Sedimentation and welding processes of dilute pyroclastic density currents and fallout during a large-scale silicic eruption, Kikai caldera, Japan

Sedimentation and welding processes of the high temperature dilute pyroclastic density currents and fallout erupted at 7.3 ka from the Kikai caldera are discussed based on the stratigraphy, texture, lithofacies characteristics, and components of the resulting deposits. The welded eruptive deposits, Unit B, were produced during the column collapse phase, following a large plinian eruption and preceding an ignimbrite eruption, and can be divided into two subunits, Units B_l and B_u. Unit B_l is primarily deposited in topographic depressions on proximal islands, and consists of multiple thin (< 1 m) flow units with stratified and cross-stratified facies with various degrees of welding. Each thin unit appears as a single aggradational unit, composed of a lower lithic-rich layer or pod and an upper welded pumice-rich layer. Lithic-rich parts are fines-depleted and are composed of altered country rock, fresh andesite lava, obsidian clasts with chilled margins, and boulders. The overlying Unit B_u shows densely welded stratified facies, composed of alternating lithic-rich and pumice-rich layers. The layers mantle lower units and are sometimes viscously deformed by ballistics. The sedimentary characteristics of Unit B_l such as welded stratified or cross-stratified facies indicate that high temperature dilute pyroclastic density currents were repeatedly generated from limited magma-water interactions. It is thought that dense brittle particles were segregated in a turbulent current and were immediately buried by deposition of hot, lighter pumice-rich particles, and that this process repeated many times. It is also suggested that the depositional temperature of eruptive materials was high and the eruptive style changed from a normal plinian eruption, through surge-generating explosions (Unit B_l), into an agglutinate-dominated fallout eruption (Unit B_u). On the basis of field data, welded pyroclastic surge deposits could be produced only under specific conditions, such as (1) rapid accumulation of pyroclastic particles sufficiently hot to weld instantaneously upon deposition, and (2) elastic particles' interactions with substrate deformation. These physical conditions may be achieved within high temperature and highly energetic pyroclastic density currents produced by large-scale explosive eruptions.     

Analogue study of particle segregation in pyroclastic density currents, with implications for the emplacement mechanisms of large ignimbrites

Abstract Analogue flume experiments were conducted to investigate the transport and sedimentation behaviour of turbulent pyroclastic density currents. The experimental currents were scaled approximately to the natural environment in three ways: (1) they were fully turbulent; (2) they had a very wide range of particle sizes and associated Rouse numbers (the ratio of particle settling velocity to effective turbulent eddy velocity in the current); and (3) they contained particles of two different densities. Two sets of surge‐type experiments were conducted in a 5 m long, water‐filled lock‐exchange flume at five different volumetric particle concentrations from 0·6% to 23%. In one set (one‐component experiments), the currents contained just dense particles; in the other set (two‐component experiments), they contained both light and dense particles in equal volume proportions. In both sets of experiments, the population of each component had a log‐normal size distribution. In the two‐component experiments, the size range of the light particle population was selected in order to be in hydrodynamic equivalence with that of the dense particles. Dense particles were normally graded, both vertically and downstream, in the deposits from both sets of experiments. The mass loading (normalized to the initial mass of the suspension) and grain size of the dense component in the deposits decreased with distance from the reservoir and were insensitive to initial total particle concentration in the currents. On the other hand, in the two‐component experiments, the light particles were extremely sensitive to concentration. They were deposited in hydrodynamic equivalence with the dense particles from dilute currents, but were segregated efficiently at concentrations higher than a few per cent. With increasing particle concentration, the large, light particles were carried progressively further down the flume because of buoyancy effects. Deposits from the high‐concentration currents exhibited reverse vertical grading of the large, light particles. Efficient segregation of the light component was observed even if the bulk density of the current was less than that of the light particles. In both sets of experiments, marked inflexions in the rate of downstream decline in mass loading and maximum grain size of the dense component can be attributed to the presence of two different particle settling regimes in the flow: (1) particles with Rouse numbers >2·5, which did not respond to the turbulence and settled rapidly; and (2) particles with Rouse numbers <2·5, which followed the turbulent eddies and settled slowly. The results are applied to the transport and sedimentation dynamics of pyroclastic density currents that generate large, widespread ignimbrites. Field data fail to reveal significant departures from aerodynamic equivalence between pumice and lithic clasts in three such ignimbrites: the particulate loads of some large ignimbrites are transported principally in turbulent suspensions of low concentration. In some ignimbrites, the well‐developed inflexions in curves of maximum lithic (ML) size vs. distance can be attributed to the existence of distinct high and low Rouse number particle settling regimes that mark the transition from an overcharged state to one in which the residual particulate load is transported more effectively by turbulence.     

