Deformation structures in shale bed indicate flow direction of overlying Miocene subaqueous pyroclastic flow

Thrusts, pinch-and-swell structures and undulations are present within a 2-m-thick layered shale bed of Miocene age that is overlain by a rhyolite subaqueous pyroclastic flow deposit 2–3 m thick. The deformation structures were caused by loading and lateral compression by the subaqueous pyroclastic flow, probably analogous to those observed in layered muds deformed by a sand mass advancing across them. Prominent thrusts strike east-west and dip south, and the crests of undulations strike east-west, indicating that the subaqeuous pyroclastic flow moved northward.     

Spatter-rich pyroclastic flow deposits on Santorini,Greece

Pyroclastic deposits exposed in the caldera walls of Santorini Volcano (Greece), contain several prominent horizons of coarse-grained andesitic spatter and cauliform volcanic bombs. These deposits can be traced around most of the caldera wall. They thicken in depressions and are intimately associated with ignimbrite and co-ignimbrite lithic lag breccias. They are interpreted as a proximal facies of pyroclastic flow deposits. Evidence for a flow origin includes the presence of a fine-grained pumiceous matrix, flow deformation of ductile spatter clasts, exceedingly coarse grain sizes several kilometres from any plausible vent, imbrication of flattened spatter clasts, intimate interbedding with normal pyroclastic flow deposits and the presence of inversely graded basal layers. The deposits contain hydrothermally altered, rounded lithic ejecta including gabbro nodules. The andesitic ejecta and the fine matrix are typically moderately to poorly vesicular indicating that magmatic gas had a subordinate role in the eruptive process. The andesitic clasts contain abundant angular lithic inclusions and some clasts are themselves formed of pre-existing agglutinate. We propose that these eruptions occurred when external water gained access to the vents, causing large-scale explosions which formed pyroclastic flows rich in coarse, semifluid but poorly vesicular ejecta. We postulate that large volumes of coarse pyroclastic ejecta and degassed lava accumulated in a deep crater prior to being disrupted by these large explosions to form pyroclastic flows.     

Sedimentology of the Krakatau 1883 submarine pyroclastic deposits

The majority of tephra generated during the paroxysmal 1883 eruption of Krakatau volcano, Indonesia, was deposited in the sea within a 15-km radius of the caldera. Two syneruptive pyroclastic facies have been recovered in SCUBA cores which sampled the 1883 subaqueous pyroclastic deposit. The most commonly recovered facies is a massive textured, poorly sorted mixture of pumice and lithic lapilli-to-block-sized fragments set in a silty to sandy ash matrix. This facies is indistinguishable from the 1883 subaerial pyroclastic flow deposits preserved on the Krakatau islands on the basis of grain size and component abundances. A less common facies consists of well-sorted, planarlaminated to low-angle cross-bedded, vitric-enriched silty ash. Entrance of subaerial pyroclastic flows into the sea resulted in subaqueous deposition of the massive facies primarily by deceleration and sinking of highly concentrated, deflated components of pyroclastic flows as they traveled over water. The basal component of the deposit suggests no mixing with seawater as inferred from retention of the fine ash fraction, high temperature of emplacement, and lack of traction structures, and no significant hydraulic sorting of components. The laminated facies was most likely deposited from low-concentration pyroclastic density currents generated by shear along the boundary between the submarine pyroclastic flows and seawater. The Krakatau deposits are the first well-documented example of true submarine pyroclastic flow deposition from a modern eruption, and thus constitute an important analog for the interpretation of ancient sequences where subaqueous deposition has been inferred based on the facies characteristics of encapsulating sedimentary sequences.     

