The color of pumice: case study on a trachytic fall deposit, Meidob volcanic field, Sudan

 This paper examines the cause of color variations of trachytic pumices which are essentially uniform in chemical composition and proposes a geological model for their formation. A pyroclastic sequence of distinct subunits with brown, buff, and black pumices was deposited during the 5000-B.P. eruption of a tuff ring in the central Meidob volcanic field (Sudan). Subunits of buff pumices locally contain minor amounts of streaky pumice with pale-gray and dark-gray domains. The combined evidence of petrographic studies, chemical analyses of whole pumices and groundmass separates, electron microprobe analyses, optical spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic susceptibility measurements show that color variations of the pumice clasts are related to the size and distribution of Fe³⁺-rich oxide microcrysts. Buff pumice and light-gray domains of streaky pumice have a colorless, transparent groundmass with very few microcrysts. Dark-gray domains of streaky pumice contain abundant hematite and/or magnetite microcrysts visible in thin section within a transparent, colorless glass groundmass. The groundmass of the black pumice clasts is brown in thin section which is most likely caused by submicroscopic magnetite microcrysts. Brown pumice clasts have a mixed groundmass consisting of brown domains and domains with opaque microcrysts in transparent glass. Variations in the eruption dynamics have been inferred from lithological observations. Subunits of black pumices are related to eruption pulses with low magma discharge and high water/magma mass ratio, whereas subunits of buff pumice were deposited during eruption pulses with high magma discharge and low water/magma mass ratio. Brown pumices represent the top part of the magma body, and the initial stage of the eruption probably had a low magma discharge. Streaky pumices are interpreted as the product of syn-eruptive mixing of Fe³⁺-rich oxide microcryst-bearing magma and microcryst-free magma. Received: 3 February 1997 / Accepted: 28 July 1997     

冲绳海槽中部岩心沉积物中浮岩的物理性质和地球化学特征差异及其对岩浆活动的指示

为进一步了解冲绳海槽浮岩的物理性质和地球化学特征差异,对冲绳海槽中部岩心沉积物S9中的浮岩进行了微观结构和地球化学组成分析。结果显示,冲绳海槽中部存在白色、灰白色及棕色3种浮岩,其中灰白色浮岩又可以根据构造特征分为气孔构造和流动构造浮岩两个亚类。浮岩的地球化学组成表明白色、灰白色及棕色浮岩都是由玄武质岩浆经过充分的分离结晶作用形成的流纹质或流纹英安质火山岩。玄武质岩浆在演化的过程中发生了斜长石、角闪石、辉石、Fe-Ti氧化物、磷灰石等矿物的结晶分离。结合有孔虫14C年龄,认为浮岩是冲绳海槽中部距今13.1 ka左右的长英质火山活动的产物。演化程度相对较低的棕色浮岩具有比白色浮岩高的TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, CaO含量,且棕色浮岩具有相对低的稀土总量和轻稀土总量。根据浮岩的物理性质及地球化学组成差异推测,岩浆的黏度和压力是影响浮岩构造特征的主要因素。黏度大、连续减压的岩浆易于形成具有流动构造和密集气孔的浮岩,黏度小、阶段性减压的岩浆易于形成气孔大而疏松的浮岩。     

A Miocene coarse volcaniclastic mass-flow deposit in the Shimane Peninsula,SW Japan: product of a deep submarine eruption?

 A subaqueous volcaniclastic mass-flow deposit in the Miocene Josoji Formation, Shimane Peninsula, is 15–16 m thick, and comprises mainly blocks and lapilli of rhyolite and andesite pumices and non- to poorly vesiculated rhyolite. It can be divided into four layers in ascending order. Layer 1 is an inversely to normally graded and poorly sorted lithic breccia 0.3–6 m thick. Layer 2 is an inversely to normally graded tuff breccia to lapilli tuff 6–11 m thick. This layer bifurcates laterally into minor depositional units individually composed of a massive, lithic-rich lower part and a diffusely stratified, pumice-rich upper part with inverse to normal grading of both lithic and pumice clasts. Layer 3 is 2.5–3 m thick, and consists of interbedded fines-depleted pumice-rich and pumice-poor layers a few centimeters thick. Layer 4 is a well-stratified and well-sorted coarse ash bed 1.5–2 m thick. The volcaniclastic deposit shows internal features of high-density turbidites and contains no evidence for emplacement at a high temperature. The mass-flow deposit is extremely coarse-grained, dominated by traction structures, and is interpreted as the product of a deep submarine, explosive eruption of vesicular magma or explosive collapse of lava. Received: 10 January 1996 / Accepted: 23 February 1996     

