Phreatoplinian Eruptions Research Articles

Evolution of a large-scale phreatoplinian eruption: Constraints from the 40 ka caldera-forming eruption of Kutcharo volcano, eastern Hokkaido, Japan

“Phreatoplinian” is an explosive phreatomagmatic eruption style that is defined by the fragmentation of magma and widespread dispersal of the resulting fine ash and accretionary lapilli. These eruptions pose significant future risks at caldera volcanoes that host lakes and abundant groundwater. There have been no direct observations of a phreatoplinian eruption, therefore, constraining the detailed mechanisms and sequences of such events relies on studying the deposits of previous eruptions. In order to advance our understanding of these hazardous phenomena we conducted a case study of the 40 ka caldera-forming eruption (Kp I) from Kutcharo volcano in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We subdivided Kp I eruption deposits into 7 units (Units 1 to 7 in ascending order). Units 1 to 6 are air fall deposits consisting of alternating thin pumice and thick silty ash layers with abundant spherical accretionary lapilli. Stratigraphically higher ash fall units are thicker, finer in grain-size, and more widely distributed. The maximum eruption column height and mass-discharge rate were calculated to be 40 km and 1.4 × 109 kg/s, respectively. Unit 7 is a climactic ignimbrite (76 km3), which is distributed widely over the area north of Kutcharo caldera.Unit 6 is the largest air fall unit and can be considered to have been deposited by a phreatoplinian eruption, given its abundant accretionary lapilli, wide dispersion, and high degree of fragmentation. Unit 6 had the highest mass discharge rate (1.4 × 109 kg/s), suggesting the interaction between magma and external water was most intense, and it is thought that a large eruption column covered eastern Hokkaido. In addition, Kp I eruption deposits commonly contain glass shards derived from fragmentation via both magma degassing and Molten Fuel Coolant Interaction (MFCI). To account for this observation, we infer that the conduit penetrated a large aquifer, and the margin of the ascending magma came into contact with this external water source. Due to repeated caldera-forming eruptions, intra-caldera filled deposits (hosting a large aquifer) likely played a key role in supplying external caldera lake water to a level near the fragmentation depth of H2O-saturated felsic magma. The occurrence of these intra-caldera conduit and caldera-lake systems may provide the required conditions for phreatoplinian eruptions at continental arc caldera volcanoes in Japan and globally.

Eruption Sequence of 40 ka Caldera-forming Eruption (Kp I) from Kutcharo Volcano, Eastern Hokkaido, Japan: Generation Processes of Large-scale Phreatoplinian Eruption

Eruption Sequence of 40 ka Caldera-forming Eruption (Kp I) from Kutcharo Volcano, Eastern Hokkaido, Japan: Generation Processes of Large-scale Phreatoplinian Eruption

A Miocene Phreatoplinian eruption in the North-Eastern Pannonian Basin, Hungary: The Jató Member

A Middle Miocene, ~8 m thick pyroclastic succession, reported from the Bükk Foreland Volcanic Area (BFVA) in Northern Hungary (Central Europe) specified here as the Jató Member, was produced by silicic phreatomagmatism (Phreatoplinian sensu lato). Two well-preserved outcrops ~8 km apart and inferred to be within ~10–50 km from source represent the discontinuously exposed, layered, paleosol-bounded, phreatomagmatic Jató Member. They show an identical phenocrystal assemblage of feldspar, biotite and amphibole without weathered zones or signs of erosion, that suggest deposition in one eruption phase lasting hours to months. The succession contains three subunits: 1) subunit A, 1.8 m thick, a series of well-sorted fine to coarse ash or lapilli tuff layers with constant thickness; 2) subunit B, 2.1 m thick, a series of normal-graded layers with an upper fine-grained zone containing abundant ash aggregates with a coarser-grained core and distinctively finer-grained outer rim; 3) subunit C, 4.5 m thick, a massive, poorly to well-sorted coarse ash with gas escape structures and ash aggregates at its base. The upward change of these lithofacies implies an initially sustained dry fallout-dominated deposition of ash and pumice lapilli resulting in subunit A. Subsequently, multiple wet and dilute Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs) dispersed subunits B and C. The general abundance of PDC-related ash aggregates in the middle-upper part of the succession (particularly in subunit B), and the transformation of a fall-dominated to a collapsing depositional regime producing wet dilute PDCs, imply the increasing influence of water during the eruption (Phreatoplinian sensu lato). The presence of water is related to an epicontinental sea during Middle to Late Miocene in the Carpatho-Pannonian region. The transition from an initial dry magmatic phase generated fallout activity followed by the emplacement of wet PDCs' rich in ash aggregates, when external water infiltrated from a surrounding lake or sea water entered the vent.

