Sensitivity to lunar cycles prior to the 2007 eruption of Ruapehu volcano.

Science.gov (United States)

Girona, Társilo; Huber, Christian; Caudron, Corentin

2018-01-24

A long-standing question in Earth Science is the extent to which seismic and volcanic activity can be regulated by tidal stresses, a repeatable and predictable external excitation induced by the Moon-Sun gravitational force. Fortnightly tides, a ~14-day amplitude modulation of the daily tidal stresses that is associated to lunar cycles, have been suggested to affect volcano dynamics. However, previous studies found contradictory results and remain mostly inconclusive. Here we study how fortnightly tides have affected Ruapehu volcano (New Zealand) from 2004 to 2016 by analysing the rolling correlation between lunar cycles and seismic amplitude recorded close to the crater. The long-term (~1-year) correlation is found to increase significantly (up to confidence level of 5-sigma) during the ~3 months preceding the 2007 phreatic eruption of Ruapehu, thus revealing that the volcano is sensitive to fortnightly tides when it is prone to explode. We show through a mechanistic model that the real-time monitoring of seismic sensitivity to lunar cycles may help to detect the clogging of active volcanic vents, and thus to better forecast phreatic volcanic eruptions.

Reconstruction of a Phreatic Explosion from Block Dispersion Modeling at King's Bowl, Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Kobs-Nawotniak, S. E.; Sears, D. W. G.; Hughes, S. S.; Borg, C.; Sears, H.; Skok, J. R.; Elphic, R. C.; Lim, D. S. S.; Heldmann, J. L.; Haberle, C. W.; Guy, H.; Kobayashi, L.; Garry, B.; Neish, C.; Kim, K. J.

2014-12-01

King's Bowl (KB), located in Idaho's eastern Snake River Plain, was formed by a phreatic blast through a mostly-congealed lava lake. Blocks up to ~2m diameter were ejected from the vent to form a ballistic ejecta blanket extending radially more than 100m. The blocks on the western side of the KB fissure are extraordinarily well exposed, as the fine fraction was blown eastward by ambient winds during the explosion. We present preliminary modeling results using the western ballistic blocks of KB to calculate the energy of the eruption, and the water volume necessary to create the blast. This work is presented in conjunction with two other 2014 AGU conference abstracts submitted by NASA SSERVI funded FINESSE (Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration) team members: Hughes et al., which introduces the geology of KB and Sears et al., which discusses field observation and data trends. Results of this research are extensible to steam-driven pits on other solar system bodies, including those observed on Mars, Phobos, Deimos, and the asteroids. Over 600 blocks ranging from .2 to 2m in diameter were mapped using differential GPS and measured for 3 axial lengths and vesicularity. Mass calculations were corrected using a scaling factor determined from measurements of 100 blocks at KB, coupled with targeted density measurements. The dispersed block trajectories were modeled using a fourth order Runge-Kutta solution of the equations of motion to calculate suites of possible ejection speeds and angles. The resulting characteristic vent velocities were used to calculate the kinetic energy necessary to evacuate the crater at KB; energy required for fragmentation is neglected at this time. Total mass in the kinetic energy calculations was calculated by two separate methods: 1) current volume expression of the KB crater and 2) an additive solution of the ejecta field as determined from radial transect surveys. From the kinetic energy we calculated the

The Build-Up to Eruptive Solar Events Viewed as the Development of Chiral Systems

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Martin, S. F.; Panasenco, O.; Berger, M. A.; Engvold, O.; Lin, Y.; Pevtsov, A. A.; Srivastava, N.

2012-12-01

When we examine the chirality or observed handedness of the chromospheric and coronal structures involved in the long-term build-up to eruptive events, we find that they evolve in very specific ways to form two and only two sets of large-scale chiral systems. Each system contains spatially separated components with both signs of chirality, the upper portion having negative (positive) chirality and the lower part possessing positive (negative) chirality. The components within a system are a filament channel (represented partially by sets of chromospheric fibrils), a filament (if present), a filament cavity, sometimes a sigmoid, and always an overlying arcade of coronal loops. When we view these components as parts of large-scale chiral systems, we more clearly see that it is not the individual components of chiral systems that erupt but rather it is the approximate upper parts of an entire evolving chiral system that erupts. We illustrate the typical pattern of build-up to eruptive solar events first without and then including the chirality in each stage of the build-up. We argue that a complete chiral system has one sign of handedness above the filament spine and the opposite handedness in the barbs and filament channel below the filament spine. If the spine has handedness, the observations favor its having the handedness of the filament cavity and coronal loops above. As the separate components of a chiral system form, we show that the system appears to maintain a balance of right-handed and left-handed features, thus preserving an initial near-zero net helicity. We further argue that the chiral systems allow us to identify key sites of energy transformation and stored energy later dissipated in the form of concurrent CMEs, erupting filaments and solar flares. Each individual chiral system may produce many successive eruptive events above a single filament channel. Because major eruptive events apparently do not occur independent of, or outside of, these unique

Geomorphological mapping using drones into the eruptive summit of Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica

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Ruiz, P.; Mora, M.; Soto, G. J.; Vega, P.; Barrantes, R.

2017-12-01

We produced and compared two detailed topographic datasets of the SW active crater on the summit of Turrialba volcano (03/2016 and 06/2017). These datasets are based on hundreds of orthophotos obtained by low-height flights by drones (Phantom-3, and Inspire-1) to collect the aerial data, and ground control points from RTK-GPS surveys (for ground survey and control points, we used reflective marks and local stations). Photogrammetry software and GIS were used to processes the data for creating DEMs. Using these data, we have been able to document the geomorphological changes generated by eruptions. We have learned the processes involved in the crater evolution during an eruption period passing from a close-system to an open one. Turrialba has been erupting since 2010, when a phreatic explosion opened a small vent on the SW crater. Further minor phreatic eruptions occurred in 2011-2013 with a slow increase of juvenile content in its products, until it clearly evolved to phreatomagmatism in 2014 and an open-system in mid-2016. We recorded significant changes in the morphology of the active crater in the latest period of eruption. These changes are the result of stronger eruptions between 04/2016 and 01/2017, finally clearing the main conduit that opened the system and favored the rise of magma up to the surface. Lava now lies on the bottom of the crater, forming a small lava pool (25m x 15m). We found that in the 15-month period during the opening of the volcanic system, the active crater got 100 m deeper and wider at the bottom (in 06/2017, depth was 230 m, and the empty volume of the crater 2.5x106m3. These observations are consistent with the seismic records through the opening of the system and the eruption style. Aerial dataset from low-height flights by drones are a powerful tool to understand the evolution of volcanoes from close to open systems and for volcano hazard assessments.

Stress-induced comenditic trachyte effusion triggered by trachybasalt intrusion: multidisciplinary study of the AD 1761 eruption at Terceira Island (Azores)

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Pimentel, A.; Zanon, V.; de Groot, L. V.; Hipólito, A.; Di Chiara, A.; Self, S.

2016-03-01

The AD 1761 eruption on Terceira was the only historical subaerial event on the island and one of the last recorded in the Azores. The eruption occurred along the fissure zone that crosses the island and produced a trachybasalt lava flow and scoria cones. Small comenditic trachyte lava domes (known as Mistérios Negros) were also thought by some to have formed simultaneously on the eastern flank of Santa Bárbara Volcano. Following a multidisciplinary approach, we combined geological mapping, paleomagnetic, petrographic, mineral and whole-rock geochemical and structural analyses to study this eruption. The paleomagnetic dating method compared geomagnetic vectors (directions and intensities) recorded by both the AD 1761 lava flow and Mistérios Negros domes and revealed that the two events were indeed coeval. Based on new data and interpretation of historical records, we have accordingly reconstructed the AD 1761 eruptive dynamics and distinguished three phases: (1) a precursory phase characterized by decreased degassing in the fumarolic field of Pico Alto Volcano and a gradual increase of seismic activity, which marked the intrusion of trachybasalt magma; (2) a first eruptive phase that started with phreatic explosions on the eastern flank of Santa Bárbara Volcano, followed by the inconspicuous effusion of comenditic trachyte (66 wt% SiO2), forming a WNW-ESE-oriented chain of lava domes; and (3) a second eruptive phase on the central part of the fissure zone, where a Hawaiian to Strombolian-style eruption formed small scoria cones (E-W to ENE-WSW-oriented) and a trachybasalt lava flow (50 wt% SiO2) which buried 27 houses in Biscoitos village. Petrological analyses show that the two batches of magma were emitted independently without evidence of interaction. We envisage that the dome-forming event was triggered by local stress changes induced by intrusion of the trachybasalt dyke along the fissure zone, which created tensile stress conditions that promoted ascent

Perils in distinguishing phreatic from phreatomagmatic ash; insights into the eruption mechanisms of the 6 August 2012 Mt. Tongariro eruption, New Zealand

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Pardo, Natalia; Cronin, Shane J.; Németh, Károly; Brenna, Marco; Schipper, C. Ian; Breard, Eric; White, James D. L.; Procter, Jonathan; Stewart, Bob; Agustín-Flores, Javier; Moebis, Anja; Zernack, Anke; Kereszturi, Gábor; Lube, Gert; Auer, Andreas; Neall, Vince; Wallace, Clel

2014-10-01

The weak geophysical precursors of the 6 August 2012 Te Maari eruption of Mt. Tongariro and a lack of obvious juvenile components in its proximal ballistic deposits imply that the eruption was caused by the sudden decompression of a sealed, hot hydrothermal system. Strong magmatic signals in pre- and post-eruption gas emissions indicate that fresh magma had intruded to shallow levels shortly before this eruption. Here we examine the volcanic ash produced during the August eruption with the aim of determining whether juvenile magma was erupted or not. The widely applied criteria for identifying fresh juvenile pyroclasts provided inconclusive results. The Te Maari ash sorting and trend towards a unimodal grain-size distribution increase with distance along the dispersal axis. Proximal to intermediate sites showing polymodal grain-size distributions can be related to the re-fragmentation of different pre-existing lithologies, overlapped erupted pulses and transport mechanisms, and to particle aggregation. Between 69 and 100 vol.% of particles coarser than 3 ϕ and 45-75 vol.% of grains finer than 3 ϕ were sourced from the pre-existing, commonly hydrothermally altered, vent-area lavas and pyroclasts. Free crystals (pyroxene > plagioclase > magnetite > pyrite) make up 0-23 vol.% of particles coarser than 3 ϕ, and 22-41 vol.% of grains finer than 3 ϕ. Brown to black fragments of fresh glass are a small (1-15 vol.%), but notable, component. Under SEM, these blocky, glassy particles are poorly vesicular, and irregularly shaped, some with fluidal or bubble-wall surfaces, and others with fragmented stepped surfaces and fine adhering ash. In thin section, they contain variable amounts of microlites within an isotropic groundmass. The range in silica content of the microprobe-analysed glass is very wide (56-77 wt.%) and cannot be correlated to any specific particle textural type. These chemically and texturally diverse glassy fragments are identical to mechanically broken

