and geochemical variations within these groups can be accounted for by a variable degree of fractionation from a single parent magma. The K-poor magma (LKO), erupted only in the upper segment of the fracture, cannot be placed on the same liquid line of descent of the HK groups, and it is similar to the magmas that fed the activity of Etna volcano prior to the eruption of 1971. This is the first time since then that a magma of this composition has been documented at Mt. Etna, thus providing a strong indication for the existence of distinct batches of magma whose rise and differentiation are independent from the main conduit system. The evolution of this eruption provides evidence that the NE Rift plays a very active role in the activity of Mt. Etna volcano, and that its extensional tectonics allows the intrusion and residence of magma bodies at various depths, which can therefore differentiate independently from the main open conduit system.     

The ~4-ka Rungwe Pumice (South-Western Tanzania): a wind-still Plinian eruption

The ~4-ka trachytic Rungwe Pumice (RP) deposit from Rungwe Volcano in South-Western Tanzania is the first Plinian-style deposit from an African volcano to be closely documented focusing on its physical characterization. The RP is a mostly massive fall deposit with an inversely graded base. Empirical models suggest a maximum eruption column height H _T of 30.5–35 km with an associated peak mass discharge rate of 2.8–4.8 × 10⁸ kg/s. Analytical calculations result in H _T values of 33 ± 4 km (inversion of TEPHRA2 model on grain size data) corresponding to mass discharge ranging from 2.3 to 6.0 × 10⁸ kg/s. Lake-core data allow extrapolation of the deposit thinning trend far beyond onland exposures. Empirical fitting of thickness data yields volume estimates between 3.2 and 5.8 km³ (corresponding to an erupted mass of 1.1–2.0 × 10¹² kg), whereas analytical derivation yields an erupted mass of 1.1 × 10¹² kg (inversion of TEPHRA2 model). Modelling and dispersal maps are consistent with nearly no-wind conditions during the eruption. The plume corner is estimated to have been ca. 11–12 km from the vent. After an opening phase with gradually increasing intensity, a high discharge rate was maintained throughout the eruption, without fountain collapse as is evidenced by a lack of pyroclastic density current deposits.     

Vesiculation path of ascending magma in the 1983 and the 2000 eruptions of Miyakejima volcano, Japan

The vesiculation of magma during the 1983 eruption of Miyakejima Volcano, Japan, is discussed based on systematic investigations of water content, vesicularity, and bubble size distribution for the products. The eruption is characterized by simultaneous lava effusion and explosive sub-plinian (‘dry’) eruptions with phreatomagmatic (‘wet’) explosions. The magmas are homogeneous in composition (basaltic andesite) and in initial water content (H₂O = 3.9±0.9 wt%), and residual groundmass water contents for all eruption styles are low (H₂O <0.4 wt%) suggestive of extensive dehydration of magma. For the scoria erupted during simultaneous ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ explosive eruptions, inverse correlation was observed between vesicularity and residual water content. This relation can be explained by equilibrium exsolution and expansion of ca. 0.3 wt% H₂O at shallow level with different times of quenching, and suggests that each scoria with different vesicularity, which was quenched at a different time, provides a snapshot of the vesiculation process near the point of fragmentation. The bubble size distribution (BSD) varies systematically with vesicularity, and total bubble number density reaches a maximum value at vesicularity Φ ∼ 0.5. At Φ  ∼ 0.5, a large number of bubbles are connected with each other, and the average thickness of bubble walls reaches the minimum value below which they would rupture. These facts suggest that vesiculation advanced by nucleation and growth of bubbles when Φ < 0.5, and then by expansion of large bubbles with coalescence of small ones for Φ > 0.5, when bubble connection becomes effective. Low vesicularity and low residual water content of lava and spatter (Φ  < 0.1, H₂O  < 0.1 wt%), and systematic decrease in bubble number density from scoria through spatter to lava with decrease in vesicularity suggest that effusive eruption is a consequence of complete degassing by bubble coalescence and separation from magma at shallow levels when magma ascent rate is slow.