Lithic breccias in pyroclastic flow deposits on St. Kitts,West Indies

Lithic-rich breccias are described from within a sequence of young (2000–3000 yrs B.P.) scoria and ash flow deposits erupted from Mount Misery and an older pumice and ash flow deposit (ignimbrite) on St. Kitts. Cross sections constructed through pyroclastic flow fans in well-exposed sea cliffs 4–6 km from the vent show that the lithic breccias are lensoid deposits which seem to occur as channel-shaped accumulations (up to > 20 m thick and > 150 m wide) within flow units. The best-developed example infills a deeply incised channel cut into older flow units. The coarsest lithic breccias are clast supported and fines depleted and grade laterally and vertically through finer-grained, matrix-supported breccias into scoria and ash flow deposits. Coarse scoria-concentration zones mainly occur at the tops of scoria and ash flow units but also at the bases, and gas-segregation pipes are common. The lithic breccias are a type of body-concentration deposit as they pass laterally into normal scoria and ash flow deposits and, where best developed, clearly occur above a reversely graded basal shear zone or layer. Grain-size studies indicate the lithic breccias and parent flows are strongly fines depleted and were highly fluidized. We suggest this may be a feature of many Lesser Antillean pyroclastic flows because of increased turbulence-induced fluidization resulting from a high degree of surface roughness caused by the steep (up to 40 °) irregular slopes, densely vegetated sinuous gullies of the tropical volcanoes, and ingestion and ignition of large amounts of lush vegetation. Accumulation of batches of lithics concentrated in the highly fluidized flows began at the break in slope where flows moved from gullies across hydraulic jumps onto the outer coastal flanks. The accumulations of breccias continued to move and be channelled down the central parts of the flows. Initially, on crossing onto the lower slopes, some of these flows seem to have had very powerfully erosive, nondepositional heads, and in the extreme example a deep channel as long as 1–2 km may have cut through underlying flow units at least as far as the present coastline. Much of the overriding remainder of the flow then drained away laterally. Thin, fine-grained ash flow deposits may form a marginal overbank facies to the pyroclastic flow fans.     

Reconciling pyroclastic flow and surge: the multiphase physics of pyroclastic density currents

Two end-member types of pyroclastic density current are commonly recognized: pyroclastic surges are dilute currents in which particles are carried in turbulent suspension and pyroclastic flows are highly concentrated flows. We provide scaling relations that unify these end-members and derive a segregation mechanism into basal concentrated flow and overriding dilute cloud based on the Stokes number (S_T), the stability factor (Σ_T) and the dense-dilute condition (D_D). We recognize five types of particle behaviors within a fluid eddy as a function of S_T and Σ_T: (1) particles sediment from the eddy, (2) particles are preferentially settled out during the downward motion of the eddy, but can be carried during its upward motion, (3) particles concentrate on the periphery of the eddy, (4) particles settling can be delayed or ‘fast-tracked’ as a function of the eddy spatial distribution, and (5) particles remain homogeneously distributed within the eddy. We extend these concepts to a fully turbulent flow by using a prototype of kinetic energy distribution within a full eddy spectrum and demonstrate that the presence of different particle sizes leads to the density stratification of the current. This stratification may favor particle interactions in the basal part of the flow and D_D determines whether the flow is dense or dilute. Using only intrinsic characteristics of the current, our model explains the discontinuous features between pyroclastic flows and surges while conserving the concept of a continuous spectrum of density currents.     

Welded tuffs and related pyroclastic deposits in northeastern Japan

Welded tuffs and related pyroclastic deposits are distributed at many localities in northeastern Japan, especially around the volcanoes of the Nasu volcanic zone running from north to south, but they are absent from the region along the Japan Sea. Their geological age varies from the Miocene to the Holocene, those of the Pleistocene being predominant in amount. Petrographically they cover rather a wide range from andesite to rhyolite, among which dacite is most common. The welded tuffs are always compact and hard, with well-developed columnar jointing, carrying parallel-layered obsidian lenticules; and various stages are observed from loose pyroclastic deposits to lava-like welded tuffs. Petrological, petrochemical, and physical properties of these deposits are studied in some detail. From these data some genetic consideration is given for the mechanism of welding, and also for the relation between the nature of parental magma and the formation of such pyroclastic deposits.     

Characterization of pyroclastic fall and flow deposits from the 1815 eruption of Tambora volcano,Indonesia using ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is used to image and characterize fall and pyroclastic flow deposits from the 1815 eruption of Tambora volcano in Indonesia. Analysis of GPR common-mid-point (CMP) data indicate that the velocity of radar in the sub-surface is 0.1 m/ns, and this is used to establish a preliminary traveltime to-depth conversion for common-offset reflection profiles. Common-offset radar profiles were collected along the edge of an erosional gully that exposed approximately 1–2 m of volcanic stratigraphy. Additional trenching at select locations in the gully exposed the contact between the pre-1815 eruption surface and overlying pyroclastic deposit from the 1815 eruption. The deepest continuous, prominent reflection is shown to correspond to the interface between pre-eruption clay-rich soil and pyroclastics that reach a maximum thickness of 4 m along our profiles. This soil surface is distinctly terraced and is interpreted as the ground surface augmented for agriculture and buildings by people from the kingdom of Tambora. The correlation of volcanic stratigraphy and radar data at this location indicates that reflections are produced by the soil-pyroclastic deposit interface and the interface between pyroclastic flows (including pyroclastic surge) and the pumice-rich fall deposits. In the thickest deposits an additional reflection marks the interface between two pyroclastic flow units.     

