Infrasonic tracking of large bubble bursts and ash venting at Erebus Volcano,Antarctica

Explosive degassing at Erebus Volcano produces infrasound that can be used to locate, characterize, and quantify eruptive activity from multiple vents. We use a three element distributed microphone network to pinpoint eruption sources and track the activity at the prominent vents through time. Eruptive mechanisms for both source types are analyzed in conjunction with the telemetered time-synced video imagery. We identify two commonly active vents corresponding to the large (often > 10-m diameter) bubble bursts at the free surface of a persistent phonolitic lava lake (‘Ray Lake’), and the less frequent ash-rich eruptions from a constricted vent (‘Active Vent’) located ∼ 80 m from the lava lake. During a 3-month study interval from 6 January to 13 April 2006 we identified and mapped more than 350 eruptive sources from the lava lake and 20 sources from the ash vent. Lava lake events are characterized by high-amplitude infrasonic transients that reflect rapid (less than a few s) acceleration and rupture of magma bubble films followed by an explosion of pressurized gases. Precise infrasonic localization of the lava lake events to accuracies of a few m indicates variable bubble source locations across a 40 by 50-m region spanning the lava lake. Spatial variability is corroborated by the video data. In contrast, degassing from the ash vent produces longer-duration (tens of s), lower amplitude transients that reflect diminished impulsivity and an extended degassing duration, features that are corroborated by video. Because infrasound networks can operate continuously in all weather conditions and during both diurnal and seasonal polar darkness, and are easily incorporated into automatic processing, they significantly contribute to the completeness and quantification of eruption catalogues for Erebus.     

Video and seismic observations of Strombolian eruptions at Erebus volcano,Antarctica

Between 1986 and 1990 the eruptive activity of Erebus volcano was monitored by a video camera with on-screen time code and recorded on video tape. Corresponding seismic and acoustic signals were recorded from a network of 6 geophones and 2 infrasonic microphones. Two hundred Strombolian explosions and three lava flows which were erupted from 7 vents were captured on video. In December 1986 the Strombolian eruptions ejected bombs and ash. In November 1987 large bubble-bursting Strombolian eruptions were observed. The bubbles burst when the bubble walls thinned to ∼ 20 cm. Explosions with bomb flight-times up to 14.5 s were accompanied by seismic signals with our local size estimate, “unified magnitudes” (m_u), up to 2.3. Explosions in pools of lava formed by flows in the Inner Crater were comparatively weak.     

Probing the magma plumbing of Erebus volcano,Antarctica, by open-path FTIR spectroscopy of gas emissions

Gas emissions from Erebus volcano, Antarctica, were measured by open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to understand degassing of its magmatic system. Two degassing phonolite lava lakes were present in the summit crater during observation in December 2004. We report analyses of H₂O, CO₂, CO, SO₂, HF, HCl and OCS, (in order of molar abundance) in the plumes. Variations in the proportions of these species strongly reflect the dynamics of degassing, and sourcing of gas from different depths in the magmatic network. The highest observed ratios of CO₂ and H₂O are consistent with gas extracted from the melt at a depth of up to ∼ 2 km below the lava lakes. Magma degassing above this depth contributes to a higher H₂O/CO₂ proportion in the airborne plume. The ratio therefore reflects the balance of deeper vs. shallower contributions of volatiles and, possibly, a combination of closed- and open-system degassing. We observe a strong contrast in HF content in emissions from the two lava lakes, which we attribute to differing levels of magma ascent and/or cooling and crystallization of the magma supply. Fluxes of all gas species were determined using independent SO₂ flux determinations and measured gas ratios. In the case of CO₂ and water, ∼ 1 and ∼ 0.4 m³ s^− 1, respectively, of parental basanite magma are required to sustain the calculated output. The discrepancy between the two figures is readily explained by sequestration of part of the magma supply at depth such that it only partially degasses its complement of water.     