Holocene tephrochronology record of large explosive eruptions in the southernmost Patagonian Andes

For regionally widespread Holocene tephra layers in southernmost Patagonia, correlations based on both chemical and chronological data indicate their derivation from five large-volume (>1 km³) explosive eruptions of four different volcanoes in the southernmost Andes. Bulk-tephra and tephra-glass major and trace-element chemistry and Sr isotopic ratios unambiguously distinguish different source volcanoes, and imply that two of the regionally widespread tephra (MB₁ and MB₂) were derived from Mt. Burney (52°S), one (R₁) from Reclus (51°S), one (A₁) from Aguilera (50°S) and one (H₁) from Hudson volcano (46°S). The H₁ tephra derived from the Hudson volcano, which is located at the southern end of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ; 33–46°S), contains distinctive greenish andesitic glass with FeO > 4.5 wt.% and TiO₂ > 1.2 wt.%. In contrast, rhyolitic glass in tephra derived from the eruptions of Mt. Burney, Reclus and Aguilera volcanoes, which are located in the Andean Austral Volcanic Zone (AVZ; 49–55°S), is clear and transparent and has significantly lower FeO and TiO₂. Tephra derived from these three AVZ volcanoes all contain plagioclase, orthopyroxene, minor clinopyroxene and amphibole. Biotite occurs only in the Aguilera A₁ tephra, which also has the highest bulk-tephra and tephra-glass K₂O and Rb contents. Averages of new and published ¹⁴C ages determined on organic material in soil and sediment samples above and below these tephra constrain the uncalibrated ¹⁴C age of the R₁ eruption of Reclus volcano to 12,685 ± 260 years BP, the MB₁ and MB₂ eruptions of Mt. Burney to 8,425 ± 500 and 3,830 ± 390 years BP, the Hudson H₁ eruption to 6,850 ± 160 years BP, and the A₁ eruption of Aguilera volcano to 3,000 ± 100 years BP. The volume of the largest of these eruptions, H₁ of the Hudson volcano, is estimated as >18 km³. The volume of the Reclus R₁ eruption is estimated at >10 km³, the Aguilera A₁ eruption at between 4 and 9 km³, and the younger Mt. Burney MB₂ eruption at ≥2.8 km³. The volume of the older MB₁ Mt. Burney eruption is the least well constrained, but must have been larger than the younger MB₂ eruption. The data indicate that the frequency of explosive activity of volcanic centers in the AVZ is lower than in the southern SVZ.     

Eruptive history and magmatic evolution of the 1.9 kyr Plinian dacitic Chiltepe Tephra from Apoyeque volcano in west-central Nicaragua

The youngest dacitic Plinian eruption in west-central Nicaragua, forming the 18 km³ Chiltepe Tephra (CT), occurred about nineteen hundred years ago at Apoyeque stratovolcano, which dominates the Chiltepe volcanic complex 15 km north of the capital Managua, where the CT is 2 m thick. We have traced the CT from its proximal facies at the crater rim, through the medial facies in the lowlands around Apoyeque, and to the distal facies up to 550 km offshore in the Pacific. While medial and distal facies consist of widespread Plinian fall deposits, the proximal facies reveals the complexity of this eruption, which we divide into four phases (I–IV). Interaction of rising magma with a pre-existing crater lake generated the phreatomagmatic opening phase I of the eruption, which produced ash fall with accretionary lapilli. Phase II marked a rapid change to persistent magmatic activity that yielded several large Plinian eruptions, declining through a period of unstable eruption conditions, followed by a short hiatus. Phase III began with unstable conditions, probably as a result of eastward migration and widening of the vent, leading to a second period of Plinian eruptions with three major events reaching magma discharge rates five times larger than those of phase II. Phase III again declined through unstable eruption conditions before magmatic activity terminated. Numerous explosions in the shallow hydrothermal system during the final phase IV resulted in the formation of a phreatic tuff ring on the rim of Apoyeque crater. The white, highly-vesicular, dacitic CT pumice contains plagioclase (An_45–68), orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and minor hornblende, apatite and titanomagnetite phenocrysts. A very subordinate fraction of gray pumice has the highest crystal content, the least evolved bulk-rock, but the most evolved matrix-glass composition. The CT dacite has two unusual compositional features: (1) all white dacite has the same melt (matrix-glass) composition such that variations in bulk-rock compositions (64–68 wt% SiO₂) simply reflect different phenocryst contents of 10–35%, interpreted as the result of gradual phenocryst settling in the magma chamber. (2) Abundant olivine crystals with a bimodal distribution in Mg# (modes at Mg# = 0.75 and Mg# = 0.8) are dispersed throughout the erupted dacite. These are clearly out of equilibrium with the dacitic melt and are interpreted as xenocrysts derived from the basaltic Nejapa-Miraflores volcanic lineament that intersects the Chiltepe volcanic complex and was contemporaneously active. Thermobarometric estimates place the dacitic CT magma reservoir in the upper crust (<250 MPa), with a temperature of about 890°C and about 5 wt% water dissolved in the melt. Comparing water and chlorine contents with respective solubility models suggests that volatile degassing began in the magma reservoir and triggered the CT eruption. From the vertical compositional variation pattern of the CT we deduce that the conduit tapped the magma chamber not at the top but from the side, at some deeper level, and that subsequent magma withdrawal was governed by both variations in discharge rate and possible upward migration and/or widening of the conduit entrance.     