The nature and origin of magnetic anomalies over the Gölcük caldera; Isparta; South-Western Turkey

For the first time; ground magnetic survey was performed which data were inverted by means of total horizontal derivative; horizontal gradient analytic signal; and hyperbolic tilt angle techniques to identify subsurface volcanic structures around Isparta city (South-Western Turkey). Here; Golcuk volcanism took place at the apex of the Isparta Angle at the intersection of the Lycian and Antalya nappes. It initiated between 4.0—4.7 my ago mainly as lava extrusions and ended with phreatoplinian eruptions during Quaternary time. The study area is covered by authochtonous and allochthonous units that are intruded by Pliocene and Quaternary Golcuk volcanics and also overlain by pyroclastic fall and flow deposits. The boundaries were revealed for the buried volcanic structure from the edge detection methods. The geometry of the trachytic dome southwestern of the Golcuk Lake and its downward continuation were studied by 2D modelling with the control of the power spectrum depth results applied to the focused anomaly. The azimuthally-averaged logarithmic power spectra plot indicates that the downward continuation of source depth of the trachytic dome reaches up to 850 m. The forward inversion results indicate that the horizontal size of the model for this trachytic dome is 1250 m beneath the surface while it’s surface extension is only about 400 m.

Distinguishing styles of explosive eruptions at Erebus, Redoubt and Taupo volcanoes using multivariate analysis of ash morphometrics

The style and dynamics of volcanic eruptions control the level and type of hazards posed for local populations and can have a temporary long-range impact on climate if eruptions are extremely energetic. The purpose of this study is to provide a statistical approach to ash morphometrics in order to provide a means by which to evaluate diverse eruption styles and mechanisms of fragmentation. The methodology presented can be applied to tephra deposits worldwide and may aid volcanic hazard mitigation by better defining a volcano's history of explosive behavior.Ash-sized grains were collected from tephra deposits on Mount Erebus, Antarctica (<10ka, phonolitic unit SC4), Mount Redoubt, Alaska (2009, andesitic events 2–4 & 9–18), and the Taupo volcano, New Zealand (1.8ka, rhyolitic unit 3D). Coarse ash from each deposit was carefully hand-sieved to ~1mm diameter and display diverse morphologies that vary from grains that are moderately vesicular and more rectangular (blocky) to highly vesiculated (spongy) grains that vary from angular to sub-rounded. A total of 264 grains were imaged by scanning electron microscopy. Morphometric properties were determined using image processing software and then evaluated by several statistical methods.Discriminant analysis of all parameters was found to be the best at differentiating the tephra deposits and allowing for interpretation of eruptive styles in conjunction with field observations. A linear array of data forming a positive slope in factor space, which explains >99% of the total data variance, is interpreted to represent a continuum between fragmentations involving water-magma interaction (“wet”) to grains that were formed predominately by magmatic (“dry”) fragmentation mechanisms. The Taupo Hatepe ash, which was deposited from a phreatoplinian eruption column, has the highest factor values in the array, which signifies, in part, more rectangular/blocky morphologies with smooth grain edges. Factor values for the 2009 Redoubt eruption (events 2–4) are nearly as high as Hatepe ash and based on this we suggest that it was produced, in part, by phreatomagmatic fragmentation. This is supported by field observations that document melting and eruption through glacial ice during the early phases of the 2009 activity. Redoubt ash grains from later stages of the same eruption (events 9–18) show a significant shift to lower values in factor space (more irregular/vesiculated grains) and are interpreted to be a consequence of ‘dryer’ conditions. Coarse ash data from Mount Erebus are completely separated from Taupo and Redoubt grains in factor space due primarily to the difference in mean gray value, which is a proxy for vesicle density and size. The vesicle characteristics (larger and deeper) are consistent with documented strombolian-style activity and the scatter in grain shape data support fragmentation by a mixture of wet and dry processes as has previously been proposed based on deposit characteristics and resemblance to tephra produced by current activity.

Volcanological study of the middle Miocene Okiduse Volcanic Group, Woodlark Island (Muyuw), eastern Papua