Geology of the Side Crater of the Erebus volcano,Antarctica

The summit cone of the Erebus volcano contains two craters. The Main crater is roughly circular (∼ 500 m diameter) and contains an active persistent phonolite lava lake ∼ 200 m below the summit rim. The Side Crater is adjacent to the southwestern rim of the Main Crater. It is a smaller spoon-shaped Crater (250–350 m diameter, 50–100 m deep) and is inactive. The floor of the Side Crater is covered by snow/ice, volcanic colluvium or weakly developed volcanic soil in geothermal areas (a.k.a. warm ground). But in several places the walls of the Side Crater provide extensive vertical exposure of rock which offers an insight into the recent eruptive history of Erebus. The deposits consist of lava flows with subordinate volcanoclastic lithologies. Four lithostratigraphic units are described: SC 1 is a compound lava with complex internal flow fabrics; SC 2 consists of interbedded vitric lavas, autoclastic and pyroclastic breccias; SC 3 is a thick sequence of thin lavas with minor autoclastic breccias; SC 4 is a pyroclastic fall deposit containing large scoriaceous lava bombs in a matrix composed primarily of juvenile lapilli-sized pyroclasts. Ash-sized pyroclasts from SC 4 consist of two morphologic types, spongy and blocky, indicating a mixed strombolian-phreatomagmatic origin. All of the deposits are phonolitic and contain anorthoclase feldspar.     

Multi-instrument remote and in situ observations of the Erebus Volcano (Antarctica) lava lake in 2005: A comparison with the Pele lava lake on the jovian moon Io

The stable, persistent, active lava lake at Erebus volcano (Ross Island, Antarctica) provides an excellent thermal target for analysis of spacecraft observations, and for testing new technology. In the austral summer of 2005 visible and infrared observations of the Erebus lava lake were obtained with sensors on three space vehicles Terra (ASTER, MODIS), Aqua (MODIS) and EO-1 (Hyperion, ALI). Contemporaneous ground-based observations were obtained with hand-held infrared cameras. This allowed a quantitative comparison of the thermal data obtained from different instruments, and of the analytical techniques used to analyze the data, both with and without the constraints imposed by ground-truth. From the thermal camera data, in December 2005 the main Erebus lava lake (Ray Lake) had an area of ≈ 820 m². Surface colour temperatures ranged from 575 K to 1090 K, with a broad peak in the distribution from 730 K to 850 K. Total heat loss was estimated at 23.5 MW. The flux density was ≈ 29 kW m^− 2. Mass flux was estimated at 64 to 93 kg s^− 1. The best correlation between thermal emission and emitting area was obtained with ASTER, which has the best combination of spatial resolution and wavelength coverage, especially in the thermal infrared. The high surface temperature of the lava lake means that Hyperion data are for the most part saturated. Uncertainties, introduced by the need to remove incident sunlight cause the thermal emission from the Hyperion data to be a factor of about two greater than that measured by hand-held thermal camera. MODIS also over-estimated thermal output from the lava lake by the same factor of two because it was detecting reflected sunlight from the rest of the pixel area. The measurement of the detailed temperature distribution on the surface of an active terrestrial lava lake will allow testing of thermal emission models used to interpret remote-sensing data of volcanism on Io, where no such ground-truth exists. Although the Erebus lava lake is four orders of magnitude smaller than the lava lake at Pele on Io, the shape of the integrated thermal emission spectra are similar. Thermal emission from this style of effusive volcanism appears to be invariant. Excess thermal emission in most Pele spectra (compared to Erebus) at short wavelengths (< 3 μm) is most likely due to disruption of the surface on the lava lake by escaping volatiles.     

