Magma Ascent Rates Research Articles

The role of magma ascent rates and viscosity in explosive and dome eruptions (Kelud volcano, Indonesia)

The role of magma ascent rates and viscosity in explosive and dome eruptions (Kelud volcano, Indonesia)

Ascent of volatile-rich felsic magma in dykes: a numerical model applied to deep-sourced porphyry intrusions

SUMMARY Dyke propagation is a mechanism for more rapid ascent of felsic magmas through the crust than is possible via diapirs or percolative flow. As it ascends, the magma undergoes complex physical and chemical transformations induced by decompression and cooling. These processes dramatically change the magma density and viscosity, which in turn affect magma ascent rate and the depth at which the dyke arrests. We present a mathematical model of dyke propagation for silicic magmas taking into account the presence of multiple volatile species (H2O and CO2), bubble growth, heat advection and loss, crystallization and latent heat release. We consider conditions for dykes associated with porphyry ore deposits, which may represent an end-member in rapid ascent of felsic magmas from depth. In particular, we simulate the propagation of dykes launched from a deep (900 MPa), volatile-saturated magma source, testing the effects of the magma H2O/CO2 content, temperature and mass on its ascent rate and final emplacement depth. The model predicts short ascent times (hours to days), with a large increase in viscosity at shallow depth, leading to stagnation and solidification of the dyke. Higher initial water content, higher temperature and larger mass of the magma in the dyke promote faster propagation and shallower arrest. Volatile loss from ascending magma remains limited until the stagnation depth, providing a potential mechanism for transfer of deep volatiles to hypabyssal blind intrusions associated with porphyry ore deposits. Our findings are applicable to the problem of silicic magma ascent through the crust more generally.

Along‐Arc Volcanism in the Western and Central Aleutian From 2015 to 2021 Revealed by Cloud‐Based InSAR Processing

AbstractLeveraging a cloud‐based interferometric synthetic aperture radar time‐series processing framework, we map the surface deformation along the western and central Aleutian volcanoes from 2015 to 2021. The observed crustal deformation from more than 15 volcanoes is attributed to a wide range of magmatic or tectonic processes, for example, magma accumulation in the magmatic reservoir, steady cooling or degassing of magma or hydrothermal systems, and faulting. More vigorous magmatism in the central Aleutian is noticed and appears to be related to higher magma production rates or higher magma ascent rates as a result of oblique subduction. New deformation patterns never observed in previous studies are detected and modeled at Tanaga, Great Sitkin and Yunaska. This study showcases the cloud‐processing capability to generate interferograms at scale and processing tools to analyze these time series over large, tectonically active areas.

CO2‐Undersaturated Melt Inclusions From the South West Indian Ridge Record Surprisingly Uniform Redox Conditions

AbstractThe behavior of Fe3+ during mantle partial melting strongly influences the oxidation state of the resulting magmas, with implications for the evolution of the atmosphere's oxidation state. Here, we challenge a prevailing view that low‐degree partial melts are more oxidized due to the incompatible behavior of Fe3+. Our study is based on measurements of Fe3+/∑Fe along with major, minor, trace and volatile elements in olivine‐ and plagioclase‐hosted melt inclusions of CO2 undersaturated mantle melts in South West Indian Ridge lava. These inclusions record minimum entrapment pressures equivalent to depths up to 10 km below the seafloor, record magma ascent rates of 0.03–0.19 m/s, and display exceptionally high CO2/Ba, CO2/Rb, and CO2/Nb ratios, indicative of a CO2‐rich mantle source. Accounting for fractional crystallization, we find a uniform melt oxidation state (with an Fe3+/ΣFe at 0.140 ± 0.005 at MgO = 10 wt.%) that displays no systematic variation with major, minor, volatile or trace element contents, thus providing no evidence for a relationship between the degree of partial melting and Fe3+/ΣFe. This can be explained by efficient buffering of Fe3+/∑Fe and fO2 of mid‐ocean ridge basalt melts by their surrounding mantle and/or a decrease in the bulk peridotite‐melt Fe2O3 partition coefficient with increasing partial melting. We conclude that changes in the Earth's upper mantle temperature over geological time need not have affected the oxidation state of volcanic products or of the atmosphere.

