The 1976–1982 Strombolian and phreatomagmatic eruptions of White Island,New Zealand: eruptive and depositional mechanisms at a ‘wet’ volcano

White Island is an active andesitic-dacitic composite volcano surrounded by sea, yet isolated from sea water by chemically sealed zones that confine a long-lived acidic hydrothermal system, within a thick sequence of fine-grained volcaniclastic sediment and ash. The rise of at least 10⁶ m³ of basic andesite magma to shallow levels and its interaction with the hydrothermal system resulted in the longest historical eruption sequence at White Island in 1976–1982. About 10⁷ m³ of mixed lithic and juvenile ejecta was erupted, accompanied by collapse to form two coalescing maar-like craters. Vent position within the craters changed 5 times during the eruption, but the vents were repeatedly re-established along a line linking pre-1976 vents. The eruption sequence consisted of seven alternating phases of phreatomagmatic and Strombolian volcanism. Strombolian eruptions were preceded and followed by mildly explosive degassing and production of incandescent, blocky juvenile ash from the margins of the magma body. Phreatomagmatic phases contained two styles of activity: (a) near-continuous emission of gas and ash and (b) discrete explosions followed by prolonged quiescence. The near-continuous activity reculted from streaming of magmatic volatiles and phreatic steam through open conduits, frittering juvennile shards from the margins of the magma and eroding loose lithic particles from the unconsolidated wall rock. The larger discrete explosions produced ballistic block aprons, downwind lobes of fall tephra, and cohesive wet surge deposits confined to the main crater. The key features of the larger explosions were their shallow focus, random occurrence and lack of precursors, and the thermal heterogeneity of the ejecta. This White Island eruption was unusual because of the low discharge rate of magma over an extended time period and because of the influence of a unique physical and hydrological setting. The low rate of magma rise led to very effective separation of magmatic volatiles and high fluxes of magmatic gas even during phreatic phases of the eruption. While true Strombolian phases did occur, more frequently the decoupled magmatic gas rose to interact with the conduit walls and hydrothermal system, producing phreatomagmatic eruptions. The form of these wet explosions was governed by a delicate balance between erosion and collapse of the weak conduit walls. If the walls were relatively stable, fine ash was slowly eroded and erupted in weak, near-continous phreatomagmatic events. When the walls were unstable, wall collapse triggered larger discrete phreatomagmatic explosions.     

The ~AD1315 Tarawera and Waiotapu eruptions, New Zealand: contemporaneous rhyolite and hydrothermal eruptions driven by an arrested basalt dike system?

A series of large hydrothermal eruptions occurred across the Waiotapu geothermal field at about the same (prehistoric) time as the ~AD1315 Kaharoa rhyolite magmatic eruptions from Tarawera volcano vents, 10–20 km distant. Triggering of the Waiotapu hydrothermal eruptions was previously attributed to displacement of the adjacent Ngapouri Fault. The Kaharoa rhyolite eruptions are now recognised as primed and triggered by multiple basalt intrusions beneath the Tarawera volcano. A ~1000 t/day pulse of CO₂ gas is recorded by alteration mineralogy and fluid inclusions in drill core samples from Waiotapu geothermal wells. This CO₂ pulse is most readily sourced from basalt intruded at depth, and although not precisely dated, it appears to be associated with the Waiotapu hydrothermal eruptions. We infer that the hydrothermal eruptions at Waiotapu were primed by intrusion of the same arrested basalt dike system that drove the rhyolite eruptions at Tarawera. This dike system was likely similar at depth to the dike that generated basalt eruptions from a 17 km-long fissure that formed across the Tarawera region in AD1886. Fault ruptures that occurred in the Waiotapu area in association with both the AD1886 and ~AD1315 eruptions are considered to be a result, rather than a cause, of the dike intrusion processes.Editorial responsibility: J. Donnelly-Nolan     

Reconstructing the largest explosive eruptions of Mt. Ruapehu,New Zealand: lithostratigraphic tools to understand subplinian–plinian eruptions at andesitic volcanoes