Englacial tephrostratigraphy of Erebus volcano,Antarctica

A tephrostratigraphy for Erebus volcano is presented, including tephra composition, stratigraphy, and eruption mechanism. Tephra from Erebus were collected from glacial ice and firn. Scanning electron microscope images of the ash morphologies help determine their eruption mechanisms The tephra resulted mainly from phreatomagmatic eruptions with fewer from Strombolian eruptions. Tephra having mixed phreatomagmatic–Strombolian origins are common. Two tephra deposited on the East Antarctic ice sheet, ~ 200 km from Erebus, resulted from Plinian and phreatomagmatic eruptions. Glass droplets in some tephra indicate that these shards were produced in both phreatomagmatic and Strombolian eruptions. A budding ash morphology results from small spheres quenched during the process of hydrodynamically splitting off from a parent melt globule. Clustered and rare single xenocrystic analcime crystals, undifferentiated zeolites, and clay are likely accidental clasts entrained from a hydrothermal system present prior to eruption. The phonolite compositions of glass shards confirm Erebus volcano as the eruptive source. The glasses show subtle trends in composition, which correlate with stratigraphic position. Trace element analyses of bulk tephra samples show slight differences that reflect varying feldspar contents.     

Sulfur dioxide emissions and degassing behavior of Erebus volcano,Antarctica

Emission rates of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) were measured at Erebus volcano, Antarctica in December between 1992 and 2005. Since 1992 SO₂ emissions rates are normally distributed with a mean of 61 ± 27 Mg d^− 1 (0.7 ± 0.3 kg s^− 1) (n = 8064). The emission rates vary over minutes, hours, days and years. Hourly and daily variations often show systematic and cyclic trends. Long-wavelength, large amplitude trends appear related to lava lake area and both are likely controlled by processes occurring at depth. Time series analysis of continuous sequences of measurements obtained over periods of several hours reveals periodicity in SO₂ output ranging from 10 to 360 min, with a 10 min cycle being the most dominant. Closed and open-system degassing models are considered to explain observed variable degassing rates. Closed-system degassing is possible as rheological stiffening and stick/slip may occur within the system. However, the timescales represented in these models do not fit observations made on Erebus. Open-system degassing and convection fits the observations collected as the presented models were developed for a system similar to Erebus in terms of degassing, eruptive activity and process repose time. We show that with the observed emission rate (0.71 kg s^− 1) and a crystal content of 30%, magma will cool 65 °C to match observed heat fluxes; this cooling is sufficient enough to drive convection.     

Seismic activity of Erebus volcano,antarctica

Mount Erebus is presently the only Antarctic volcano with sustained eruptive activity in the past few years. It is located on Ross Island and a convecting anorthoclase phonolite lava lake has occupied the summit crater of Mount Erebus from January 1973 to September 1984. A program to monitor the seismic activity of Mount Erebus named IMESS was started in December 1980 as an international cooperative program among Japan, the United States and New Zealand. A new volcanic episode began on 13 September, 1984 and continued until December.Our main observations from the seismic activity from 1982–1985 are as follows: (1) The average numbers of earthquakes which occurred around Mount Erebus in 1982, 1983 and January–August 1984 were 64, 134 and 146 events per day, respectively. Several earthquake swarms occurred each year. (2) The averag number of earthquakes in 1985 is 23 events per day, with only one earthquake swarm. (3) A remarkable decrease of the background seismicity is recognized before and after the September 1984 activity. (4) Only a few earthquakes were located in the area surrounding Erebus mountain after the September 1984 activity.A magma reservoir is estimated to be located in the southwest area beneath the Erebus summit, based on the hypocenter distributions of earthquakes.     

Volcanic emissions of metals and halogens from White Island (New Zealand) and Erebus volcano (Antarctica) determined with chemical traps