Collateral variations between the concentrations of mercury and other water soluble ions in volcanic ash samples and volcanic activity during the 2014-2016 eruptive episodes at Aso volcano, Japan

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Marumoto, Kohji; Sudo, Yasuaki; Nagamatsu, Yoshizumi

2017-07-01

During 2014-2016, the Aso volcano, located in the center of the Kyushu Islands, Japan, erupted and emitted large amounts of volcanic gases and ash. Two episodes of the eruption were observed; firstly Strombolian magmatic eruptive episodes from 25 November 2014 to the middle of May 2015, and secondly phreatomagmatic and phreatic eruptive episodes from September 2015 to February 2016. Bulk chemical analyses on total mercury (Hg) and major ions in water soluble fraction in volcanic ash fall samples were conducted. During the Strombolian magmatic eruptive episodes, total Hg concentrations averaged 1.69 ± 0.87 ng g- 1 (N = 33), with a range from 0.47 to 3.8 ng g- 1. In addition, the temporal variation of total Hg concentrations in volcanic ash varied with the amplitude change of seismic signals. In the Aso volcano, the volcanic tremors are always observed during eruptive stages and quiet interludes, and the amplitudes of tremors increase at eruptive stages. So, the temporal variation of total Hg concentrations could provide an indication of the level of volcanic activity. During the phreatomagmatic and phreatic eruptive episodes, on the other hand, total Hg concentrations in the volcanic ash fall samples averaged 220 ± 88 ng g- 1 (N = 5), corresponding to 100 times higher than those during the Strombolian eruptive episode. Therefore, it is possible that total Hg concentrations in volcanic ash samples are largely varied depending on the eruptive type. In addition, the ash fall amounts were also largely different among the two eruptive episodes. This can be also one of the factors controlling Hg concentrations in volcanic ash.

An Integrative Approach for Defining Plinian and Sub-Plinian Eruptive Scenarios at Andesitic Volcanoes: Event-Lithostratigraphy, Eruptive Parameters and Pyroclast Textural Variations of the Largest Late-Holocene Eruptions of Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-Orozco, R.; Cronin, S. J.; Damaschke, M.; Kosik, S.; Pardo, N.

2016-12-01

Three eruptive scenarios were determined based on the event-lithostratigraphic reconstruction of the largest late-Holocene eruptions of the andesitic Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand: a) sustained dome-effusion followed by sudden stepwise collapse and unroofing of gas-rich magma; b) repeated plug and burst events generated by transient open-/closed-vent conditions; and c) open-vent conditions of more mafic magmas erupting from a satellite vent. Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are the most frequent outcome in every scenario. They can be produced in any/every eruption phase by formation and either repetitive-partial or total gravity-driven collapse of lava domes in the summit crater (block-and-ash flows), frequently followed by sudden magma decompression and violent, highly unsteady to quasi-steady lateral expansion (blast-like PDCs); by collapse or single-pulse fall-back of unsteady eruption columns (pyroclastic flow- and surge-type currents); or during highly unsteady and explosive hydromagmatic phases (wet surges). Fall deposits are produced during the climatic phase of each eruptive scenario by the emplacement of (i) high, sustained and steady, (ii) sustained and height-oscillating, (iii) quasi-steady and pulsating, or (iv) unsteady and totally collapsing eruption columns. Volumes, column heights and mass- and volume-eruption rates indicate that these scenarios correspond to VEI 4-5 plinian and sub-plinian multi-phase and style-shifting episodes, similar or larger than the most recent 1655 AD activity, and comparable to plinian eruptions of e.g. Apoyeque, Colima, Merapi and Tarawera volcanoes. Whole-rock chemistry, textural reconstructions and density-porosity determinations suggest that the different eruptive scenarios are mainly driven by variations in the density structure of magma in the upper conduit. Assuming a simple single conduit model, the style transitions can be explained by differing proportions of alternating gas-poor/degassed and gas-rich magma.

Volcanic hazards from Bezymianny- and Bandai-type eruptions

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Siebert, L.; Glicken, H.; Ui, T.

1987-01-01

Major slope failures are a significant degradational process at volcanoes. Slope failures and associated explosive eruptions have resulted in more than 20 000 fatalities in the past 400 years; the historic record provides evidence for at least six of these events in the past century. Several historic debris avalanches exceed 1 km3 in volume. Holocene avalanches an order of magnitude larger have traveled 50-100 km from the source volcano and affected areas of 500-1500 km2. Historic eruptions associated with major slope failures include those with a magmatic component (Bezymianny type) and those solely phreatic (Bandai type). The associated gravitational failures remove major segments of the volcanoes, creating massive horseshoe-shaped depressions commonly of caldera size. The paroxysmal phase of a Bezymianny-type eruption may include powerful lateral explosions and pumiceous pyroclastic flows; it is often followed by construction of lava dome or pyroclastic cone in the new crater. Bandai-type eruptions begin and end with the paroxysmal phase, during which slope failure removes a portion of the edifice. Massive volcanic landslides can also occur without related explosive eruptions, as at the Unzen volcano in 1792. The main potential hazards from these events derive from lateral blasts, the debris avalanche itself, and avalanche-induced tsunamis. Lateral blasts produced by sudden decompression of hydrothermal and/or magmatic systems can devastate areas in excess of 500km2 at velocities exceeding 100 m s-1. The ratio of area covered to distance traveled for the Mount St. Helens and Bezymianny lateral blasts exceeds that of many pyroclastic flows or surges of comparable volume. The potential for large-scale lateral blasts is likely related to the location of magma at the time of slope failure and appears highest when magma has intruded into the upper edifice, as at Mount St. Helens and Bezymianny. Debris avalanches can move faster than 100 ms-1 and travel tens of

Hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics of the phreatic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics of the phreatic basement aquifers in parts of southwestern Nigeria. OA Idowu, O Martins, AM Gbadebo. Abstract. No Abstract. Journal of Mining and Geology Vol. 43 (1) 2007: pp. 71-78. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD ...

The Uwekahuna Ash Member of the Puna Basalt: product of violent phreatomagmatic eruptions at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, between 2800 and 2100 14C years ago

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Dzurisin, D.; Lockwood, J.P.; Casadevall, T.J.; Rubin, M.

1995-01-01

Kilauea volcano's reputation for relatively gentle effusive eruptions belies a violent geologic past, including several large phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions that are recorded by Holocene pyroclastic deposits which mantle Kilauea's summit area and the southeast flank of adjacent Mauna Loa volcano. The most widespread of these deposits is the Uwekahuna Ash Member, a basaltic surge and fall deposit emplaced during two or more eruptive episodes separated by a few decades to several centuries. It is infered that the eruptions which produced the Uwekahuna were driven by water interacting with a fluctuating magma column. The volume, extent and character of the Uwekahuna deposits underscore the hazards posed by relatively infrequent but potentially devastating explosive eruptions at Kilauea, as well as at other basaltic volcanoes. -from Authors

Estimation of the phreatic aquifer recharge of Una watershed in Taubaté, SP

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Felipe Rodrigues Carbone

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents results related to the estimation of the phreatic aquifer recharge of the Una watershed in Taubaté, SP. The goal of this study was to develop public policies for the sustainable use of superficial and phreatic water at the Department of Agrarian Sciences of the University of Taubaté. The main results of this study are: determination of the soil physical indices, characterization of the textural profile, construction of piezometers, monitoring of the watertable, determination of the hydric climatological balance, and physic-chemical and bacteriological analyses of phreatic water. The geotechnical characterization showed that the soil have high total porosity (about 53%, and natural moisture of about 30%. Regarding the results of soil particle size measurements, it was observed that the deeper the soil the more uniform is the sediments texture distribution, varying from fine loamy, to coarse sandy. It is established a consistent relation between hydric balance and porosity, saturation and piezometric measurement in a daily historical series during one year. Methods and results allowed to calculate the phreatic aquifer discharge of several springs, that varied from 14.5 mm/day in the rainy period to 1.9 mm/day in other periods. The existence of faecal coliforms in phreatic aquifer, in variable amounts, showed that there are bacterias in the water infiltrated from septic cesspools or from the nearby Itaim River, contaminated by domestic sewage.

Eruptive event generator based on the Gibson-Low magnetic configuration

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Borovikov, D.; Sokolov, I. V.; Manchester, W. B.; Jin, M.; Gombosi, T. I.

2017-08-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a kind of energetic solar eruptions, are an integral subject of space weather research. Numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling, which requires powerful computational resources, is one of the primary means of studying the phenomenon. With increasing accessibility of such resources, grows the demand for user-friendly tools that would facilitate the process of simulating CMEs for scientific and operational purposes. The Eruptive Event Generator based on Gibson-Low flux rope (EEGGL), a new publicly available computational model presented in this paper, is an effort to meet this demand. EEGGL allows one to compute the parameters of a model flux rope driving a CME via an intuitive graphical user interface. We provide a brief overview of the physical principles behind EEGGL and its functionality. Ways toward future improvements of the tool are outlined.

LARGE SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH FILAMENT ERUPTIONS OUTSIDE ACTIVE REGIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gopalswamy, N.; Mäkelä, P.; Akiyama, S.; Yashiro, S.; Xie, H.; Thakur, N. [Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Kahler, S. W., E-mail: nat.gopalswamy@nasa.gov [Air Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM 87117 (United States)

2015-06-10

We report on four large filament eruptions (FEs) from solar cycles 23 and 24 that were associated with large solar energetic particle (SEP) events and interplanetary type II radio bursts. The post-eruption arcades corresponded mostly to C-class soft X-ray enhancements, but an M1.0 flare was associated with one event. However, the associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were fast (speeds ∼ 1000 km s{sup −1}) and appeared as halo CMEs in the coronagraph field of view. The interplanetary type II radio bursts occurred over a wide wavelength range, indicating the existence of strong shocks throughout the inner heliosphere. No metric type II bursts were present in three events, indicating that the shocks formed beyond 2–3 Rs. In one case, there was a metric type II burst with low starting frequency, indicating a shock formation height of ∼2 Rs. The FE-associated SEP events did have softer spectra (spectral index >4) in the 10–100 MeV range, but there were other low-intensity SEP events with spectral indices ≥4. Some of these events are likely FE-SEP events, but were not classified as such in the literature because they occurred close to active regions. Some were definitely associated with large active region flares, but the shock formation height was large. We definitely find a diminished role for flares and complex type III burst durations in these large SEP events. Fast CMEs and shock formation at larger distances from the Sun seem to be the primary characteristics of the FE-associated SEP events.