Eruptive style of the young high-Mg basaltic-andesite Pelagatos scoria cone,southeast of México City

The eruption of the Pelagatos scoria cone in the Sierra Chichinautzin monogenetic field near the southern suburbs of Mexico City occurred less than 14,000 years ago. The eruption initiated at a fissure with an effusive phase that formed a 7-km-long lava flow, and continued with a phase of alternating and/or simultaneous explosive and effusive activity that built a 50-m-high scoria cone on the western end of the fissure and formed a compound lava flow-field near the vent. The eruption ended with the emplacement of a short lava flow that breached the cone and was accompanied by weak explosions at the crater. Products consist of a microlite-rich high-Mg basaltic andesite. Samples were analyzed to determine the magma’s initial properties as well as the effects of degassing-induced crystallization on eruptive style. Although distal ash fallout deposits from this eruption are not preserved, a recent quarry exposes a large section of the scoria cone. Detailed study of exposed layers allows us to elucidate the mode of cone-building activity. Petrological and textural data, combined with models calibrated by experimental work and melt-inclusion analyses of similar magmas elsewhere, indicate that the magma was initially hot (>1,200°C), gas-rich (up to 5 wt.% H₂O), crystal-poor (~10 vol.% Fo₉₀ olivine phenocrysts) and thus poorly viscous (40–80 Pa s). During the early phase, low magma ascent velocity at the fissure vent allowed low-viscosity magma to degas and crystallize during ascent, producing lava flows with elevated crystal contents at T < 1,100°C, and blocky surfaces. Later, the closure of the fissure by cooling dikes focused the magma flow at a narrow section of the fissure. This led to an increased magma ascent velocity. Rapid and shallow degassing (<3 km deep) triggered ~40 vol.% microlite crystallization. Limited times for gas-escape and higher magma viscosity (6 × 10⁵–4 × 10⁶ Pa s) drove strong explosions of highly (60–80 vol.%) and finely vesicular magma. Coarse clasts broke on landing, which implies brittle behavior due to complete solidification. This requires sufficient time to cool and in turn implies ejection heights of over 1 km, which is much higher than “normal” Strombolian activity. Hence, magma viscosity significantly impacts eruption style at monogenetic volcanoes because it affects the kinetics of shallow degassing. The long-lasting eruptions of Jorullo and Paricutin, which produced similar magmas in western México, were more explosive. This can be related to higher magma fluxes and total erupted volumes. Implications of this study are important because basaltic andesites are commonly erupted to form monogenetic scoria cones of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.     

The Holocene Pucón eruption of Volcán Villarrica, Chile: deposit architecture and eruption chronology