Factors governing the flow lineation of a large-scale pyroclastic flow — An example in the ata pyroclastic flow deposit,Japan

Schmincke andSwanson (1967) explained laminar flowage structures as indicators for flow direction of pyroclastic flows that show a radial flow pattern away from the source. Several other authors have reported similar examples, but the influence of pre-flow topographic relief has not been analyzed. Flow lineations were measured for the Ata pyroclastic flow deposit, southwestern Japan. This deposit has covered an undulating basement topography. Preferred orientation of crystals and lithic fragments were measured on thin sections cut parallel to sedimentary layering. The following three factors which control the flow lineation have been recognized. 1) Flow lineations oriented radially away from the source, as described by previous authors, were obtained only for samples collected from the surface of the pyroclastic flow plateau where the basement valleys were nearly filled by earlier flow units. 2) Lineations near the floor of narrow valleys were parallel to the strike of the valley. 3) Flow lineations near the wall of valleys tend to be parallel to the dip of the valley walls. These data suggest that the initial radial movement of pyroclastic flows from the source gradually changes direction to parallel the strike of deep valleys due to confining effect of valley wall. Flows which are trapped within a valley, tends to move towards the bottom of the valley just prior to the final settlement. After the basement topographic relief has been filled up with earlier flow units, the later flows maintain their original radial movement until final settlement.     

The entrance of pyroclastic flows into the sea, II. theoretical considerations on subaqueous emplacement and welding

The submarine counterparts of late Quaternary subaerial pyroclastic flow deposits off the western flanks of Dominica, Lesser Antilles, have been investigated by 3.5 kHz seismic profiling and dredging (cruise EN20 of R/V “Endeavor”). Block-and-ash flow deposits formed by dome collapse and a welded ignimbrite from a prominent fan at Grande Savanne, Dominica. This fan can be traced underwater as a major constructional ridge (2–4 km wide and 200–400 m thick) to over 13 km offshore at a water depth of 1800 m. The submarine ridge has a volume of 14 km³ and has the characteristic morphology of a debris flow apron composed of several individual units. The evidence suggests that pyroclastic flows can move underwater without losing their essential character.     

Deep submarine pyroclastic eruptions: theory and predicted landforms and deposits