ABSTRACTWoodlark Island (Muyuw) is located in a tectonically complex region, one of the few places on Earth where continental breakup is occurring ahead of seafloor spreading. Rifting commenced in the late Miocene (8.8–6 Ma) and is associated with the westward-propagating Woodlark Basin Spreading Centre. The island comprises approximately 850 km2 of raised Pleistocene coral reef and associated sediments with a central, moderately elevated range underlain by the middle Miocene calc-alkaline to shoshonitic Okiduse Volcanic Group (new name). It provides an exposure of upper Cenozoic geology in close proximity to the spreading centre. The Okiduse Volcanic Group is host to most of the island's historical gold and silver production and recently defined mineral resources totalling 1.75 Moz gold. This study uses facies analysis of pyroclastic deposits to develop a detailed geological map of the Okiduse Volcanic Group, with a revision and reinterpretation of the unit. Facies associations suggest that two major volcanic centres erupted synchronously during the middle Miocene (14–12 Ma), referred to as the Watou Mountain Eruptive Centre (new name) and the Uvarakoi Caldera (new name). The mafic–intermediate Watou Mountain Eruptive Centre formed during frequent small eruptions of widely varying style. Strombolian, subplinian, vulcanian and dome-related explosive eruptions occurred, alternating with extrusion of block and ash flow deposits and lava domes. Pyroclastic deposits were rapidly reworked from the steep cone, and were redeposited in a series of coalescing aprons surrounding the volcano. The felsic Uvarakoi Caldera formed during a series of violent explosive eruptions by rapid removal of magma from the underlying chamber, followed by collapse. Plinian and possibly phreatoplinian eruptions, as a result of magma–water mixing in the surface environment, resulted in widely dispersed, highly fragmented tuff deposits. The caldera was modified by widespread erosion following eruptions, resulting in fluvial, laharic and slope-wash deposits. This study highlights lithological controls (porosity and permeability) by various units within the Okiduse Volcanic Group on ore deposition.

Relationship between eruptive style and vesicularity of juvenile clasts during eruptive episode A of Towada Volcano, Northeast Japan

It has been reported that juvenile pumice lapilli found in plinian eruptions have high vesicularity, while those found in phreatoplinian eruptions have low vesicularity. However, juvenile glass shards from phreatoplinian eruptions consist of large, expanded bubbles such as bubble wall-type glass. These glass shards seem to possess high vesicularity, unlike the pumice lapilli. This study examines the factors causing this difference, especially focusing on the temporal variations in the vesicularity of the juvenile pyroclasts from eruptive episode A of Towada Volcano, Northeast Japan. This examination was conducted through four analyses: density measurements of pumice lapilli, thin section texture classification of pumice lapilli, classification of glass shards, and surface texture classification of pumice lapilli. Further, pumice lapilli from plinian eruptions have a low density, and those from phreatoplinian eruptions are characterized by high density. The density of the pumice lapilli depends on the eruption style and is hence determined after the eruption. A progressive increase in the amount of large bubbles is observed in glass shards ejected during an eruptive magmatic to phreatomagmatic sequence. Because it does not hinge on the eruptive style, it is assumed that the vesicularity of the glass shards is kept from the conduit before contact with water, especially on fragmentation by magma vesiculation in the conduit. The surfaces of the pumice lapilli show a similar increase in vesicularity with time as glass shards. However, this increase is not successive throughout, but decreases temporarily at the phreatomagmatic stage of the eruption, as in the case of density. This indicates that the successive bubble growth continues within the pumice, and additional vesiculation is superposed when the magmatic eruption comes into contact with water. Because of this, different juvenile clasts exhibit different vesicularities upon cooling. Interestingly, magma vesicularity increases before coming into contact with water, i.e., before transitioning to the phreatomagmatic stage. In fact, the magma–water ratio aside, this might be an important factor causing phreatomagmatic eruptions.

Eruptive origins of a lacustrine pyroclastic succession: insights from the middle Huka Falls Formation, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

Current and ancestral lakes within the central Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) provide depocentres for pyroclastic deposits, providing a reliable record of eruption history. These lakes can also be the source of explosive eruptions that directly feed pyroclast-rich density currents. The lithofacies characteristics of pyroclastic deposits allow discrimination between eruption-fed and resedimented facies. The most frequently recognised styles of subaqueous eruptions in the TVZ are shallow-water phreatomagmatic and phreatoplinian eruptions that form subaerial eruption columns. However, deeper source conditions (>150 m water depth) could generate subaqueous explosive eruptions that feed water-supported pyroclast-rich density currents, similar to neptunian eruptions. Such deep-water eruptions have not previously been recognised in the TVZ. Here we study a subsurface deposit, the middle Huka Falls Formation (MHFF), in the Wairakei–Tauhara Geothermal Fields (Wairakei–Tauhara), TVZ, which we interpret to be the product of a relatively deep-water pyroclastic eruption (150–250 m). The largely subsurface Huka Falls Formation records past sedimentary and volcaniclastic deposition in ancient Lake Huka. Deposits examined from eight drill cores reveal a lithic-rich lower unit, a middle volumetrically dominant pumice lapilli-tuff and an upper thinly bedded suspension-settled tuff unit. A coarse lithic lapilli-tuff within the lower unit is locally thick and coarse near well THM12, suggesting proximity to a source located beneath Lake Huka. This research provides an understanding of the origin of the MHFF deposit and offers insights for evaluating and interpreting the diversity of subaqueous volcanic lake deposits elsewhere.