Geochemistry,dispersal, volumes and chronology of Holocene silicic tephra layers from the Katla volcanic system,Iceland

At least 12 silicic tephra layers (SILK tephras) erupted between ca. 6600 and ca. 1675 yr BP from the Katla volcanic system, have been identified in southern Iceland. In addition to providing significant new knowledge on the Holocene volcanism of the Katla system which typically produces basaltic tephra, the SILK tephras form distinct and precise isochronous marker horizons in a climatically sensitive location close to both the atmospheric and marine polar fronts. With one exception the SILK tephras have a narrow compositional range, with SiO₂ between 63 and 67%. Geochemically they are indistinguishable from ocean transported pumice found on beaches in the North Atlantic region, although they differ significantly from the silicic component of the North Atlantic Ash Zone One (NAAZO). Volumes of airborne SILK tephra range from 0.05 to 0.3 km³. We present new isopach maps of the six largest layers and demonstrate that they originate within the Katla caldera. The apparently stable magma system conditions that produced the SILK tephras may have been established as a consequence of the eruption of the silicic component of NAAZO (ca. 10.3 ka) and disrupted by another large‐scale event, the tenth century ad Eldgjá eruption (ca. 1 ka). Despite the current long repose, silicic activity of this type may occur again in the future, presenting hitherto unknown hazards. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Upper Pliocene coarse pumice breccia generated by a shallow submarine explosive eruption,Milos, Greece

The Filakopi Pumice Breccia (FPB) is a very well exposed, Pliocene volcaniclastic unit on Milos, Greece, and has a minimum bulk volume of 1 km³. It consists of three main units: (A) basal lithic breccia (4–8 m) mainly composed of angular to subangular, andesitic and dacitic clasts up to 2.6 m in diameter; (B) very thickly bedded, poorly sorted pumice breccia (16–17 m); and (C) very thick, reversely graded, grain-supported, coarse pumice breccia (6.5–20 m), at the top. The depositional setting is well constrained as shallow marine (up to a few hundred metres) by overlying fossiliferous and bioturbated mudstone. This large volume of fine pumice clasts is interpreted to be the product of an explosive eruption from a submarine vent because: (1) pumice clasts are the dominant component; (2) the coarse pumice clasts (>64 mm) have complete quenched margins; (3) very large (>1 m) pumice clasts are common; (4) overall, the formation shows good hydraulic sorting; and (5) a significant volume of ash was deposited together with the coarsest pyroclasts.The bed forms in units A and B suggest deposition from lithic-rich and pumiceous, respectively, submarine gravity currents. In unit C, the coarse (up to 6.5 m) pumice clasts are set in matrix that grades upwards from diffusely stratified, fine (1–2 cm) pumice clasts at the base to laminated shard rich mud at the top. The coarse pumice clasts in unit C were settled from suspension and the framework was progressively infilled by fine pumice clasts from waning traction currents and then by water-settled ash. The FPB displays important features of the products of submarine explosive eruptions that result from the ambient fluid being seawater, rather than volcanic gas or air. In particular, submarine pyroclastic deposits are characterised by the presence of very coarse juvenile pumice clasts, pumice clasts with complete quenched rims, and good hydraulic sorting.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.Editorial responsibility: J. Donelly-Nolan     

Bubble growth in highly viscous melts: theory, experiments, and autoexplosivity of dome lavas