Volcanic emission rates of As, Sb, Pb, Hg, Se, Cl, and F were determined at Erebus volcano, Antarctica and White Island, New Zealand, using chemical traps. The trace metal fluxes were determined by combining the species to S ratios in the solutions with SO₂ emission rates measured by correlation spectrometry at the two volcanoes. At Erebus volcano, fluxes for the metals Pb and Hg were 2.0 × 10^− 4 and 8.1 × 10^− 6 kg s^− 11, respectively. Fluxes for Cl, F, As, Sb and Se (0.35, 0.15, 2.5 × 10^− 4, 1.2 × 10^− 5, and 4.5 × 10^− 6 kg s^− 1, respectively) agreed within error limits for values determined previously by the LiOH impregnated filter method [Zreda-Gostynska, G., Kyle, P., Finnegan, D., Prestbo, K., 1997. Volcanic gas emissions from Mount Erebus and their impact on the Antarctic environment. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102(B7): 15039–15055.], demonstrating the utility of the chemical trap method. A fall in the As/S ratio from 7 × 10^− 4 in 1997/1999 to 3 × 10^− 4 in 2000 at Erebus coincided with a change in the frequency and style of eruptive activity that may have been due to injection of magma into the system. At White Island, chemical trap data indicated fluxes of Cl = 0.90, F = 0.0079, Pb = 2.7 × 10^− 4, Hg = 1.1 × 10^− 5, As = 1.3 × 10^− 4, Sb = 1.9 × 10^− 5 and Se = 1.5 × 10^− 5 kg s^− 1. Samples collected 600 m downwind of the active crater were comparable to samples collected adjacent to the main gas vent, showing that this method can still be used at some distance from a degassing vent.     

A Sr,Nd, Hf,and Pb isotope perspective on the genesis and long-term evolution of alkaline magmas from Erebus volcano,Antarctica

We report new Nd, Hf, Sr, and high-precision Pb isotopic data for 44 lava and tephra samples from Erebus volcano. The samples cover the entire compositional range from basanite to phonolite and trachyte, and represent all three phases of the volcanic evolution from 1.3 Ma to the present. Isotopic analyses of 7 samples from Mt. Morning and the Dry Valley Drilling Project (DVDP) are given for comparison. The Erebus volcano samples have radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, unradiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and intermediate ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf, and lie along a mixing trajectory between the two end-member mantle components DMM and HIMU. The Erebus time series data show a marked distinction between the early-phase basanites and phonotephrites, whose Nd, Hf, Sr, and Pb isotope compositions are variable (particularly Pb), and the current ‘phase-three’ evolved phonolitic lavas and bombs, whose Nd, Hf, Sr, and Pb isotope compositions are essentially invariant. Magma mixing is inferred to play a fundamental role in establishing the isotopic and compositional uniformity in the evolved phase-three phonolites. In-situ analyses of Pb isotopes in melt inclusions hosted in an anorthoclase crystal from a 1984 Erebus phonolite bomb and in an olivine from a DVDP basanite are uniform and identical to the host lavas within analytical uncertainties. We suggest that, in both cases, the magma was well mixed at the time melt inclusions were incorporated into the different mineral phases.     

Refinement of the late Quaternary geologic history of Erebus volcano,Antarctica using Ar/Ar and Cl age determinations

Six new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and three cosmogenic ³⁶Cl age determinations provide new insight into the late Quaternary eruptive history of Erebus volcano. Anorthoclase from 3 lava flows on the caldera rim have ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of 23 ± 12, 81 ± 3 and 172 ± 10 ka (all uncertainties 2σ). The ages confirm the presence of a second, younger, superimposed caldera near the southwestern margin of the summit plateau and show that eruptive activity has occurred in the summit region for 77 ± 13 ka longer than previously thought. Trachyte from “Ice Station” on the eastern flank is 159 ± 2 ka, similar in age to those at Bomb Peak and Aurora Cliffs. The widespread occurrences of trachyte on the eastern flank of Erebus suggest a major previously unrecognized episode of trachytic volcanism. The trachyte lavas are chemically and isotopically distinct from alkaline lavas erupted contemporaneously in the summit region < 5 km away.     