Mineral chemistry of the Água Limpa suite: Insights into petrological constraints and magma ascent rate of Mesoarchean sanukitoids from the Sapucaia terrane (Carajás Province, southeastern Amazonian Craton, Brazil)

The Água Limpa suite is comprised of two E‒W elongated sanukitoid-affinity plutons named the Água Azul and Água Limpa, exposed along with other intrusive granitic bodies and typifying Mesoarchean granitic activity in the Sapucaia terrane (Carajás Province). In the present study, the T-P-fO2-H2Omelt conditions, viscosity of magma and upward magma transport rate were retrieved on the basis of mineral chemistry and partial dissolution of magmatic epidote. The mafic mineral assemblage is dominated by amphibole (magnesio-hornblende, tremolite, pargasite and magnesiohastingsite compositions), in addition to magmatic epidote (Ps of 25–32%) and magnesio-biotite. Titanite, apatite, zircon, magnetite, ilmenite and chalcopyrite are the main accessory phases. The apatite saturation thermometer indicates at least initial crystallization temperatures between 903 and 850 °C. The Al-in-amphibole geobarometer provided temperatures varying from 1039 to 718 °C and 984 to 707 °C for the Água Limpa and Água Azul plutons, respectively. A variation in pressure from 625 to ∼100 MPa was obtained for both plutons, related to the deep crustal level of formation and shallow depths of emplacement. Experimental studies carried out on similar magma compositions indicate the parental Água Limpa suite magmas were water-rich (> 6 wt% dissolved H2O) and crystallized under high oxygen fugacity conditions (0.3 ≤ NNO ≤ 2.5). Partial corrosion of the magmatic epidote in these two plutons occurred within a timeframe of no more than 1–9 years, corresponding to upward magma transport rates of 1481–13,333 m/year. A structurally controlled network of conduits associated at the mesoscale pervasive migration developed during the active deformation stage (faults and shear zones), and small-scale diking probably acted as pathways for magma transfer through distinct pulses that underwent subsequent crystallization before reaching the hot continental crust at peak metamorphism, and permitted survival of the epidote that was out of equilibrium at the low pressure of final emplacement. The Água Limpa suite reveals strong mineralogical and geochemical affinities with the sanukitoids from the Rio Maria suite and the Ourilândia complex of the Carajás Province and differs from the sanukitoids from other cratons in terms of age and geological setting.

Tephra sedimentation and grainsize associated with pulsatory activity: the 2021 Tajogaite eruption of Cumbre Vieja (La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain)

Long-lasting eruptions are of complex characterization and are typically associated with challenging risk assessment and crisis management due to the usual occurrence of multiple interacting hazards evolving at different temporal and spatial scales (e.g., lava, tephra, and gas). The 2021 Tajogaite eruption of Cumbre Vieja (La Palma) demonstrated how even hybrid events that are mostly effusive can be associated with widespread and impacting tephra deposits as a result of a complex interplay among gas flux, conduit geometry, and magma feeding rate. In this novel study, direct observations, syn-eruptive and post-eruptive sampling, and statistical analysis of pulsatory activity have been combined to provide new insights into eruption dynamics. They show how rapid gas segregation and high magma ascent rate modulated the gas flux at multiple vents, resulting in short-time fluctuations among the different explosive styles (ash-poor gas puffing, Strombolian, violent Strombolian, and lava fountaining) and unsteady tephra ground accumulation. Various size-selective sedimentation processes were also observed, including particle aggregation and ash fingers, which have impacted the overall tephra dispersal. In fact, even though both local and total grainsize distributions of selected layers, units, and of the whole tephra blanket are unimodal with a low fine-ash content, grainsize analysis of 154 samples suggests no correlation of particles <63 μm with distance from vents. Our analyses demonstrate the need to include a detailed characterization of all products of hybrid eruptions for a comprehensive interpretation of eruptive dynamics and to use multiple classification strategies that can capture eruptive styles at different temporal scales.

