A CO2-rich gas trigger of explosive paroxysms at Stromboli basaltic volcano,Italy

In addition to rhythmic slug-driven Strombolian activity, Stromboli volcano occasionally produces discrete explosive paroxysms (2 per year on average for the most frequent ones) that constitute a major hazard and whose origin remains poorly elucidated. Partial extrusion of the volatile-rich feeding basalt as aphyric pumice during these events has led to consider their triggering by the fast ascent of primitive magma blobs from possibly great depth. Here I examine and discuss the alternative hypothesis that most of the paroxysms could be triggered and driven by the fast upraise of CO₂-rich gas pockets generated by bubble foam growth and collapse in the sub-volcano plumbing system. Data for the SO₂ and CO₂ crater plume emissions are used to show that Stromboli's feeding magma may originally contain as much as 2 wt.% of carbon dioxide and early coexists with an abundant CO₂-rich gas phase with high CO₂/SO₂ molar ratio (≥ 60 at 10 km depth below the vents, compared to ～ 7 in time-averaged crater emissions). Pressure-related modelling indicates that the time-averaged crater gas composition and output are well accounted for by closed system decompression of the basalt–gas mixture until the volcano–crust interface (～ 3 km depth), followed by open degassing and crystallization in the volcano conduits. However, both the low viscosity and high vesicularity of the basaltic magma permit bubble segregation and bubble foam growth at deep sill-like feeder discontinuities and at shallower physical boundaries (such as the volcano–crust interface) where the gas-rich aphyric basalt interacts with the unerupted crystal-rich and viscous magma drained back from the volcano conduits. Gas pressure build-up and bubble foam collapse at these boundaries will intermittently trigger the sudden upraise of CO₂-rich gas blobs that constitute the main driving force of the paroxysms. Deeper-sourced gas blobs, driving the most powerful explosions, will be the richest in CO₂ and have highest CO₂/SO₂ ratios. This mechanism is shown to account well for the dynamic, seismic and petrologic features of Stromboli's paroxysms and, hence, to provide a potential alternative interpretation for their genesis and their forecasting. Enhanced bubble foam leakage prior to a paroxysm, or foam emptying in several steps, should lead indeed to precursory upstream of CO₂-rich gas and increasing CO₂/SO₂ ratio in crater plume emissions. The recent detection of such signals prior to two explosions in December 2006 and March 2007 strongly supports this expectation and the model proposed in this study.     

Helium isotopes in some historical lavas from Mount Vesuvius

³He/⁴He ratios in lavas erupted during the last 360 years at Mt. Vesuvius are between 2.2 and 2.7 R_A (R_A = atmospheric ratio of 1.39 × 10⁻⁶), and are among the lowest values measured in young volcanic rocks. They are also identical to values measured in summit crater fumaroles sampled during 1987–1991. This agreement indicates that the ³He/⁴He ratio in the crater fumaroles faithfully tracks the magmatic value. The relatively low and uniform ³He/⁴He ratio in the lavas reflects either a mantle source enriched in (U + Th)/³He, or a mixture of magmatic and crustal components.     

Native and artificial radiation-induced defects in montmorillonite. An EPR study

A natural montmorillonite containing radiation-induced defects was studied with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (X- and Q-band). A first dominant native defect, namely native defect 1, is identified. It gives rise to an orthorhombic spectrum with g_x= 2.004 ± 0.005 g_y= 2.010 ± 0.003, g_z= 2.065 ± 0.002. Simulation of the EPR spectrum at X- and Q-band reveals a second native defect with isotropic spectrum at g= 2.019 ± 0.005. Both are electron holes trapped on oxygen atoms of the structure. The native defect 1 is located on an oxygen-silicon bond or a non-bonding orbital parallel to the c* axis. These defects are annealed at 500°C and the half-life determined for native defect 1 is circa 3,000 years. Irradiations with beta rays produced two additional hole centers of lower stability and distinct EPR parameters. Artificial irradiations show that montmorillonite can be used as a dosimeter in a large dose range.     

Incorporation of Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> in dickite: a spectroscopic study

 We have investigated a well-ordered sample of natural Cr-bearing dickite from Nowa Ruda (Lower Silesia, Poland) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at X- and Q-band frequencies (9.42 and 33.97 GHz, respectively) and optical diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The observation of the spin-forbidden transitions at 15500 and 14690 cm⁻¹ allows us to unambiguously identify the major contribution of octahedrally coordinated Cr³⁺ ions in the optical spectrum. The X- and Q-band EPR spectra show two superposed Cr³⁺ signals. The corresponding fine-structure parameters were determined at room temperature and 145 K. These results suggest the substitution of Cr³⁺ for Al³⁺ in equal proportions in the two unequivalent octahedral sites of the dickite structure. In kaolin group minerals, the distortion around Cr³⁺ ions (λ≈ 0.2–0.4) in Al sites is significantly less rhombic than that observed around Fe³⁺ ions (λ≈ 0.6–0.8). Received: 29 June 2001 / Accepted: 22 October 2001     

