Geological constraints on the 2003–2005 ash emissions from the Nakadake crater lake,Aso Volcano,Japan

The active crater of Nakadake at Aso Volcano, southwestern Japan, has been occupied by a lake during its dormant periods. Multiple ash emissions were observed from the crater lake between July 2003 and August 2005. The largest events occurred on 10 July 2003 and 14 January 2004. On 10 July 2003, ash (41 tons) was dispersed throughout an area extending 14 km east-northeast of the vent, and on 14 January 2004 ash (32 tons) extended 8 km to the east-southeast. Thereafter, small ash emissions were frequent at the crater lake, in which the water level fell considerably from April to August 2005. During this period major ash emitting events, producing mostly white aggregated ash, occurred on June 10–12, June 21 (4.2 tons) and July 25 (1.2 tons). Ash emissions at the Nakadake crater in 2003–2005 were classified into three types: gentle release of white aggregated ash from fumaroles inside the crater lake (e.g. daytime of 14 April, 10–12 June and 25 July 2005); emission of black ash from an almost dried-up vent (21 June 2005); and short-time (ca. 20 s) small-explosion-triggered gas-and-ash emission through the crater lake (10 July 2003, 14 January 2004 and 14 April 20h41m 2005). All products from these ash emissions consisted of fine-grained (< 1 mm) glass shards, crystals and lithic fragments, and contained neither lapilli nor blocks. Although the glass shards show varying degrees of crystallization and alteration, clear glass shards, which appear fresh, are probably juvenile materials. These observations suggest that the 2003–2005 ash emissions from the crater lake of Nakadake Volcano are related to newly ascending magma.     

Disappearance of a crater lake: implications for potential explosivity at Soufrière volcano,St Vincent,Lesser Antilles

Soufrière volcano in St Vincent, West Indies, is one of the most active volcanoes in the Eastern Caribbean with at least six eruptions since 1718 AD, the latest of which occurred in 1979. Prior to the 1979 eruption, the active crater hosted deep-water lakes during periods of repose, which were always replenished within a few years after the eruptions. In 1979, the crater was filled with 10⁸ m³ of fragmental material and, despite constant precipitation, has remained virtually dry ever since, with the exception of a small shallow pond. A resistivity survey was conducted in July 2006 to investigate groundwater occurrence in the crater. Results from the resistivity data inversion on several 2-D profiles show a shallow horizontal conductor across the crater floor, consistent with a water-saturated aquifer. They also show that the post-1979 pond, currently present in the crater lake is in fact an outcropping part of the groundwater water reservoir. The reservoir water table is ∼28 m above the pre-1979 lake level and reflects mass equilibrium in the system where constant seepage underground balances the meteoric recharge. We suggest that the groundwater body extends at depth to the bottom of the pre-1979 crater lake, either due to a significant structural discontinuity or because of a reduction of permeability at depth. The estimated maximum volume of water stored underground is 10–30 × 10⁶ m³ and energy considerations indicate that 2.4–7.3 × 10¹⁰ kg of magma would potentially be sufficient to vaporise the whole groundwater body. This amount of magma represents only 13–41% of the mass erupted during the last eruption in 1979 which was the smallest of the past 3 eruptions (1902, 1971–72, 1979). Since explosive phreatic or phreatomagmatic eruptions at Soufrière seem to be linked to magma-water interaction within confined space, the results from this survey suggests that phreatic or phreatomagmatic activity is a distinct possibility during future magma intrusion in the summit area, despite the apparent disappearance of water in the summit crater.     

Brownish discoloration of the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake,Kirishima Volcano,Japan: volcanic–microbial coupled origin

A drastic change in lake water color from blue-green to brown was observed in the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake, Kirishima Volcano about 8 months after its 2008 eruption. The color change lasted for about 2 months (April–June 2009). The discoloration was attributed to a brownish color suspension that had formed in the lake water. X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared analyses of a sample of the suspension identified schwertmannite (Fe₈O₈(OH)₆(SO₄)). A cultivation test of iron-oxidizing bacteria for the sampled lake water with lakebed sediment revealed that the crater lake hosts iron-oxidizing bacteria, which likely participated in schwertmannite formation. We suggest that pyrite (FeS₂) provided an energy source for the iron-oxidizing bacteria since the mineral was identified in hydrothermally altered tephra ejected by the August 2008 eruption. From consideration of these and other factors, the brownish discoloration of the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake was inferred to have resulted from a combined volcanic–microbial process.     