Monitoring El Hierro submarine volcanic eruption events with a submarine seismic array

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado, Maria Jose; Molino, Erik; Lopez, Carmen

2013-04-01

A submarine volcanic eruption took place near the southernmost emerged land of the El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain), from October 2011 to February 2012. The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) seismic stations network evidenced seismic unrest since July 2012 and was a reference also to follow the evolution of the seismic activity associated with the volcanic eruption. From the beginning of the eruption a geophone string was installed less than 2 km away from the new volcano, next to La Restinga village shore, to record seismic activity related to the volcanic activity, continuously and with special interest on high frequency events. The seismic array was endowed with 8, high frequency, 3 component, 250 Hz, geophone cable string with a separation of 6 m between them. The analysis of the dataset using spectral techniques allows the characterization of the different phases of the eruption and the study of its dynamics. The correlation of the data analysis results with the observed sea surface activity (ash and lava emission and degassing) and also with the seismic activity recorded by the IGN field seismic monitoring system, allows the identification of different stages suggesting the existence of different signal sources during the volcanic eruption and also the posteruptive record of the degassing activity. The study shows that the high frequency capability of the geophone array allow the study of important features that cannot be registered by the standard seismic stations. The accumulative spectral amplitude show features related to eruptive changes.

Determining the concentration of individual eruptive events of the CAMP: Distinguishing interflow hiatuses from subterranean alteration and void infilling.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, P. E.; Kent, D. V.; Et-Touhami, M.

2012-04-01

More important than the total volume of eruptives in a LIP is the concentration in time of individual eruptions with timescales relevant for environmental change. In CAMP lavas, interflow sedimentary and reddened levels are interpreted as evidence of significant time between flows of hundreds to thousands of years allowing soil development and sediment deposition. Additionally, cross-cutting or enclosed sediment bodies, and basalt and sediment mixtures are interpreted as clastic intrusions and phreatic mixing (peperites). Here we show that most such occurrences are more consistent with post-emplacement alteration and void infill by sediment. Criteria for recognizing void fillings in cross-cutting, enclosed or mixed basalt include: 1) paleo-horizontal sediment stratification independent of basalt clasts or void walls - i.e., geopedal; 2) presence of clasts alien to underlying units such as lithic clasts or bones, the latter analogous to karst occurrences; 3) presence of current structures such as ripples; 4) lack of basalt chill margins; and 5) preserved stratigraphy related to overlying units. Criteria for recognizing flow-contact-parallel sediment bodies and reddened and altered contacts as post-emplacement alteration and void infill include: 1) reddening and alteration of both the upper surface of the older flow AND the lower surface of the overlying flow (caused by post-emplacement ground-water-flow); 2) presence of clasts derived from the bottom of the overlying flow; 3) location of tabular sediment bodies within blisters and paleosurface-parallel crack-sheets of the older flow, rather than at the contact between flows; and 4) physical connection between paleosurface-parallel sediment bodies and sediment bodies that cross-cutting the younger flow exhibiting post-emplacement features described above. Features that might be indicative of deposition at the land surface but are not include: 1) roots, which can penetrate for tens of meters through sediment

The Novarupta-Katmai eruption of 1912 - largest eruption of the twentieth century; centennial perspectives

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Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy

2012-01-01

, nine packages of ash flows, and three lava domes that followed the explosive pyroclastic episodes. Changes in the proportions of coerupting rhyolite, dacite, and andesite pumice documented for the fallout and ash-flow successions, which are locally interbedded, permit close correlation of those synchronously emplaced sequences and their varied facies. Petrological correlation of the sequence of deposits near Novarupta with ash layers at Kodiak village, 170 km downwind, where three episodes of ashfall were recorded (to the hour), provides key constraints on timing of the eruptive events. Syneruptive collapse of a kilometer-deep caldera took place atop Mount Katmai, a stratovolcano centered 10 km east of the eruption site at Novarupta, owing to drainage of magma from beneath the Katmai edifice. Correlation of ~50 earthquakes recorded at distant seismic stations (including 14 shocks of magnitude 6.0 to 7.0) to fitful caldera collapse provides further constraints on eruption timing, because layers of nonjuvenile breccia and mud ejected from Mount Katmai during collapse pulses are intercalated with the pumice-fall layers from Novarupta. Structure of the Novarupta vent, a 2-km-wide depression backfilled by welded tuff and inferred to be funnel-shaped at depth, is described in detail, as is the 4-km-wide caldera at Mount Katmai. Discussions are also provided concerning: (1) the impact on global climate of the great mass of sulfur-poor but halogen-rich aerosol ejected into the atmosphere by the rhyolite-dominated eruption; (2) chemical and mineralogical effects of the fumarolic acid gases; and (3) the timing of several syneruptive landslide deposits sandwiched within the pumice-fall sequence. Secondary posteruption phenomena characterized include impounded lakes, ash-rich debris flows, phreatic craters on the ignimbrite sheet, responses of glaciers to the fallout blanket and to beheading by caldera collapse, growth of new glaciers inside the caldera, and gradual filling of the

The 2012-2014 eruptive cycle of Copahue Volcano, Southern Andes. Magmatic-Hydrothermal system interaction and manifestations.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Sergio; Alarcón, Alex; Basualto, Daniel; Bengoa, Cintia; Bertín, Daniel; Cardona, Carlos; Córdova, Maria; Franco, Luis; Gil, Fernando; Hernandez, Erasmo; Lara, Luis; Lazo, Jonathan; Mardones, Cristian; Medina, Roxana; Peña, Paola; Quijada, Jonathan; San Martín, Juan; Valderrama, Oscar

2015-04-01

Copahue Volcano (COPV), in Southern Andes of Chile, is an andesitic-basaltic stratovolcano, which is located on the western margin of Caviahue Caldera. The COPV have a NE-trending fissure with 9 aligned vents, being El Agrio the main currently active vent, with ca. 400 m in diameter. The COPV is placed into an extensive hydrothermal system which has modulated its recent 2012-2014 eruptive activity, with small phreatic to phreatomagmatic eruptions and isolated weak strombolian episodes and formation of crater lakes inside the main crater. Since 2012, the Southern Andes Volcano Observatory (OVDAS) carried out the real-time monitoring with seismic broadband stations, GPS, infrasound sensors and webcams. In this work, we report pre, sin, and post-eruptive seismic activity of the last two main eruptions (Dec, 2012 and Oct, 2014) both with different seismic precursors and superficial activity, showing the second one a particularly appearance of seismic quiescence episodes preceding explosive activity, as an indicator of interaction between magmatic-hydrothermal systems. The first episode, in late 2012, was characterized by a low frequency (0.3-0.4 Hz and 1.0-1.5 Hz) continuous tremor which increased gradually from background noise level amplitude to values of reduced displacement (DR), close to 50 cm2 at the peak of the eruption, reaching an eruptive column of ~1.5 km height. After few months of recording low energy seismicity, a sequence of low frequency, repetitive and low energy seismic events arose, with a frequency of occurrence up to 300 events/hour. Also, the VLP earthquakes were added to the record probably associated with magma intrusion into a deep magmatic chamber during all stages of eruptive process, joined to the record of VT seismicity during the same period, which is located throughout the Caviahue Caldera area. Both kind of seismic patterns were again recorded in October 2014, being the precursor of the new eruptive cycle at this time as well as the

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. I. Unusual History of an Eruptive Filament

Science.gov (United States)

Grechnev, V. V.; Uralov, A. M.; Slemzin, V. A.; Chertok, I. M.; Filippov, B. P.; Rudenko, G. V.; Temmer, M.

2014-01-01

This is the first of four companion papers, which comprehensively analyze a complex eruptive event of 18 November 2003 in active region (AR) 10501 and the causes of the largest Solar Cycle 23 geomagnetic storm on 20 November 2003. Analysis of a complete data set, not considered before, reveals a chain of eruptions to which hard X-ray and microwave bursts responded. A filament in AR 10501 was not a passive part of a larger flux rope, as usually considered. The filament erupted and gave origin to a coronal mass ejection (CME). The chain of events was as follows: i) a presumable eruption at 07:29 UT accompanied by a not reported M1.2 class flare probably associated with the onset of a first southeastern CME (CME1), which most likely is not responsible for the superstorm; ii) a confined eruption (without a CME) at 07:41 UT (M3.2 flare) that destabilized the large filament; iii) the filament acceleration around 07:56 UT; iv) the bifurcation of the eruptive filament that transformed into a large "cloud"; v) an M3.9 flare in AR 10501 associated to this transformation. The transformation of the filament could be due to the interaction of the eruptive filament with the magnetic field in the neighborhood of a null point, located at a height of about 100 Mm above the complex formed by ARs 10501, 10503, and their environment. The CORONAS-F/SPIRIT telescope observed the cloud in 304 Å as a large Y-shaped darkening, which moved from the bifurcation region across the solar disk to the limb. The masses and kinematics of the cloud and the filament were similar. Remnants of the filament were not clearly observed in the second southwestern CME (CME2), previously regarded as a source of the 20 November geomagnetic storm. These facts do not support a simple scenario, in which the interplanetary magnetic cloud is considered as a flux rope formed from a structure initially associated with the pre-eruption filament in AR 10501. Observations suggest a possible additional eruption above

monitoring la Soufrière de Guadeloupe phreatic system with muon tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Jourde, Kevin; Gibert, Dominique; Marteau, Jacques; de Bremond d'Ars, Jean; Ianigro, Jean-Christophe; Gardien, Serge; Girerd, Claude

2015-04-01

Muon tomography is a novel geophysics imaging technique that measures the flux of cosmic muons crossing geological bodies. Its attenuation is directly related to their thickness and density. On la Soufrière de Guadeloupe volcano, we could extract tiny particle flux fluctuations from the tomography signal of long-term acquisitions (a few months). We prove that atmospheric fluctuations or solar activity, which are the usual candidates for cosmic particles time modulations, cannot explain these changes leaving the volcanic dome phreatic system as the only explanation. Moreover the temporal trends we extracted from the different observation axes of our instrument show a good spatial and temporal correlation with events occuring at the surface of the volcano.