Equilibrium modeling of the beach profile on a macrotidal embayed low tide terrace beach

Eleven-year long time series of monthly beach profile surveys and hourly incident wave conditions are analyzed for a macrotidal Low Tide Terrace beach. The lower intertidal zone of the beach has a pluriannual cycle, whereas the upper beach profile has a predominantly seasonal cycle. An equilibrium model is applied to study the variation of the contour elevation positions in the intertidal zone as a function of the wave energy, wave power, and water level. When forcing the model with wave energy, the predictive ability of the equilibrium model is around 60% in the upper intertidal zone but decreases to 40% in the lower intertidal zone. Using wave power increases the predictive ability up to 70% in both the upper and lower intertidal zones. However, changes around the inflection point are not well predicted. The equilibrium model is then extended to take into account the effects of the tide level. The initial results do not show an increase in the predictive capacity of the model, but do allow the model free parameters to represent more accurately the values expected in a macrotidal environment. This allows comparing the empirical model calibration in different tidal environment. The interpretation of the model free parameter variation across the intertidal zone highlights the behavior of the different zones along the intertidal beach profile. This contributes to a global interpretation of the four model parameters for beaches with different tidal ranges, and therefore to a global model applicable at a wide variety sites.     

Doppler radar sounding of volcanic eruption dynamics at Mount Etna

Besides their common use in atmospheric studies, Doppler radars are promising tools for the active remote sensing of volcanic eruptions but were little applied to this field. We present the observations made with a mid-power UHF Doppler radar (Voldorad) during a 7-h Strombolian eruption at the SE crater of Mount Etna on 11–12 October 1998. Main characteristics of radar echoes are retrieved from analysis of Doppler spectra recorded in the two range gates on either side of the jet axis. From the geometry of the sounding, the contribution of uprising and falling ejecta to each Doppler spectrum can be discriminated. The temporal evolution of total power backscattered by uprising targets is quite similar to the temporal evolution of the volcanic tremor and closely reproduces the overall evolution of the eruption before, during and after its paroxysm. Moreover, during the sharp decrease of eruptive activity following the paroxysm, detailed analysis of video (from camera recording), radar and seismic measurements reveals that radar and video signals start to decrease simultaneously, approximately 2.5 min after the tremor decline. This delay is interpreted as the ascent time through a magma conduit of large gas slugs from a shallow source roughly estimated at about 500 m beneath the SE crater. Detailed analysis of eruptive processes has been also made with Voldorad operating in a high sampling rate mode. Signature of individual outburst is clearly identified on the half part of Doppler spectra corresponding to rising ejecta: temporal variations of the backscattered power exhibit quasi periodic undulations, whereas the maximum velocity measured on each spectrum displays a sharp peak at the onset of each outburst followed by a slow decay with time. Periodicity of power variations (between 3.8 and 5.5 s) is in agreement with the occurrence of explosions visually observed at the SE vent. Maximum vertical velocities of over 160 m s^–1 were measured during the paraoxysmal stage and the renewed activity. Finally, by using a simplified model simulating the radar echoes characteristics, we show that when Voldorad is operating in high sampling rate mode, the power and maximum velocity variations are directly related to the difference in size and velocity of particles crossing the antenna beam.Editorial responsibility: A. Woods     

Influence of food web structure on the biochemical composition of seston,zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms

The effects of food web structure on the quantity and biochemical composition of seston, zooplankton and recently deposited sediment in experimental freshwater mesocosms were examined. Food web structure was manipulated by addition of zooplanktivorous fish. Biochemical characterisations were carried out using lipid biomarkers (sterols, fatty acids, chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols). Fish addition decreased zooplankton biomass and increased seston biomass and deposited sediment through a trophic cascade. Fish presence strongly influenced the biochemical characteristics of seston and sediment. In contrast, food web structure had a minor impact on the lipid biomarker composition of zooplankton. Although the relative abundance of sterols in the different compartments did not differ strongly between treatments, sterol profiles in seston and sediment depended on food web structure. The predominance of Δ⁷-sterols in seston and sediment in the fish treatment indicated a major contribution of Chlorophyceae. In contrast, the distribution of sterols in seston and sediment in the fishless treatment, dominated by cholesterol, indicated a major zooplanktonic input. The distribution of fatty acids and the relative abundance of chlorophyll-derived compounds and long-chain alkanediols agreed with the predominant contribution of phytoplankton or zooplankton to seston and sediment in the two treatments. The relative abundance of bacterial biomarkers suggested that the contribution of bacteria was rather low. The high relative abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the absence of stanols in sediments suggested low microbial reworking of organic matter in the recently accumulated sediments. The trophic cascade, generated by the addition of fish, increased the relative abundance of PUFAs in deposited organic matter, thus enhancing sediment quality and potential degradability.