Pre-eruptive rhyolite magma ascent rate is rapid and independent of eruption size: a case study from Ōkataina Volcanic Centre, Aotearoa New Zealand

Volatile measurements in mineral-hosted sealed melt inclusions, and open-ended embayments, have previously been used to study magma ascent dynamics in large rhyolitic eruptions. However, despite occurring more frequently, smaller-volume explosive events remain under-studied. We present magmatic volatile data from quartz-hosted melt inclusions and embayments for eight post-25.4 ka rhyolitic eruptions at Ōkataina Volcanic Centre, Aotearoa New Zealand. Seven originated from within the main caldera, and the other erupted from the associated Ōkareka Structural Embayment. Melt inclusions preserve volatile contents of 2.92–5.82 wt% H2O and 13–126 ppm CO2, indicating pre-eruptive storage depths of 4.5–7.4 km, with younger eruptions being more shallow. The lack of correlation between H2O, CO2, inclusion size or distance to the crystal rim suggests magma bodies experienced variable degrees of degassing during magma storage, with some amount of post-entrapment volatile modification prior to and concurrent with final magma ascent. Diffusion modelling of measured H2O gradients in melt embayments indicates ascent rates of 0.10–1.67 m.s−1 over time spans of 20–230 min for the intra-caldera events. In contrast, ascent rates for the eruption from the Ōkareka Structural Embayment may be more rapid, at 1.59–4.4 m.s−1 over a time span of 22–34 min. Our findings imply that the final, pre-eruptive magma movement towards the surface could be less than a few hours. Comparisons with published data for caldera-forming explosive events reveal no clear relationships between final ascent rate, eruption size or initial volatile content, implying that other factors besides eruption volume control rhyolite magma ascent.

New Insights into Feeder Dike Swarms in Scoria Cones and Their Structural Control: A Case Study in the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field

HomeJoinGSA StoreDonateContact Sign in Toggle search Keyword search Toggle navigation Keyword search Abstract View Volume 33 Issue 2 (February 2023) GSA Today Article, p. 4-10 | Full Text | PDF New Insights into Feeder Dike Swarms in Scoria Cones and Their Structural Control: A Case Study in the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field Martha Gabriela Gómez-Vasconcelos* CONACYT–Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, México, gabriela.gomez@umich.mx Denis-Ramón Avellán CONACYT–Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México, denisavellan@gmail.com José Luis Macías Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México, jlmv63@gmail.com Guillermo Cisneros-Máximo Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México, gcisneros@igeofisica.unam.mx Juan Manuel Sánchez-Núñez Instituto Politécnico Nacional–CIIEMAD, Gustavo A. Madero, Ciudad de México, México, jsancheznu@ipn.mx Daniel P. Miggins 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology Laboratory, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA, daniel.miggins@oregonstate.edu Abstract Understanding the feeder systems in scoria cones is essential because they serve as the conduits that feed the most common eruptions worldwide. Feeder dikes and their emplacement are presumably controlled by the tectonic stress field. However, the mechanism of dike propagation and structural control in monogenetic scoria cones remains poorly understood, as well as the conditions that allow dike swarms in scoria cones and in low magma-flux monogenetic volcanic fields. This is the first direct study of a magma feeder system in the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field in central México. Quarrying in the Cerrito Colorado scoria cone displays six orthogonal feeder dikes—four of them are N-S oriented, parallel to the least compressive stress, intruding preexisting faults, and two are E-W oriented, perpendicular to the least compressive stress, forming their own fracture at the time of the eruption. Single feeder dikes are common in monogenetic volcanoes, but dike networks (swarms) can develop locally in the vicinity of scoria cones and other vent structures. We suggest that bifurcation of feeder dikes can result from temporary blockages of the conduit and during changes in the magma ascent rate and magma pressure. Feeder dikes at the surface can appear as tabular dikes, cylindrical conduits, or as a combination of both geometries. We suggest that tabular dikes splay-off tangentially, and cylindrical conduits bifurcate radially and axially to the main vent. Our study attests to the complexity and structural control that even small scoria cones can present. *Corresponding author Manuscript received 17 Mar. 2022. Revised manuscript received 30 June 2022. Manuscript accepted 18 July 2022. Posted 10 Aug. 2022. © The Geological Society of America, 2022. CC-BY-NC. https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG539A.1 Cover Image Search Google Scholar for Martha Gabriela Gómez-Vasconcelos Denis-Ramón Avellán José Luis Macías Juan Manuel Sánchez-Núñez Daniel P. Miggins Search GSA Today About Membership Publications Events Education & Careers Science Policy News Advertising Place a Job Ad FAQs Jobs at GSA Center for Professional Excellence Code of Ethics Events Code of Conduct Privacy Policy Join GSA Contact Us www.geosociety.org © 2023 The Geological Society of America, Inc.