Magma dynamics, crystallization, and chemical differentiation of the 1959 Kilauea Iki lava lake, Hawaii, revisited

Using constraints from an extensive database of geological and geochemical observations along with results from fluid mechanical studies of convection in magma chambers, we identify the main physical processes at work during the solidification of the 1959 Kilauea Iki lava lakes. In turn, we investigate their quantitative influence on the crystallization and chemical differentiation of the magma, and on the development of the internal structure of the lava lake. In contrast to previous studies, vigorous stirring in the magma, driven predominately by the descent of dense crystal-laden thermal plumes from the roof solidification front and the ascent of buoyant compositional plumes due to the in situ growth of olivine crystals at the floor, is predicted to have been an inevitable consequence of very strong cooling at the roof and floor. The flow is expected to have caused extensive but imperfect mixing over most of the cooling history of the magma, producing minor compositional stratification at the roof and thermal stratification at the floor. The efficient stirring of the large roof cooling is expected to have resulted in significant internal nucleation of olivine crystals, which ultimately settled to the floor. Additional forcing due to either crystal sedimentation or the ascent of gas bubbles is not expected to have increased significantly the amount of mixing. In addition to convection in the magma, circulation driven by the convection of buoyant interstitial melt in highly permeable crystal-melt mushes forming the roof and the floor of the lava lake is envisaged to have produced a net upward flow of evolved magma from the floor during solidification. In the floor zone, mush convection may have caused the formation of axisymmetric chimneys through which evolved magma drained from deep within the floor into the overlying magma and potentially the roof. We hypothesize that the highly evolved, pipe-like ‘vertical olivine-rich bodies’ (VORBs) [Bull. Volcanol. 43 (1980) 675] observed in the floor zone, of the lake are fossil chimneys. In the roof zone, buoyant residual liquid both produced at the roof solidification front and gained from the floor as a result of incomplete convective mixing is envisaged to have percolated or ‘leaked‘ into the overlying highly-permeable cumulate, displacing less buoyant interstitial melt downward. The results from Rayleigh fractionation-type models formulated using boundary conditions based on a quantitative understanding of the convection in the magma indicate that most of the incompatible element variation over the height of the lake can be explained as a consequence of a combination of crystal settling and the extensive but imperfect convective mixing of buoyant residual liquid released from the floor solidification front. The remaining chemical variation is understood in terms of the additional influences of mush convection in the roof and floor on the vertical distribution of incompatible elements. Although cooling was concentrated at the roof of the lake, the floor zone is found to be thicker than the roof zone, implying that it grew more quickly. The large growth rate of the floor is explained as a consequence of a combination of the substantial sedimentation of olivine crystals and more rapid in situ crystallization due to both a higher liquidus temperature and enhanced cooling resulting from imperfect thermal and chemical mixing.     

Development of lava tubes in the light of observations at Mauna Ulu,Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii

During the 1969–1974 Mauna Ulu eruption on Kilauea's upper east rift zone, lava tubes were observed to develop by four principal processes: (1) flat, rooted crusts grew across streams within confined channels; (2) overflows and spatter accreted to levees to build arched roofs across streams; (3) plates of solidified crust floating downstream coalesced to form a roof; and (4) pahoehoe lobes progressively extended, fed by networks of distributaries beneath a solidified crust. Still another tube-forming process operated when pahoehoe entered the ocean; large waves would abruptly chill a crust across the entire surface of a molten stream crossing through the surf zone. These littoral lava tubes formed abruptly, in contrast to subaerial tubes, which formed gradually. All tube-forming processes were favored by low to moderate volume-rates of flow for sustained periods of time. Tubes thereby became ubiquitous within the pahoehoe flows and distributed a very large proportionof the lava that was produced during this prolonged eruption. Tubes transport lava efficiently. Once formed, the roofs of tubes insulate the active streams within, allowing the lava to retain its fluidity for a longer time than if exposed directly to ambient air temperature. Thus the flows can travel greater distances and spread over wider areas. Even though supply rates during most of 1970–1974 were moderate, ranging from 1 to 5 m³/s, large tube systems conducted lava as far as the coast, 12–13 km distant, where they fed extensive pahoehoe fields on the coastal flats. Some flows entered the sea to build lava deltas and add new land to the island. The largest and most efficient tubes developed during periods of sustained extrusion, when new lava was being supplied at nearly constant rates. Tubes can play a major role in building volcanic edifices with gentle slopes because they can deliver a substantial fraction of lava erupted at low to moderate rates to sites far down the flank of a volcano. We conclude, therefore, that the tendency of active pahoehoe flows to form lava tubes is a significant factor in producing the common shield morphology of basaltic volcanoes.     

