Unusual eruption of the Main Pugachevo gas-water-lithoclastic (Mud) volcano in Sakhalin during the Winter of 2005

The examination of the Main Pugachevo gas-water-lithoclastic volcano during the summer of 2005 and GPS-controlled large-scale (1: 1000) mapping revealed its regular but rather peculiar eruption. It was the largest among the eruptions investigated since 1911 and produced a very unusual lithoclastic field with an area of about 100 000 m² and a volume of about 100 000 m³. The eruption occurred from three distinct active centers and began with a vigorous explosion-like gas burst from one center followed by the noncontemporaneous discharge of a gas-and water-saturated liquid lithoclastic mass from the three centers, which produced a number of flows of different directions and sizes. The flows almost completely covered the smoothed flat open area of the volcano and even invaded the larch forest surrounding the volcano, where they bent, overturned, broke, and occasionally uprooted and dragged over some distance some large trees. The analysis and comparison with all the previously documented eruptions of the Main Pugachevo gas-water-lithoclastic volcano revealed their fairly diverse, sometimes strongly variable character with respect to many parameters: the amount of ejected lithoclastic material; the number of eruption centers; and the proportions of the erupted gaseous, liquid, and solid components. In general, the eruptions show a distinctly multirank periodic character: relatively minor or small low-rank eruptions take place once every 1–2 yr, and large eruptions of a higher rank are much less frequent (supposedly, once in 70 years).     

The 2015 eruption of Gamalama volcano (Ternate Island–Indonesia): precursor,crisis management,and community response

GeoJournal - Gamalama is an active stratovolcano on Ternate, a small volcanic island in Maluku Utara, Indonesia. Since 1510, a total of 77 eruptions have been recorded, with various impacts on the...     

Focal parameters of seismic sources during the 1981 and 1983 eruption at Mt. Etna volcano (Sicily,Italy)

In this study 50 seismic events, preceding and accompanying the eruptions occurring in 1981 and 1983, have been considered. Seismic moments, fault radii, stress drops and seismic energies have been calculated using Brune’s model (J Geophys Res 75:4997–5009, 1970; J Geophys Res 76:5002, 1971); site, anelastic attenuation along the propagation path, geometrical spreading and interaction with the free surface effects are taken into account. For each event we have also estimated the equivalent Wood–Anderson magnitude (MWAeq) (Scherbaum and Stoll in Bull Seism Soc Am 73:1321–1343, 1983); relations among all these source parameters have been determined. Furthermore, the hypothesis of self-similarity (Aki in J Geophys Res 72:1217–1231, 1967) is not verified for events with seismic moments <10¹² N-m: in fact the relationship between log-stress drop and log-moment is linear up to a moment of 10¹² N-m (events of 1981 eruption), while for higher moments (events of 1983 eruption) the slope of the regression line is not significantly different from zero. We suppose that such a behaviour is related to a heterogeneous medium with barriers on the faults. Finally, the main conclusion is that eruptions of 1981 and 1983 differ from one another both in eruptive and seismic aspects; analysis of seismic energies indicates an increase in Mt. Etna’s activity, confirmed by studies performed on the following lateral eruption of 1991–1993 (Patanè et al. in Bull Volcanol 47:941–952, 1995), occurring on the same structural trend.     

Petrology of the 1979 eruption of Soufriere volcano,St. Vincent,Lesser Antilles

Major element, trace element, and Sr isotope data are used to study the temporal variation in the chemistry of the ejecta from the 1979 eruption of Soufriere volcano, St. Vincent, and to compare the compositions of the 1979 and 1971/2 magmas. Both the 1971/2 and 1979 products were basaltic andesites almost identical in petrography. A small temporal variation in chemistry is apparent in the 1979 samples but these cannot be related to the 1971/2 lava by fractional crystallisation of phenocryst phases, and the two eruptions may therefore have sampled different batches of magma. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the two magmas were identical within analytical error.Microprobe analyses of phenocryst phases and glasses from the 1979 ejecta are presented. Clinopyroxene phenocryst cores with very high Mg/Fe ratios indicate that the basaltic andesites are products of fractionation of magnesian parents. Such magmas are represented by lavas on St. Vincent similar to the microphyric alkali picrites found to the south in Grenada. A common origin for the basaltic andesites of both islands by fractional crystallisation of picritic magmas is suggested. Dacitic glass is abundant in the groundmass of scoria blocks from the eruption. It does not represent the liquid originally in equilibrium with the phenocryst phases, but rather this liquid modified by quench crystallisation. Published interpretations suggesting that dacitic glass compositions in tephra from eruptions of the Soufriere are evidence of mixed-magma eruptions are therefore rejected.     