Infrasonic wave accompanying a crack opening during the 2015 Hakone eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Yukutake, Yohei; Ichihara, Mie; Honda, Ryou

2018-03-01

To understand the initial process of the phreatic eruption of the Hakone volcano from June 29 to July 01, 2015, we analyzed infrasound data using the cross-correlation between infrasound and vertical ground velocity and compared the results of our analysis to the crustal deformation detected by tiltmeters and broadband seismometers. An infrasound signal and vertical ground motion due to an infrasound wave coupled to the ground were detected simultaneously with the opening of a crack source beneath the Owakudani geothermal region during the 2-min time period after 07:32 JST on June 29, 2015 (JST = UTC + 8 h). Given that the upper end of the open crack was approximately 150 m beneath the surface, the time for the direct emission of highly pressurized fluid from the upper end of the open crack to the surface should have exceeded the duration of the inflation owing to the hydraulic diffusivity in the porous media. Therefore, the infrasound signal coincident with the opening of the crack may reflect a sudden emission of volcanic gas resulting from the rapid vaporization of pre-existing groundwater beneath Owakudani because of the transfer of the volumetric strain change from the deformation source. We also noticed a correlation pattern corresponding to discrete impulsive infrasound signals during vent formation, which occurred several hours to 2 days after the opening of the crack. In particular, we noted that the sudden emission of vapor coincided with the inflation of the shallow pressure source, whereas the eruptive burst events accompanied by the largest vent formation were delayed by approximately 2 days. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the correlation method is a useful tool in detecting small infrasound signals and provides important information regarding the initial processes of the eruption.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Volcano-tectonic earthquakes: A new tool for estimating intrusive volumes and forecasting eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

White, Randall A.; McCausland, Wendy

2016-01-01

We present data on 136 high-frequency earthquakes and swarms, termed volcano-tectonic (VT) seismicity, which preceded 111 eruptions at 83 volcanoes, plus data on VT swarms that preceded intrusions at 21 other volcanoes. We find that VT seismicity is usually the earliest reported seismic precursor for eruptions at volcanoes that have been dormant for decades or more, and precedes eruptions of all magma types from basaltic to rhyolitic and all explosivities from VEI 0 to ultraplinian VEI 6 at such previously long-dormant volcanoes. Because large eruptions occur most commonly during resumption of activity at long-dormant volcanoes, VT seismicity is an important precursor for the Earth's most dangerous eruptions. VT seismicity precedes all explosive eruptions of VEI ≥ 5 and most if not all VEI 4 eruptions in our data set. Surprisingly we find that the VT seismicity originates at distal locations on tectonic fault structures at distances of one or two to tens of kilometers laterally from the site of the eventual eruption, and rarely if ever starts beneath the eruption site itself. The distal VT swarms generally occur at depths almost equal to the horizontal distance of the swarm from the summit out to about 15 km distance, beyond which hypocenter depths level out. We summarize several important characteristics of this distal VT seismicity including: swarm-like nature, onset days to years prior to the beginning of magmatic eruptions, peaking of activity at the time of the initial eruption whether phreatic or magmatic, and large non-double couple component to focal mechanisms. Most importantly we show that the intruded magma volume can be simply estimated from the cumulative seismic moment of the VT seismicity from:

Crustal CO2 liberation during the 2006 eruption and earthquake events at Merapi volcano, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Troll, Valentin R.; Hilton, David R.; Jolis, Ester M.; Chadwick, Jane P.; Blythe, Lara S.; Deegan, Frances M.; Schwarzkopf, Lothar M.; Zimmer, Martin

2012-06-01

High-temperature volcanic gas is widely considered to originate from ascending, mantle-derived magma. In volcanic arc systems, crustal inputs to magmatic gases mainly occur via subducted sediments in the mantle source region. Our data from Merapi volcano, Indonesia imply, however, that during the April-October 2006 eruption significant quantities of CO2 were added from shallow crustal sources. We show that prior to the 2006 events, summit fumarole gas δ13C(CO2) is virtually constant (δ13C1994-2005 = -4.1 ± 0.3‰), but during the 2006 eruption and after the shallow Yogyakarta earthquake of late May, 2006 (M6.4; hypocentres at 10-15 km depth), carbon isotope ratios increased to -2.4 ± 0.2‰. This rise in δ13C is consistent with considerable addition of crustal CO2 and coincided with an increase in eruptive intensity by a factor of ˜3 to 5. We postulate that this shallow crustal volatile input supplemented the mantle-derived volatile flux at Merapi, intensifying and sustaining the 2006 eruption. Late-stage volatile additions from crustal contamination may thus provide a trigger for explosive eruptions independently of conventional magmatic processes.

The Baia-Fondi di Baia eruption at Campi Flegrei: stratigraphy and dynamics of a multi-stage caldera reactivation event

Science.gov (United States)

Pistolesi, Marco; Bertagnini, Antonella; Di Roberto, Alessio; Isaia, Roberto; Vona, Alessandro; Cioni, Raffaello; Giordano, Guido

2017-09-01

The Baia-Fondi di Baia eruption is one of the sporadic events that have occurred in the western sector of the Campi Flegrei caldera. It dates back to 9525-9696 bp and opened Epoch 2 of the caldera activity after a 1000-year-long period of quiescence. Although relatively small in terms of erupted volume with respect to most of the events of the past 15 ka, the Baia-Fondi di Baia eruption was characterized by a complex series of events, which have led to different interpretations in the literature. We present a detailed stratigraphic study of 40 outcrops in a sector of about 90 km2, coupled with sedimentological (grain size, componentry), physical (density, vesicularity), textural, and compositional analyses of the erupted deposits. Based on these data, we interpret the stratigraphic succession as being related to two distinct eruptive episodes (Baia and Fondi di Baia). These were separated by a short time interval, and each was characterized by different eruptive phases. The Baia eruptive episode started in a shallow-water environment with an explosive vent-opening phase that formed a breccia deposit (Unit I), rapidly followed by alternating fallout activity and dense, pyroclastic density current deposits generation (Unit II). Sedimentological features and pumice textural analyses suggest that deposition of Unit II coincided with the intensity peak of the eruption, with the fallout deposit being characterized by a volume of 0.06 ± 0.008 km3 (corresponding to a total erupted mass of 4.06 ± 0.5 × 1010 kg), a column height of 17 km, and a corresponding mass flow rate of 1.8 × 107 kg s-1. The associated tephra also shows the highest vesicularity (up to 81 vol.%) the highest vesicle number density (1.01 × 108 cm-3) and decompression rate (0.69 MPa s-1). This peak phase waned to turbulent, surge-like activity possibly associated with Vulcanian explosions and characterized by progressively lower intensity, as shown by density/vesicularity and textural properties of

Monitoring so2 emission at the Soufriere Hills volcano: Implications for changes in eruptive conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Young, S.R.; Francis, P.W.; Barclay, J.; Casadevall, T.J.; Gardner, C.A.; Darroux, B.; Davies, M.A.; Delmelle, P.; Norton, G.E.; Maciejewski, A.J.H.; Oppenheimer, C.M.M.; Stix, J.; Watson, I.M.

1998-01-01

Correlation spectrometer measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates during the current eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat, have contributed towards identifying different phases of volcanic activity. SO2 emission rate has increased from 550 td-1 (>6.4 kgs-1) after July 1996, with the uncertainty associated with any individual measurement ca. 30%. Significantly enhanced SO2 emission rates have been identified in association with early phreatic eruptions (800 td-1 (9.3 kgs-1)) and episodes of vigorous dome collapse and pyroclastic flow generation (900 to 1500 td-1 (10.4 to 17.4 kgs-1)). SO2 emission rate has proved a useful proxy measurement for magma production rate. Observed SO2 emission rates are significantly higher than those inferred from analyses of glass inclusions in phenocrysts, implying the existence of a S-rich magmatic vapour phase.

Devastating landslides related to the 2002 Papandayan eruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudy Dalimin Hadisantono

2014-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol1no2.20063Papandayan is an A-type active strato volcano located at some 20 km SW of Garut or about 70 km SE of Bandung the capital city of West Java Province. Geographically, the summit of this volcano lies at the intersection between 07º 19’ 42” S and 107º 44” E. The 2002 Papandayan eruption was preceded by two felt earthquakes, 8 times of A-type volcanic earthquakes and 150 times of B- type volcanic earthquake. These events were followed by a phreatic eruption that took place on 11 November at 16.02 local time. Field observation shows that the summit region, mainly around the craters consists of rocks that have hydrothermally altered to yield clay rich material. This clay rich material covers most of the crater fl oors and the crater rim. Mount Nangklak that forms part of the rim also contains a lava plug from the Old Papandayan volcano. This mountain is covered by fi ne grained, unconsolidated material, and altered rocks. Much of this altered rocks coincides with solfataric and fumarolic activities of 80 to > 300°C. The summit area also contains high discharge of water either originating from the springs or surface water. The increase in seismicity, the fi ne-grained hydrothermal altered rocks, and the existence of some faults that pass through the summit region might have weaken the stability of the summit area. As the result, a landslide occurred on the north fl ank of Mount Nangklak where the landslide material blocked the upper course of Cibeureum Gede River. This landslide material had formed big mudfl ows that caused several houses of fi ve villages were partly burried, some bridges were devastated and several hectares of cultivated land were damaged.    