철원분지 동막골응회암의 분출유형과 분출과정

동막골응회암은 대부분 화쇄류암으로 구성되지만 입도와 퇴적구조에 따라 암상을 분류하면 (1) 괴상응회각력암, (2) 용결 응회암 및 라필리응회암, (3) 유변상 응회암 및 라필리응회암이 있고 (4) 괴상 라필리응회암, (5) 성층화 라필리응회암, (6) 점이층리 라필리응회암, (7) 불량층리 라필리응회암과 (8) 괴상 세립질 응회암이 있다. 이 암상들은 상하로 3개 화성쇄설암군으로 구별하여 조합할 수 있다. 하부 화성쇄설암군(LI)은 괴상 라필리응회암, 용결 응회암 및 라필리응회암과 유변상 응회암 및 라필리응회암으로 조합되며, 화쇄류형성 분출로부터 끓어넘침 분출에 의한 화쇄류로부터 정치된 것이다. 중부 화성쇄설암군(LT+MI)은 하부에 성층화 라필리응회암, 점이층리 라필리응회암, 괴상 라필리응회암과 이들에 조합된 괴상 세립질 응회암으로 구성되고 중 상부에 괴상 라필리응회암, 용결 응회암 및 라필리응회암과 유변상 응회암 및 라필리응회암으로 조합된다. 이들은 외부물의 소량 유입으로 수증기마그마성 분출에 의한 화쇄써지로 시작하여 끓어넘침 분출의 화쇄류로 전환된 것이다. 상부 화성쇄설암군(lUT+uUT+UI)은 최하부에 성층화 라필리응회암, 점이층리 라필리응회암으로 조합되고, 하부에 괴상 응회각력암, 불량층리 라필리응회암, 괴상 라필리응회암과 괴상 세립질 응회암으로 조합되며 중 상부에 괴상 라필리응회암, 용결 응회암 및 라필리응회암으로 조합되며, 이들은 수증기플리니언 분출에 의한 써지로 시작해서 플리니언 분출에 의한 강하를 거쳐 끓어넘침 분출로 전환되어 화쇄류로부터 퇴적된 것이다. 결론적으로 동막골응회암에서 분출과정은 대체로 전 중 후기 화산작용이 단계별로 수증기플리니언 혹은 플리니언 분출로 시작하여 화쇄류형성 분출로 전환되고 끓어넘침 분출로 진행되는 순서를 밟았다. 그러나 전기 화산작용은 아마도 초엽의 수증기플리니언 혹은 플리니언 분출 없이 진행되었다. The Dongmakgol Tuff is divided into 8 lithofacies based on their grain size and depositional structures: massive tuff breccia(TBm), welded tuff and lapilli tuff(LTw), rheomorphic tuff and lapilli tuff(LTr), massive lapilli tuff(LTm), stratified lapilli tuff(LTs), gradedly bedded lapilli tuff(LTg), crudely bedded lapilli tuff(LTb) and massive fine tuff(Tm). They can be divided into 3 pyroclastic rock group based on their constituents of the lithofacies. The lower group(LI) is composed of LTm, LTw and LTr, which are interpreted to have resulted from emplacement of voluminous pyroclastic flows due to ignimbrite-form eruption to boiling-over eruption. The middle group(LT+MI) consists of LTs, LTg and LTm associated with Tm in the lower part, and of LTm, LTw and LTr in the middle and upper parts; these suggest that started with deposition of pyroclastic surges from phreatoplinian eruption by poor eternal water, passed through emplacement of pyroclastic flows from ignimbrite-form eruption and ended with deposition of voluminous pyroclastic flows from boiling-over eruption. The upper group(lUT+uUT+UI) is composed of LTs, LTg and Tm in the lowermost, TBm, LTb, LTb and Tm in the lower part, and LTm and LTw in the middle and upper part, suggesting that began with deposition of surges from phreatoplinian eruption, passed through deposition of pumice- and ash-fallouts from plinian eruption and transformed into emplacement of pyroclastic flows due to boiling-over eruption. As result, eruptive processes in the Dongmakgol Tuff approximately began with phreatoplinian or/and plinian eruption, transformed into ignimbrite-forming eruption and proceeded into boiling-over eruption in each volcanism, but proceeded presumably without phreatoplinian or plinian eruption in the earlier stage of 1st volcanism.