Physical geology of the Fogo volcano (Cape Verde Islands) and its 2014–2015 eruption

The geological development of the Fogo island volcano commenced in the early Quaternary, and much later during the Last Glacial stage this involved a mega‐scale lateral collapse of the former edifice. This later event created a large caldera‐like landform open to the east, the floor of which is known as the Chã, and subsequently within this a strato‐volcanic cone has grown. The last phase of volcanic activity started in late 2014 and persisted for 77 days. It had a devastating impact on the lives of the 1000 plus people who were living within the ‘caldera’, since two large villages and a smaller one were each totally destroyed in a matter of days by the advancing lavas. In addition, large areas of cultivated land, upon which the inhabitants were dependent for their livelihood, were enveloped by lava. The eruption proved to be of a greater magnitude than the immediately preceding one of 1995, when a mass evacuation was necessary but as only a few buildings were affected, resettlement followed. Unfortunately the much greater devastation to the human environment makes it doubtful whether any significant resettlement will be possible after the 2014–2015 event.     

Extracting the damaging effects of the 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano in Central Java, Indonesia

This research focuses on providing information related to the damaging effects of the 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. This information will be used to help emergency responders to assess losses more timely and efficiently, and to monitor the progress in emergency response and recovery. The objectives of this research are: (a) to generate a map of pyroclastic deposits based on activities pre- and post-volcano eruption of 2010 in the research area, (b) to investigate the impact of volcano eruption on the environment, and (c) to assess the impact of volcano eruption on landuse. ALOS PALSAR remote sensing data pre- and post-disaster were used in this research for mapping the volcano eruption. Topographic and geomorphological maps were analyzed for profiling and field orientation, which were used to investigate the impact of volcano eruption on the environment. SPOT 4 satellite images were used in this research for updating landuse information from the topographic map. The result of the landuse updated data was used for assessment of the volcano eruption’s impact on landuse with the GIS raster environment. The volcanic eruption that occurred in 2010 is estimated to have an impact of 133.31 ha for settlements, 92.32 ha for paddy fields, 235.60 ha for dry farming, 570.98 ha for plantations, 380.86 ha for bare land, and 0.12 ha for forest areas. An estimate of the number of buildings damaged due to the volcano eruption in 2010 was carried out by overlaying a map of pyroclastic deposits and the information point of the building sites from the topographic map. The total number of buildings damaged is estimated to be around 12,276 units.     

吉林长白山天池第四纪火山旋回性喷发与冰川作用的耦合关系

长白山天池火山喷发活动贯穿整个第四纪,旋回性明显,发育良好的冰川遗迹,为火山喷发与冰川作用的耦合性研究提供了有利条件.文章通过对长白山天池第四纪火山喷发旋回及火山岩分布特征研究,收集火山喷发年代学与冰期—间冰期旋回年代学数据,并利用卫片解译了火山喷发与冰蚀U谷的关系.在年代学数据的约束下,根据天池火山锥体周边广泛发育的U谷遗迹,将研究区冰川作用分为3个冰期:锦江冰期、漫江冰期和二道白河冰期,分别对应中国东部鄱阳冰期、大姑冰期和庐山冰期.长白山天池火山造锥阶段喷发形成的白头山组3个阶段(Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ),与上述3个冰期具有良好的耦合关系.天池内部冰斗为白头山冰期(即中国东部东山冰期,MIS4)产物,经黑风口冰期与气象站冰期(即中国东部蒙山冰期,MIS2)、全新世冰川作用及火山作用的双重改造,其基本特征保存至今.长白山天池冰盖消融导致的释压反弹,可能诱发了天池火山呈旋回性喷发.     