We analysed the tephra record of Mt. Ruapehu for the period 27,097 ± 957 to ~10,000 cal. years BP to determine the largest-scale explosive eruptions expected from the most active New Zealand andesitic volcano. From the lithostratigraphic analysis, a systematic change in the explosive behaviour is identified from older deposits suggesting dry magmatic eruptions and steady eruptive columns, characterised by frothy to expanded pumice fabrics, to younger deposits that are products of unsteady conditions and collapsing columns, characterised by microvesicular, fibrous, and colour-banded pumice fabrics. The end-members were separated by eruptions with steady columns linked to water–magma interaction and highly unstable conduit walls. Dry magmatic eruptions producing steady plinian columns were most common between 27,097 ± 957 and shortly after 13,635 + 165 cal. years BP. Following this time, activity continued with eruptions that produced dominantly oscillating unsteady columns, which engendered pyroclastic density currents, until ~10 ka when there was an abrupt transition at Mt. Ruapehu since which eruptions have been an order of magnitude lower in intensity and volume. These data demonstrate long-period transitions in eruption behaviour at an andesitic stratovolcano, which is critical to understand if realistic time-variable hazard forecasts are to be developed.     

��A�䨡 lava flows in the Deccan Volcanic Province, India, and their significance for the nature of continental flood basalt eruptions

Newly identified ??a?? lava flows outcrop intermittently over an area of ~110?km² in the western Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), India. They occur in the upper Thakurvadi Formation in the region south of Sangamner. The flows, one of which is compound, are 15?C25?m thick, and exhibit well-developed basal and flow-top breccias. The lavas have microcrystalline groundmasses and are porphyritic or glomerocrystic and contain phenocrysts of olivine, clinopyroxene or plagioclase feldspar. They are chemically similar to compound p??hoehoe flows at a similar stratigraphic horizon along the Western Ghats. Petrographic and geochemical differences between ??a?? flows at widely spaced outcrops at the same stratigraphic horizon suggest that they are the product of several eruptions, potentially from different sources. Their presence in the DVP could suggest relative proximity to vents. This discovery is significant because ??a?? lavas are generally scarce in large continental flood basalt provinces, which typically consist of numerous inflated compound p??hoehoe lobes and sheet lobes. Their scarcity is intriguing, and may relate to either their occurrence only in poorly preserved or exposed proximal areas or to the flat plateau-like topography of flood basalt provinces that may inhibit channelization and ??a?? formation, or both. In this context, the ??a?? flow fields described here are inferred to be the products of eruptions that produced unusually high-effusion-rate lavas compared to typical flood basalt eruptions. Whether these phases were transitional to lower intensity, sustained eruptions that fed extensive low effusion rate p??hoehoe flow fields remains unclear.     

Patterns in open vent, strombolian behavior at Fuego volcano, Guatemala, 2005–2007

Fuego volcano, Guatemala is a high (3,800 m) composite volcano that erupts gas-rich, high-Al basalt, often explosively. It spends many years in an essentially open vent condition, but this activity has not been extensively observed or recorded until now. The volcano towers above a region with several tens of thousands of people, so that patterns in its activity might have hazard mitigation applications. We conducted 2 years of continuous observations at Fuego (2005–2007) during which time the activity consisted of minor explosions, persistent degassing, paroxysmal eruptions, and lava flows. Radiant heat output from MODIS correlates well with observed changes in eruptive behavior, particularly during abrupt changes from passive lava effusion to paroxysmal eruptions. A short-period seismometer and two low-frequency microphones installed during the final 6 months of the study period recorded persistent volcanic tremor (1–3 Hz) and a variety of explosive eruptions. The remarkable correlation between seismic tremor, thermal output, and daily observational data defines a pattern of repeating eruptive behavior: 1) passive lava effusion and subordinate strombolian explosions, followed by 2) paroxysmal eruptions that produced sustained eruptive columns, long, rapidly emplaced lava flows, and block and ash flows, and finally 3) periods of discrete degassing explosions with no lava effusion. This study demonstrates the utility of low-cost observations and ground-based and satellite-based remote sensing for identifying changes in volcanic activity in remote regions of underdeveloped countries.     