Erosional characteristics and behavior of large pyroclastic density currents

Research Article| November 01, 2012 Erosional characteristics and behavior of large pyroclastic density currents Claudio Scarpati; Claudio Scarpati * Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy *E-mail: claudio.scarpati@unina.it. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Annamaria Perrotta Annamaria Perrotta Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Claudio Scarpati * Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy Annamaria Perrotta Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy *E-mail: claudio.scarpati@unina.it. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 06 Mar 2012 Revision Received: 08 Jun 2012 Accepted: 20 Jun 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2012 Geological Society of America Geology (2012) 40 (11): 1035–1038. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33380.1 Article history Received: 06 Mar 2012 Revision Received: 08 Jun 2012 Accepted: 20 Jun 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Claudio Scarpati, Annamaria Perrotta; Erosional characteristics and behavior of large pyroclastic density currents. Geology 2012;; 40 (11): 1035–1038. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33380.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Factors influencing the erosive behavior of large pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), both mainly massive and thinly stratified, are not well understood. To investigate the parameters influencing the erosive behavior of PDCs produced during the flowing phase of large, caldera-forming Plinian (Campanian Ignimbrite) and phreatoplinian (Neapolitan Yellow Tuff) eruptions, we use scoured fall deposits at the base of, or interstratified with, PDC deposits from the Campanian region of Italy. At several localities, we calculated the depth of PDC erosion by comparing the measured thickness of eroded remnants to reconstructed thickness at each site (estimated by isopach mapping), and recorded the (1) distance from vent, (2) elevation of the locality, and (3) paleoslopes. Furthermore, we have considered how these factors can be influenced by outcrop exposure. Depth of erosion correlates with distance from the vent in low-relief landscape, while across very rugged topography the only related parameter is elevation. The different erosive patterns appear to show how pyroclastic currents interact with the topography in the surrounding terrain. When a PDC crosses relatively flat surfaces, it decelerates away from the vent, decreasing its erosive capacity; but when moving through steep terrain, a PDC accelerates down the valley, increasing its erosive capacity. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

울릉도 부석 기질의 암석.광물학적 특성

Mineralogical and petrological characteristics were investigated on matrix of dense gray, vesiculate gray, brown and black pumice in Ulleung Island by using XRD, FT-IR, XRF, SEM and thermal analysis. According to the analysis, most of pumice matrix are amorphous and include very small amount of sanidine and anorthoclase. Since the adsorption moistures, which commonly observed as O-H peak in FT-IR spectrum, are not identified in thermal analysis, it seems reasonable to conclude that content of the adsorption moisture has very low level. Although pumice has a large specific surface area, with long time elapsed after eruption, pumice matrix shows very low degree of hydration alteration due to the low level of water content. In SEM images, most surfaces of pumice show morphological characteristics such as various shapes of vesicle with wrinkled and thin walls resulted from ductile coalescence. Dense gray pumice formed in the initial stage includes small vesicles less than in size with subangular to angular shapes, free of ovoid vesicle. These characteristics are interpreted to have related to the hydrous environment derived from phreato-plinian eruption. Submicron particles observed as amorphous alumina silicate assemblages in vesicle surface are considered as particles sticked to the matrix surface through rapidly cooling process during ascent of alkali phonolitic magma. It indicates that these particles coexisted partly with crystallized alkali feldspar.

A model for syn-eruptive groundwater flow during the phreatoplinian phase of the 28–29 March 1875 Askja volcano eruption, Iceland

We present a groundwater flow model that integrates geological observations, field data, effective permeabilities for fractured lava flows, and historical eyewitness records to explain the change from wet to dry explosive activity that occurred in March 1875 at Askja volcano, Iceland. This rhyodacite eruption is the third largest silicic explosive event in Iceland since settlement in this region (approximately 1140 B.P.). It was part of a larger volcano-tectonic episode that took place in the North Volcanic Zone from 1874 to 1876. This eruption is unique in that it features both abrupt and gradual shifts between wet and dry explosive activities. It consisted of an initial and sudden shift from dry subplinian to wet phreatoplinian activity followed by a gradual shift from wet phreatoplinian to increasingly dry pyroclastic density currents to a final dry Plinian phase. The Askja caldera overlaps the Öskjuvatn caldera and it is bounded by steep-sided hyaloclastic mountains on all sides. Its floor is filled by Holocene and historical lava flows which are intensely fractured. The source of water that fuelled the phreatoplinian activity is not obvious, as eyewitness records rule out snow, surface water, and heavy rainfall. Hence we use 3D numerical simulations of the syn-eruptive groundwater flow in the Askja caldera, including an accurate estimation of the effective permeabilities of fractured lava flows, to explain the possible changes in eruptive style. We propose that the water necessary to maintain the phreatoplinian phase was stored within the lava pile and that the rapid groundwater flow through the fractured lavas provided enough water to drive the hour-long phreatoplinian eruption. Our model describes how the decline of the groundwater table caused the progressive dry-out of the wet phase and led to the dry character of the following Plinian activity. This study demonstrates how the availability of groundwater and the geology of the volcanic edifice can strongly affect the eruptive style of a volcanic eruption.