Thermal structure of the gas-and-ash plume during eruption of Koryak volcano

High resolution thermal cameras were used in observations of gas-and-ash plumes during eruption of the Koryak volcano in March 2009. Our results provide the thermal structure of gas-and-ash flows. The structure of the eruption column consists of several individual plumes. The vertical velocity of plume rise was estimated at 5.5–7 m/s. The eruption column or plume can be conventionally divided into three parts: a highly convective region, a buoyant region, and a region of horizontal motion. The temperature of the plume is higher than that of the surrounding atmosphere by 3–5°C for the horizontal motion region and by about 20°C for the buoyant region. The velocity at the buoyant region is 5–7 m/s. For the boundary between highly convective and buoyant regions, where the plume diameter is known, the vapor mass flow and the heat capacity of the thermal jet flow can be determined from the heat balance equation. The mass flow of the overheated vapor, which has a temperature of 450°C and comprises a gas-and-ash eruption plume, was estimated to be Q = 35 kg/s. The total mass of water vapor over the period of eruption (100 days) is estimated at 3 · 10⁵ t. The total thermal energy of the eruption amounted to 10⁹ MJ.     

Environmental assessment of 1991 Hudson volcano eruption ashfall effects on southern Patagonia region,Argentina

The August 1991 eruption of the Hudson volcano in the southern Andean volcanic zone affected an area of 1000 km in radius to the east in the Argentine Patagonic meseta. The thickness of ash ranged from 20 cm in the Andean area to less than 1 mm in the Atlantic coast zone. Wind storms reactivated the ash deposits, together with terrigenous material, more than one year after the eruption. In order to assess the potential risk of the ash, analyses of concentration, size, mineralogical composition, toxic elements, and irritating effects of gases were performed. In all samples, the percentage of particles of the 2-to 5-m range is below the toxic threshold level. Trace elements are below the toxic threshold concentration for humans and animals. The major impact of the ashfall was on sheep herds; about one third of them were lost in the areas close to the volcano. Soil incorporated the ash layers, and a fast recovery of orchards was reported two years later. Rivers were loaded with sediment in the immediate aftermath, but one year later returned to previous conditions. Along the shores of the Buenos Aires Lake, a fresh tephra layer can be distinguished.     

长白山天池火山千年大喷发的岩浆过程

千年大喷发是长白山天池火山最近的一次大规模爆炸式喷发活动。本文在天池火口及周边的地质调查中发现,千年大喷发存在碱流质和粗面质两套堆积物,且具有岩浆混合现象。进一步岩相学与地球化学研究,证实千年大喷发应存在先后两个喷发阶段,即碱流质喷发阶段(SiO_2,~75%)和粗面质喷发阶段(SiO_2,~65%)。同时,通过微量元素和斑晶特征等分析认为两阶段的岩浆来自于两个独立的岩浆房,岩浆房平衡温度分别为743℃和862℃,相应深度约为5km和7~9km。另外,根据条带状岩浆的混合特征,认为喷发过程中碱流质与粗面质岩浆混合发生在上升通道中,排除岩浆房内混合的可能性。最后根据喷发过程和岩浆特征,综合提出了千年大喷发的岩浆过程模型。本文对千年大喷发的喷发过程和岩浆过程取得的新认识,增进了对天池火山活动习性的理解。     

西昆仑阿什库勒火山群地质特征和活动分期

阿什库勒火山群作为青藏高原内最新期的北部昆仑火山群的典型代表,长期以来一直受到国内外地学界的广泛关注。我们通过对阿什库勒盆地火山区的野外地质地貌考察,研究了阿什库勒盆地内第四纪火山活动历史,完成了阿什库勒火山群重要火山锥体的1∶2000火山机构图。同时,对系统采集于不同火山机构和部位的20个火山岩样品进行了系列Ar-Ar同位素年代测试分析,获得了翔实的研究区不同火山岩石单元的绝对年龄数据。结合野外地质地貌考察结果,讨论了阿什库勒盆地的火山活动的第四纪时期活动历史,并将主要活动时期进一步划分为早更新世早期、早更新世中期、中更新世早期、中更新世晚期、晚更新世期和全新世期六期,取得了与前人有关该研究区火山活动历史和活动期次类似的划分方案,并补充了新的年代学证据。研究成果弥补了藏北高原西部由于恶劣工作环境而造成的第四纪火山学研究的不足。     

