Evidence for the development of permeability anisotropy in lava domes and volcanic conduits

Abstract

The ease at which exsolving volatiles can migrate though magma and outgas influences the explosivity of a volcanic eruption. Volcanic rocks often contain discrete discontinuities, providing snapshots of strain localisation processes that occur during magma ascent and extrusion. Whether these features comprise pathways for or barriers to fluid flow is thus of relevance for volcanic eruption and gas emission modelling. We report here on nine discontinuity-bearing andesite blocks collected from Volcán de Colima, Mexico. We present a systematic porosity and permeability study of fifty cores obtained from the blocks collected, and interpret the genetic processes of the discontinuities through detailed microstructural examination. Bands in pumiceous blocks were inferred to be relicts of inhomogeneous bubble expansion which, despite significantly increasing porosity, do not markedly affect permeability. Other discontinuities in our blocks are interpreted to be shear strain-induced flow banding, cavitation porosity, and/or variably healed fractures. In each of these cases, an increase in permeability (up to around three orders of magnitude) was measured relative to the host material. A final sample contained a band of lower porosity than the host rock, characterised by variably infilled pores. In this case, the band was an order of magnitude less permeable than the host rock, highlighting the complex interplay between dilatant and densifying processes in magma. We therefore present evidence for significant permeability anisotropy within the conduit and/or dome of a volcanic system. We suggest that the abundance and distribution of strain localisation features will influence the escape or entrapment of volatiles and therefore the evolution of pore pressure within active volcanic systems. Using a simple upscaling model, we illustrate the relative importance of permeable structures over different lengthscales. Strain localisation processes resulting in permeability anisotropy are likely to play an important role in the style, magnitude, and recurrence interval of volcanic eruptions.