Tephra dispersal and eruption dynamics of wet and dry phases of the 1875 eruption of Askja Volcano, Iceland

The 1875 rhyolitic eruption of Askja volcano in Iceland was a complex but well-documented silicic explosive eruption. Eyewitness chronologies, coupled with examination of very proximal exposures and historical records of distal deposit thickness, provide an unusual opportunity for study of Plinian and phreatoplinian eruption and plume dynamics. The ∼ 17 hour-long main eruption was characterized by abrupt and reversible shifts in eruption style, e.g., from ‘wet’ to ‘dry’ eruption conditions, and transitions from fall to flow activity. The main eruption began with a ‘dry’ subplinian phase (B), followed by a shift to a very powerful phreatoplinian ‘wet’ eruptive phase (C1). A shift from sustained ‘wet’ activity to the formation of ‘wet’ pyroclastic density currents followed with the C2 pyroclastic density currents, which became dryer with time. Severe ground shaking accompanied a migration in vent position and the onset of the intense ‘dry’ Plinian phase (D). Each of the fall units can be modeled using the segmented exponential thinning method (Bonadonna et al. 1998), and three to five segments have been recognized on a semilog plot of thickness vs. area1/2. The availability of very proximal and far-distal thickness data in addition to detailed observations taken during this eruption has enabled calculations of eruption parameters such as volumes, intensities and eruption column heights. This comprehensive dataset has been used here to assess the bias of volume calculations when proximal and distal data are missing, and to evaluate power-law and segmented exponential thinning methods using limited datasets.

The Masaya Triple Layer: A 2100 year old basaltic multi-episodic Plinian eruption from the Masaya Caldera Complex (Nicaragua)

The Masaya Caldera Complex has been the site of three highly explosive basaltic eruptions within the last six thousand years. A Plinian eruption ca. 2 ka ago formed the widespread deposits of the Masaya Triple Layer. We distinguish two facies within the Masaya Triple Layer from each other: La Concepción facies to the south and Managua facies to the northwest. These two facies were previously treated as two separated deposits (La Concepción Tephra and the Masaya Triple Layer of Pérez and Freundt, 2006) because of their distinct regional distribution and internal architectures. However, chemical compositions of bulk rock, matrix and inclusion glasses and mineral phases demonstrate that they are the product of a single basaltic magma batch. Additionally, a marker bed containing fluidal-shaped vesicular lapilli allowed us to make a plausible correlation between the two facies, also supported by consistent lateral changes in lithologic structure and composition, thickness and grain size. We distinguish 10 main subunits of the Masaya Triple Layer (I to X), with bulk volumes ranging between 0.02 and 0.22 km 3, adding up to 0.86 km 3 (0.4 km 3 DRE) for the entire deposit. Distal deposits identified in two cores drilled offshore Nicaragua, at a distance of ∼ 170 km from the Masaya Caldera Complex, increase the total tephra volume to 3.4 km 3 or ∼ 1.8 km 3 DRE of erupted basaltic magma. Isopleth data of five major fallout subunits indicate mass discharges of 10 6 to 10 8 kg/s and eruption columns of 21 to 32 km height, affected by wind speeds of < 2 m/s to ∼ 20 m/s which increased during the course of the multi-episodic eruption. Magmatic Plinian events alternated with phreatoplinian eruptions and phreatomagmatic explosions generating surges that typically preceded breaks in activity. While single eruptive episodes lasted for few hours, the entire eruption probable lasted weeks to months. This is indicated by changes in atmospheric conditions and ash-layer surfaces that had become modified during the breaks in activity. The Masaya Triple Layer has allowed to reconstruct in detail how a basaltic Plinian eruption develops in terms of duration, episodicity, and variable access of external water to the conduit, with implications for volcanic hazard assessment.

Pleistocene eruptive chronology of the Gölcük volcano, Isparta Angle, Turkey. Chronologie des épisodes volcaniques pléistocènes du volcan Gölcük, Angle d’Isparta, Turquie

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Isparta volcanic belongs to the post-collisional alkali-potassic to ultrapotassic magmatism active since the Miocene in this part of the Anatolian peninsula from Afyon to Isparta. In the so-called Isparta Angle (IA) the magmatism is contemporaneous with an extensional regime intiated during Late Miocene and active throughout the Pliocene and Quaternary. Previous K/Ar dating performed on lavas suggested that potassic-ultrapotassic magmatism occurred between 4.7 to 4 Ma. However, a more recent (Quaternary) activity of the Golcuk volcano is evidenced by the present-day morphology and field evidence although it remained undated and poorly studied so far. Field mapping and new radiometric data indicate that the main volcano-forming stages of the Golcuk volcano consist of three main eruptives cycles. (1) Cycle I, represented by more than 200m-thick pyroclastic flow deposits occasionally separated by paleosoils and corresponding to caldera-forming ignimbritic eruptions. (2) Cycle II, consisting of tephriphonolite lava dome-flows extruded throughout the caldera and currently found along the rim of the present crater. (3) Cycle III made up of tuff-ring deposits related to several phreatoplinian eruptions of a maar-type volcanic activity. This youngest cycle ends with trachytic domes protruding within the maar crater. Unspiked 40K/40Ar dating on mesostasis was performed on lavas (tephriphonolites and trachytic domes), and complemented by preliminary 40Ar/39Ar data on tephra deposits (sanidine). Our preliminary results show that the entire activity of Golcuk volcano took place during the Pleistocene and was disconnected from the older Pliocene volcanism. This volcanic activity can be considered as a new volcanic cycle, starting (Cycle I) around 200 ka with major explosive, regional-scale, events represented by at least six ignimbrites sheets. Cycle II occurred between 115 ± 3 ka to 62 ± 2 ka with probably some associated tephra deposits. Tuff-ring of Cycle III formed from 72.7 ± 4.7 ka to 24 ± 2 ka. The associated phreatoplinian eruptions have almost entirely destroyed the previously formed flow-dome. This latest activity corresponds to several volcanic crises as illustrated by the two domes protrusions separated by about 30 ka. The volcanic history of Golcuk ceased around 24 ka ± 2 ka, but the periodicity of eruptive events appears to be long and complex. Currently, the volcano is at rest, but there is no doubt that the Isparta town (more than 120 000 people) built on top of the most recent tephra falls is exposed to a major volcanic hazard in the future.