Magnetic petrology of the 1991–1995 dacite lava of Unzen volcano,Japan: Degree of oxidation and implications for the growth of lava domes

To understand the oxidation state and process of oxidation of lava domes, we carried out magnetic petrological analyses of lava samples obtained from domes and block-and-ash-flow deposits associated with the 1991–1995 eruption of Unzen volcano, Japan. As a result, we recognize three different types of magnetic petrology, each related to deuteric high-temperature oxidation during initial cooling. Type A oxides are characterized by homogenous titanomagnetite and titanohematite, indicating a low oxidation state and high titanomagnetite concentrations. Type B oxides are weakly exsolved and contain titanohematite laths and rutile lenses, indicating a higher oxidation state. Type C oxides, which represent the highest oxidation state, are completely exsolved and composed of Ti-poor titanomagnetite, titanohematite, rutile, and pseudobrookite, indicating high hematite concentrations. Some grains in Types A and B show indications of reduction, which was related to interaction with volcanic gases subsequent to high-temperature oxidation. In terms of geological occurrence, the oxidation processes probably differed for endogenous and exogenous domes. Endogenous dome lavas are oxidized concentrically and are classified into the three types according to their location within the dome: samples from the surface are strongly oxidized and classified as Type C, while the inner part is unoxidized and classified as Type A. Exogenous dome lavas are unoxidized and assigned to Type A. Some samples show signs of reduction, which may have occurred around fumaroles. We propose that location within the dome and the process of dome growth are the factors that control oxidation.     

<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of the eruptive history of Mount Erebus,Antarctica: volcano evolution

Mt. Erebus, a 3,794-meter-high active polygenetic stratovolcano, is composed of voluminous anorthoclase-phyric tephriphonolite and phonolite lavas overlying unknown volumes of poorly exposed, less differentiated lavas. The older basanite to phonotephrite lavas crop out on Fang Ridge, an eroded remnant of a proto-Erebus volcano and at other isolated locations on the flanks of the Mt. Erebus edifice. Anorthoclase feldspars in the phonolitic lavas are large (~10 cm), abundant (~30–40%) and contain numerous melt inclusions. Although excess argon is known to exist within the melt inclusions, rigorous sample preparation was used to remove the majority of the contaminant. Twenty-five sample sites were dated by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method (using 20 anorthoclase, 5 plagioclase and 9 groundmass concentrates) to examine the eruptive history of the volcano. Cape Barne, the oldest site, is 1,311±16 ka and represents the first of three stages of eruptive activity on the Mt. Erebus edifice. It shows a transition from sub-aqueous to sub-aerial volcanism that may mark the initiation of proto-Erebus eruptive activity. It is inferred that a further ~300 ky of basanitic/phonotephritic volcanism built a low, broad platform shield volcano. Cessation of the shield-building phase is marked by eruptions at Fang Ridge at ~1,000 ka. The termination of proto-Erebus eruptive activity is marked by the stratigraphically highest flow at Fang Ridge (758±20 ka). Younger lavas (~550–250 ka) on a modern-Erebus edifice are characterized by phonotephrites, tephriphonolites and trachytes. Plagioclase-phyric phonotephrite from coastal and flank flows yield ages between 531±38 and 368±18 ka. The initiation of anorthoclase tephriphonolite occurred in the southwest sector of the volcano at and around Turks Head (243±10 ka). A short pulse of effusive activity marked by crustal contamination occurred ~160 ka as indicated by at least two trachytic flows (157±6 and 166±10 ka). Most anorthoclase-phyric lavas, characteristic of Mt. Erebus, are less than 250 ka. All Mt. Erebus flows between about 250 and 90 ka are anorthoclase tephriphonolite in composition.Editorial responsibility: J. Donelly-Nolan     