火山碎屑密度流沉积机制研究——以松辽盆地东南隆起区九台地区白垩系营城组火山碎屑岩为例

火山碎屑密度流是一种危险的火山活动现象,也是一种重要的盆地物源供给方式,对其沉积机制的研究具有灾害预防和油气勘探的双重意义。松辽盆地东南隆起区九台营城煤矿地区白垩系营城组古火山机构保存良好,发育有典型的火山碎屑密度流沉积物。本文在精细刻画火山碎屑岩的岩石结构、沉积构造的基础上,运用薄片观察和沉积物粒度统计的方法,从物质来源、搬运机制和就位方式角度系统地分析了火山碎屑密度流的整个沉积过程,并结合国内外火山学、沉积学的研究进展探讨了不同浓度火山碎屑密度流的沉积机制。研究区内的火山碎屑密度流沉积物可以划分为五种微相:①块状熔结角砾凝灰岩微相;②无序含集块凝灰角砾岩微相;③逆粒序或双粒序角砾凝灰岩微相;④正粒序角砾凝灰岩微相;⑤韵律层理凝灰岩微相。第一种微相具有熔结结构,可能形成于高挥发分岩浆喷发柱的垮塌,火山碎屑密度流的就位温度较高;后四种微相具有正常火山碎屑岩结构,可能形成于火山口的侧向爆炸,火山碎屑密度流的就位温度中等。沉积块状熔结角砾凝灰岩微相的火山碎屑密度流具有黏性碎屑流的流体特征,沉积物整体冻结就位;沉积无序含集块凝灰角砾岩微相和逆粒序或双粒序角砾凝灰岩微相的火山碎屑密度流具有颗粒流的流体特征,沉积物整体冻结就位;沉积正粒序角砾凝灰岩微相和韵律层理凝灰岩微相的火山碎屑密度流具有湍流的流体特征,沉积物连续加积就位。火山碎屑密度流的颗粒浓度是一个连续变量,但流体性质可能会发生突变,稀释的火山碎屑密度流的沉积机制符合下部流动边界模型,稠密的火山碎屑密度流的沉积机制符合层流(碎屑流或颗粒流)模型。     

实验模拟侧向遮挡对低密度火山碎屑流的影响——对日本云仙岳火山1991年火山碎屑流的启示

本文将颗粒驱动重力流实验流体与自然界低密度火山碎屑流进行标度化研究,探讨低密度火山碎屑流的流动行为。通过在矩形流体交换水箱中放置占水箱宽度1/4、1/2、3/4比例的侧向遮挡障碍物,调查了颗粒驱动重力流实验流体在遇到侧向遮挡前后的运动模式、流体前锋速度减速特征和颗粒堆积分布特征。实验结果显示出不同比例的部分遮挡对低密度火山碎屑流影响的复杂性。实验表明,1/4比例的部分遮挡能够提高低密度火山碎屑流在通过之后的流速,并增加通过遮挡的颗粒堆积总量,能够解释日本云仙岳火山1991年6月3日喷发形成的碎屑流流动特征。在侧向遮挡比例为1/2时,~100T的时间内流体前锋减速,并在~100T之后加速（T为无量纲时间）;通过遮挡的堆积物总量明显减少。通过3/4比例的侧向遮挡之后,颗粒实验流体前锋持续减速,颗粒堆积总量减少。     