Variation of plagioclase shape with size in intermediate magmas: a window into incipient plagioclase crystallisation

Volcanic rocks commonly display complex textures acquired both in the magma reservoir and during ascent to the surface. While variations in mineral compositions, sizes and number densities are routinely analysed to reconstruct pre-eruptive magmatic histories, crystal shapes are often assumed to be constant, despite experimental evidence for the sensitivity of crystal habit to magmatic conditions. Here, we develop a new program (ShapeCalc) to calculate 3D shapes from 2D crystal intersection data and apply it to study variations of crystal shape with size for plagioclase microlites (l < 100 µm) in intermediate volcanic rocks. The smallest crystals tend to exhibit prismatic 3D shapes, whereas larger crystals (l > 5–10 µm) show progressively more tabular habits. Crystal growth modelling and experimental constraints indicate that this trend reflects shape evolution during plagioclase growth, with initial growth as prismatic rods and subsequent preferential overgrowth of the intermediate dimension to form tabular shapes. Because overgrowth of very small crystals can strongly affect the external morphology, plagioclase microlite shapes are dependent on the available growth volume per crystal, which decreases during decompression-driven crystallisation as crystal number density increases. Our proposed growth model suggests that the range of crystal shapes developed in a magma is controlled by the temporal evolution of undercooling and total crystal numbers, i.e., distinct cooling/decompression paths. For example, in cases of slow to moderate magma ascent rates and quasi-continuous nucleation, early-formed crystals grow larger and develop tabular shapes, whereas late-stage nucleation produces smaller, prismatic crystals. In contrast, rapid magma ascent may suppress nucleation entirely or, if stalled at shallow depth, may produce a single nucleation burst associated with tabular crystal shapes. Such variation in crystal shapes have diagnostic value and are also an important factor to consider when constructing CSDs and models involving magma rheology.

Explosive-effusive-explosive: The role of magma ascent rates and paths in modulating caldera eruptions

Abstract One of the biggest challenges in volcanology is assessing the role of magma properties (volatile budgets, storage depths, and ascent rates) in controlling eruption explosivity. We use a new approach based on apatite to estimate volatile contents and magma ascent rates from a sequence of sub-Plinian, effusive, and Vulcanian eruption deposits at Rabaul caldera (Papua New Guinea) emplaced in 2006 CE to probe the mechanisms responsible for the sudden transitions in eruption styles. Our findings show that all magmas were originally stored at similar conditions (2–4 km depth and 1.8–2.5 wt% H2O in the melt); only the magma that formed the lava flow stalled and degassed at a shallower level (0.2–1.5 km) for several months. A more energetic batch of magma rose from depth, bypassed the transient reservoir, and ascended within ≤8 h to Earth's surface (mean velocity ≥0.2 m/s), yielding the initial sub-Plinian phase of the eruption. The shallowly degassed magma was then able to reach the surface as a lava flow, likely through the path opened by the sub-Plinian magma. The magma of the last Vulcanian phase ascended without storage at a shallow depth, albeit more slowly (ascent rate 0.03–0.1 m/s) than the sub-Plinian magma. Our study illustrates how the complexity of plumbing systems may affect eruption styles, including at other volcanic systems, and have implications for interpreting volcano monitoring data.

Transient conduit permeability controlled by a shift between compactant shear and dilatant rupture at Unzen volcano (Japan)