Geochemistry and mineralogy of the phonolite lava lake,Erebus volcano,Antarctica: 1972–2004 and comparison with older lavas

Mount Erebus, Antarctica, is a large (3794 m) alkaline open-conduit stratovolcano that hosts a vigorously convecting and persistently degassing lake of anorthoclase phonolite magma. The composition of the lake was investigated by analyzing glass and mineral compositions in lava bombs erupted between 1972 and 2004. Matrix glass, titanomagnetite, olivine, clinopyroxene, and fluor-apatite compositions are invariant and show that the magmatic temperature (∼ 1000°C) and oxygen fugacity (ΔlogFMQ = − 0.9) have been stable. Large temperature variations at the lake surface (~ 400–500°C) are not reflected in mineral compositions. Anorthoclase phenocrysts up to 10 cm in length feature a restricted compositional range (An_10.3–22.9Ab_62.8–68.1Or_11.4–27.2) with complex textural and compositional zoning. Anorthoclase textures and compositions indicate crystallization occurs at low degrees of effective undercooling. We propose shallow water exsolution causes crystallization and shallow convection cycles the anorthoclase crystals through many episodes of growth resulting in their exceptional size. Minor variations in eruptive activity from 1972 to 2004 are decoupled from magma compositions. The variations probably relate to changes in conduit geometry within the volcano and/or variable input of CO₂-rich volatiles into the upper-level magma chamber from deeper in the system.     

Hydrochemical dynamics of the “lake–spring” system in the crater of El Chichón volcano (Chiapas,Mexico)

El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico) erupted violently in March–April 1982, breaching through the former volcano–hydrothermal system. Since then, the 1982 crater has hosted a shallow (1–3.3 m, acidic (pH ∼ 2.2) and warm (∼ 30 °C) crater lake with a strongly varying chemistry (Cl/SO₄ = 0–79 molar ratio). The changes in crater lake chemistry and volume are not systematically related to the seasonal variation of rainfall, but rather to the activity of near-neutral geyser-like springs in the crater (Soap Pool). These Soap Pool springs are the only sources of Cl for the lake. Their geyser-like behaviour with a long-term (months to years) periodicity is due to a specific geometry of the shallow boiling aquifer beneath the lake, which is the remnant of the 1983 Cl-rich (24,000 mg/l) crater lake water. The Soap Pool springs decreased in Cl content over time. The zero-time extrapolation (1982, year of the eruption) approaches the Cl content in the initial crater lake, meanwhile the extrapolation towards the future indicates a zero-Cl content by 2009 ± 1. This particular situation offers the opportunity to calculate mass balance and Cl budget to quantify the lake–spring system in the El Chichón crater. These calculations show that the water balance without the input of SP springs is negative, implying that the lake should disappear during the dry season. The isotopic composition of lake waters (δD and δ¹⁸O) coincide with this crater lake-SP dynamics, reflecting evaporation processes and mixing with SP geyser and meteoric water. Future dome growth, not observed yet in the post-1982 El Chichón crater, may be anticipated by changes in lake chemistry and dynamics.     

The calculation of TV, VT, VV, VV′ - rate coefficients for the collisions of the main atmospheric components

The first-order perturbation approximation is applied to calculate the rate coefficients of vibrational energy transfer in collisions involving vibrationally excited molecules in the absence of non-adiabatic transitions. The factors of molecular attraction, oscillator frequency change, anharmonicity, 3-dimensionality and quasiclassical motion have been taken into account in the approximation. The analytical expressions presented have been normalized on experimental data of VT-relaxation times in N₂ and O₂ to obtain the steric factors and the extent of repulsive exchange potentials in collisions N₂–N₂ and O₂–O₂. The approach was applied to calculate the rate coefficients of vibrational-vibrational energy transfer in the collisions N₂–N₂, O₂–O₂ and N₂–O₂. It is shown that there is good agreement between our calculations and experimental data for all cases of energy transfer considered.     

