Abstract
Laboratory experiments that simulate lava flows have been in use by volcanologists for many years. The behavior of flows in the lab, where “eruption” parameters, material properties, and environmental settings are tightly controlled, provides insight into the influence of various factors on flow evolution. A second benefit of laboratory lava flows is to provide a set of observations with which numerical models of flow emplacement can be tested. Models of lava flow emplacement vary in mathematical approach, physical assumptions, and computational cost. Nonetheless, all models require thorough testing and evaluation, and laboratory experiments produce an excellent test for models. This paper provides a primer on modern analog laboratory lava flow experiments. It reviews scaling con- siderations and provides quantitative information meant to guide future experimentalists in designing their experiments to be relevant to natural processes. Traditional and novel laboratory techniques are described, including a discussion of current limitations. New insights from recent experiments highlight the impact of topographic conditions and highlight the importance of considering bed roughness, major obstacles, and slope breaks. The influence of episodic or non-uniform effusion rate is demonstrated through recent experi- mental works. Lastly, the paper discusses several open questions about lava flow emplacement and the ways in which future improvements in experimental methods, such as the ability to utilize three-phase suspensions and materials with complex rheologies and to image the interior of flows could help answer these.
Highlights
Lava flows present a hazard to infrastructure and hu− man lives, as demonstrated recently by flows in Hawai'i [Patrick et al, 2017], Cape Verde [Jenkins et al, 2017] and elsewhere
Placement, the basic understanding of the controlling factors has been established: Lava flow paths depend on the ground slope, the rheology of the lava, and the cool− ing conditions [e.g., Griffiths, 2000]
In the case of buildings, such obstacles are not always large enough to be within the resolution of the digital elevation models (DEMs) used as input for flow emplacement models
Summary
Lava flows present a hazard to infrastructure and hu− man lives, as demonstrated recently by flows in Hawai'i [Patrick et al, 2017], Cape Verde [Jenkins et al, 2017] and elsewhere. Placement, the basic understanding of the controlling factors has been established: Lava flow paths depend on the ground slope, the rheology of the lava, and the cool− ing conditions [e.g., Griffiths, 2000]. These factors have been included in numerical flow models, the key tools used to assess lava flow hazard [e.g., Bilotta et al, 2016; Cappello et al, 2015; Harris et al, 2016; Hidaka et al, 2005; Kelfoun and Vargas, 2015; Tarquini et al, 2010]. This paper explains the considerations that go into designing laboratory flow experiments, reviews some of the classic works and results and insights gained from recent work, and outlines remaining limitations and challenges
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