Abstract. The permeability of magma in volcanic conduits controls the fluid flow and pore pressure development that regulates gas emissions and the style of volcanic eruptions. The architecture of the permeable porous structure is subject to changes as magma deforms and outgasses during ascent. Here, we present a high-resolution study of the permeability distribution across two conduit shear zones (marginal and central) developed in the dacitic spine that extruded towards the closing stages of the 1991–1995 eruption at Unzen volcano, Japan. The marginal shear zone is approximately 3.2 m wide and exhibits a 2 m wide, moderate shear zone with porosity and permeability similar to the conduit core, transitioning into a ∼ 1 m wide, highly sheared region with relatively low porosity and permeability, as well as an outer 20 cm wide cataclastic fault zone. The low-porosity, highly sheared rock further exhibits an anisotropic permeability network, with slightly higher permeability along the shear plane (parallel to the conduit margin), and is locally overprinted by oblique dilational Riedel fractures. The central shear zone is defined by a 3 m long by ∼ 9 cm wide fracture ending bluntly and bordered by a 15–40 cm wide damage zone with permeability enhanced by ∼ 3 orders of magnitude; directional permeability and resultant anisotropy could not be measured from this exposure. We interpret the permeability and porosity of the marginal shear zone to reflect the evolution of compactional (i.e. ductile) shear during ascent up to the point of rupture, which was estimated by Umakoshi et al. (2008) at ∼ 500 m depth. At this point the compactional shear zone would have been locally overprinted by brittle rupture, promoting the development of a shear fault and dilational Riedel fractures during repeating phases of increased magma ascent rate, enhancing anisotropic permeability that channels fluid flow into and along the conduit margin. In contrast, we interpret the central shear zone as a shallow, late-stage dilational structure, which partially tore the core of the spine, leaving a slight permanent displacement. We explore constraints from monitored seismicity and stick-slip behaviour to evaluate the rheological controls, which accompanied the shift from compactional toward dilational shear as magma approached the surface, and discuss their importance in controlling the permeability development of magma evolving from overall ductile to increasingly brittle behaviour during ascent and eruption.

The late Holocene Nealtican lava-flow field, Popocatépetl volcano, central Mexico: Emplacement dynamics and future hazards

Abstract Popocatépetl, one of the most hazardous volcanoes worldwide, poses significant threats for nearby populations in central Mexico. Therefore, it is important to reconstruct its eruptive history, including estimates of lava-flow emplacement times and their rheological properties. These studies define possible future eruptive scenarios and are necessary to mitigate the risk. Stratigraphic studies of the cal 350–50 B.C. Lorenzo Plinian pumice sequence indicate that effusive activity (Nealtican lava-flow field) occurred shortly after explosive activity, reflecting drastic changes in the eruptive dynamics. It was likely due to the efficient degassing of the magma during the Plinian phase and a decrease of magma ascent and decompression rates. Magma mixing, fractional crystallization, and a minor crust assimilation are the processes controlling the differentiation of the Nealtican lavas. We used lava chemical and mineralogical composition to estimate lava-flow viscosities, and used high-resolution elevation data to estimate emplacement times. Results indicate that lava viscosities of andesites and dacites ranged from 109 to 1012 Pa·s and emplacement durations were between ~1 and ~29 years, depending on the flow unit and morphological method employed. Considering the entire volume of emitted lava (4.2 km3) and a mean output rate of ~1 m3/s to ~15 m3/s, we estimated that the effusive phase that produced the Nealtican lava-flow field may have lasted ~35 years. This eruption had a considerable impact on pre-Hispanic settlements around the volcano, whose population exodus and relocation probably contributed to the rise of important cities in central Mexico, such as Teotihuacán and Cholula.

Diffusion rates of hydrogen defect species associated with site-specific infrared spectral bands in natural olivine

We investigated hydrogen transport in naturally occurring, iron-bearing samples of San Carlos olivine that were hydrogenated at confining pressures of 200 or 300 MPa and 1173 to 1303 K or dehydrogenated at room pressure and 1191 to 1358 K. Chemical diffusion coefficients were determined from diffusion profiles for individual O-H-stretching bands from series of infrared spectra in orthogonal directions across each sample. Within experimental uncertainty, the diffusivities associated with all the individual bands are in good agreement with one another in both the hydrogenation and the dehydrogenation experiments. Hydrogenation proceeds by two diffusion mechanisms, as reported previously. The faster process involves interstitial diffusion of protons coupled with a counter-flux of polarons, with proton diffusion rate-limiting hydrogenation. For this mechanism, diffusion is faster along the olivine [100] direction than along [010] and [001], consistent with the anisotropy reported for proton diffusion and conductivity in olivine. The slower process involves interstitial proton diffusion coupled with a parallel flux of metal vacancies, with vacancy diffusion rate-limiting hydrogenation. For this mechanism, diffusion is faster along [001] than along [100] and [010], consistent with the anisotropy previously reported for the diffusion of metal cations in olivine. Diffusivities from our new dehydrogenation experiments are identical in both magnitude and anisotropy to those determined in our earlier hydrogenation experiments. This agreement demonstrates the validity of studies that used the results of our hydrogenation experiments to analyze dehydrogenation profiles in olivine xenocrysts and olivine in mantle xenoliths to determine rates of magma ascent from the source regions in Earth's interior.