The Campanian Ignimbrite Eruption, Heinrich Event 4, and palaeolithic change in Europe: A high-resolution investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Fedele, Francesco G.; Giaccio, Biagio; Isaia, Roberto; Orsi, Giovanni

The Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption from the Phlegraean Fields Caldera, southern Italy, represents one of the largest late Quaternary volcanic event. Its recent dating at 39,280±110 yr BP draws attention to the occurrence of this volcanic catastrophe during a time interval characterized by biocultural modifications in western Eurasia. These included the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition and the supposed change from Neandertal to "modern" Homo sapiens anatomy, a subject of continuing investigation and controversy. The paper aims to clarify the position and relevance of the CI event in this context. At several archaeological sites of southeastern Europe, the CI ash separates the cultural layers containing Middle Palaeolithic and/or "Earliest Upper Palaeolithic" assemblages from the layers in which Upper Palaeolithic industries occur. At the same sites the CI tephra coincides with a long interruption of occupation. The palaeclimatic records containing the CI products show that the eruption occurred just at the beginning of Heinrich Event 4 (HE4), which was characterized by extreme climatic conditions, compared to the other HEs. From the observation of this concurrence of factors, we advance the hypothesis of a positive climate-volcanism feedback triggered by the co-occurrence of the CI eruption and HE4 onset. Both the environmental and cultural data available for a c.5000-year interval on either side of the event, suggest that a reappraisal of the identity and destiny of the archaeological industries representing the so-called Middle to Upper Palaeolithictransition is in order. This might force a reassessment of the Upper Palaeolithic notion as traditionally employed.

An overview of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Katharine F.; Buurman, Helena

2013-06-01

In March 2009, Redoubt Volcano, Alaska erupted for the first time since 1990. Explosions ejected plumes that disrupted international and domestic airspace, sent lahars more than 35 km down the Drift River to the coast, and resulted in tephra fall on communities over 100 km away. Geodetic data suggest that magma began to ascend slowly from deep in the crust and reached mid- to shallow-crustal levels as early as May, 2008. Heat flux at the volcano during the precursory phase melted ~ 4% of the Drift glacier atop Redoubt's summit. Petrologic data indicate the deeply sourced magma, low-silica andesite, temporarily arrested at 9-11 km and/or at 4-6 km depth, where it encountered and mixed with segregated stored high-silica andesite bodies. The two magma compositions mixed to form intermediate-silica andesite, and all three magma types erupted during the earliest 2009 events. Only intermediate- and high-silica andesites were produced throughout the explosive and effusive phases of the eruption. The explosive phase began with a phreatic explosion followed by a seismic swarm, which signaled the start of lava effusion on March 22, shortly prior to the first magmatic explosion early on March 23, 2009 (UTC). More than 19 explosions (or “Events”) were produced over 13 days from a single vent immediately south of the 1989-90 lava domes. During that period multiple small pyroclastic density currents flowed primarily to the north and into glacial ravines, three major lahars flooded the Drift River Terminal over 35 km down-river on the coast, tephra fall deposited on all aspects of the edifice and on several communities north and east of the volcano, and at least two, and possibly three lava domes were emplaced. Lightning accompanied almost all the explosions. A shift in the eruptive character took place following Event 9 on March 27 in terms of infrasound signal onsets, the character of repeating earthquakes, and the nature of tephra ejecta. More than nine additional

When does eruption run-up begin? Multidisciplinary insight from the 1999 eruption of Shishaldin volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Daniel J.; Plank, Terry A.; Roman, Diana C.; Power, John A.; Bodnar, Robert J.; Hauri, Erik H.

2018-03-01

During the run-up to eruption, volcanoes often show geophysically detectable signs of unrest. However, there are long-standing challenges in interpreting the signals and evaluating the likelihood of eruption, especially during the early stages of volcanic unrest. Considerable insight can be gained from combined geochemical and geophysical studies. Here we take such an approach to better understand the beginning of eruption run-up, viewed through the lens of the 1999 sub-Plinian basaltic eruption of Shishaldin volcano, Alaska. The eruption is of interest due to its lack of observed deformation and its apparent long run-up time (9 months), following a deep long-period earthquake swarm. We evaluate the nature and timing of recharge by examining the composition of 138 olivine macrocrysts and 53 olivine-hosted melt inclusions and through shear-wave splitting analysis of regional earthquakes. Magma mixing is recorded in three crystal populations: a dominant population of evolved olivines (Fo60-69) that are mostly reversely zoned, an intermediate population (Fo69-76) with mixed zonation, and a small population of normally zoned more primitive olivines (Fo76-80). Mixing-to-eruption timescales are obtained through modeling of Fe-Mg interdiffusion in 78 olivines. The large number of resultant timescales provides a thorough record of mixing, demonstrating at least three mixing events: a minor event ∼11 months prior to eruption, overlapping within uncertainty with the onset of deep long-period seismicity; a major event ∼50 days before eruption, coincident with a large (M5.2) shallow earthquake; and a final event about a week prior to eruption. Shear-wave splitting analysis shows a change in the orientation of the local stress field about a month after the deep long-period swarm and around the time of the M5.2 event. Earthquake depths and vapor saturation pressures of Raman-reconstructed melt inclusions indicate that the recharge magma originated from depths of at least 20

Volcanology and hazards of phreatomagmatic basaltic eruptions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmith, Johanne

Iceland is one of the most active terrestrial volcanic regions on Earth with an average of more than 20 eruptions per century. Around 80% of all events are tephra generating explosive eruptions, but less than 10 % of all known tephra layers have been mapped. Recent hazard assessment models show...... that the two key parameters for hazard assessment modeling are total grain size distribution (TGSD) and eruptive style. These two parameters have been determined for even fewer eruptive events in Iceland. One of the most hazardous volcanoes in Iceland is Katla and no data set of TGSD or other eruptive...... parameters exist. Katla has not erupted for 99 years, but at least 2 of the 20 eruptions since the settlement of Iceland in 871 have reached Northern Europe as visible tephra fall. These eruptions occurred in 1755 and 1625 and remain enigmatic both in terms of actual size and eruption dynamics. This work...

How Did Ca. 300 Years of Explosive Activity at Kilauea End?

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, D. A.

2013-12-01

Kilauea experienced ~300 years of frequent explosive eruptions following caldera collapse in about 1500 CE, producing the Keanakāko';i Tephra. The first 200 years were dominated by juvenile-rich phreatomagmatic eruptions, and the next 100 years by lithic-rich phreatomagmatic and phreatic explosive events. For most of this time, the caldera was deep enough (≥600 m) to allow magma and hot rock to interact with external water at and below the water table. This situation changed after the deadly 1790 eruption. The first eruption was magmatic, involving high fountaining that deposited pumice across >25 km2 south of the caldera. The pumice is hard to find today; it was mostly eroded away soon after deposition and is found only in protected areas along drainages and next to obstacles. The deposit has a consistent internal stratigraphy regardless of its thickness (maximum of 12 cm): lower third mostly achneliths (Pele's hair and tears), upper two- thirds pumice bombs and lapilli. The fountaining, the first purely magmatic event since reticulite erupted in ca. 1500, probably signifies a rising magma column and early filling of the caldera. The next eruption was phreatic, depositing fine lithic ash a few millimeters thick across >45 km2 south of the caldera. It may record withdrawal of the magma column and collapse of part of the caldera floor to or below the water table. The magma column rose soon thereafter, and its free surface was above the water table for some time. This event is recorded by Pele's hair deposited on the lithic ash across >30 km2 south of the caldera. The hair forms a jackstraw mat Pele's hair that blows kilometers downwind, forming a paper-thin deposit that glistens in the sun like golden grain. Phreatic activity followed, depositing small lapilli now embedded in the hair and lithic ash. This was perhaps a vent-opening event for a dominantly phreatomagmatic eruption. The deposit of this eruption, mostly lithic but with scattered fluidal lapilli, is 0

Credible occurrence probabilities for extreme geophysical events: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magnetic storms

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Jeffrey J.

2012-01-01

Statistical analysis is made of rare, extreme geophysical events recorded in historical data -- counting the number of events $k$ with sizes that exceed chosen thresholds during specific durations of time $\\tau$. Under transformations that stabilize data and model-parameter variances, the most likely Poisson-event occurrence rate, $k/\\tau$, applies for frequentist inference and, also, for Bayesian inference with a Jeffreys prior that ensures posterior invariance under changes of variables. Frequentist confidence intervals and Bayesian (Jeffreys) credibility intervals are approximately the same and easy to calculate: $(1/\\tau)[(\\sqrt{k} - z/2)^{2},(\\sqrt{k} + z/2)^{2}]$, where $z$ is a parameter that specifies the width, $z=1$ ($z=2$) corresponding to $1\\sigma$, $68.3\\%$ ($2\\sigma$, $95.4\\%$). If only a few events have been observed, as is usually the case for extreme events, then these "error-bar" intervals might be considered to be relatively wide. From historical records, we estimate most likely long-term occurrence rates, 10-yr occurrence probabilities, and intervals of frequentist confidence and Bayesian credibility for large earthquakes, explosive volcanic eruptions, and magnetic storms.

Photogrammetric Analysis of Changes in Crater Morphology at Telica Volcano, Nicaragua from 1994 to 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Hanagan, C.; La Femina, P.

2017-12-01

Understanding processes that lead to volcanic eruptions is paramount for predicting future volcanic activity. Telica volcano, Nicaragua is a persistently active volcano with hundreds of daily, low magnitude and low frequency seismic events, high-temperature degassing, and sub-decadal VEI 1-3 eruptions. The phreatic vulcanian eruptions of 1999, 2011, and 2013, and phreatic to phreatomagmatic vulcanian eruption of 2015 are thought to have resulted by sealing of the hydrothermal system prior to the eruptions. Two mechanisms have been proposed for sealing of the volcanic system, hydrothermal mineralization and landslides covering the vent. These eruptions affect the crater morphology of Telica volcano, and therefore the exact mechanisms of change to the crater's form are of interest to provide data that may support or refute the proposed sealing mechanisms, improving our understanding of eruption mechanisms. We use a collection of photographs between February 1994 and May 2016 and a combination of qualitative and quantitative photogrammetry to detect the extent and type of changes in crater morphology associated with 2011, 2013, and 2015 eruptive activity. We produced dense point cloud models using Agisoft PhotoScan Professional for times with sufficient photographic coverage, including August 2011, March 2013, December 2015, March 2016, and May 2016. Our May 2016 model is georeferenced, and each other point cloud was differenced using the C2C tool in CloudCompare and the M3C2 method (CloudCompare plugin) Lague et al. (2013). Results of the qualitative observations and quantitative differencing reveal a general trend of material subtraction from the inner crater walls associated with eruptive activity and accumulation of material on the crater floor, often visibly sourced from the walls of the crater. Both daily activity and VEI 1-3 explosive events changed the crater morphology, and correlation between a landslide-covered vent and the 2011 and 2015 eruptive sequences

Turmoil at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica): Degassing and eruptive processes inferred from high-frequency gas monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

de Moor, J. Maarten; Aiuppa, A.; Avard, G.; Wehrmann, H.; Dunbar, N.; Muller, C.; Tamburello, G.; Giudice, G.; Liuzzo, M.; Moretti, R.; Conde, V.; Galle, B.