The Pucón eruption was the largest Holocene explosive outburst of Volcán Villarrica, Chile. It discharged >1.0 km³ of basaltic-andesite magma and >0.8 km³ of pre-existing rock, forming a thin scoria-fall deposit overlain by voluminous ignimbrite intercalated with pyroclastic surge beds. The deposits are up to 70 m thick and are preserved up to 21 km from the present-day summit, post-eruptive lahar deposits extending farther. Two ignimbrite units are distinguished: a lower one (P1) in which all accidental lithic clasts are of volcanic origin and an upper unit (P2) in which basement granitoids also occur, both as free clasts and as xenoliths in scoria. P2 accounts for ∼80% of the erupted products. Following the initial scoria fallout phase, P1 pyroclastic flows swept down the northern and western flanks of the volcano, magma fragmentation during this phase being confined to within the volcanic edifice. Following a pause of at least a couple of days sufficient for wood devolatilization, eruption recommenced, the fragmentation level dropped to within the granitoid basement, and the pyroclastic flows of P2 were erupted. The first P2 flow had a highly turbulent front, laid down ignimbrite with large-scale cross-stratification and regressive bedforms, and sheared the ground; flow then waned and became confined to the southeastern flank. Following emplacement of pyroclastic surge deposits all across the volcano, the eruption terminated with pyroclastic flows down the northern flank. Multiple lahars were generated prior to the onset of a new eruptive cycle. Charcoal samples yield a probable eruption age of 3,510 ± 60 ¹⁴C years BP.     

New physical characterization of the Fontana Lapilli basaltic Plinian eruption,Nicaragua

The Fontana Lapilli deposit was erupted in the late Pleistocene from a vent, or multiple vents, located near Masaya volcano (Nicaragua) and is the product of one of the largest basaltic Plinian eruptions studied so far. This eruption evolved from an initial sequence of fluctuating fountain-like events and moderately explosive pulses to a sustained Plinian episode depositing fall beds of highly vesicular basaltic-andesite scoria (SiO₂ > 53 wt%). Samples show unimodal grain size distribution and a moderate sorting that are uniform in time. The juvenile component predominates (> 96 wt%) and consists of vesicular clasts with both sub-angular and fluidal, elongated shapes. We obtain a maximum plume height of 32 km and an associated mass eruption rate of 1.4 × 10⁸ kg s⁻¹ for the Plinian phase. Estimates of erupted volume are strongly sensitive to the technique used for the calculation and to the distribution of field data. Our best estimate for the erupted volume of the majority of the climactic Plinian phase is between 2.9 and 3.8 km³ and was obtained by applying a power-law fitting technique with different integration limits. The estimated eruption duration varies between 4 and 6 h. Marine-core data confirm that the tephra thinning is better fitted by a power-law than by an exponential trend.     

The November 2002 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise,Réunion: tracking the pre-eruptive thermal evolution of magma using melt inclusions

The November 2002 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in the Indian Ocean was typical of the activity of the volcano from 1999 to 2006 in terms of duration and volume of magma ejected. The first magma erupted was a basaltic liquid with a small proportion of olivine phenocrysts (Fo₈₁) that contain small numbers of melt inclusions. In subsequent flows, olivine crystals were more abundant and richer in Mg (Fo_83–84). These crystals contain numerous melt and fluid inclusions, healed fractures, and dislocation features such as kink bands. The major element composition of melt inclusions in this later olivine (Fo_83–84) is out of equilibrium with that of its host as a result of extensive post-entrapment crystallization and Fe²⁺ loss by diffusion during cooling. Melt inclusions in Fo₈₁ olivine are also chemically out of equilibrium with their hosts but to a lesser degree. Using olivine–melt geothermometry, we determined that melt inclusions in Fo₈₁ olivine were trapped at lower temperature (1,182 ± 1°C) than inclusions in Fo_83–84 olivine (1,199–1,227°C). This methodology was also used to estimate eruption temperatures. The November 2002 melt inclusion compositions suggest that they were at temperatures between 1,070°C and 1,133°C immediately before eruption and quenching. This relatively wide temperature range may reflect the fact that most of the melt inclusions were from olivine in lava samples and therefore likely underwent minor but variable amounts of post-eruptive crystallization and Fe²⁺ loss by diffusion due to their relatively slow cooling on the surface. In contrast, melt inclusions in tephra samples from past major eruptions yielded a narrower range of higher eruption temperatures (1,163–1,181°C). The melt inclusion data presented here and in earlier publications are consistent with a model of magma recharge from depth during major eruptions, followed by storage, cooling, and crystallization at shallow levels prior to expulsion during events similar in magnitude to the relatively small November 2002 eruption.     

Stratigraphy and eruptive dynamics of a pulsating Plinian eruption of Somma-Vesuvius: the Pomici di Mercato (8900 years B.P.)

