Reconstruction and analysis of sub-plinian tephra dispersal during the 1530 A.D. Soufrière (Guadeloupe) eruption: Implications for scenario definition and hazards assessment

The last magmatic eruption of Soufrière of Guadeloupe dated at 1530 A.D. (Soufrière eruption) is characterized by an onset with a partial flank-collapse and emplacement of a debris-avalanche that was followed by a sub-plinian VEI 2–3 explosive short-lived eruption (Phase-1) with a column that reached a height between 9 and 12 km producing about 3.9 × 10⁶ m³ DRE (16.3 × 10⁶ m³ bulk) of juvenile products. The column recurrently collapsed generating scoriaceous pyroclastic flows in radiating valleys up to a distance of 5–6 km with a maximum interpolated bulk deposit volume of 11.7 × 10⁶ m³ (5 × 10⁶ m³ DRE). We have used HAZMAP, a numerical simple first-order model of tephra dispersal [Macedonio, G., Costa, A., Longo, A., 2005. A computer model for volcanic ash fallout and assessment of subsequent hazard. Comput. Geosci. 31, 837–845] to reconstruct to a first approximation the potential dispersal of tephra and associated tephra mass loadings generated by the sub-plinian Phase 1 of the 1530 A.D. eruption. We have tested our model on a deterministic average dry season wind profile that best-fits the available data as well as on a set of randomly selected wind profiles over a 5 year interval that allows the elaboration of probabilistic maps for the exceedance of specific tephra mass load thresholds. Results show that in the hypothesis of a future 1530 A.D. scenario, populated areas to a distance of 3–4 km west–southwest of the vent could be subjected to a static load pressure between 2 and 10 kPa in case of wet tephra, susceptible to cause variable degrees of roof damage. Our results provide volcanological input parameters for scenario and event-tree definition, for assessing volcanic risks and evaluating their impact in case of a future sub-plinian eruption which could affect up to 70 000 people in southern Basse-Terre island and the region. They also provide a framework to aid decision-making concerning land management and development. A sub-plinian eruption is the most likely magmatic scenario in case of a future eruption of this volcano which has shown, since 1992, increasing signs of low-energy seismic, thermal, and acid degassing unrest without significant deformation.     

Microbiological Processes in the Gor'kovskoe Reservoir

The abundance of various groups of bacteria and the rate of microbiological processes of organic decay and methane cycle in the water and soils of the Gor'kovskoe Reservoir are determined, and the ecological characterization of its river reach is presented. The autochthonous and allochthonous impact on the bacterial community of the reservoir was found to be tolerable; however, some restricted areas were revealed, where the ecosystem is strongly affected by domestic and industrial wastewater, and where the abundance and activity of anaerobic methane-producing and sulfate-reducing soil bacteria increase.     

Atmospheric methane budget in Africa

This assessment of the atmospheric methane budget for the African Continent is based on a set of experimental data obtained in tropical Africa including methane emission from various biogenic sources, and biomass burning, and methane consumption in savanna and forest soils. Emission rates from the various sources, uptake rates of soils, and complementary data from the litterature allow calculation of regional methane fluxes by means of different data bases. Biomass burning, animals and natural wetlands are the three dominant sources of methane in Africa while rice paddy fields and termites appear as minor sources. The total methane emission is estimated to be in the range 20–40 MT of CH₄ per year, methane uptake by soils being less than 2 MT per year. Net methane emission from the African continent accounts for less than 10% of global emissions from terrestrial ecosystems.     