Zoning and exsolution in alkali feldspars from Laacher See volcano (Western Germany): constraints on temperature history prior to eruption

Compositional zoning and exsolution patterns of alkali feldspars in carbonatite-bearing cognate syenites from the 6.3 km³ (D.R.E) phonolitic Laacher See Tephra (LST) deposit in western Germany (12.9 ka) are reported. These rocks represent the cooler outer portion and crystal-rich products of a cooling magma reservoir at upper crustal levels. Major and trace-element difference between cores and rims in sanidine crystals represent two generations of crystal growth separated by unmixing of a carbonate melt. Trace-element differences measured by LA–ICP–MS are in accordance with silicate–carbonate unmixing. Across the core–rim boundary, we extracted gray-scale profiles from multiple accumulations of back-scattered electron images. Gray scales directly represent K/Na ratios owing to low concentrations of Ba and Sr (<?30 ppm). Diffusion gradients are modeled to solve for temperature using known pre-eruptive U–Th zircon ages (0–20 ky) of each sample (Schmitt et al., J Petrol 51:1053–1085, 2010). Estimated temperatures range from 630 °C to 670 °C. For the exsolution boundaries, a diffusive homogenization model is constrained by the solvus temperature of ~ 712^_725 °C and gives short time scales of only 15–50 days. Based on our results, we present a model for the temperature–time history of these rocks. The model also constrains the thermal variation across the cooling crystal-rich carapace of the magma reservoir over 20 ka and suggests a thermal reactivation of cumulates, the cooling carapace, and probably the entire system only a few years prior to the explosive eruption of the remaining molten core of the phonolitic magma reservoir.     

The 2011 eruption of Nabro volcano,Eritrea: perspectives on magmatic processes from melt inclusions

The 2011 eruption of Nabro volcano, Eritrea, produced one of the largest volcanic sulphur inputs to the atmosphere since the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, yet has received comparatively little scientific attention. Nabro forms part of an off-axis alignment, broadly perpendicular to the Afar Rift, and has a history of large-magnitude explosive silicic eruptions, as well as smaller more mafic ones. Here, we present and analyse extensive petrological data obtained from samples of trachybasaltic tephra erupted during the 2011 eruption to assess the pre-eruptive magma storage system and explain the large sulphur emission. We show that the eruption involved two texturally distinct batches of magma, one of which was more primitive and richer in sulphur than the other, which was higher in water (up to 2.5 wt%). Modelling of the degassing and crystallisation histories demonstrates that the more primitive magma rose rapidly from depth and experienced degassing crystallisation, while the other experienced isobaric cooling in the crust at around 5 km depth. Interaction between the two batches occurred shortly before the eruption. The eruption itself was likely triggered by recharge-induced destabilisation of vertically extensive mush zone under the volcano. This could potentially account for the large volume of sulphur released. Some of the melt inclusions are volatile undersaturated, and suggest that the original water content of the magma was around 1.3 wt%, which is relatively high for an intraplate setting, but consistent with seismic studies of the Afar plume. This eruption was smaller than some geological eruptions at Nabro, but provides important insights into the plumbing systems and dynamics of off-axis volcanoes in Afar.     