Emplacement of subaerial pahoehoe lava sheet flows into water: 1990 Kūpaianaha flow of Kilauea volcano at Kaimū Bay, Hawai`i

Episode 48 of the ongoing eruption of Kilauea, Hawai`i, began in July 1986 and continuously extruded lava for the next 5.5 years from a low shield, Kūpaianaha. The flows in March 1990 headed for Kalapana and inundated the entire town under 15–25 m of lava by the end of August. As the flows advanced eastward, they entered into Kaimū Bay, replacing it with a plain of lava that extends 300 m beyond the original shoreline. The focus of our study is the period from August 1 to October 31, 1990, when the lava buried almost 406,820 m² of the 5-m deep bay. When lava encountered the sea, it flowed along the shoreline as a narrow primary lobe up to 400 m long and 100 m wide, which in turn inflated to a thickness of 5–6 m. The flow direction of the primary lobes was controlled by the submerged delta below the lavas and by damming up lavas fed at low extrusion rates. Breakout flows through circumferential and axial inflation cracks on the inflating primary lobes formed smaller secondary lobes, burying the lows between the primary lobes and hiding their original outlines. Inflated flow lobes eventually ruptured at proximal and/or distal ends as well as mid-points between the two ends, feeding new primary lobes which were emplaced along and on the shore side of the previously inflated lobes. The flow lobes mapped with the aid of aerial photographs were correlated with daily observations of the growing flow field, and 30 primary flow lobes were dated. Excluding the two repose periods that intervened while the bay was filled, enlargement of the flow field took place at a rate of 2,440–22,640 square meters per day in the bay. Lobe thickness was estimated to be up to 11 m on the basis of cross sections of selected lobes measured using optical measurement tools, measuring tape and hand level. The total flow-lobe volume added in the bay during August 1–October 31 was approximately 3.95 million m³, giving an average supply rate of 0.86 m³/s.     

Simple stochastic modelling of the eruption history of a basaltic volcano: Nyamuragira,Zaire

Three simple models of the behaviour of a series of basaltic eruptions have been tested against the eruptive history of Nyamuragira. The data set contains the repose periods and the volumes of lava emitted in 22 eruptions since 1901. Model 1 is fully stochastic and eruptions of any volume with random repose intervals are possible. Models 2 and 3 are constrained by deterministic limits on the maximum capacity of the magma reservoir and on the lowest drainage level of the reservoir respectively. The method of testing these models involves (1) seeking change points in the time series to determine regimes of uniform magma supply rate, and (2) applying linear regression to these regimes, which for models 2 and 3 are the determinsstic limits to those models. Two change points in the time series for Nyamuragira, in 1958 and 1980, were determined using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov technique. The latter change involved an increase in the magma supply rate by a factor of 2.5, from 0.55 to 1.37 m³s^-1. Model 2 provides the best fit to the behavior of Nyamuragira with the ratio of variation explained by the model to total variation. R², being greater than 0.9 for all three regimes. This fit can be interpreted to mean that there is a determinstic limit to the elastic strength of the magma reservoir 4–8 km below the summit of the volcano.     

Volcaniclastic deposits from the North Arch volcanic field, Hawaii: explosive fragmentation of alkalic lava at abyssal depths