2016-08-01

Eruptive activity at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica) has escalated significantly since 2014, causing airport and school closures in the capital city of San José. Whether or not new magma is involved in the current unrest seems probable but remains a matter of debate as ash deposits are dominated by hydrothermal material. Here we use high-frequency gas monitoring to track the behavior of the volcano between 2014 and 2015 and to decipher magmatic versus hydrothermal contributions to the eruptions. Pulses of deeply derived CO2-rich gas (CO2/Stotal > 4.5) precede explosive activity, providing a clear precursor to eruptive periods that occurs up to 2 weeks before eruptions, which are accompanied by shallowly derived sulfur-rich magmatic gas emissions. Degassing modeling suggests that the deep magmatic reservoir is 8-10 km deep, whereas the shallow magmatic gas source is at 3-5 km. Two cycles of degassing and eruption are observed, each attributed to pulses of magma ascending through the deep reservoir to shallow crustal levels. The magmatic degassing signals were overprinted by a fluid contribution from the shallow hydrothermal system, modifying the gas compositions, contributing volatiles to the emissions, and reflecting complex processes of scrubbing, displacement, and volatilization. H2S/SO2 varies over 2 orders of magnitude through the monitoring period and demonstrates that the first eruptive episode involved hydrothermal gases, whereas the second did not. Massive degassing (>3000 T/d SO2 and H2S/SO2 > 1) followed, suggesting boiling off of the hydrothermal system. The gas emissions show a remarkable shift to purely magmatic composition (H2S/SO2 < 0.05) during the second eruptive period, reflecting the depletion of the hydrothermal system or the establishment of high-temperature conduits bypassing remnant hydrothermal reservoirs, and the transition from phreatic to phreatomagmatic eruptive activity.

An analytical model for predicting transport in a coupled vadose/phreatic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasko, D.

1997-05-01

A simple analytical model is presented for predicting the transport of a contaminant in both the unsaturated (vadose) and saturated (phreatic) zones following a surficial spill. The model incorporates advection, dispersion, adsorption, and first-order decay in both zones and couples the transport processes at the water table. The governing equation is solved by using the method of Laplace transforms, with numerical inversion of the Laplace space equation for concentration. Because of the complexity of the functional form for the Laplace space solution, a numerical methodology using the real and imaginary parts of a Fourier series was implemented. To reduce conservatism in the model, dilution at the water table was also included. Verification of the model is demonstrated by its ability to reproduce the source history at the surface and to replicate appropriate one-dimensional transport through either the vadose or phreatic zone. Because of its simplicity and lack of detailed input data requirements, the model is recommended for scoping calculations

Unambiguous Evidence of Filament Splitting-induced Partial Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, X.; Kliem, B.; Ding, M. D.

2018-03-01

Coronal mass ejections are often considered to result from the full eruption of a magnetic flux rope (MFR). However, it is recognized that, in some events, the MFR may release only part of its flux, with the details of the implied splitting not completely established due to limitations in observations. Here, we investigate two partial eruption events including a confined and a successful one. Both partial eruptions are a consequence of the vertical splitting of a filament-hosting MFR involving internal reconnection. A loss of equilibrium in the rising part of the magnetic flux is suggested by the impulsive onset of both events and by the delayed onset of reconnection in the confined event. The remaining part of the flux might be line-tied to the photosphere in a bald patch (BP) separatrix surface, and we confirm the existence of extended BP sections for the successful eruption. The internal reconnection is signified by brightenings in the body of one filament and between the rising and remaining parts of both filaments. It evolves quickly into the standard current sheet reconnection in the wake of the eruption. As a result, regardless of being confined or successful, both eruptions produce hard X-ray sources and flare loops below the erupting but above the surviving flux, as well as a pair of flare ribbons enclosing the latter.

The Run-up to Volcanic Eruption Unveiled by Forensic Petrology and Geophysical Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, D. J.; Plank, T. A.; Roman, D. C.

2017-12-01

Volcanoes often warn of impending eruptions. However, one of the greatest challenges in volcano research is translating precursory geophysical signals into physical magmatic processes. Petrology offers powerful tools to study eruption run-up that benefit from direct response to magmatic forcings. Developing these tools, and tying them to geophysical observations, will help us identify eruption triggers (e.g., magmatic recharge, gas build-up, tectonic events) and understand the significance of monitored signals of unrest. We present an overview of petrologic tools used for studying eruption run-up, highlighting results from our study of the 1999 eruption of Shishaldin volcano. Olivine crystals contain chemical gradients, the consequence of diffusion following magma mixing events, which is modeled to determine mixing timescales. Modeled timescales provide strong evidence for at least three mixing events, which were triggered by magmatic recharge. Petrologic barometers indicate these events occurred at very shallow depths (within the volcanic edifice). The first mixing event occurred nine months before eruption, which was signaled by a swarm of deep-long period earthquake. Minor recharge events followed over two months, which are indicated by a second deep-long period earthquake swarm and a change in the local stress orientation measured by shear-wave splitting. Following these events, the system was relatively quiet until a large mixing event occurred 45 days prior to eruption, which was heralded by a large earthquake (M5.2). Following this event, geophysical signals of unrest intensified and became continuous. The final mixing event, beginning roughly a week before eruption, represents the final perturbation to the system before eruption. Our findings point to a relatively long run-up, which was subtle at first and intensified several weeks before eruption. This study highlights the strong link between geophysical signals of volcanic unrest and magmatic events, and

Anthropogenic contamination of a phreatic drinking water winning: 3-dimensional reactive transport modelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffioen, J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/091129265; van der Grift, B.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/373433484; Maas, D.; van den Brink, C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/187443416; Zaadnoordijk, J. W.

2003-01-01

Groundwater is contaminated at the regional scale by agricultural activities and atmospheric deposition. A 3-D transport model was set-up for a phreatic drinking water winning, where the groundwater composition was monitored accurately. The winning is situated at an area with unconsolidated

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate

Science.gov (United States)

LeGrande, Allegra N.; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.

2015-01-01

Volcanic eruptions represent some of the most climatically important and societally disruptive short-term events in human history. Large eruptions inject ash, dust, sulfurous gases (e.g. SO2, H2S), halogens (e.g. Hcl and Hbr), and water vapor into the Earth's atmosphere. Sulfurous emissions principally interact with the climate by converting into sulfate aerosols that reduce incoming solar radiation, warming the stratosphere and altering ozone creation, reducing global mean surface temperature, and suppressing the hydrological cycle. In this issue, we focus on the history, processes, and consequences of these large eruptions that inject enough material into the stratosphere to significantly affect the climate system. In terms of the changes wrought on the energy balance of the Earth System, these transient events can temporarily have a radiative forcing magnitude larger than the range of solar, greenhouse gas, and land use variability over the last millennium. In simulations as well as modern and paleoclimate observations, volcanic eruptions cause large inter-annual to decadal-scale changes in climate. Active debates persist concerning their role in longer-term (multi-decadal to centennial) modification of the Earth System, however.

Evolution of submarine eruptive activity during the 2011-2012 El Hierro event as documented by hydroacoustic images and remotely operated vehicle observations

Science.gov (United States)

Somoza, L.; González, F. J.; Barker, S. J.; Madureira, P.; Medialdea, T.; de Ignacio, C.; Lourenço, N.; León, R.; Vázquez, J. T.; Palomino, D.

2017-08-01

Submarine volcanic eruptions are frequent and important events, yet they are rarely observed. Here we relate bathymetric and hydroacoustic images from the 2011 to 2012 El Hierro eruption with surface observations and deposits imaged and sampled by ROV. As a result of the shallow submarine eruption, a new volcano named Tagoro grew from 375 to 89 m depth. The eruption consisted of two main phases of edifice construction intercalated with collapse events. Hydroacoustic images show that the eruptions ranged from explosive to effusive with variable plume types and resulting deposits, even over short time intervals. At the base of the edifice, ROV observations show large accumulations of lava balloons changing in size and type downslope, coinciding with the area where floating lava balloon fallout was observed. Peaks in eruption intensity during explosive phases generated vigorous bubbling at the surface, extensive ash, vesicular lapilli and formed high-density currents, which together with periods of edifice gravitational collapse, produced extensive deep volcaniclastic aprons. Secondary cones developed in the last stages and show evidence for effusive activity with lava ponds and lava flows that cover deposits of stacked lava balloons. Chaotic masses of heterometric boulders around the summit of the principal cone are related to progressive sealing of the vent with decreasing or variable magma supply. Hornitos represent the final eruptive activity with hydrothermal alteration and bacterial mats at the summit. Our study documents the distinct evolution of a submarine volcano and highlights the range of deposit types that may form and be rapidly destroyed in such eruptions.Plain Language SummaryToday and through most of geological history, the greatest number and volume of volcanic eruptions on Earth have occurred underwater. However, in comparison to subaerial eruption, little is known about submarine eruptive processes as they are dangerous to cruise it over

Geochemistry and volatile content of magmas feeding explosive eruptions at Telica volcano (Nicaragua)

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Robidoux, P.; Rotolo, S. G.; Aiuppa, A.; Lanzo, G.; Hauri, E. H.

2017-07-01

Telica volcano, in north-west Nicaragua, is a young stratovolcano of intermediate magma composition producing frequent Vulcanian to phreatic explosive eruptions. The Telica stratigraphic record also includes examples of (pre)historic sub-Plinian activity. To refine our knowledge of this very active volcano, we analyzed major element composition and volatile content of melt inclusions from some stratigraphically significant Telica tephra deposits. These include: (1) the Scoria Telica Superior (STS) deposit (2000 to 200 years Before Present; Volcanic Explosive Index, VEI, of 2-3) and (2) pyroclasts from the post-1970s eruptive cycle (1982; 2011). Based on measurements with nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, olivine-hosted (forsterite [Fo] > 80) glass inclusions fall into 2 distinct clusters: a group of H2O-rich (1.8-5.2 wt%) inclusions, similar to those of nearby Cerro Negro volcano, and a second group of CO2-rich (360-1700 μg/g CO2) inclusions (Nejapa, Granada). Model calculations show that CO2 dominates the equilibrium magmatic vapor phase in the majority of the primitive inclusions (XCO2 > 0.62-0.95). CO2, sulfur (generally 400 MPa) and early crystallization of magmas. Chlorine exhibits a wide concentration range (400-2300 μg/g) in primitive olivine-entrapped melts (likely suggesting variable source heterogeneity) and is typically enriched in the most differentiated melts (1000-3000 μg/g). Primitive, volatile-rich olivine-hosted melt inclusions (entrapment pressures, 5-15 km depth) are exclusively found in the largest-scale Telica eruptions (exemplified by STS in our study). These eruptions are thus tentatively explained as due to injection of deep CO2-rich mafic magma into the shallow crustal plumbing system. More recent (post-1970), milder (VEI 1-2) eruptions, instead, do only exhibit evidence for low-pressure (P viscosity of resident magma in shallow plumbing system (< 2.4 km), due to crystallization and degassing.