We examine the physics of growth of water bubbles in highly viscous melts. During the initial stages, diffusive mass transfer of water into the bubble keeps the internal pressure in the bubbles close to the initial pressure at nucleation. Growth is controlled by melt viscosity and supersaturation pressure and radial growth under constant pressure is approximately exponential. At later stages, internal pressure falls, radial growth decelerates and follows the square-root of time. At this stage it is controlled by diffusion. The time of transition between the two stages is controlled by the decompression, melt viscosity and the Peclet number of the system. The model closely fit experimental data of bubble growth in viscous melts with low water content. Close fit is also obtained for new experiments at high supersaturation, high Peclet numbers, and high, variable viscosity. Near surface, degassed, silicic melts are viscous enough, so that viscosity-controlled growth may last for very long times. Using the model, we demonstrate that bubbles which nucleate shortly before fragmentation cannot grow fast enough to be important during fragmentation. We suggest that tiny bubbles observed in melt pockets between large bubbles in pumice represent a second nucleation event shortly before or after fragmentation. The presence of such bubbles is an indicator of the conditions at fragmentation. The water content of lavas extruded at lava domes is a key factor in their evolution. Melts of low water content (<0.2 wt%) are too viscid and bubbles nucleated in them will not grow to an appreciable size. Bubbles may grow in melts with 0.4 wt% water. The internal pressure in such bubbles may be preserved for days and the energy stored in the bubbles may be important during the disintegration of dome rocks and the formation of pyroclastic flows.     

长白山天池火山天文峰期黄色浮岩成因研究

长白山天池火口北侧天文峰之上,一套醒目的黄色浮岩引起广泛的关注,其颜色成因问题更是讨论的热点。本文通过野外地质调查、显微形貌和地球化学分析等方法,探索了黄色浮岩的颜色成因问题,并对此次喷发活动(天文峰期喷发)有了更进一步的认识。黄色浮岩与其下部灰白色浮岩应为同一期喷发所形成,两者成分一致且特征相似。黄色浮岩初始颜色为灰白色,后期受所处环境(降水丰富)与本身气孔特征的影响,浮岩内发生了元素析出和元素沉淀的过程。首先,浮岩内Si与H2O结合形成弱硅酸(H2Si O3),而大气中CO2与H2O结合形成弱碳酸(H2CO3),在弱酸环境下火山玻璃逐渐析出Si、K、Al、Ca和Fe等阳离子,而析出的元素易溶于水的部分被流水带走,难溶于水的Fe与Al富集并粘附在火山玻璃壁上,同时由于Fe可与H2O络合形成黄色的Fe的水合物(Fe2O3·n H2O),而Al与H2O络合形成凝胶状白色水合物(Al2O3·n H2O),两者混合形成了黄色胶状物粘附在火山玻璃壁上,改变了浮岩原本的灰白色,形成了黄色浮岩。因此,天文峰期浮岩的黄色是由于后期风化淋滤作用所造成,属于次生色。本研究提高了对火山喷发堆积物风化淋滤作用过程的认识,也为其他地区相似颜色变化问题的讨论提供了借鉴。     

Heat transfer coefficients of natural volcanic clasts

Heat transfer coefficients used in numerical simulations of volcanic eruptions are typically borrowed from industrial settings where the coefficients are well determined for non-permeable, machined (spherical) materials. Volcanic clasts, in contrast, are permeable and have irregular shapes. We performed a series of laboratory experiments to determine heat transfer coefficients for natural volcanic particles. We measured the surface and interior temperatures during cooling at wind speeds ranging from 0 to 10 m/s. We also measured the permeability and density of the particles. We find that the permeability of the particles has little effect on clast cooling. In the absence of any wind, heat loss occurs by free convection, and we find no relationship between the heat transfer coefficient and particle density. However, for non-zero Reynolds numbers (finite wind speed), the heat transfer coefficient decreases with increasing porosity. We obtain a correlation for the dimensionless heat loss, or Nusselt number, of the form Nu = 2 + aRe^1/2Pr^1/3 where a is a density dependent coefficient given by a = 0.00022ρ + 0.31, with ρ in kg/m³, and Re and Pr are the Reynolds number and Prandtl number, respectively. Compared with non-porous particles, heat transfer coefficients for natural pumice clasts are reduced by a factor of 2–3 for particles with similar Re. Numerical simulations show that this leads to an increase in depositional temperature by 50–90 °C.     