Submarine explosive eruptions are generally considered to become less likely with increasing depth due to the increasing hydrostatic pressure of the overlying water column. Volcaniclastic deposits from the North Arch volcanic field, north of Oahu, have textural characteristics of explosive fragmentation yet were erupted in water depths greater than 4,200 m. The most abundant volcaniclastic samples from North Arch are clast-supported with highly vesicular, angular pyroclasts. They are most likely near-vent pyroclastic fall deposits formed in eruption columns of limited height. Interbedded with highly vesicular pillow lava, they form low (50 to 200 m), steep-sided cones around the vents. Less common are stratified samples with graded bedding; one such sample includes a layer of roughly aligned, platy, bubble-wall glass fragments (resembling littoral limu o Pele) that may have been deposited by density currents. In addition to bubble-wall glass shards, numerous glass fragments with spherical, delicate spindle and ribbon shapes, and Pele's hair-like glass strands occur in the finer size fraction (<0.5 mm) of some samples. They are probably more distal fallout. Another sample, consisting of glass fragments dispersed in a marine clay matrix, was apparently reworked and deposited farther from the vents by bottom currents. Glass compositions include low-(∼0.4-0.6 wt%) and medium-K₂O (>0.6 wt%) alkalic basalt, basanite, and nephelinite. Sulfur and chlorine abundances are high, reaching a maximum of 1,800 and 1,300 ppm, respectively. The ubiquitous presence of limu o Pele fragments, regardless of glass composition, suggests that bursts of Strombolian-like activity accompanied most eruptions. Coalescing vesicles observed in larger pyroclasts and some pillow lava suggests accumulation of volatiles. Since the great hydrostatic pressure makes steam expansion impossible, a volatile-rich, supercritical magmatic fluid probably drove the eruptions. If these volatile-rich magmas had erupted in shallow water or subaerially, tall fountains would most likely have resulted. The great hydrostatic pressure (>40 MPa) limited fountain and eruption column heights.     

Morphology and composition of spinel in Pu’u ’O’o lava (1996–1998), Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

The morphology and composition of spinel in rapidly quenched Pu’u ’O’o vent and lava tube samples are described. These samples contain glass, olivine phenocrysts (3–5 vol.%) and microphenocrysts of spinel (0.05 vol.%). The spinel surrounded by glass occurs as idiomorphic octahedra 5–50 μm in diameter and as chains of octahedra that are oriented with respect to each other. Spinel enclosed by olivine phenocrysts is sometimes rounded and does not generally form chains. The temperature before quenching was calculated from the MgO content of the glass and ranges from 1150°C to 1180°C. The oxygen fugacity before quenching was calculated by two independent methods and the log f_O2 ranged from −9.2 to −9.9 (delta QFM=−1). The spinel in the Pu’u ’O’o samples has a narrow range in composition with Cr/(Cr+Al)=0.61 to 0.73 and Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg)=0.46 to 0.56. The lower the calculated temperature for the samples, the higher the average Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg), Fe³⁺ and Ti in the spinel. Most zoned spinel crystals decrease in Cr/(Cr+Al) from core to rim and, in the chains, the Cr/(Cr+Al) is greater in the core of larger crystals than in the core of smaller crystals. The occurrence of chains and hopper crystals and the presence of Cr/(Cr+Al) zoning from core to rim of the spinel suggest diffusion-controlled growth of the crystals. Some of the spinel crystals may have grown rapidly under the turbulent conditions of the summit reservoir and in the flowing lava, and the crystals may have remained in suspension for a considerable period. The rapid growth may have caused very local (μm) gradients of Cr in the melt ahead of the spinel crystal faces. The crystals seem to have retained the Cr/(Cr+Al) ratio that developed during the original growth of the crystal, but the Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg) ratio may have equilibrated fairly rapidly with the changing melt composition due to olivine crystallization. Six of the samples were collected on the same day at various locations along a 10-km lava tube and the calculated pre-collection temperatures of the samples show a 5°C drop with distance from the vent. The average Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+Mg) of the spinel in these samples shows a weak positive correlation with decreasing MgO in the glass of these samples. The range in Cr₂O₃ (0.041–0.045 wt.%) of the glass for these six samples is too small to distinguish a consistent change along the lava tube. The spinel in the Pu’u ’O’o samples shows a zoning trend in a Cr–Al–Fe³⁺ diagram almost directly away from the Cr apex. This compares with a zoning trend in rapidly quenched MORB samples away from Cr coupled with decreasing Fe³⁺. The trend away from Cr displayed by spinel in rapidly quenched samples is in marked contrast to the trend of increasing Fe³⁺ shown by spinel in slowly cooled lava.