River basin affected by rare perturbation events: the Chaiten volcanic eruption.

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Picco, Lorenzo; Iroumé, Andrés; Oss-Cazzador, Daniele; Ulloa, Hector

2017-04-01

Natural disasters can strongly and rapidly affect a wide array of environments. Among these, volcanic eruptions can exert severe impacts on the dynamic equilibrium of riverine environment. The production and subsequent mobilization of large amounts of sediment all over the river basin, can strongly affect both hydrology and sediment and large wood transport dynamics. The aim of this research is to quantify the impact of a volcanic eruption along the Blanco River basin (Southern Chile), considering the geomorphic settings, the sediment dynamics and wood transport. Moreover, an overview on the possible management strategies to reduce the risks will be proposed. The research was carried out mainly along a 2.2 km-long reach of the fourth-order Blanco stream. Almost the entire river basin was affected by the volcanic eruption, several meters of tephra (up to 8 m) were deposited, affecting the evergreen forest and the fluvial corridor. Field surveys and remote sense analysis were carried out to investigate the effect of such extreme event. A Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) was used to detect the morphological changes by computing Difference of Dems (DoDs), while field surveys were carried out to detect the amount of in-channel wood; moreover aerial photos have been analyzed to detect the extension of the impact of volcanic eruption over the river basin. As expected, the DoDs analysis permitted to detect predominant erosional processes along the channel network. In fact, over 190569 m2 there was erosion that produced about 362999 m3 of sediment mobilized, while the deposition happened just over 58715 m2 for a total amount of 23957 m3. Looking then to the LW recruited and transported downstream, was possible to detect as along the active channel corridor a total amount of 113 m3/ha of wood was present. Moreover, analyzing aerial photographs taken before and after the volcanic eruption was possible to define as a total area of about 2.19 km2 was affected by tephra

Assessing Eruption Column Height in Ancient Flood Basalt Eruptions

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Glaze, Lori S.; Self, Stephen; Schmidt, Anja; Hunter, Stephen J.

2015-01-01

A buoyant plume model is used to explore the ability of flood basalt eruptions to inject climate-relevant gases into the stratosphere. An example from the 1986 Izu-Oshima basaltic fissure eruption validates the model's ability to reproduce the observed maximum plume heights of 12-16 km above sea level, sustained above fire-fountains. The model predicts maximum plume heights of 13-17 km for source widths of between 4-16 m when 32% (by mass) of the erupted magma is fragmented and involved in the buoyant plume (effective volatile content of 6 wt%). Assuming that the Miocene-age Roza eruption (part of the Columbia River Basalt Group) sustained fire-fountains of similar height to Izu-Oshima (1.6 km above the vent), we show that the Roza eruption could have sustained buoyant ash and gas plumes that extended into the stratosphere at approximately 45 deg N. Assuming 5 km long active fissure segments and 9000 Mt of SO2 released during explosive phases over a 10-15 year duration, the approximately 180 km of known Roza fissure length could have supported approximately 36 explosive events/phases, each with a duration of 3-4 days. Each 5 km fissure segment could have emitted 62 Mt of SO2 per day into the stratosphere while actively fountaining, the equivalent of about three 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruptions per day. Each fissure segment could have had one to several vents, which subsequently produced lava without significant fountaining for a longer period within the decades-long eruption. Sensitivity of plume rise height to ancient atmospheric conditions is explored. Although eruptions in the Deccan Traps (approximately 66 Ma) may have generated buoyant plumes that rose to altitudes in excess of 18 km, they may not have reached the stratosphere because the tropopause was substantially higher in the late Cretaceous. Our results indicate that some flood basalt eruptions, such as Roza, were capable of repeatedly injecting large masses of SO2 into the stratosphere. Thus sustained

Naples between two fires: eruptive scenarios for the next eruptions by an integrated volcanological-probabilistic approach.

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Mastrolorenzo, G.; Pappalardo, L.; de Natale, G.; Troise, C.; Rossano, S.; Panizza, A.

2009-04-01

Probabilistic approaches based on available volcanological data from real eruptions of Campi Flegrei and Somma-Vesuvius, are assembled in a comprehensive assessment of volcanic hazards at the Neapolitan area. This allows to compare the volcanic hazards related to the different types of events, which can be used for evaluating the conditional probability of flows and falls hazard in case of a volcanic crisis. Hazard maps are presented, based on a rather complete set of numerical simulations, produced using field and laboratory data as input parameters relative to a large range (VEI 1 to 5) of fallout and pyroclastic-flow events and their relative occurrence. The results allow us to quantitatively evaluate and compare the hazard related to pyroclastic fallout and density currents (PDCs) at the Neapolitan volcanoes and their surroundings, including the city of Naples. Due to its position between the two volcanic areas, the city of Naples is particularly exposed to volcanic risk from VEI>2 eruptions, as recorded in the local volcanic succession. Because dominant wind directions, the area of Naples is particularly prone to fallout hazard from Campi Flegrei caldera eruptions in the VEI range 2-5. The hazard from PDCs decreases roughly radially with distance from the eruptive vents and is strongly controlled by the topographic heights. Campi Flegrei eruptions are particularly hazardous for Naples, although the Camaldoli and Posillipo hills produce an effective barrier to propagation to the very central part of Naples. PDCs from Vesuvius eruptions with VEI>4 can cover the city of Naples, whereas even VEI>3 eruptions have a moderate fallout hazard there.

Prediction of Solar Eruptions Using Filament Metadata

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Aggarwal, Ashna; Schanche, Nicole; Reeves, Katharine K.; Kempton, Dustin; Angryk, Rafal

2018-05-01

We perform a statistical analysis of erupting and non-erupting solar filaments to determine the properties related to the eruption potential. In order to perform this study, we correlate filament eruptions documented in the Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase (HEK) with HEK filaments that have been grouped together using a spatiotemporal tracking algorithm. The HEK provides metadata about each filament instance, including values for length, area, tilt, and chirality. We add additional metadata properties such as the distance from the nearest active region and the magnetic field decay index. We compare trends in the metadata from erupting and non-erupting filament tracks to discover which properties present signs of an eruption. We find that a change in filament length over time is the most important factor in discriminating between erupting and non-erupting filament tracks, with erupting tracks being more likely to have decreasing length. We attempt to find an ensemble of predictive filament metadata using a Random Forest Classifier approach, but find the probability of correctly predicting an eruption with the current metadata is only slightly better than chance.

Seeking a paleontological signature for mass extinctions caused by flood basalt eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, J.; Bush, A. M.; Chang, E. T.; Heim, N. A.; Knope, M. L.; Pruss, S. B.

2016-12-01

Flood basalt eruptions coincide with numerous extinction events in the fossil record. Increasingly precise absolute age determinations for both the timing of eruption and of species extinctions have strengthened the case for flood basalt eruptions as the single most important trigger for major mass extinction events in the fossil record. However, the extent to which flood basalt eruptions cause a pattern of biotic loss distinctive from extinctions triggered by other geological or biological processes remains an open question. In the absence of diagnostic mapping between geological triggers and biological losses, establishing the identities of causal agents for mass extinctions will continue to depend primarily on evidence for temporal coincidence. Here we use a synoptic database of marine animal genera spanning the Phanerozoic, including times of first and last occurrence, body size, motility, life position, feeding mode, and respiratory physiology to assess whether extinction events temporally associated with flood basalt eruptions exhibit a diagnostic pattern of extinction selectivity. We further ask whether any events not associated with known large igneous provinces nevertheless display extinction patterns suggestive of such a cause. Finally, we ask whether extinction events associated with other primary causes, such as glaciation or bolide impact, are distinguishable from events apparently triggered by flood basalt eruptions on the basis of extinction selectivity patterns

Episode 49 of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō-Kūpaianaha eruption of Kilauea volcano-breakdown of a steady-state eruptive era

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Mangan, M.T.; Heliker, C.C.; Mattox, T.N.; Kauahikaua, J.P.; Helz, R.T.

1995-01-01

The Pu'u 'O'o-Kupaianaha eruption (1983-present) is the longest lived rift eruption of either Kilauea or neighboring Mauna Loa in recorded history. The initial fissure opening in January 1983 was followed by three years of episodic fire fountaining at the Pu'u 'O'o vent on Kilauea's east rift zone ∼19km from the summit (episodes 4–47). These spectacular events gave way in July 1986 to five and a half years of near-continuous, low-level effusion from the Kupaianaha vent, ∼ 3km to the cast (episode 48). A 49th episode began in November 1991 with the opening of a new fissure between Pu'u 'O'o and Kupaianaha. This three week long outburst heralded an era of more erratic eruptive behavior characterized by the shut down of Kupaianaha in February 1992 and subsequent intermittent eruption from vents on the west flank of Pu'u 'O'o (episodes 50 and 51). The events occurring over this period are due to progressive shrinkage of the rift-zone reservoir beneath the eruption site, and had limited impact on eruption temperatures and lava composition.