Deposits and physical properties of pyroclastic density currents during complex Subplinian eruptions: the AD 472 (Pollena) eruption of Somma-Vesuvius, Italy

Small-scale pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) associated with the AD 472 (Pollena) eruption of Somma-Vesuvius, Italy, were generated by both magmatic and phreatomagmatic explosive fragmentation. The resulting deposits were emplaced under flow boundary conditions dominated by varying combinations of grain interaction, fluid escape and traction processes. Stratigraphic and lithofacies analysis of these PDCs offers a new perspective on the en masse versus progressive aggradation debate for PDC deposition. In particular, the analyses indicate that PDCs were density stratified with a basal underflow dominated by grain interactions. The underflows comprised trains of self-organized granular pulses of variable thickness and magnitude, depending on the overall particle concentration and fluid turbulence. A change in gradient between the upper and lower slopes of the volcano promoted deposition and the different pulses aggraded sequentially (stepwise). In this model each pulse stops en masse and the whole deposit aggrades progressively. Particle concentration, density, mean velocity, and flow height were assessed for the studied PDCs using differaent methods for massive and stratified deposits. The calculated mobility of the flows was 0·2 to 0·3, in the expected range for small-scale PDCs.     

Transport and deposition of pyroclastic density currents over an inhabited area: the deposits of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius at Herculaneum, Italy

Geological and volcanological studies were performed in the Herculaneum excavations, 7 km west of Vesuvius, Italy, to reconstruct the main features of the pyroclastic density currents and the temporal sequence of the ad 79 eruptive events that destroyed and buried the town. The identification of two distinctive marker beds allows correlation of these deposits with the better‐known sequences to the south of Vesuvius, along the dispersal axis of the Plinian fall deposit. Detailed observations from stratigraphic sections show that the pyroclastic density current deposits are characterized by several sedimentary facies, each recording different depositional and emplacement mechanisms. Facies analysis reveals both lateral and vertical variations from massive to stratified deposits, which can be related to the combined effects of flow dynamics and local irregularities of the substratum at centimetre or metre scales. These topographic irregularities enhanced turbulence and allowed rapid transition from non‐turbulent to turbulent transport within the flow. Fabric data from these deposits, both from roof tile orientations and anisotropy magnetic susceptibility (AMS) analyses carried out on some of the pyroclastic deposits, suggest that the pyroclastic density currents were strongly affected by the presence of buildings. These obstacles probably caused deflection and separation of flows into multiple lobes that moved in different directions.     

The rate of sedimentation from turbulent suspension: An experimental model with application to pyroclastic density currents and discussion on the grain‐size dependence of flow runout

Large‐scale experiments generating ground‐hugging multiphase flows were carried out with the aim of modelling the rate of sedimentation, of pyroclastic density currents. The current was initiated by the impact on the ground of a dense gas‐particle fountain issuing from a vertical conduit. On impact, a thick massive deposit was formed. The grain size of the massive deposit was almost identical to that of the mixture feeding the fountain, suggesting that similar layers formed at the impact of a natural volcanic fountain should be representative of the parent grain‐size distribution of the eruption. The flow evolved laterally into a turbulent suspension current that sedimented a thin, tractive layer. A good correlation was found between the ratio of transported/sedimented load and the normalized Rouse number of the turbulent current. A model of the sedimentation rate was developed, which shows a relationship between grain size and flow runout. A current fed with coarser particles has a higher sedimentation rate, a larger grain‐size selectivity and runs shorter than a current fed with finer particles. Application of the model to pyroclastic deposits of Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei of Southern Italy resulted in sedimentation rates falling inside the range of experiments and allowed definition of the duration of pyroclastic density currents which add important information on the hazard of such dangerous flows. The model could possibly be extended, in the future, to other geological density currents as, for example, turbidity currents.     