The 1984 nuée-ardente deposits of Merapi volcano,Central Java,Indonesia: stratigraphy,textural characteristics,and transport mechanisms

For many centuries Merapi volcano has generated hot avalanches of blocks, lapilli and ashes, derived from the destruction of partially solidified, viscous lava domes (Merapi-type nuées ardentes). On 15 June 1984, at least four nuées ardentes came down the southwest slope of the Merapi, the first and the last being responsible for more than 99% of the deposits which are now exposed. The first nuée ardente, a Merapi-type nuée ardente, was produced by the destruction of the dome, travelled 7 km from the crater, leaving a measured deposit, 2.7 m thick, 4 km from the crater, near its upper depositional limit, regularly increasing to a maximum measured thickness of 12 m at the front of the deposit. The lower contact is sharp, non-erosive, with pines still rooted in the underlying paleosol. The deposit consists of 50% ash, 33% lapilli, and 17% blocks, with two subpopulations (one Rosin and one normal), and is finespoor, with less than 4% of fine ash (d finer than 4 ). The deposit displays reverse population grading of both vesiculated and massive clasts, and of the maximum grain size. The maximum size significantly increases regularly down-current over most of the exposed length of unit 1, and bed thickness increases for the entire length of the deposit. The deposit of the second nuée ardente is only 6–21 cm thick, and of very limited lateral extent. It is a normally graded, coarse to fine ash, with a finespoor base. The third unit consists of fines-poor, normally graded coarse ash, exposed in low-amplitude (20–40 cm), 12-m-wavelength dunes. The deposit of the fourth nuée ardente rests in sharp erosive contact on the underlying unit, increasing in thickness down-flow. It consists of transitional coarse and fine-grained strata, 6–130 c cm thick, dipping 5–10° down-flow. The deposit, made up of two subpopulations (one Rosin and one normal), is normally graded over the entire bed, but coarsegrained strata are reversely graded. The relative content of vesiculated clasts increases up-bed in both strata types, from 12% at the base to 40% at the top. The characteristics of unit 1 suggest that it accumulated from a concentrated suspension of cohesionless solids exhibiting non-Newtonian behavior, where dispersive pressure played an important role in the suspension of the clasts. Units 2 and 3 were probably deposited from dilute turbulent suspensions, whereas the upper unit (4) is a classic example of deposition from a high-density turbulent suspension leading to the formation of multiple traction carpets driven by the overlying, lower-density, surge. The horizontal distance travelled by a hot rock avalanche may be influenced by its transport mechanism. Debris flows are mobile on very low slopes-as low as 1°-whereas grain flows, even density-modified grain flows, require relatively high slopes-more than 6° at Merapi-to maintain their mobility. If the present Merapi dome were to collapse and produce a debris flow, its present volume coupled with the minimal 1.5 km vertical drop could travel a distance ranging between 15 and 30 km. However, if transport were by grain flow mechanisms, the mass could come to rest as it reaches a 5–10° slope.     

Erosion and aggradation on persistently active volcanoes—a case study from Semeru Volcano,Indonesia

Erosion processes on active volcanoes in humid climates result in some of the highest sediment yields on Earth. Episodic sediment yields after large eruptions have been evaluated, but not the long-term and continuous patterns on persistently active volcanoes. We have used high-spatial resolution satellite imagery and DEMs/DSMs along with field-based geologic mapping to assess accurately sediment budgets for the active Semeru Volcano in Java, Indonesia. Patterns of aggradation and degradation on Semeru differ from that of other active volcanoes because (1) both episodic pyroclastic density currents (PDC) and continuous supplies of tephra generate pulses of sediment, (2) sediment is transferred via cycles of aggradation and degradation that continue for >15 years in river channels after each PDC-producing eruption, and (3) rain-triggered lahars remove much greater material than fluvial transport during long, intense rainfall events. The geomorphic response of two of Semeru’s rivers to volcanic sediment migration indicates that (1) each river experiences alternating aggradation and degradation cycles following PDC-producing eruptions and (2) spatial patterns of sediment transfer are governed by geomorphic characteristics of the river reaches. Usually high degradation in the steep source reach is followed by a long bypassing middle reach. Aggradation predominates in the depositional reaches further down valley on the ring plain. Average sediment yields (10³–10⁵ t/km²/year) at persistently active volcanoes are two to three orders of magnitude lower than sediment yields after large and infrequent eruptions, but the continuous and steady sediment transfer in rivers removes more sediment on a mid-term (10 years) to long-term (30 years) basis. In contrast to the trend observed on composite cones after large and infrequent eruptions, decay of sediment yields is not exponential and river channels do not fully recover at steadily active volcanoes as episodic inputs from BAF eruptions, superimposed on the background remobilization of daily tephra, have a greater cumulative effect.     