Syn-Eruptive Conditions of the AD 1530 Sub-Plinian Eruption of La Soufrière of Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles)

A prerequisite in refining volcanic hazard at explosive volcanoes is a better quantification of the timescales of the syn-eruptive processes, such as magma degassing and crystallization prior to eruption. To this aim, new data on the matrices (microlites, residual glasses, and bubbles) of pumice, scoria, and dense clasts erupted during the AD 1530 andesitic eruption of La Soufrière of Guadeloupe are combined with published data from phase-equilibrium and kinetic experiments, in order to estimate pressures of microlite crystallization and magma ascent rates. From the timescale data, we infer that the AD 1530 eruption started with phreatomagmatic explosions tapping magmas that ascended during about 1 month (decompression rate of ∼50 Pa/s) from the coldest parts of the reservoir (∼825°C and a 74 wt% SiO2 melt). These magmas continuously crystallized microlites (∼25 vol% plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, magnetite, quartz, and apatite), but did not outgas likely due to sealed conduit margins. The flank collapse (preexisting “cold” edifice) that followed the phreatomagmatic phase triggered a sub-Plinian eruption that progressively tapped the hotter main reservoir (∼875°C and 71 wt% SiO2 interstitial melt), emitting banded and homogeneous pumice. The banded pumice did not significantly outgas and mostly lack decompression-induced microlites, suggesting short ascent durations of the order of 0.5–1 day (decompression rates of 1,400–4,000 Pa/s). The following Strombolian phase emitted dark scoria that did not significantly outgas and only crystallized rare microlites, suggesting ascent duration of the order of 2 days (decompression rates of ∼550 Pa/s). The terminal lava dome growth involved fully outgassed magmas ascended during more than 1 month, giving time for microlite crystallization (∼40 vol% plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, magnetite, and cristobalite). The detection of any shallow new magmatic intrusion is crucial, since it can trigger a sequence of conduit processes leading to an eruption marked by a succession of different and disastrous eruptive styles, following a scenario similar to the AD 1530 eruption. Overall, we provide a combined approach of petrological, geochemical, and experimental data that may be used to infer ascent conditions and rates at other volcanic systems.

The roles of microlites and phenocrysts during degassing of silicic magma

Silicic magmas span a wide range of eruptive styles between explosive and effusive, and transitions between these styles are commonplace. Yet the triggers of switches in eruptive style remain poorly understood. Eruptions are mostly driven by degassing of magmatic water and their eruption style - effusive or explosive - is likely governed by the efficiency of outgassing as well as magma ascent rate. Microlites and phenocrysts are often purported to promote heterogeneous bubble nucleation and outgassing, both key variables in the degassing dynamics that become crucial in controlling the eruptive style. Here, in order to shed light on the role of nature, size and abundance of crystals on degassing of silicic magma, we experimentally investigate (heating-induced) vesiculation in a multiphase (microlite- and phenocryst-bearing), low-water content, and bubble-free, natural rhyolite. The experiments were conducted at magmatic temperature (∼900-1100°C) and atmospheric pressure in an optical dilatometer. Our results indicate that microlites exert a large influence on bubble nucleation while the effect of phenocrysts is subordinate. Amongst the microlite phases, bubbles nucleate more easily on Fe-Ti oxides than other mineral phases. Bubble coalescence and connectivity are, in contrast, enhanced by the phenocrysts, more than microlites, in low-crystallinity magma. Comparing the bubble textures of the post-experimental samples with those produced in a phenocryst-free and microlite-poor silicic magma, we observe that the phenocryst- and microlite-bearing magma exhibits significantly more bubble coalescence and connectivity, as well as higher bubble number densities. These findings help to constrain the roles that pre- and syn-eruptive crystalline phases may play in degassing processes during ascent of silicic magma.