U–Pb zircon geochronology of silicic tuffs from the Timber Mountain/Oasis Valley caldera complex, Nevada: rapid generation of large volume magmas by shallow-level remelting

Large volumes of silicic magma were produced on a very short timescale in the nested caldera complex of the SW Nevada volcanic field (SWNVF). Voluminous ash flows erupted in two paired events: Topopah Spring (TS, >1,200 km³, 12.8 Ma)–Tiva Canyon (TC, 1,000 km³, 12.7 Ma) and Rainier Mesa (RM, 1,200 km³, 11.6 Ma)–Ammonia Tanks (AT, 900 km³, 11.45 Ma; all cited ages are previously published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar sanidine ages). Within each pair, eruptions are separated by only 0.1–0.15 My and produced tuffs with contrasting isotopic values. These events represent nearly complete evacuation of sheet-like magma chambers formed in the extensional Basin and Range environment. We present ion microprobe ages from zircons in the zoned ash-flow sheets of TS, TC, RM, and AT in conjunction with δ¹⁸O values of zircons and other phenocrysts, which differ dramatically among subsequently erupted units. Bulk zircons in the low-δ¹⁸O AT cycle were earlier determined to exhibit ∼1.5‰ core-to-rim oxygen isotope zoning; and high-spatial resolution zircon analyses by ion microprobe reveal the presence of older grains that are zoned by 0.5–2.5‰. The following U–Pb isochron ages were calculated after correcting for the initial U–Pb disequilibria: AT (zircon rims: 11.7 ± 0.2 Ma; cores: 12.0 ± 0.1 Ma); pre-AT rhyolite lava: (12.0 ± 0.3 Ma); RM: 12.4 ± 0.3); TC: (13.2 ± 0.15 Ma); TS: (13.5 ± 0.2). Average zircon crystallization ages calculated from weighted regression or cumulative averaging are older than the Ar–Ar stratigraphy, but preserve the comparably short time gaps within each of two major eruption cycles (TS/TC, RM/AT). Notably, every sample yields average zircon ages that are 0.70–0.35 Ma older than the respective Ar–Ar eruption ages. The Th/U ratio of SWNVF zircons are 0.4–4.7, higher than typically found in igneous zircons, which correlates with elevated Th/U of the whole rocks (5–16). High Th/U could be explained if uranium was preferentially removed by hydrothermal solutions or is retained in the protolith during partial melting. For low-δ¹⁸O AT-cycle magmas, rim ages from unpolished zircons overlap within analytical uncertainties with the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar eruption age compared to core ages that are on average ∼0.2–0.3 My older than even the age of the preceding caldera forming eruption of RM tuff. This age difference, the core-to-rim oxygen isotope zoning in AT zircons, and disequilibrium quartz–zircon and melt-zircon isotopic fractionations suggest that AT magma recycled older zircons derived from the RM and older eruptive cycles. These results suggest that the low-δ¹⁸O AT magmas were generated by melting a hydrothermally-altered protolith from the same nested complex that erupted high-δ¹⁸O magmas of the RM cycle only 0.15 My prior to the eruption of the AT, the largest volume low-δ¹⁸O magma presently known.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

深层火山碎屑熔岩形成机理及其指相意义研究:以松辽盆地庆深气田为例

基于不同岩性、岩相条件从根本上决定了储集空间的发育程度与规模,所以找火山岩的储层集中表现为火山岩相、亚相的识别。文中以松辽盆地庆深气田为例,重点研究了深层火山碎屑熔岩形成机理及其在火山岩地质相和测井相识别中的意义。研究表明,火山碎屑熔岩类火山岩常见火山碎屑流、泡沫熔岩流、岩流自碎作用、近地表隐爆作用、再熔结(胶结)型5种成因类型,且不同成因火山碎屑熔岩具有明显不同的矿物岩石学特征和测井响应特征。根据其形成机理、矿物岩石学特征和FMI成像特征,认为上述5种成因类型的火山碎屑熔岩分别发育于爆发相热碎屑流亚相、介于爆发相和喷溢相之间的爆溢相、喷溢相、火山通道相隐爆角砾岩亚相、火山通道相火山颈亚相或近火山口相。该研究成果对于促进火山岩相、亚相的准确识别和优质储层的有效预测具有重要的指导意义。     