Early detection of large eruptions at Piton de La Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island): Contribution of a distant tiltmeter station

We report a compilation of data recorded at a distant tiltmeter station (RER) during recent episodes of dyke emplacement and eruption (2003–2007) at Piton de La Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island). This sensitive station provides useful information for evaluating the extent of deformation. Distinct responses of this station were recorded based on the eruption type. Dykes feeding summit eruptions did not significantly influence the RER tiltmeter signals, whereas dykes feeding large distal eruptions (with vents located more than 4 km from the summit) generated up to 1.4 μrad of tilt, an amplitude 2 to 4 times greater than for proximal eruptions (0.3–0.7 μrad) on the flanks of the summit cone. The distinct tilt amplitude is directly linked to the location, depth, and volume of the dyke. Comparison with summit tiltmeters reveals that up to one-third to half of the RER tilt signal associated to dyke propagation is recorded when the dyke is still below the summit crater. Thus, before large distal eruptions, more than 0.5 μrad of tilt is recorded in less than 20 min when the dyke is below the summit crater (i.e. a few minutes/hours before the beginning of the eruption). We can thus propose for the RER station a threshold value of 0.5 μrad which, when reached as a dyke rises beneath the summit crater, suggests a high likelihood of a large distal eruption. The distant RER tiltmeter station thus appears to be a powerful tool for forecasting the type of eruption that is likely to occur, and can contribute to the early detection of large distal eruptions at Piton de La Fournaise, which are the most dangerous to inhabitants. For volcano monitoring, installation of high precision distant tiltmeters along the lower slopes of a volcano may provide warnings of large eruptions with enough lead time to allow for short-term hazards mitigation efforts.     

Deformations related to a large (M=6.9) earthquake, the magma discharge, and eruptions in the Karymskii Volcanic Center in 1996–2005

A network of interconnected stations was established in the entire area of the Karymskii Volcanic Center and near the active Karymskii Volcano, Kamchatka in 1971–1988 for the purpose of studying ground deformation. Multiple observations by this network yielded quantitative characteristics of the ground deformation related to the following phenomena: the eruption of Karymskii Volcano during the periods 1976–1982 and January 1, 1996, to 2005 (still continuing, written in February 2008); the discharge of basalt on January 2, 1996, in the bottom of Lake Karymskii situated in the caldera of Akademii Nauk Volcano (this volcano had previously been thought to be extinct) and the subsequent phreatomagmatic eruption lasting approximately 24 hours; and the large (M 6.9) earthquake of January 1, 1996, occurring at 21 h 57 min local time in the Karymskii Volcanic Center at a depth of ～10 km. This paper discusses the relationships of ground deformation to volcanic activity and to the abovementioned unique natural occurrences, and their mechanism as deduced from geodetic data.     

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.     

Age and whole rock–glass compositions of proximal pyroclastics from the major explosive eruptions of Somma-Vesuvius: A review as a tool for distal tephrostratigraphy

A review of compositional data of the major explosive eruptions of Vesuvius is presented, comparing compositions (major elements) of whole rock with glass shards from the proximal deposits, hopefully useful for long-distance correlation. A critical review of published and new geochronological data is also provided. All available ¹⁴C ages are calibrated to give calendar ages useful for the reconstruction of the volcanological evolution of the volcanic complex. The pyroclastic deposits of the four major Plinian eruptions (22,000 yr cal BP “Pomici di Base”, 8900 yr cal BP “Mercato Pumice”, 4300 yr cal BP “Avellino Pumice”, and A.D. 79 “Pompeii Pumice”) are widely dispersed and allow a four-folded, Plinian to Plinian, stratigraphic division: 1. B–M (between Pomici di Base and Mercato); 2. M–A (between Mercato and Avellino); 3. A–P (between Avellino and Pompeii); 4. P–XX (from the Pompeii Pumice to the last erupted products of the XXth century). Within each interval, the age, lithologic and compositional features of pyroclastic deposits of major eruptions, potentially useful for tephrostratigraphic purposes on distal areas, are briefly discussed. The Vesuvius rocks are mostly high Potassic products, widely variable in terms of their silica saturation. They form three groups, different for both composition and age: 1. slightly undersaturated, older than Mercato eruption; 2. mildly undersaturated, from Mercato to Pompeii eruptions; 3. highly undersaturated, younger than Pompeii eruption. For whole rock analyses, the peculiar variations in contents of some major and trace elements as well as different trends in element/element ratios, allow a clear, unequivocal, easy diagnosis of the group they belong. Glass analyses show large compositional overlap between different groups, but selected element vs. element plots are distinctive for the three groups. The comparative analysis of glass and whole rock major element compositions provides reliable geochemical criteria helping in the recognition, frequently not obvious, of distal products from the different single eruptions.     