A 40-year perspective of an alpine lake: Is everything the same?

Mountain lakes are the most affected by climate change; however, few of these lakes are regularly sampled because of their remoteness. We discussed limnological data (e.g. water temperature, light transparency, and plankton diversity) of Lake Campo (1944 m above sea level, Adamello Mountains, Italy) scattered over almost forty years in the light of climate change. Specifically, occasional samplings in 1980, 1988, 2016, 2017, and 2018 and more extensive surveys in 1997 and 2015 were carried out. Among the investigated years, 2015 was the warmest. Inter-year variability in water temperature was quite marked in Lake Campo. Water temperature profiles of July (1980, 1997, 2015) showed increased surface warming, while the deeper layers (> 15 m) were always isothermal at around 5 °C. Hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen never decreased below 50 % saturation. Secchi disk depth was not substantially different among years. Summer profiles of light transparency showed discontinuous light attenuation, which was tentatively attributed to algae located in deeper layers. In cluster analysis of phytoplankton and zooplankton data, differences between seasons but not years were found. The autumn decline of Bacillariophyta and the increase of mixotrophic Cryptophyta was linked to decreasing silica concentrations towards autumn. Apart from this general pattern, several observations (e.g. high abundance of Tovellia sanguinea, requiring warmer temperatures and thermal stratification to compete with Bacillariophyta; a spatially extended metalimnetic oxygen maximum in July 2015) showed the effects of particularly warm conditions of 2015 compared to 1997. The continuous presence of crustacean males and first generation of rotifers (Polyarthra f. aptera) hatching from sexual eggs indicated the importance of sexual reproduction in the lake. Length measurements of Daphnia gr. longispina before (1997) and after (2015) non-native fish removal and Arctic char introduction were similar and indicated no apparent change in predation pressure. Studies like this, despite scattered data, can provide valuable insights into the changes mountain lakes undergo through time.     

Petrological, geochemical and chronological constraints for the tectonic setting of the Dongco ophiolite in Tibet

The Dongco ophiolite occurred in the middle-western segment of the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone. The thickness of the ophiolite suite is more than 5 km, which is composed, from bottom to top, of the mantle peridotite, mafic-ultramafic cumulates, basic sills (dykes) and basic lava and tectoni- cally emplaced in Jurassic strata (Mugagongru Group). The Dongco cumulates consist of dunite- troctolite-olivine-gabbro, being a part of DTG series of mafic-ultramafic cumulates. The basic lavas are characterized by being rich in alkali (Na2O K2O), TiO2, P2O5 and a LREE-rich type pattern dip- ping right with [La/Yb]=6.94―16.6 as well as a trace elements spider-diagram with normal anomaly of Th, Nb, Ta, Hf. Therefore, the Dongco basic lavas belong to ocean-island basalt (OIB) and dis- tinctly differ from mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and island-arc basalt (IAB) formed in the plate convergence margin. The basic lavas have higher 87Sr/86Sr (0.704363―0.705007), lower 143Nd/144Nd (0.512708―0.512887) and εNd(t ) from 2.7― 5.8, indicating that they derive from a two-components mixing mantle source of depleted mantle (DM) and enriched mantle (EMI). From above it is ready to see that the Dongco ophiolite forms in oceanic island (OIB) where the mantle source is replaced by a large amount of enriched material, therefore it distinctly differs from these ophiolites formed in island-arc and mid-oecan ridge. Newly obtained SHRIMP U-Pb dating for zircon of the cumulate troctolite is 132 ± 3 Ma and whole-rock dating of ~(39)Ar/~(40)Ar for the basalt is 173.4 ± 2.7 Ma and 140.9 ± 2.8 Ma, indicating that the Dongco ophiolite formed at Early Cretaceous and the middle-western segment of the Bangong-Nujiang oceanic basin was still in the developing and evolving period at Early Cretaceous.     