New volcanological studies allow reconstruction of the eruption dynamics of the Pomici di Mercato eruption (ca 8,900 cal. yr B.P.) of Somma-Vesuvius. Three main Eruptive Phases are distinguished based on two distinct erosion surfaces that interrupt stratigraphic continuity of the deposits, indicating that time breaks occurred during the eruption. Absence of reworked volcaniclastic deposits on top of the erosion surfaces suggests that quiescent periods between eruptive phases were short perhaps lasting only days to weeks. Each of the Eruptive Phases was characterised by deposition of alternating fall and pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits. The fallout deposits blanketed a wide area toward the east, while the more restricted PDC deposits inundated the volcano slopes. Eruptive dynamics were driven by brittle magmatic fragmentation of a phonolitic magma, which, because of its mechanical fragility, produced a significant amount of fine ash. External water did not significantly contribute either to fragmentation dynamics or to mechanical energy release during the eruption. Column heights were between 18 and 22 km, corresponding to mass discharge rates between 1.4 and 6 × 10⁷ kg s⁻¹. The estimated on land volume of fall deposits ranges from a minimum of 2.3 km³ to a maximum of 7.4 km³. Calculation of physical parameters of the dilute pyroclastic density currents indicates speeds of a few tens of m s⁻¹ and densities of a few kg m⁻³ (average of the lowermost 10 m of the currents), resulting in dynamic pressures lower than 3 kPa. These data suggest that the potential impact of pyroclastic density currents of the Pomici di Mercato eruption was smaller than those of other Plinian and sub-Plinian eruptions of Somma-Vesuvius, especially those of 1631 AD and 472 AD (4–14 kPa), which represent reference values for the Vesuvian emergency plan. The pulsating and long-lasting behaviour of the Pomici di Mercato eruption is unique in the history of large explosive eruptions of Somma-Vesuvius. We suggest an eruptive scheme in which discrete magma batches rose from the magma chamber through a network of fractures. The injection and rise of the different magma batches was controlled by the interplay between magma chamber overpressure and local stress. The intermittent discharge of magma during a large explosive eruption is unusual for Somma-Vesuvius, as well as for other volcanoes worldwide, and yields new insights for improving our knowledge of the dynamics of explosive eruptions.     

The Middle Scoria sequence: A Holocene violent strombolian, subplinian and phreatomagmatic eruption of Okmok volcano, Alaska

The Middle Scoria deposit represents an explosive eruption of basaltic andesite magma (54 wt. % SiO₂) from Okmok volcano during mid-Holocene time. The pattern of dispersal and characteristics of the ejecta indicate that the eruption opened explosively, with ash textural evidence for a limited degree of phreatomagmatism. The second phase of the eruption produced thick vesicular scoria deposits with grain texture, size and dispersal characteristics that indicate it was violent strombolian to subplinian in style. The third eruptive phase produced deposits with a shift towards grain shapes that are dense, blocky, and poorly vesicular, and intermittent surge layers, indicating later transitions between magmatic (violent strombolian) to phreatomagmatic (vulcanian) eruptive styles. Isopach maps yield bulk volume estimates that range from 0.06 to 0.43 km³, with ~ 0.04 to 0.25 km³ total DRE. The associated column heights and mass discharge values calculated from isopleth maps of individual Middle Scoria layers are 8.5 – 14 km and 0.4 to 45 × 10⁶ kg/s. The Middle Scoria tephras are enriched in plagioclase microlites that have the textural characteristics of rapid magma ascent and relatively high degrees of effective undercooling. Those textures probably reflect the rapid magma ascent accompanying the violent strombolian and subplinian phases of the eruption. In the later stages of the eruption, the plagioclase microlite number densities decrease and textures include more tabular plagioclase, indicating a slowing of the ascent rate. The findings on the Middle Scoria are consistent with other explosive mafic eruptions, and show that outside of the two large caldera-forming eruptions, Okmok is also capable of producing violent mafic eruptions, marked by varying degrees of phreatomagmatism.     