Burial metamorphism of a Cretaceous volcanic sequence west from Santiago,Chile

This report is a petrographic study of alteration phenomena in an area of 100 km² in the Coastal Range west of Santiago. The stratified sequence of the area is of Cretaceous age and belongs to the western monoclinal limb of the Andean Geosyncline. Two structural units are present, separated by an angular unconformity. The older is about 9,000 m thick, and the younger 300 m thick. The rock types are mostly altered andesitic flows and flow breccias, and keratophyric ignimbrites and lavas, with alternating marine, brackish-water and terrestrial interbeds. Stratified rocks are cut locally by acid and basic apophyses and dikes, probably feeders of their volcanic host rocks. Discordant Cretaceous granitic plutons intrude the older unit. Throughout the whole stratigraphic section there are alteration minerals, which selectively replace the primary minerals, or fill amygdules and open fractures, or form a cement in flows, dikes and sedimentary interbeds. Patterns of alteration are regular and persistent; they correlate on a large scale with stratigraphic level and on a smaller scale with position within each individual flow and situation within amygdules. The stratigraphically controlled pattern is as follows: $$\begin{gathered} 1.{\text{ Younger unit}}{\text{.}} \hfill \\ {\text{ }}\left. \begin{gathered} {\text{Lower portion: 30m: albite}}---{\text{pistacite}}---{\text{actinolite}}---{\text{chlorite}}---{\text{ }} \hfill \\ {\text{calcite}}---{\text{sphene}}---{\text{quartz}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \right\}{\text{greenschist facies}} \hfill \\ {\text{2}}{\text{. Older unit}}{\text{.}} \hfill \\ {\text{ }}\left. \begin{gathered} {\text{a) 0}}---{\text{1,280 m : albite}}---{\text{pumpellyite}}---{\text{prehnite}}---{\text{calcite}}---{\text{chlorite}}---{\text{ }} \hfill \\ {\text{ laumontite}} \hfill \\ {\text{b) 1,280}}---{\text{4,850 m: albite}}---{\text{adularia}}---{\text{calcite}}---{\text{prehnite}}---{\text{pumpellyite}}--- \hfill \\ {\text{pistacite}}---{\text{white mica}}---{\text{quartz}} \hfill \\ {\text{c) 4,850}}---{\text{8,110 m: albite}}---{\text{pistacite}}---{\text{quartz}}---{\text{chlorite}}---{\text{calcite}}--- \hfill \\ {\text{white mica}}---{\text{sphene}}---{\text{adularia prehnite}}---{\text{pumpellyite}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \right\}{\text{prehnite}}---{\text{pumpellyite facies}} \hfill \\ {\text{ d) 8,110}}---{\text{9,060 m: albite}}---{\text{pistacite}}---{\text{actinolite}}---{\text{sphene}}---{\text{calcite \} greenschist facies}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ The pattern of alteration in the older unit is comparable to that described for burial metamorphosed sequences in New Zealand and Australia. Reappearence of the greenschist facies at a higher level in the younger unit poses a problem for which several explanations are possible. The smaller scale pattern of alteration shows a persistent tendency —not without exception — for the “grade” of the alteration assemblage (as correlated with depth on the large scale) to increase: from the base of the flow (non-amygdaloidal part) upward (amygdaloidal part), and from the rim of each amygdule inward. Also recognizable on the scale of a single flow is a tendency for upward increase in: a) extent of alteration (the basal zone may be fresh andesite), and b) weight percent of Na₂O, K₂O (with complementary depletion in CaO), and of Fe₂O₃/FeO. Preliminary observations indicate that this alteration pattern persists for at least 400 km north of the area here described in rocks of similar lithology and age. It is unrelated to local granitic plutons.     

Modeling of the swelling–shrinkage behavior of expansive clays during wetting–drying cycles

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents a constitutive model for simulating the swelling–shrinkage volume change of expansive soils during wetting–drying cycles. Based on the concept of...     

A semi-implicit method for incompressible three-phase flow in porous media

In this paper, we present a semi-implicit method for the incompressible three-phase flow equations in two dimensions. In particular, a high-order discontinuous Galerkin spatial discretization is coupled with a backward Euler discretization in time. We consider a pressure-saturation formulation, decouple the pressure and saturation equations, and solve them sequentially while still keeping each equation implicit in its respective unknown. We present several numerical examples on both homogeneous and heterogeneous media, with varying permeability and porosity. Our results demonstrate the robustness of the scheme. In particular, no slope limiters are required and a relatively large time step may be taken.