Transport properties of pyroclastic rocks from Montagne Pelée volcano (Martinique, Lesser Antilles)

Abstract

The hydraulic and electrical properties of pyroclastic rocks have been investigated in laboratory on a representative sampling of Montagne Pelée (Martinique, France) deposits with renewed interest in geophysical applications. This sampling covers all the lithologic units of this volcano: lava dome and lava flows, pumices from ash‐and‐pumice fall and flow deposits, lava blocks from block‐and‐ash flow and Peléean “nuées ardentes” deposits, scoriae from scoria flow deposits. The connected porosity varies over a wide range from 3 to 62%. The unconnected porosity is important only on pumices where it can reach 15%. The permeability covers more than 5 orders of magnitude, ranging from 10−16 to 35 × 10−12 m2. The higher values are obtained on lava blocks and the scoriae, even if these rocks are less porous than the pumices. The formation factor ranges from 7 to 1139. The transport properties of these rocks are slightly correlated with porosity. This indicates that these properties are not only controlled by the connected porosity. To connect the transport properties to the textural characteristics of the pore network of pyroclastic rocks, different models, based on geometrical considerations or percolation theory, were tested. The pore access radius distribution and the tortuosity control the transport properties of pyroclastic rocks. Consequently, the models (electric and hydraulic) based on the concept of percolation (e.g., the models of Katz and Thompson), apply better than the equivalent channel model of Kozeny‐Carman. In addition, the difference in transport properties observed on lava blocks and pumices confirms that the mechanisms of degassing and vesiculation are different for these two types of rock.