Volatile emission during the eruption of Baitoushan Volcano (China/North Korea) ca. 969 AD

3 [magma volume (DRE): 24 ± 5 km³]. The main phase (ca. 95 vol.%) is represented by comenditic tephra deposited dominantly as widespread fallout blankets and proximal ignimbrites. The eruption column is estimated to have reached ca. 25 km and thus entered the stratosphere. A late phase (5 vol.%) is represented by trachyte emplaced chiefly as moderately welded ignimbrites. The comendites contain  ∼ 3, and the trachytes 10–20 vol.% phenocrysts, mainly anorthoclase, hedenbergite, and fayalite. Primary glassy melt inclusions with no signs of leakage were found only in phenocrysts in the comenditic tephra, whereas those in phenocrysts in the trachytes are devitrified. The comendite magma is interpreted to have been generated by fractional crystallization from a trachyte magma represented by melt inclusions in the phenocrysts in the comendite tephra. The mass of volatiles emitted to the atmosphere during the eruption was estimated using the petrologic method. The average H₂O concentration of the comenditic matrix glass is 1.5 wt.% (probably largely secondary) and of the corresponding melt inclusions  ∼ 5.2 wt.%. Melt inclusions in feldspar and quartz present the highest halogen concentrations with a calculated average for chlorine of 4762 ppm and for fluorine of 4294 ppm. The comenditic matrix glasses are represented by a fluorine-rich (3992 ppm F) and fluorine-poor group (2431 ppm F), averaging 3853 ppm for chlorine. Only 20% of all sulfur analyses of the comenditic matrix glasses and melt inclusions are above the detection limit of  ≥ 250 ppm S. The difference between pre- and post-eruptive concentration of H₂O is at least 3.7 ± 0.6 wt.% H₂O taking into consideration re-hydration of the matrix glass and possible leakage of melt inclusions. The difference between pre- and post-eruptive concentrations of the halogens amounts to 909 ± 90 ppm Cl, and 1863 ± 280 ppm and 302 ± 40 ppm F. The difference for S was estimated based on the average of the maximum S concentrations in the melt inclusions (455 ppm S) and the detection limit, resulting in 205 ± 40 ppm S. The calculated mass of volatiles injected into the atmosphere, based on the erupted magma volume and volatile data, is 1796 ± 453 megatons for H₂O, 45 ± 10 megatons for chlorine, 42 ± 11 megatons for fluorine, and 2 ± 0.6 megatons for sulfur. The 969 ± 20 AD eruption of Baitoushan Volcano, one of the largest eruptions of the past 2000 years, is thought to have had a substantial but possibly short-lived effect on climate. Received: 25 July 1998 / Accepted: 8 September 1999     

Multiple levels of magma storage during the 1980 summer eruptions of Mount St. Helens, WA

Transitions in eruptive style—explosive to effusive, sustained to pulsatory—are a common aspect of volcanic activity and present a major challenge to volcano monitoring efforts. A classic example of such transitions is provided by the activity of Mount St. Helens, WA, during 1980, where a climactic Plinian event on May 18 was followed by subplinian and vulcanian eruptions that became increasing pulsatory with time throughout the summer, finally progressing to episodic growth of a lava dome. Here we use variations in the textures, glass compositions and volatile contents of melt inclusions preserved in pyroclasts produced by the summer 1980 eruptions to determine conditions of magma ascent and storage that may have led to observed changes in eruptive activity. Five different pyroclast types identified in pyroclastic flow and fall deposits produced by eruptions in June 12, July 22 and August 7, 1980, provide evidence for multiple levels of magma storage prior to each event. Highly vesicular clasts have H₂O-rich (4.5–5.5 wt%) melt inclusions and lack groundmass microlites or hornblende reaction rims, characteristics that require magma storage at P≥160 MPa until shortly prior to eruption. All other clast types have groundmass microlites; P_H20 estimated from both H₂O-bearing melt inclusions and textural constraints provided by decompression experiments suggest pre-eruptive storage pressures of ∼75, 40, and 10 MPa. The distribution of pyroclast types within and between eruptive deposits can be used to place important constraints on eruption mechanisms. Fall and flow deposits from June 12, 1980, lack highly vesicular, microlite-free pyroclasts. This eruption was also preceded by a shallow intrusion on June 3, as evidenced by a seismic crisis and enhanced SO₂ emissions. Our constraints suggest that magma intruded to a depth of ≤4 km beneath the crater floor fed the June eruption. In contrast, eruptions of July and August, although shorter in duration and smaller in volume, erupted deep volatile-rich magma. If modeled as a simple cylinder, these data require a step-wise decrease in effective conduit diameter from 40–50 m in May and June to 8–12 m in July and August. The abundance of vesicular (intermediate to deep) clast types in July and August further suggests that this change was effected by narrowing the shallower part of the conduit, perhaps in response to solidification of intruded magma remaining in the shallow system after the June eruption. Eruptions from July to October were distinctly pulsatory, transitioning between subplinian and vulcanian in character. As originally suggested by Scandone and Malone (1985), a growing mismatch between the rate of magma ascent and magma disruption explains the increasingly pulsatory nature of the eruptions through time. Recent fragmentation experiments Spieler et al. (2004) suggest this mismatch may have been aided by the multiple levels at which magma was stored (and degassed) prior to these events.Editorial responsibility: J Stix     