Magmatic epidote in Archean granitoids of the Carajás Province, Amazonian craton, and its stability during magma rise and emplacement

In the Rio Maria and Sapucaia Domains of the Carajás Province, during the Mesoarchean, tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) series (2.98–2.92 Ga; Colorado Trondhjemite) and sanukitoid rocks (∼2.87 Ga; Rio Maria Suite of Ourilândia do Norte) were formed. They were followed, in the Neoarchean (2.75–2.73 Ga), by numerous stocks of granitoids similar to A-type granites (Vila Jussara Suite). Despite the compositional differences between these granitoids, epidote is a mineral phase common to all of them, with pistacite contents of 26–29 mol% in TTGs, 22–33 mol% in sanukitoids and 25–30 mol% in Neoarchean granitoids. The study of the dissolution kinetics of Archean epidotes of the Carajás Province reveals that the partial dissolution time of their crystals was ∼4–10 years, with corresponding magma ascent rates of 4–8 km/year. Magma viscosities at liquidus temperature were estimated at 105.3 Pa s for TTG magma and 102.5 Pa s for sanukitoid magma, whereas monzogranitic magmas of the Vila Jussara Suite exhibited a viscosity of 104.4 Pa s. In contrast, the viscosity of tonalitic magma of the Vila Jussara Suite was 103.5 Pa s. The preservation of magmatic epidote in Archean granitoids requires that the plutons grew in an incremental way, similar to their Phanerozoic counterparts, with the stacking of small sill-dykes of about 100 m thickness each intruded in a rather cold crust, allowing fast cooling rates so as to prevent complete dissolution of epidote at the final emplacement level.

Out-of-sequence skeletal growth causing oscillatory zoning in arc olivines

Primitive olivines from the monogenetic cones Los Hornitos, Central-South Andes, preserve dendritic, skeletal, and polyhedral growth textures. Consecutive stages of textural maturation occur along compositional gradients where high Fo–Ni cores of polyhedral olivines (Fo92.5, Ni ~3500 ppm) contrast with the composition of dendritic olivines (Fo < 91.5, Ni < 3000 ppm), indicating sequential nucleation. Here we present a new growth model for oscillatory Fo–Ni olivine zoning that contrasts with the standard interpretation of continuous, sequential core-to-rim growth. Olivine grows rapidly via concentric addition of open-structured crystal frames, leaving behind compositional boundary layers that subsequently fill-in with Fo–Ni-depleted olivine, causing reversals. Elemental diffusion modeling reveals growth of individual crystal frames and eruption at the surface occurred over 3.5–40 days. Those timescales constrain magma ascent rates of 40–500 m/h (0.011 to 0.14 m/s) from the deep crust. Compared to ocean island basalts, where dendritic and skeletal olivines have been often described, magmas erupted at arc settings, experiencing storage and degassing, may lack such textures due to fundamentally different ascent histories.

How to turn off a lava lake? A petrological investigation of the 2018 intra-caldera and submarine eruptions of Ambrym volcano

In December 2018, an unusually large intra- and extra-caldera eruption took place at Ambrym volcano (Vanuatu). The eruption drained the volcano’s five active lava lakes and terminated, at least momentarily, the surface activity that had been ongoing for decades to hundreds of years, sustaining the largest recorded persistent degassing on the planet. Here, we investigate the mechanisms and dynamics of this major eruption. We use major elements and volatiles in olivine and clinopyroxene-hosted melt inclusions, embayments, crystals and matrix glasses together with clinopyroxene geobarometry as well as olivine and clinopyroxene geothermometry and diffusion modelling in crystals and embayments to reconstruct the chronology and timing of the subsurface processes that accompanied the eruption. We find that the eruption began with the meeting, mingling and limited chemical mixing of mostly two magma bodies occupying similar vertical but different horizontal locations in the crust, one corresponding to the main plumbing system at Ambrym that fed the lava lakes and the other corresponding to an older, previously cutoff and more chemically evolved branch of the plumbing system. Within the primitive magma, two texturally distinct components—one microlite rich and one microlite poor—can further be identified. The 2018 eruption hence provides a detailed image of Ambrym’s complex plumbing system. Our diffusion timescales and geobarometric estimates coincide closely with geophysical observations. They point to a reconnection of the evolved magmatic branch with the main system occurring less than 10 h prior to the intra-caldera eruption and a period of 2 days for the subsequent > 30-km lateral magma transport along a deeper dike prior to submarine eruption just off the SE coast of the island with the more primitive magma reaching first followed by mingled magma containing both compositions. Magma ascent rates are estimated at 95 ± 24 m/s in the last ~ 2.5 km of ascent during the intra-caldera eruption and at 80 ± 6 m/s in the last ~ 4 km of ascent during the submarine eruption. Comparison with other lava lake draining eruptions reveals striking similarities both in terms of precursory activity, with lake level rising prior to the eruption in all cases, and in terms of plumbing system organization with the presence of peripheral magma pockets, isolated from the main magmatic system but that can be mobilized and erupted when met by dikes propagating laterally from the main system.