Submarine pyroclastic eruptions at depths greater than a few hundred meters are generally considered to be rare or absent because the pressure of the overlying water column is sufficient to suppress juvenile gas exsolution so that magmatic disruption and pyroclastic activity do not occur. Consideration of detailed models of the ascent and eruption of magma in a range of sea floor environments shows, however, that significant pyroclastic activity can occur even at depths in excess of 3000 m. In order to document and illustrate the full range of submarine eruption styles, we model several possible scenarios for the ascent and eruption of magma feeding submarine eruptions: (1) no gas exsolution; (2) gas exsolution but no magma disruption; (3) gas exsolution, magma disruption, and hawaiian-style fountaining; (4) volatile content builds up in the magma reservoir leading to hawaiian eruptions resulting from foam collapse; (5) magma volatile content insufficient to cause fragmentation normally but low rise speed results in strombolian activity; and (6) volatile content builds up in the top of a dike leading to vulcanian eruptions. We also examine the role of bulk-interaction steam explosivity and contact-surface steam explosivity as processes contributing to volcaniclastic formation in these environments. We concur with most earlier workers that for magma compositions typical of spreading centers and their vicinities, the most likely circumstance is the quiet effusion of magma with minor gas exsolution, and the production of somewhat vesicular pillow lavas or sheet flows, depending on effusion rate. The amounts by which magma would overshoot the vent in these types of eruptions would be insufficient to cause any magma disruption. The most likely mechanism of production of pyroclastic deposits in this environment is strombolian activity, due to the localized concentration of volatiles in magma that has a low rise rate; magmatic gas collects by bubble coalescence, and ascends in large isolated bubbles which disrupt the magma surface in the vent, producing localized blocks, bombs, and pyroclastic deposits. Another possible mode of occurrence of pyroclastic deposits results from vulcanian eruptions; these deposits, being characterized by the dominance of angular blocks of country rocks deposited in the vicinity of a crater, should be easily distinguishable from strombolian and hawaiian eruptions. However, we stress that a special case of the hawaiian eruption style is likely to occur in the submarine environment if magmatic gas buildup occurs in a magma reservoir by the upward drift of gas bubbles. In this case, a layer of foam will build up at the top of the reservoir in a sufficient concentration to exceed the volatile content necessary for disruption and hawaiian-style activity; the deposits and landforms are predicted to be somewhat different from those of a typical primary magmatic volatile-induced hawaiian eruption. Specifically, typical pyroclast sizes might be smaller; fountain heights may exceed those expected for the purely magmatic hawaiian case; cooling of descending pyroclasts would be more efficient, leading to different types of proximal deposits; and runout distances for density flows would be greater, potentially leading to submarine pyroclastic deposits surrounding vents out to distances of tens of meters to a kilometer. In addition, flows emerging after the evacuation of the foam layer would tend to be very depleted in volatiles, and thus extremely poor in vesicles relative to typical flows associated with hawaiian-style eruptions in the primary magmatic gas case. We examine several cases of reported submarine volcaniclastic deposits found at depths as great as 3000 m and conclude that submarine hawaiian and strombolian eruptions are much more common than previously suspected at mid-ocean ridges. Furthermore, the latter stages of development of volcanic edifices (seamounts) formed in submarine environments are excellent candidates for a wide range of submarine pyroclastic activity due not just to the effects of decreasing water depth, but also to: (1) the presence of a summit magma reservoir, which favors the buildup of magmatic foams (enhancing hawaiian-style activity) and episodic dike emplacement (which favors strombolian-style eruptions); and (2) the common occurrence of alkalic basalts, the CO₂ contents of which favor submarine explosive eruptions at depths greater than tholeiitic basalts. These models and predictions can be tested with future sampling and analysis programs and we provide a checklist of key observations to help distinguish among the eruption styles.     

Characteristics of widespread pyroclastic deposits formed by the interaction of silicic magma and water

We have recognized a type of pyroclastic deposit formed by the interaction of water and silicic magma during explosive eruptions. These deposits have a widespread dispersal, similar to plinian tephra, but the overall grain size is much tiner. Several deposits studied can be associated with caldera lakes or sea water and water/magma interaction is proposed to account for the fine grain size. Several examples have been studied, including the Oruanui Formation, N.Z., and the Askja 1875 deposit. Both show little downwind decrease in median diameter, a downwind decrease in sorting (σ_φ) (more evident in the Askja deposit) and coarse tail grading. The Askja example has base surge deposits near source and some Oruanui members show multiple thin beds near source; both are common features of phreatomagmatic deposits. Isopachs of the Askja deposit indicate a source under Lake Oskjuvatn in Askja Caldera and those of the Oruanui indicate a source under the NW part of Lake Taupo. In terms of dispersal area, volume and calculated eruption column heights, these deposits are similar to plinian. However, their extreme fragmentation due to magma/water interaction, superimposed on fragmentation imparted by carlier vesiculation, gives a much finer and more complex grain size distribution than plinian counterparts. The field of phreatomagmatic equivalents to plinian pumice deposits was unoccupied onWalker’s (1973) classification of explosive volcanic eruptions. Such deposits are the phreatomagmatic analogue of plinian deposits and the name « phreatoplinian » is proposed.     