Magnesian andesites in north Xinjiang,China

Middle Devonian magnesian andesites (MAs) are widely distributed in south Altay and Carboniferous MAs are present in Alataoshan and west- and east-Tianshan in the north Xinjiang region. These MAs are andesitic rocks with 53–65% SiO₂,<1% (0.21–1.08%; average of 0.72%) TiO₂, and ≥50 Mg^#. Magnesian dacites and diorites, with 52.38–66.91% SiO₂, <0.30% TiO₂ and ≥42 Mg^# commonly occur with these MAs. Relative to boninites, MAs have lower MgO contents (average 6.39%) but higher Ti, K and Na. They have characteristic flat chondrite-normalized REE patterns with weak to no Eu anomalies (Eu depletion, or Eu/Eu* = 0.65–1.15), low (La/Yb)_N (0.98–6.4, mostly 4±) and low total REE contents (15–95 ppm). They also have high contents of compatible elements Cr and Ni (72–790 and 29–276 ppm, respectively). Their relative depletion in high field strength elements Nb, Ta and Ti, and relative enrichment in mobile large-ion lithophile elements Rb, K and Pb are evident on primitive mantle-normalized trace element spidergrams. If magnesian andesites are melts coming from the subducted oceanic crust, as proposed elsewhere, then the relatively high Y contents (>15 ppm), low Sr/Y ratios (4.4–6.2), low (La/Yb)N, and high Mg^# of the MAs in north Xinjiang provide evidence of interaction of such melts with mantle wedge peridotite. New petrographic, chemical and isotopic [(¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)I = 0.51221–0.51255 (εNd(t) +0.28 to +7.2); (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)I = 0.7029–0.7065] data suggest that the petrogenesis of the MAs in the north Xinjiang region may have involved: (1) multiple source materials including subducted oceanic slab, juvenile crustal materials (mainly volcanic-volcanoclassic rocks with low maturity and clear mantle geochemical signatures) coming from the forearc accretionary prism and mantle wedge peridotite; (2) a combination of different petrogenetic processes including partial melting of subducted oceanic slab and juvenile crustal materials, followed by interaction of slab melts with the mantle wedge peridotite; (3) high geothermal gradient creating a high temperature (>1,000°C) environment in a volatile-rich source region; (4) unique tectonic settings including oblique subduction, slab break off resulting in slab window formation and asthenosphere upwelling, and subduction erosion resulting in transfer of forearc accretionary materials into the source region of MA magma.     

Trace element degassing and enrichment in the eruptive plume of the 2000 eruption of Hekla volcano, Iceland

During its last eruption in February 2000, Hekla volcano (Iceland) emitted a sub-Plinian plume that was condensed and scavenged down to the ground by heavy snowstorms, offering the unique opportunity to study the chemistry of the gaseous plume released during highly explosive eruptions. In this paper, we present results on trace element and minor volatile species (sulfates, chlorides, and fluorides) concentrations in snow samples collected shortly after the beginning of the eruption. The goal of this study is to better constrain the degassing and mobility of trace elements in gaseous emissions. Trace element volatility at Hekla is quantified by means of enrichment factors (EF) relative to Be. Well-known volatile trace elements (e.g., transition metals, heavy metals, and metalloids) are considerably enriched in the volcanic plume of Hekla. Their abundances are governed by the primary magmatic degassing of sulfate and/or halide compounds, which are gaseous at magmatic temperature. Their volatility is, however, slightly lower than in basaltic systems, most likely because of the lower magma temperature and higher magma viscosity at Hekla. More surprisingly, refractory elements (e.g., REE, Th, Ba, and Y) are also significantly enriched in the eruptive plume of Hekla where their apparent volatility is two orders of magnitude higher than in mafic systems. In addition, REE patterns normalized to the Hekla 2000 lava composition show a significant enrichment of HREE over LREE, suggesting the presence of REE fluorides in the volcanic plume. Such enrichments in the most refractory elements and REE fractionation are difficult to reconcile with primary degassing processes, since REE fluorides are not gaseous at magma temperature. REE enrichments at Hekla could be attributed to incongruent dissolution of tephra grains at low temperature by F-rich volcanic gases and aerosols within the eruptive plume. This view is supported by both leaching experiments performed on Hekla tephra and thermodynamic considerations on REE mobility in hydrothermal fluids and modeling of glass dissolution in F-rich aqueous solutions. Tephra dissolution may also explain the observed enrichments in other refractory elements (e.g., Th, Y, and Ba) and could contribute to the degassing mass balance of some volatile trace elements, provided they are mobile in F-rich fluids. It thus appears that both primary magmatic degassing and secondary tephra dissolution processes govern the chemistry of eruptive plumes released during explosive eruptions.