Relatively short-term correlation among deformation,degassing, and seismicity: a case study from Concepción volcano,Nicaragua

Concepción is a frequently active composite volcano in Nicaragua, and is located on Ometepe Island, within Lake Nicaragua. Significant eruptive activity took place at this volcano between March and May 2010, consisting of ash and gas explosions (VEI 1–2). We compare geodetic baseline changes observed with global positioning system (GPS), sulfur dioxide flux (SO₂), and seismic amplitude (SAM) data collected at Concepción during April – June, 2010, and February – April, 2011. Time series analysis reveals a remarkable correlation among the data sets during 2010, when the volcano was erupting. In contrast, the volcano was at its background level of activity in 2011 and the statistical correlation among the time series is not significant for this period. We explain the emergence of correlation among the time series during eruptive activity through modeling of the GPS data with emplacement of a magma column in an open conduit. In the model, magma rose in the conduit, between May 5 and 14, 2010, from a shallow reservoir located at ～ 1.8 km depth. Later, between May 24 and 31, 2010, the top of the magma column descended to almost 600 m depth, corresponding to the cessation of eruptive activity. Thus, cross-correlation and an integrated analysis of these geophysical time series on a timescale of days helps to reveal the dynamics of the magma plumbing system operating below Concepción volcano.     

Multiple volcano deformation sources in a post-rifting period: 1989–2005 behaviour of Krafla,Iceland constrained by levelling,tilt and GPS observations

The Krafla rifting episode, which occurred in North Iceland in 1975–1984, was followed by inflation of a shallow magma chamber until 1989. At that time, gradual subsidence began above the magma chamber and has continued to the present at a declining rate. Pressure decrease in a shallow magma chamber is not the only source of deformation at Krafla, as other deformation processes are driven by exploitation of two geothermal fields, together with plate spreading. In addition, deep-seated magma accumulation appears to take place, with its centre ∼ 10 km north of the Krafla caldera. The relative strength of these sources has varied with time. New results from a levelling survey and GPS measurements in 2005 allow an updated view on the deformation field. Deformation rates spanning 2000–2005 are the lowest recorded in the 30-year history of geodetic studies at the volcano. The inferred rate of 2000–2005 subsidence related to processes in the shallow magma chamber is less than 0.3 cm/yr whereas it was ∼ 5 cm/yr in 1989–1992. Currently, the highest rate of subsidence takes place in the Leirbotnar area, within the Krafla caldera, and appears to be a result of geothermal exploitation.     

The velocity structure of crust and uppermantle in the Wudalianchi volcano area in—ferred from the receiver function

The Wudalianchi volcano is a modern volcano erupted since the Holocene.Its frequent occurrence of the small earthquake is considered to be indicator of active dormancy volcano.The S wave velocity structure is inferred from the receiver function for the crust and upper mantle of the Wudalianchi volcano area.The results show that the low velocity structure of Swave is widely distributed undemeath the volcano area and part of the low-velocity-zone located at shallow depth in the Wudalianchi volcano area.The low velocity structure is related to the seismicity.The Moho interface is not clear undemeath the volcano area,which may be regard to be an nec-essary condition for the lava upwelling.Therefore,we infer that the Wudalianchi volcano has the deep structural condition for the volcano activity and may be alive again.     

Recent mercury contamination from artisanal gold mining on Buru Island,Indonesia – Potential future risks to environmental health and food safety

In November 2011 gold was found at Mount Botak, Buru Island, Mollucas Province, Indonesia. Since 2012 mercury has been used to extract the gold requiring large volumes of water and resulting in deposition of mercury into Wamsait River and Kayeli Bay. Total mercury in waste ponds was over 680 mg/kg. In sediments at the mouth of the local river and a small feeder creek >3.00 mg/kg and >7.66 mg/kg respectively. River and bay sediments were proportionately higher in available mercury than elemental mercury and more strongly bound mercuric sulfide compared to that in trommel waste. This preliminary investigation raises concerns about the long term distribution and speciation of mercury. The floodplain is an important agricultural resource, and Mollucas Province is recognised nationally as the centre for Indonesian fish stocks. Challenges for management include communicating the potential future risks to the community and leaders and identifying mechanisms to reduce mercury waste.