Paroxysms at Stromboli Volcano (Italy): Source, Genesis and Dynamics

Deciphering the triggering mechanisms of violent explosive activity is of broad interest for understanding the dynamics of basaltic open-vent volcanic systems. For nearly 1300 years Stromboli has been renowned not only for its continuous degassing activity and mild explosions at the summit craters, but also for short-lived, violent explosive events of variable scale, known as major explosions and paroxysms. Here, we focus on the 1456 and 1930 paroxysms and on the most recent events, in July and August 2019 at Stromboli. We show that shallow phenomena such as flank collapse, lava outpouring through fractures opening, or partial emptying of the shallow conduit, only speed up volatile-rich magma ascent by increasing the decompression rate, whereas pressurization of the crustal system and the deep refilling by magma and its CO2-rich gas phase play a major role in triggering paroxysms. Moreover, we present new data on the geochemistry of the 2019 bulk pumice, along with a compilation of data from the literature, chemical profiles in olivine crystals, and the physical parameters of explosive eruptions of wide ranging magnitude and intensity. For small and large paroxysms, timescales were derived from Fe–Mg diffusion profiles in olivine. In both types of explosion, the last phases of crystallization-diffusion indicate rapid magma ascent rates of two to ten days prior to eruption. Trace element concentrations (Nb, La and Ba) and ratios (Rb/Th) indicate that the 2019 pumice samples plot in the domain of magma batches erupted within the last 20 years at Stromboli. As a whole, there is no correlation between magma geochemistry and magnitude or intensity of explosive eruptions, which span a range of ∼3 orders of magnitude (from major explosions to large paroxysms) based on estimates of erupted tephra volumes. In contrast, olivine compositions are a good proxy for erupted tephra volumes and magma flux. The correlation among physical and chemical parameters, which is valid for the overall spectrum of eruptions, implies that the magmatic source ultimately controls eruptive dynamics.

A combined geophysical and lithological study on eruptive history and Quaternary lacustrine stratigraphy of a maar in Leizhou Peninsula, China

As the second common type of volcanic vent on Earth, maar-diatreme volcanoes and their post-eruptive lacustrine sediments are a main focus of volcanology, palaeolimnology, palaeoclimatology and palaeontology. A number of maar-type volcanoes have been found in Leizhou Peninsula, South China, but little is known about their eruption processes and detailed stratigraphy of the post-eruptive sediments. We present a combined geophysical and geological analysis to study the eruptive history and post-eruptive sediment stratigraphy of a large maar, the elliptical (1.8 × 3.0 km2) Jiudouyang (JDY) maar. The lacustrine stratigraphy revealed by drilling cores shows that the JDY maar lake has three major stages of evolution: (i) deep-lake sedimentary environment characterized by high autochthonous diatom productivity; (ii) shallow lake to swamp with very low water levels, characterized by a high total organic carbon (TOC) and abundant wood fragments; and, (iii) intermittent shallow lake and alluvial deposits composed of clay minerals and sand. The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) values and lithological features are highly consistent, which clearly reveal the presence of ca. 50 m thick lacustrine sediments, directly underlain by a ca. 70 m thick basaltic lava rather than diatreme breccia in the crater. This infill sequence implies an alternation of eruption style from phreatomagmatic to Strombolian and/or lava flow, due to high magma flux and ascent rate of the Hainan Plume during the middle Pleistocene. The ERT data also reveal the initial phreatomagmatic crater floor at ca. 120 m depth. The initial crater had a large diameter/depth ratio (ca. 17), with an elongated shape (major axis to minor axis = 0.6), implying possible lateral vent migration during the eruption. A significant erosion under tropical weathering condition during the last few hundred thousand years, accounted for the large size of the maar crater. The study provides insights into the eruptive history and post-eruptive evolution of a large maar, as well as the spatial distribution of the lacustrine sediments.