Complex spatter- and pumice-rich pyroclastic deposits from an andesitic caldera-forming eruption: the Siwi pyroclastic sequence,Tanna, Vanuatu

The small- to moderate-volume, Quaternary, Siwi pyroclastic sequence was erupted during formation of a 4 km-wide caldera on the eastern margin of Tanna, an island arc volcano in southern Vanuatu. This high-potassium, andesitic eruption followed a period of effusive basaltic andesite volcanism and represents the most felsic magma erupted from the volcano. The sequence is up to 13 m thick and can be traced in near-continuous outcrop over 11 km. Facies grade laterally from lithic-rich, partly welded spatter agglomerate along the caldera rim to two medial, pumiceous, non-welded ignimbrites that are separated by a layer of lithic-rich, spatter agglomerate. Juvenile clasts comprise a wide range of densities and grain sizes. They vary between black, incipiently vesicular, highly elongate spatter clasts that have breadcrusted pumiceous rinds and reach several metres across to silky, grey pumice lapilli. The pumice lapilli range from highly vesicular clasts with tube or coalesced spherical vesicles to denser finely vesicular clasts that include lithic fragments.Textural and lithofacies characteristics of the Siwi pyroclastic sequence suggest that the first phase of the eruption produced a base surge deposit and spatter-poor pumiceous ignimbrite. A voluminous eruption of spatter and lithic pyroclasts coincided with a relatively deep withdrawal of magma presumably driven by a catastrophic collapse of the magma chamber roof. During this phase, spatter clasts rapidly accumulated in the proximal zone largely as fallout, creating a variably welded and lithic-rich agglomerate. This phase was followed by the eruption of moderately to highly vesiculated magma that generated the most widespread, upper pumiceous ignimbrite. The combination of spatter and pumice in pyroclastic deposits from a single eruption appears to be related to highly explosive, magmatic eruptions involving low-viscosity magmas. The combination also indicates the coexistence of a spatter fountain and explosive eruption plume for much of the eruption.Editorial responsibility: R. Cioni     

Emplacement temperatures of pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits in kimberlite pipes in southern Africa

Palaeomagnetic techniques for estimating the emplacement temperatures of volcanic deposits have been applied to pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits in kimberlite pipes in southern Africa. Lithic clasts were sampled from a variety of lithofacies from three pipes for which the internal geology is well constrained (the Cretaceous A/K1 pipe, Orapa Mine, Botswana, and the Cambrian K1 and K2 pipes, Venetia Mine, South Africa). The sampled deposits included massive and layered vent-filling breccias with varying abundances of lithic inclusions, layered crater-filling pyroclastic deposits, talus breccias and volcaniclastic breccias. Basalt lithic clasts in the layered and massive vent-filling pyroclastic deposits in the A/K1 pipe at Orapa were emplaced at >570°C, in the pyroclastic crater-filling deposits at 200–440°C and in crater-filling talus breccias and volcaniclastic breccias at <180°C. The results from the K1 and K2 pipes at Venetia suggest emplacement temperatures for the vent-filling breccias of 260°C to >560°C, although the interpretation of these results is hampered by the presence of Mesozoic magnetic overprints. These temperatures are comparable to the estimated emplacement temperatures of other kimberlite deposits and fall within the proposed stability field for common interstitial matrix mineral assemblages within vent-filling volcaniclastic kimberlites. The temperatures are also comparable to those obtained for pyroclastic deposits in other, silicic, volcanic systems. Because the lithic content of the studied deposits is 10–30%, the initial bulk temperature of the pyroclastic mixture of cold lithic clasts and juvenile kimberlite magma could have been 300–400°C hotter than the palaeomagnetic estimates. Together with the discovery of welded and agglutinated juvenile pyroclasts in some pyroclastic kimberlites, the palaeomagnetic results indicate that there are examples of kimberlites where phreatomagmatism did not play a major role in the generation of the pyroclastic deposits. This study indicates that palaeomagnetic methods can successfully distinguish differences in the emplacement temperatures of different kimberlite facies.     

Palaeomagnetic estimates of emplacement temperatures of pyroclastic deposits on Santorini,Greece

Thermal remanent magnetism provides a method of quantitatively determining the emplacement temperature of individual lithic clasts in a volcaniclastic rock. The technique is reviewed and applied to two types of Quaternary pyroclastic deposit on Santorini. Emplacement-temperature estimates for lithic clasts from two co-ignimbrite lithic breccias (Cape Riva and Middle Pumice eruptions) range from 250°C to 580°C, showing unambiguously that the breccias were emplaced hot. Good precision on temperature estimates (about ±20°C) were obtained from the Cape Riva breccias. Lithics in a Plinian airfall deposit from the Middle Pumice eruption give less precise results because the primary magnetisation has been partly overprinted by chemical (and/or viscous) remanence, and some clasts may have rotated during compaction of the deposit. Temperatures from proximal airfall are consistent with welding of the deposit within 1.5 km from vent. Temperature estimates for lithic clasts further from vent scatter, but a falloff of temperature away from vent can be recognised if an average emplacement temperature for the whole deposit is identified at each location. The study highlights some difficulties in interpreting quantitative temperature estimates for prehistoric pyroclastic deposits.     