An Upper Limit to Ground Deformation in the Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, for the Period 1997–2006

Continuous monitoring of ground deformation in the volcanic island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, is based on GPS networks, since there are as yet no tiltmeter stations installed on the island. However, there is a world-class astronomical observatory on the island, the El Teide Observatory, where four tiltmeters, two aligned in the North-South and the other two in the East-West, are monitoring the movements of the solar telescope THEMIS. THEMIS (Heliographic Telescope for the Study of Solar Magnetism and Instabilites) is among the three largest solar telescopes in the world. Since THEMIS is located a few kilometers from the main volcanic structures of the island, in particular the El Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano, and the precision of the inclinometers is comparable to those used in geophysical studies, we carried out the analysis of the tilt measurements for the period 1997–2006. The tiltmeters at THEMIS are placed in the seventh floor of a tower, hence their sensitivity to geological processes is reduced compared to geophysical installations. However, THEMIS measurements are the only terrestrial data available in Tenerife for such a long period of observations, which include the sustained increase in seismic activity that started in 2001. In this sense, a significant change was found in the East-West tilt of approximately 35 μ-radians between the years 2000 and 2002. Some theoretical models were calculated and it was concluded that such tilt variation could not be due to dike intrusions, nor a volcanic reactivation below the El Teide-Pico Viejo volcano. The most likely explanation comes from dislocations produced by a secondary fault associated to a major submarine fault off the eastern coast of Tenerife. In any case, taking into account the nearly permanent data recording at THEMIS, they could be considered as a complement for any ground deformation monitoring system in the island.     

Long-term impact of the proglacial lake Jökulsárlón on the flow velocity and stability of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier,Iceland

Proglacial lakes are becoming ubiquitous at the termini of many glaciers worldwide due to continued climate warming and glacier retreat, and such lakes have important consequences for the dynamics and future stability of these glaciers. In light of this, we quantified decadal changes in glacier velocity since 1991 using satellite remote sensing for Breiðamerkurjökull, a large lake-terminating glacier in Iceland. We investigated its frontal retreat, lake area change and ice surface elevation change, combined with bed topography data, to understand its recent rapid retreat and future stability. We observed highly spatially variable velocity change from 1991 to 2015, with a substantial increase in peak velocity observed at the terminus of the lake-terminating eastern arm from ~1.00 ± 0.36 m day⁻¹ in 1991 to 3.50 ± 0.25 m day⁻¹ in 2015, with mean velocities remaining elevated from 2008 onwards. This is in stark comparison to the predominately land-terminating arms, which saw no discernible change in their velocity over the same period. We also observed a substantial increase in the area of the main proglacial lake (Jökulsárlón) since 1982 of ~20 km², equating to an annual growth rate of 0.55 km² year⁻¹. Over the same period, the eastern arm retreated by ~3.50 km, which is significantly greater than the other arms. Such discrepancies between the different arms are due to the growth and, importantly, depth increase of Jökulsárlón, as the eastern arm has retreated into its ~300 m-deep reverse-sloping subglacial trough. We suggest that this growth in lake area, forced initially by rising air temperatures, combined with the increase in lake depth, triggered an increase in flow acceleration, leading to further rapid retreat and the initiation of a positive feedback mechanism. These findings may have important implications for how increased melt and calving forced by climate change will affect the future stability of large soft-bedded, reverse-sloped, subaqueous-terminating glaciers elsewhere. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Magnetostratigraphy of the Lodève Basin, France: Implications for the Permo-Carboniferous reversed superchron and the geocentric axial dipole

New results from the La Lieude Formation now complete the magneto-stratigraphic coverage of the Permian redbeds preserved in the Lodève Basin of southern France. The majority of the samples yield reversed polarity, with a mean of declination D = 187.4°, inclination I = ?0.5° (Fisherian statistics k = 44.2, ??₉₅ = 5.6°, n = 16). Together with previously published results, these data indicate that the entire basin lies within the Permo-Carboniferous Reversed Superchron (PCRS). But the stratigraphically highest sample exhibits normal polarity, suggesting that the transition marking the end of the PCRS may be close. The unusual behaviour of the geodynamo that generates superchrons prompts one to ask if there are concomitant influences on the morphology of the field. The intersecting palaeomeridian method offers a means of pursuing this question. An updated analysis suggests that there are currently no compelling reasons for adding significant higher-order terms to the geocentric axial dipole (GAD) model for the Late Permian.     