Coda wave attenuation in the Parecis Basin,Amazon Craton,Brazil: sensitivity to basement depth

Small local earthquakes from two aftershock sequences in Porto dos Gaúchos, Amazon craton—Brazil, were used to estimate the coda wave attenuation in the frequency band of 1 to 24 Hz. The time-domain coda-decay method of a single backscattering model is employed to estimate frequency dependence of the quality factor (Q _c) of coda waves modeled using Q_c = Q₀ f^hQ_{\rm c} =Q_{\rm 0} f^\eta , where Q ₀ is the coda quality factor at frequency of 1 Hz and η is the frequency parameter. We also used the independent frequency model approach (Morozov, Geophys J Int, 175:239–252, 2008), based in the temporal attenuation coefficient, χ(f) instead of Q(f), given by the equation c(f)=g+\fracpfQ_e \chi (f)\!=\!\gamma \!+\!\frac{\pi f}{Q_{\rm e} }, for the calculation of the geometrical attenuation (γ) and effective attenuation (Q_e^-1 )(Q_{\rm e}^{-1} ). Q _c values have been computed at central frequencies (and band) of 1.5 (1–2), 3.0 (2–4), 6.0 (4–8), 9.0 (6–12), 12 (8–16), and 18 (12–24) Hz for five different datasets selected according to the geotectonic environment as well as the ability to sample shallow or deeper structures, particularly the sediments of the Parecis basin and the crystalline basement of the Amazon craton. For the Parecis basin Q_c = (98±12)f^(1.14±0.08)Q_{\rm c} =(98\pm 12)f^{(1.14\pm 0.08)}, for the surrounding shield Q_c = (167±46)f^(1.03±0.04)Q_{\rm c} =(167\pm 46)f^{(1.03\pm 0.04)}, and for the whole region of Porto dos Gaúchos Q_c = (99±19)f^(1.17±0.02)Q_{\rm c} =(99\pm 19)f^{(1.17\pm 0.02)}. Using the independent frequency model, we found: for the cratonic zone, γ = 0.014 s^− 1, Q_e^-1 = 0.0001Q_{\rm e}^{-1} =0.0001, ν ≈ 1.12; for the basin zone with sediments of ~500 m, γ = 0.031 s^− 1, Q_e^-1 = 0.0003Q_{\rm e}^{-1} =0.0003, ν ≈ 1.27; and for the Parecis basin with sediments of ~1,000 m, γ = 0.047 s^− 1, Q_e^-1 = 0.0005Q_{\rm e}^{-1} =0.0005, ν ≈ 1.42. Analysis of the attenuation factor (Q _c) for different values of the geometrical spreading parameter (ν) indicated that an increase of ν generally causes an increase in Q _c, both in the basin as well as in the craton. But the differences in the attenuation between different geological environments are maintained for different models of geometrical spreading. It was shown that the energy of coda waves is attenuated more strongly in the sediments, Q_c = (78±23)f^(1.17±0.14)Q_{\rm c} =(78\pm 23)f^{(1.17\pm 0.14)} (in the deepest part of the basin), than in the basement, Q_c = (167±46)f^(1.03±0.04)Q_{\rm c} =(167\pm 46)f^{(1.03\pm 0.04)} (in the craton). Thus, the coda wave analysis can contribute to studies of geological structures in the upper crust, as the average coda quality factor is dependent on the thickness of sedimentary layer.     

Shallow and deep reservoirs involved in magma supply of the 1944 eruption of Vesuvius

 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. Received: 14 September 1998 / Accepted: 10 January 1999