The effect of explosive eruption processes on geochemical patterns within pyroclastic deposits

The effects of magma fragmentation and atmospheric transport of pyroclasts in modifying tephra chemistry are quantitatively examined in order to assist in devising geochemical sampling strategies for young pyroclastic deposits, with particular regard to air-fall tephra. Magma fragmentation during explosive eruption results in crystal fractionation, the extent of which increases with decreasing tephra particle size. Among the products of a single sustained plinian eruption, variable atmospheric flight times of pyroclasts may cause simultaneous deposition of earlier-erupted and later-erupted material. Both of these processes will affect the degree and nature of chemical variations found in individual pyroclastic deposits. Their effects may be largely overcome by sampling coarse tephra within a narrow grain-size range.     

Paleomagnetic determination of emplacement temperatures of pyroclastic deposits: an under-utilized tool

Paleomagnetic data from lithic clasts collected from Mt. St. Helens, USA, Volcán Láscar, Chile, Volcán de Colima, Mexico and Vesuvius, Italy have been used to determine the emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposits at these localities and to highlight the usefulness of the paleomagnetic method for determining emplacement temperatures. At Mt. St. Helens, the temperature of the deposits (T _dep ) at three sites from the June 12, 1980 eruption was found to be ≥532°C, ≥509°C, and 510–570°C, respectively. One site emplaced on July 22, 1980 was emplaced at ≥577°C. These new paleomagnetic temperatures are in good agreement with previously published direct temperature measurements and paleomagnetic estimates. Lithic clasts from pyroclastic deposits from the 1993 eruption of Láscar were fully remagnetized above the respective Curie temperatures, which yielded a minimum T _dep of 397°C. Samples were also collected from deposits thought to be pyroclastics from the 1913, 2004 and 2005 eruptions of Colima. At Colima, the sampled clasts were emplaced cold. This is consistent with the sampled clasts being from lahar deposits, which are common in the area, and illustrates the usefulness of the paleomagnetic method for distinguishing different types of deposit. T _dep of the lower section of the lithic rich pyroclastic flow (LRPF) from the 472 A.D. deposits of Vesuvius was ~280–340°C. This is in agreement with other, recently published paleomagnetic measurements. In contrast, the upper section of the LRPF was emplaced at higher temperatures, with T _dep ~520°C. This temperature difference is inferred to be the result of different sources of lithic clasts between the upper and lower sections, with the upper section containing a greater proportion of vent-derived material that was initially hot. Our studies of four historical pyroclastic deposits demonstrates the usefulness of paleomagnetism for emplacement temperature estimation.     

Basaltic pyroclastic flows of Fuji volcano, Japan: characteristics of the deposits and their origin

Fuji volcano is the largest active volcano in Japan, and consists of Ko-Fuji and Shin-Fuji volcanoes. Although basaltic in composition, small-volume pyroclastic flows have been repeatedly generated during the Younger stage of Shin-Fuji volcano. Deposits of those pyroclastic flows have been identified along multiple drainage valleys on the western flanks between 1,300 and 2,000 m a.s.l., and have been stratigraphically divided into the Shin-Fuji Younger pyroclastic flows (SYP) 1 to 4. Downstream debris flow deposits are found which contain abundant material derived from the pyroclastic flow deposits. The new¹⁴C ages for SYP1 to SYP4 are 3.2, 3.0, 2.9, and 2.5 ka, respectively, and correspond to a period where explosive summit eruptions generated many scoria fall deposits mostly toward the east. The SYP1 to SYP4 deposits consist of two facies: the massive facies is about 2 m thick and contains basaltic bombs of less than 50 cm in size, scoria lapilli, and fresh lithic basalt fragments supported in an ash matrix; the surge facies is represented by beds 1 to 15 cm thick, consisting mainly of ash with minor amount of fine lapilli. The bombs and scoria are 15 to 30% in volume within the massive facies. The ashes within the SYP deposits consist largely of comminuted basalt lithics and crystals that are derived from the Middle-stage lava flows exposed at the western flanks. SYP1 to SYP4 were only dispersed down the western flanks. The reason for this one-sided distribution is the asymmetric topography of the edifice; the western slopes of the volcano are the steepest (over 34 degrees). Most pyroclastic materials cannot rest stably on the slopes steeper than 33 degrees. Therefore, ejecta from the explosive summit eruptions that fell on the steep slopes tumbled down the slopes and were remobilized as high-temperature granular flows. These flows consisted of large pyroclastics and moved as granular avalanches along the valley bottom. Furthermore, the avalanching flows increased in volume by abrasion from the edifice and generated abundant ashes by the collision of clasts. The large amount of the fine material was presumably available within the transport system as the basal avalanches propagated below the angle of repose. Taking the typical kinetic friction coefficient of small pyroclastic flows, such flows could descend the western flanks where scattered houses are below 1,000 m a.s.l. A similar type of pyroclastic flow could result if explosive summit eruptions occur in the future.Editorial responsibility: R Cioni     