Phreatomagmatic and phreatic eruptions in locally extensive settings of Southern Central Andes: The Tocomar Volcanic Centre (24°10′S–66°34′W), Argentina

Two Pleistocene eruptions are studied, linked to an increment in the tectonic activity of an extensive system related to Calama–Olacapato–El Toro Fault (COT Fault). The first one, consisting of dense pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges interbedded with fall deposits, was caused by a phreatoplinian eruption. The second one, consisting of a succession of pyroclastic surges, derived from a phreatic eruption. Both eruption vents have been located in en echelon normal faults with an NNE trend, and conjugated to strike faults following an NNW trend. In both episodes pyroclastic deposits and ballistic blocks follow an E–SSE trend, the direction to which the fault planes and topographical slope lean. The obsidianic deposit filling the first eruption vent has the same trend and dip as the main fault plane and provides (preliminary) evidences of syntectonic emplacement. On the other hand, pyroclastic surge deposits linked to the second episode offer evidences of syndepositional faulting with listric growth faults. It is concluded that this local horizontal area linked to the COT fault was intensely active during the Pleistocene and triggered both eruptions.

Did Paleogene North Atlantic rift-related eruptions drive early Eocene climate cooling?

The delivery of volcanogenic sulphur into the upper atmosphere by explosive eruptions is known to cause significant temporary climate cooling. Therefore, phreatomagmatic and phreatoplinian eruptions occurring during the final rifting stages of active flood basalt provinces provide a potent mechanism for triggering climate change. During the early Eocene, the northeast Atlantic margin was subjected to repeated ashfall for 0.5 m.y. This was the result of extensive phreatomagmatic activity along 3000 km of the opening northeast Atlantic rift. These widespread, predominantly basaltic ashes are now preserved in marine sediments of the Balder Formation and its equivalents, and occur over an area extending from the Faroe Islands to Denmark and southern England. These ash-bearing sediments also contain pollen and spore floras derived from low diversity forests that grew in cooler, drier climates than were experienced either before or after these highly explosive eruptions. In addition, coeval plant macrofossil evidence from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, also shows a comparable pattern of vegetation change. The coincidence of the ashes and cooler climate pollen and spore floras in northwest Europe identifies volcanism as the primary cause of climate cooling. Estimates show that whilst relatively few phreatomagmatic eruptive centres along the 3000 km opening rift system could readily generate 0.5–1 °C cooling, on an annual basis, only persistent or repeated volcanic phases would have been able to achieve the long-term cooling effect observed in the floral record. We propose that the cumulative effect of repeated Balder Formation eruptions initiated a biodiversity crisis in the northeast Atlantic margin forests. Only the decline of this persistent volcanic activity, and the subsequent climatic warming at the start of the Eocene Thermal Maximum allowed the growth of subtropical forests to develop across the region.

The age of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera-forming eruption (Campi Flegrei caldera – Italy) assessed by 40Ar/ 39Ar dating method

The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) is the product of the largest known trachytic phreatoplinian eruption. It covered an area larger than 1000 km 2 with an estimated volume of about 40 km 3 of erupted magma. During the course of the eruption a caldera collapsed within the previously formed Campanian Ignimbrite caldera. The resulting nested structure strongly influenced the following volcanic activity in the Campi Flegrei caldera. As previous dating of the NYT does not converge toward a unique result, a new set of 40Ar/ 39Ar age determinations has been carried out to better constrain the age of the eruption. Two variants of the 40Ar/ 39Ar dating method were applied to determine the age of the NYT eruption: (1) single-crystal total fusion (SCTF), on an individual phenocryst of feldspar, and (2) laser incremental heating (LIH), on bulk aliquots of feldspar phenocrysts. The results of the SCTF analyses show that the overall sample weighted mean age, derived from the conventional age calculation, is 15.6±0.8 ka. A weighted mean of the isochron age is 15.3±1.2 ka (2σ), and has been assumed as the best indicator of age to be derived from the SCTF analyses. The LIH analyses results show that plateau ages vary from 15.4±0.5 to 14.5±0.5 ka. The overall weighted mean age of the isochron results is 14.9±0.4 ka (2σ). This result has been assumed as the reference age for the NYT eruption, and agrees with the SCTF age. The new age obtained for the NYT deposits is of great relevance for the understanding of the evolution and the present state of the Campi Flegrei caldera and collocates the NYT in a crucial stratigraphical position to date the climatic oscillations that occurred between the Late Glacial and the Holocene.