Rapid open-system assembly of a large silicic magma body: time-resolved evidence from cored plagioclase crystals in the Oruanui eruption deposits, New Zealand

Rhyolitic pumices in the 26.5 ka Oruanui eruption (Taupo volcano, New Zealand) contain an average of 10 wt% crystals. About 2 wt% of the crystal population is feldspar crystals that display bluish–grey cloudy cores, the colour being imparted by exsolved needles of rutile. The volume of cloudy-cored feldspars thus amounts to ~1.0 km³ in a total magma volume of ~530 km³. The cored feldspars show great variability in detail, but in general have a rounded cloudy core bounded by a zone rich in glass and mineral inclusions, that was then overgrown by a euhedral clear rim. Sr-isotopic variations in eight representative crystals were measured on micromilled samples of selected growth zones in the cores and rims, and linked to feldspar compositions through microprobe traverses. The cloudy cores range from ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70547 to 0.70657, with compositions of An₄₃ to An₇₈. The overgrowth rims display wider variations: inner parts show extreme ranges in composition (maxima ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70764 and An₇₈), while outer parts in seven of eight crystals are zoned, with outward-decreasing Sr-isotopic and An values to figures that are in accord with the bulk pumice and other, clear-feldspar values, respectively. The three parts of the crystals represent distinct regimes. The cloudy cores are inherited from an intermediate plutonic protolith that has been subjected to melting. The inner overgrowth rims were crystallised from a high temperature, relatively radiogenic melt derived from Mesozoic-Palaeozoic metasedimentary rocks (“greywacke”). The outer euhedral rims reflect mixing into and continued growth within the growing Oruanui magma body. The cloudy-cored feldspars also contain rare zircon inclusions. Twenty one zircons were recovered by HF digestion of a bulk sample of cloudy feldspars and analysed by SHRIMP for U–Th isotopes with which to calculate model ages. Eighteen of 21 crystals returned finite ages, the model-age spectrum of which is similar to the age spectra from free zircons in Oruanui pumices. Assembly of the Oruanui magma body was not only rapid (over ~40 kyr, as shown by other data) but involved a wide open system, with significant contributions from partly-melted intermediate-composition igneous intrusions (cloudy cores) and greywacke melts (inner overgrowths) being introduced into the magma body up to the point of eruption. Such open system behaviour contrasts with that proposed in models for comparably voluminous silicic magmas derived dominantly by fractionation (such as the Bishop Tuff) where the magma and its crystal cargo were better insulated thermally and chemically from country-rock interaction.     

湖泊深水重力流沉积露头精细解剖——以鄂尔多斯盆地瑶曲剖面长7油层组为例

沉积露头为精细刻画沉积体内部结构、建立准确地下地质模型发挥着不可替代的作用。本文以鄂尔多斯盆地南部瑶曲剖面长7段为例,采用地质学、野外露头沉积学方法,详细剖析了湖泊深水重力流沉积深水岩相的类型、特征、垂向组合及沉积环境。研究表明,瑶曲剖面长7段发育块状细砂岩相、鲍马序列粉砂岩相、水平纹理泥岩相、块状泥岩相、水平层理页岩相、凝灰岩相6种岩相类型,碎屑流沉积、浊流沉积、滑塌沉积、深水原地沉积、火山碎屑沉积5类沉积单元,在垂向上5类沉积单元构成了A、B、C、D 4类垂向分布形式。在此基础上,结合区域地质特征,研究认为长7段发育湖泊、水道型重力流沉积两种沉积体系。湖泊相可进一步确定为半深湖—深湖亚相,深水原地沉积微相,以D类岩相组合最为发育;水道型重力流沉积体系进一步划分为近源水道、远源水道、堤岸、前端朵体4个亚相,包含砂质碎屑流沉积、浊流沉积、滑塌沉积3个微相,近源水道+堤岸形成A类、C类、B类岩相组合,远源水道+堤岸形成B类、C类岩相组合,前端朵叶发育C类岩相组合。剖面相分析表明,研究区优质的烃源岩与重力流砂体可构成较好的"下生上储"的致密岩性油气藏。