Three types of pyroclastic currents and their deposits: examples from the Vulsini Volcanoes, Italy

This paper deals with ground-hugging, gas–pyroclast currents from explosive volcanic eruptions and their deposits. Key field observations and laboratory determinations are proposed to relate specific deposit types with flow regimes and particle concentration in the transport and depositional systems. Three relevant flow scenarios and corresponding deposit types have been recognized from a survey of pyroclastic successions of the Vulsini Volcanic District (central Italy): (1) dilute, turbulent, pyroclastic currents producing normally or multiply graded beds by direct suspension sedimentation; (2) concentrated bedload regions beneath suspension currents, depositing inversely graded beds by traction carpet sedimentation; (3) self-sustained, high particle concentration, laminar, mass flows developing massive, poorly sorted bodies, with opposite grading of coarse lithic and pumice clasts, overlying fine-grained, inversely graded, basal layers. Main distinguishing criteria include the occurrence and pattern of clast grading, clast–thickness relationships, grain size, ash matrix componentry and pyroclast size–density relationships. Downcurrent and temporal transitions among identified flow scenarios are likely to occur for changing energy conditions and gas–pyroclast ratio both on regional and local scales. The nature and efficiency of magma fragmentation, volatile content, conduit geometry (which determine the characteristics of the erupted mixture and possible lateral blast component at the vent), and the angle of incidence of the column collapse, are suggested as the main factors controlling the generation of one type over the other at flow inception. Dilute, fine-grained, overpressured eruption clouds are thought to favor the formation of low particle concentration turbulent currents. Column collapse over slightly inclined volcano slopes, causing a high degree of compression of the collapsing mixture and of gas expulsion, would favor the generation of high particle concentration pyroclastic currents.     

Compositional modes in the ash fraction of some modern pyroclastic deposits: their determination and significance

 This paper illustrates some problems involved in the quantitative compositional study of pyroclastic deposits and proposes criteria for selecting the main petrographic and textural classes for modal analysis. The relative proportions of the different classes are obtained using a point-counting procedure applied to medium-coarse ash samples that reduces the dependence of the modal composition on grain size and avoids tedious counting of different grain-size fractions. The major purposes of a quantified measure of component distributions are to: (a) document the nature of the fragmenting magma; (b) define the eruptive dynamics of the eruptions on a detailed scale; and (c) ensure accuracy in classifying pyroclastic deposits. Compositional modes of the ash fraction of pyroclastic deposits vary systematically, and their graphical representation defines the compositional and textural characteristics of pyroclastic fragments associated with different eruptive styles. Textural features of the glass component can be very helpful for inferring aspects of eruptive dynamics. Four major parameters can be used to represent the component composition of pyroclastic ash deposits: (a) juvenile index (JI); (b) crystallinity index (CrI); (c) juvenile vesicularity index (JVI); and (d) free crystal index (FCrI). The FCrI is defined as the ratio between single and total crystal fragments in the juvenile component (single crystals+crystals in juvenile glass). This parameter may provide an effective estimate of the mechanical energy of eruptions. Variations in FCrI vs JVI discriminate among pyroclastic deposits of different origin and define compositional fields that represent ash derived from different fragmentation styles. Received: 15 January 1998 / Accepted: 8 February 1999