Large volume phreatomagmatic ignimbrites from the Colli Albani volcano (Middle Pleistocene, Italy)

In this paper we describe four large volume, ash- and accretionary lapilli-rich, phreatomagmatic compound ignimbrite units, mafic in composition, from Colli Albani volcano, south of Rome. The four units, that form the ‘Pisolitic Tuffs’ succession, are separated by paleosols and represent the earliest explosive large volume eruptive episodes from the Quaternary Alban Hills volcano. The occurrence of large volume phreatomagmatic–phreatoplinian eruptions implies the availability of large quantities of water interacting with the rising magma. The paleogeography of the area below the volcano has been reconstructed by the analysis of stratigraphic data from more than a thousand bore-holes distributed around the volcano that allowed to identify NW-trending and NE-trending paleotopographic lows that underlie the central area of the volcano and interpreted as extensional tectonic basins. These lows are filled with Lower to Middle Pleistocene, pre-volcanic lacustrine and fluvial deposits and suggest that at least the central part of the Colli Albani volcanic area hosted a large lake or lagoon. The absence of sedimentary xenoliths in the Pisolitic Tuffs and the low vesicularity of scoria and shards suggest that water interacted with a poorly fragmented magma at very shallow level, triggering the large explosivity of the eruptions. We suggest that water interacting with magma was mostly surficial water related to the presence of the lagoon or lake. In this environment, it is likely that vents were subaqueous allowing a continuous access of water to the conduit. Considering that the minimum calculated volume of products for the Pisolitic Tuffs succession is >37 km 3 and each eruption unit averages approximately around minimum volume of 10 km 3, we suggest that each eruption was related to a caldera collapse, which would have allowed the persistence of a Taupo-like lake in the central area and of phreatoplinian activity. After the last phreatomagmatic eruption, however, the fragmentation style of large volume ignimbrites from Colli Albani became magmatic, suggesting the extinction of the lake after that date. Each of the four units show a basal phreatoplinian fallout level, overlain by a complex association of low aspect ratio surge deposits and ignimbrites. Phreatomagmatic pyroclastic flow deposits are found at distances of more than 40 km from the central area of the volcano, and show important facies variation according to the paleotopography. To the west of the volcano, pyroclastic flows reached the Tyrrhenian coast and emplaced mostly stratified facies on a flat topography, interpreted to reflect both the spreading of pyroclastic flows on an unconfined topography and their interaction with lacustrine and lagoon areas. By contrast, to the east of the volcano, where pyroclastic flows were confined within paleovalleys, the main facies is thick and massive.

An extremely large magnitude eruption close to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary: reconstruction of eruptive style and history of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, central Japan

An extremely large magnitude eruption of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, close to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary, central Japan, spread volcanic materials widely more than 290,000km2 reaching more than 300km from the probable source. Characteristics of the distal air-fall ash (>150km away from the vent) and proximal pyroclastic deposits are clarified to constrain the eruptive style, history, and magnitude of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda eruption.Eruptive history had five phases. Phase 1 is phreatoplinian eruption producing >105km3 of volcanic materials. Phases 2 and 3 are plinian eruption and transition to pyroclastic flow. Plinian activity also occurred in phase 4, which ejected conspicuous obsidian fragments to the distal locations. In phase 5, collapse of eruption column triggered by phase 4, generated large pyroclastic flow in all directions and resulted in more than 250–350km3 of deposits. Thus, the total volume of this tephra amounts over 380–490km3. This indicates that the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra is greater than 7. The huge thickness of reworked volcaniclastic deposits overlying the fall units also attests to the tremendous volume of eruptive materials of this tephra.Numerous ancient tephra layers with large volume have been reported worldwide, but sources and eruptive history are often unknown and difficult to determine. Comparison of distal air-fall ashes with proximal pyroclastic deposits revealed eruption style, history and magnitude of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra. Hence, recognition of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, is useful for understanding the volcanic activity during the Pliocene to Pleistocene, is important as a boundary marker bed, and can be used to interpret the global environmental and climatic impact of large magnitude eruptions in the past.