Shallow magma‐mingling‐driven Strombolian eruptions at Mt. Yasur volcano, Vanuatu

Abstract

Mt. Yasur volcano (Vanuatu) has been increasingly recognized for its high‐frequency Strombolian eruptions. Strombolian activity is often regarded as a product of the rapid ascent of gas slugs originating from a deep magma, which mingle with a batch of shallow magma upon eruption. Heterogeneous crystal distribution as well as bimodal bubble‐size distributions, in the eruptive products, generally supports this view. Here, the Strombolian activity at Mt. Yasur is analyzed. A rheological investigation indicates that the basaltic‐andesitic eruptive products contain an apparently homogeneous glass phase and yet, exhibit evidence of a distinct range of glass transition temperatures with multiple peaks occurring in individual samples. Such anomalous behavior is proposed to result from the mingling of magmas with contrasting oxidation states. The unstable nature of the measured glass transition behavior leads us to the inference that mingling is located in the shallow parts of the eruptive conduits, partly driven by rejuvenation of material slumped from the crater walls into an open conduit system. The dynamics of this process may expose the periodicity of the eruptions themselves.