The association of lava dome growth with major explosive activity (VEI ≥ 4): DomeHaz, a global dataset

Abstract

Investigation of the global eruptive records of particular types of volcanoes is a fundamental and valuable method of understanding what style of activity can be anticipated in the future and can highlight what might be expected or unusual in particular settings. This paper investigates the relationship between large explosions (volcanic explosivity index, VEI ≥ 4) and lava dome growth from 1000 AD to present and develops the DomeHaz database. DomeHaz contains information from 397 dome-forming episodes, including duration of dome growth, duration of pauses in extrusion, extrusion rates, and the timing and magnitude (VEI) of associated large explosions. Major explosive activity, when associated with dome growth, is more likely to occur before dome growth rather than during, or at the end of, dome-forming eruptions. In most cases where major explosive activity has been associated with dome growth, the eruptions occurred at basaltic andesite to andesitic volcanoes (the most common type of dome-forming volcano), but a greater proportion of dacitic and rhyolitic dome growth episodes were associated with large explosions. High extrusion rates (>10 m3 s−1) seem to be associated with large explosions and may inhibit degassing or destabilize existing domes, leading to explosive decompression. Large explosions may, alternatively, be followed by dome growth, which represents the clearing of residual magma from the conduit. Relationships extracted from the global record can be used to construct probability trees for new and ongoing dome-forming eruptions or can be used in conjunction with other types of event trees to aid in forecasting volcanic hazards during a crisis, especially for volcanoes where data are sparse.