An isobaric–isenthalpic magma mixing model for the Hasan Dagi volcano,Central Anatolia,Turkey

Calc-alkaline rocks of the Hasan Dagi volcano (Central Anatolia, Turkey) are products of arc volcanism triggered by continental collision. Volcanic rocks of the Hasan Dagi range in composition from basalt to rhyolite but are dominated by andesite and dacite. Considering only the mass transfer part of the process leads to an incomplete picture of magma chamber processes. The exclusion of simultaneous calculations of heat and mass transfer between mixing magmas, however, has prevented petrologists from gaining new insights into the magma mixing process. Thus, we report our experimental results in conjunction with modeling with MELTS to test the ideas concerning the petrogenesis of Hasan Dagi volcanic rocks and quantitatively model the relevant petrogenetic processes. Our results demonstrate that the chemical diversity of Hasan Dagi volcano is inconsistent with the closed-system crystallization and differentiation. Thus, (1) our experimental modeling, (2) the agreement between the liquid line of descent defined by the natural rock data and the MELTS calculations, and (3) the agreement between the mineralogy of the rocks and calculated mineralogy corroborate the conclusion that the isobaric–isenthalpic magma mixing of basalt and rhyolite is the major controlling process in the petrogenesis of the Hasan Dagi magmas.     

Phosphorus forms and bioavailability of lake sediments in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

Forms of phosphorus in sediments from 25 lakes in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River were analyzed by the sequential extraction procedure. Contents and spatial distrubution of algal available phosphorus (AAP) in sediments of Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake of China, were also studied. Relationships between phosphorus forms in sediment and macrophytes coverage in sample sites, as well as phosphorus forms in sediments and chlorophyal contents in lake water were discussed. Exchangeable form of phosphorus (Ex-P) in surface sediments was significantly positive correlative to total phosphorus (IP), dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) contents in the lake water. Bioavailable phosphorus (Bio-P) contents in sediments from macrophytes dominant sites were significantly lower than that in no macrophyte sites. In Lake Taihu, Ex-P content in top 3 cm sediment was highest. However, content of ferric fraction phosphorus (Fe-P) was highest in 4 - 10 cm. Bioavalilble phosphorus (Bio-P) contents in surface sediments positively correlated to Chlorophyll a contents in water of Lake Taihu with significant difference. Therefore, contents of Bio-P and AAP could be acted as the indicators of risks of internal release of phosphorus in the shallow lakes. It was estimated that there were 268.6 ton AAP in top 1 cm sediments in Lake Taihu. Sediment suspension caused by strong wind-induced wave disturbance could carry plenty of AAP into water in large shallow lakes like Lake Taihu.     

Existence of the solutions and the attractors for the large-scale atmospheric equations

The atmosphere is a kind of fluid surrounding therotating earth, and its state can be described by thevelocity vector v, the temperature T, the density ρ, andthe pressure p at each point. Its evolution process isessentially governed by the Navier-Stockes equationand the temperature equation. Due to the specialty andthe complexity of the atmospheric problem, althoughsome modified and simplified work have made onthese fluid mechanics and temperature equations, theyare still a very complex forc…     

The long-term earthquake prediction for the Kuril–Kamchatka island arc for the April 2016 through March 2021 period,its modification and application; the Kuril–Kamchatka seismicity before and after the May 24, 2013, M 8.3 deep-focus earthquake in the Sea of Okhotsk

