Erta'ale lava lake: heat and gas transfer to the atmosphere

Abstract

Abstract Data on uncontaminated samples of volcanic gases can be counted on the fingers of one hand, yet estimation of total volcanic gas flow cannot be made without such data. In this paper the flux of gas from the lava lake to the atmosphere is calculated by a heat budget based on the excess heat loss caused by combustion of H2 and CO and by the mass rate of loss of other gases on the basis of their ratios to H2 and CO in the unoxidized gas samples. The estimated rates of loss of H2O, CO2, SO2 and HCl are consistent with the rate of loss of heat if this heat is generated by crystallization and if the initial magma contains concentrations of gas appropriate for submarine basalt from oceanic ridges. The moderate activity of permanent degassing from the two active lava ponds studied gives a lower flux than that of other volcanoes.