On magma fragmentation by conduit shear stress: Evidence from the Kos Plateau Tuff,Aegean Volcanic Arc

Large silicic explosive eruptions are the most catastrophic volcanic events. Yet, the intratelluric mechanisms underlying are not fully understood. Here we report a field and laboratory study of the Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT, 161 ka, Aegean Volcanic Arc), which provides an excellent geological example of conduit processes that control magma vesiculation and fragmentation during intermediate- to large-scale caldera-forming eruptions. A prominent feature of the KPT is the occurrence of quite unusual platy-shaped tube pumice clasts in pyroclastic fall and current deposits from the early eruption phases preceding caldera collapse. On macroscopic and SEM observations, flat clast faces are elongated parallel to tube vesicles, while transverse surfaces often occur at ~ 45° to vesicle elongation. This peculiar pumice texture provides evidence of high shear stresses related to strong velocity gradients normal to conduit walls, which induced vesiculation and fragmentation of the ascending magma. Either an increasing mass discharge rate without adequate enlargement of a narrow central feeder conduit or a developing fissure-like feeder system related to incipient caldera collapse provided suitable conditions for the generation of plate tube pumice within magma volumes under high shear during the pre-climactic KPT eruption phases. This mechanism implies that the closer to the conduit walls (where the stronger are the velocity gradients) the larger was the proportion of plate vs. conventional (lensoid) juvenile fragments in the ascending gas–pyroclast mixture. Consequently, plate pumice clasts were mainly entrained in the outer portions of the jet and convecting regions of a sustained, Plinian-type, eruption column, as well as in occasional lateral blast currents generated at the vent. As a whole, plate pumice clasts in the peripheral portions of the column were transported at lower altitudes and deposited by fallout or partial collapse closer to the vent relative to lensoid ones that dominated in the inner column portions. The plate tube pumice proportion decreased abruptly up to disappearance during the emplacement of the main pyroclastic currents and lithic-rich breccias related to extensive caldera collapse at the eruption climax, as a consequence of an overall widening of the magma feeder system through the opening of multiple conduits and eruptive vents, along with fissure erosion, concomitant to the disruption of the collapsing block.     

冲绳海槽黑色与白色浮岩特征及其对岩浆演化的指示

为了认识黑色与白色浮岩的岩石特征及成因,使用人工重砂、元素地球化学等分析技术,研究冲绳海槽两类浮岩中元素及矿物组成特征。研究显示,冲绳海槽黑色和白色浮岩具有相似全岩化学组成,都落入流纹岩区,稀土配分曲线明显呈右倾,具负Eu异常,富集不相容元素,岩石物理性质差别是导致其颜色差异的主要因素。两类浮岩岩石学特征的不同主要体现在:(1)白色浮岩锆石和辉石都具有两种类型,黑色浮岩仅具有其中一种;(2)黑色浮岩中发育钛铁矿、钛磁铁矿与基质构成的珠状构造,且基质玻璃中密集分布磁铁矿雏晶,而白色浮岩不具备上述岩石学特征。综合分析海槽两类浮岩岩石学特征所蕴含的岩浆演化信息,推测两类浮岩具有相同的玄武质岩浆源区,富挥发组分的玄武质母岩浆上升进入地壳,形成初级岩浆房,房内结晶分异后残留的酸性岩浆,沿海槽构造薄弱带向上运移,岩浆运移过程中有少部分进入分支断裂系统形成次级岩浆房,期间初级岩浆房接受多次基性岩浆注入;初级和次级岩浆房中的酸性岩浆分别独立喷出海底,前者形成白色浮岩,后者形成黑色浮岩。此外,演化过程中岩浆性质逐渐由氧化性向还原性转变。