This paper discusses results from ongoing research on long-term earthquake prediction for the Kuril–Kamchatka island arc based on the concepts of seismic gaps and the seismic cycle. We developed a forecast for the next 5 years (April 2016 through March 2021) for all segments of the earthquake-generating zone along the Kuril–Kamchatka arc. The 20 segments of the arc were analyzed to develop forecasts of the appropriate phases of the seismic cycle, a normalized parameter of the rate of small earthquakes (A₁₀), the magnitudes of moderate earthquakes that are expected with probabilities of 0.8, 0.5, and 0.15, the maximum expected magnitudes, and the probabilities of great (M ≥ 7.7) earthquakes. We discuss the seismic process in the Kuril–Kamchatka earthquake-generating zone before and after the deep-focus May 24, 2013 M 8.3 earthquake in the Sea of Okhotsk. The results corroborate the high seismic hazard in the area of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii and the urgent need for continuing with and expanding the ongoing work of seismic retrofitting and seismic safety enhancement. We quote practical results from applications of the method during 30 years.     

Using an Enhanced Dataset for Reassessing the Source Region of the 2003 Armer��a, Mexico Earthquake

We present a fresh look at the source region of the 22 January 2003 M _w 7.4 Armería earthquake, which occurred off the Pacific coast of the state of Colima, Mexico, near the town of Armería. The effects of this earthquake in the neighboring states of Colima and Jalisco were different and stronger than those of previous recent major earthquakes in the region. This earthquake and its aftershocks were recorded by two local telemetered seismograph networks (RESCO and RESJAL). From 22 January to 24 January 2003, no important seismicity was located on the plates interface, or within the Rivera Plate, and most epicenters were located west of the Armería River, which is the western border of the Colima Graben, and is located outside of the Colima Gap region. From 24 January to 31 January, the seismicity recorded by both networks showed a migration in depth, with an almost vertical offshore distribution between 4 and 24?km in depth. For this period, a seven-station portable digital seismograph network, equipped with three-component seismometers, was deployed in the epicentral area to study the aftershock sequence in detail. With this denser network more than 200 M _L?>?2.0 aftershocks were recorded. The aftershock foci were deeper than those recorded during the early period and most of them locate on a hypothetical 12° dipping interface between the Rivera and North American Plates. Composite focal mechanism solutions for the aftershocks located during both periods indicate a reverse fault character that changes with time. Analysis of the new dataset still indicates that the earthquake was a shallow intraplate event.     

A comparative study on the illite crystallinity and the clay mineral reflectance spectral index for subdividing the very low-grade metamorphic belt along the Lizhou-Hekou geological section in the Youjiang sedimentary basin, Guangxi, China

To examine the application potential of hyperspectral remote sensing techniques in classifying very low-grade metamorphic belts, the composition of clay minerals and the cyrstallinity of illite from mudstones were measured using XRD and VIS-SWIR (400-2500 nm) reflectance spectroscopy. Based on the illite cyrstallinity, Kubler Index (KI), the Early Triassic LuoLou Group and the Middle Triassic lower Baifeng Formation were classified as the lower Epizone with KI△2θ° ranging from 0.22 to 0.25, the upper Baifeng Formation as upper anchizone with KI△2θ°ranging from 0.26 to 0.33, and the Hekou Formation as lower anchizone with KI△2θ° ranging from 0.38 to 0.40. According to a KI△2θ° value of 0.43, it is possible that there may exist a local diagenetic zone in the upper strata. The illite cyrstallinity Kubler index and the metamorphic grade increase from the bottom to the top of the stratigraphic sequence. The metamorphic grade boundaries nearly match the stratigraphic boundaries, indicating a burial metamorphism nature for the stratigraphic sequence. From the bottom to the top of the sequence, the spectral absorption band center of clay minerals from fresh rocks is around 2200 nm. The absorption band centers change towards shorter wavelengths: the Luolou Group being at 2220 nm, the Baifeng Formation at 2217-2213 nm, the lower member of the Hekou Formation at 2214-2206 nm, and the upper member of the Hekou Formation at 2205-2197 nm. The spectral absorption band center of illite shows the same change pattern. These results indicate that very low-grade metamorphic belts can be subdivided using spectral indices of clay minerals, which are measured by using field portable spectroradiometers. However, it may not work well with satellite and airborne sensors.