Chronology of the 2015 eruption of Hakone volcano, Japan: geological background, mechanism of volcanic unrest and disaster mitigation measures during the crisis

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Mannen, Kazutaka; Yukutake, Yohei; Kikugawa, George; Harada, Masatake; Itadera, Kazuhiro; Takenaka, Jun

2018-04-01

The 2015 eruption of Hakone volcano was a very small phreatic eruption, with total erupted ash estimated to be in the order of only 102 m3 and ballistic blocks reaching less than 30 m from the vent. Precursors, however, had been recognized at least 2 months before the eruption and mitigation measures were taken by the local governments well in advance. In this paper, the course of precursors, the eruption and the post-eruptive volcanic activity are reviewed, and a preliminary model for the magma-hydrothermal process that caused the unrest and eruption is proposed. Also, mitigation measures taken during the unrest and eruption are summarized and discussed. The first precursors observed were an inflation of the deep source and deep low-frequency earthquakes in early April 2015; an earthquake swarm then started in late April. On May 3, steam wells in Owakudani, the largest fumarolic area on the volcano, started to blowout. Seismicity reached its maximum in mid-May and gradually decreased; however, at 7:32 local time on June 29, a shallow open crack was formed just beneath Owakudani as inferred from sudden tilt change and InSAR analysis. The same day mud flows and/or debris flows likely started before 11:00 and ash emission began at about 12:30. The volcanic unrest and the eruption of 2015 can be interpreted as a pressure increase in the hydrothermal system, which was triggered by magma replenishment to a deep magma chamber. Such a pressure increase was also inferred from the 2001 unrest and other minor unrests of Hakone volcano during the twenty-first century. In fact, monitoring of repeated periods of unrest enabled alerting prior to the 2015 eruption. However, since open crack formation seems to occur haphazardly, eruption prediction remains impossible and evacuation in the early phase of volcanic unrest is the only way to mitigate volcanic hazard.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Small-scale eruptive filaments on the quiet sun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermans, L.M.; Martin, S.F.

1986-01-01

A study of a little known class of eruptive events on the quiet sun was conducted. All of 61 small-scale eruptive filamentary structures were identified in a systematic survey of 32 days of H alpha time-lapse films of the quiet sun acquired at Big Bear Solar Observatory. When fully developed, these structures have an average length of 15 arc seconds before eruption. They appear to be the small-scale analog of large-scale eruptive filaments observed against the disk. At the observed rate of 1.9 small-scale eruptive features per field of view per average 7.0 hour day, the rate of occurence of these events on the sun were estimated to be greater than 600 per 24 hour day.. The average duration of the eruptive phase was 26 minutes while the average lifetime from formation through eruption was 70 minutes. A majority of the small-scale filamentary sturctures were spatially related to cancelling magnetic features in line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms. Similar to large-scale filaments, the small-scale filamentary structures sometimes divided opposite polarity cancelling fragments but often had one or both ends terminating at a cancellation site. Their high numbers appear to reflect the much greater flux on the quiet sun. From their characteristics, evolution, and relationship to photospheric magnetic flux, it was concluded that the structures described are small-scale eruptive filaments and are a subset of all filaments

The 2010 explosive eruption of Java's Merapi volcano—A ‘100-year’ event

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Surono,; Jousset, Philippe; Pallister, John S.; Boichu, Marie; Buongiorno, M. Fabrizia; Budisantoso, Agus; Costa, Fidel; Andreastuti, Supriyati; Prata, Fred; Schneider, David; Clarisse, Lieven; Humaida, Hanik; Sumarti, Sri; Bignami, Christian; Griswold, Julia P.; Carn, Simon A.; Oppenheimer, Clive; Lavigne, Franck

2012-01-01

Merapi volcano (Indonesia) is one of the most active and hazardous volcanoes in the world. It is known for frequent small to moderate eruptions, pyroclastic flows produced by lava dome collapse, and the large population settled on and around the flanks of the volcano that is at risk. Its usual behavior for the last decades abruptly changed in late October and early November 2010, when the volcano produced its largest and most explosive eruptions in more than a century, displacing at least a third of a million people, and claiming nearly 400 lives. Despite the challenges involved in forecasting this ‘hundred year eruption’, we show that the magnitude of precursory signals (seismicity, ground deformation, gas emissions) was proportional to the large size and intensity of the eruption. In addition and for the first time, near-real-time satellite radar imagery played an equal role with seismic, geodetic, and gas observations in monitoring eruptive activity during a major volcanic crisis. The Indonesian Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) issued timely forecasts of the magnitude of the eruption phases, saving 10,000–20,000 lives. In addition to reporting on aspects of the crisis management, we report the first synthesis of scientific observations of the eruption. Our monitoring and petrologic data show that the 2010 eruption was fed by rapid ascent of magma from depths ranging from 5 to 30 km. Magma reached the surface with variable gas content resulting in alternating explosive and rapid effusive eruptions, and released a total of ~ 0.44 Tg of SO2. The eruptive behavior seems also related to the seismicity along a tectonic fault more than 40 km from the volcano, highlighting both the complex stress pattern of the Merapi region of Java and the role of magmatic pressurization in activating regional faults. We suggest a dynamic triggering of the main explosions on 3 and 4 November by the passing seismic waves generated by regional

Guided tooth eruption: Comparison of open and closed eruption techniques in labially impacted maxillary canines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S M londhe

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: After third molars, the maxillary canines are the most commonly impacted permanent teeth and one-third of these are labial impactions. Impacted canines often require orthodontic guidance in the eruption. This study was conducted to assess the posttreatment results of surgically exposed and orthodontically aligned labially impacted maxillary canines comparing two different surgical techniques. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in two phases, a surgical phase and an orthodontic phase. In surgical phase, events during surgical exposure and recovery of 31 patients with labially impacted maxillary canine were recorded. Patients were managed with open and closed eruption technique. The assessment included comparison of two techniques of surgical exposure, postoperative pain, mobility, vitality, periodontal health, level of impaction, and duration of orthodontic treatment. Results: The postoperative recovery was longer after open eruption than close eruption technique (P = 0.000. Postoperative pain experienced by patients was similar, but regression of pain was faster in closed eruption technique. The mean surgical time for open eruption technique was lesser when compared with closed eruption technique (P = 0.000. The total duration of orthodontic treatment was directly dependent upon the level of impaction, with deeper level of impaction having longer duration of orthodontic treatment. The mobility and vitality of guided canine was similar in both techniques. Conclusion: The closed eruption technique was a longer surgical procedure, but the postoperative pain regression was faster. The duration of orthodontic treatment was longer with deeper level of impaction. The closed eruption surgical techniques provide better periodontal tissues around the guided erupted teeth.

CME Eruption Onset Observations from EIT and SXT

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Sterling, A. C.

2004-01-01

Why CMEs erupt is a major outstanding puzzle of solar physics. Signatures observable at the earliest stages of eruption onset may hold precious clues about the onset mechanism. We present observations in EUV from SOHO/EIT and in soft X-rays from Yohkoh/SXT of the re-eruption and eruption phases of CME expulsion, along with the eruption's magnetic setting found from SOHO/MDI magnetograms. Most of our events involve clearly-observable filament eruptions and multiple neutral lines, and we use the magnetic settings and motions of the filaments to help infer the geometry and behavior of the associated erupting magnetic fields. Pre-eruption and early-eruption signatures include a relatively slow filament rise prior to eruption, and intensity "dimmings" and brightenings, both in the immediate neighborhood of the "core" (location of greatest magnetic shear) of the erupting fields and at locations remote from the core. These signatures and their relative timings place observational constraints on eruption mechanisms; our recent work has focused on implications for the so-called "tether cutting" and "breakout" models, but the same observational constraints are applicable to any model.

The 2006 Eruption of Raoul Volcano (Kermadecs): A Phreato-magmatic Event From a Hydrothermally-Sealed Volcanic Conduit System.

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Christenson, B. W.; Reyes, A. G.; Werner, C. A.

2006-12-01

The March 17, 2006 eruption from Raoul volcano (Kermadec Islands, NZ), which tragically claimed the life of NZ Department of Conservation staff member Mark Kearney, is being interpreted as a magmatic-hydrothermal event triggered by shaking associated with regional earthquake swarm activity. Although the eruption released ca. 200 T of SO2, thus confirming its magmatic nature, it occurred without significant precursory volcanic seismicity, and without any of the precursory responses of the volcanic hydrothermal system which were observed prior to the last eruption in 1964. Raoul Island has a long and varied eruption history dating back > 1.4 ma, and has been hydrothermally active throughout historic time. Present day fumarolic and hotspring discharges within Raoul caldera point to the existence of a small but well established, mixed meteoric - seawater hydrothermal system within the volcano. Magmatic signatures are apparent in fumarolic gas discharges, but are heavily masked by their interaction with hydrothermal system fluids (eg. near complete scrubbing of sulphur and halogen gases from the boiling point fumarolic discharges). A diffuse degassing study conducted in 2004 revealed that ca. 80 T/d CO2 is passively discharged from the volcano, suggesting that ongoing (albeit low level) convective degassing of magma occurs at depth. Interestingly, vent locations from the 2006 eruption correspond to areas of relatively low CO2 discharge on the crater floor in 2004. This, in conjunction with the preliminary findings of abundant hydrothermal mineralisation (calcite, anhydrite, quartz) in eruption ejecta, suggests that the main volcanic conduits had become effectively sealed during the interval since the last eruption. Calcite-hosted fluid inclusions are CO2 clathrate-bearing, and have relatively low homogenisation temperatures (165-180 °C), suggesting that the seal environment was both gas-charged and shallowly seated (< 200 m). Shaking associated with the regional

January 30, 1997 eruptive event on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, as monitored by continuous GPS

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, S.; Segall, P.; Lisowski, M.; Miklius, Asta; Murray, M.; Bevis, M.; Foster, J.

2000-01-01

A continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) network on Kilauea Volcano captured the most recent fissure eruption in Kilauea's East Rift Zone (ERZ) in unprecedented spatial and temporal detail. The short eruption drained the lava pond at Pu'u O' o, leading to a two month long pause in its on-going eruption. Models of the GPS data indicate that the intrusion's bottom edge extended to only 2.4 km. Continuous GPS data reveal rift opening 8 hours prior to the eruption. Absence of precursory summit inflation rules out magma storage overpressurization as the eruption's cause. We infer that stresses in the shallow rift created by the continued deep rift dilation and slip on the south flank decollement caused the rift intrusion.

King's Bowl Pit Crater, Lava Field and Eruptive Fissure, Idaho - A Multipurpose Volcanic Planetary Analog

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, S. S.; Garry, B.; Kobs-Nawotniak, S. E.; Sears, D. W. G.; Borg, C.; Elphic, R. C.; Haberle, C. W.; Kobayashi, L.; Lim, D. S. S.; Sears, H.; Skok, J. R.; Heldmann, J. L.

2014-12-01

King's Bowl (KB) and its associated eruptive fissure and lava field on the eastern Snake River Plain, is being investigated by the NASA SSERVI FINESSE (Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration) team as a planetary analog to similar pits on the Moon, Mars and Vesta. The 2,220 ± 100 BP basaltic eruption in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve represents early stages of low shield growth, which was aborted when magma supply was cut off. Compared to mature shields, KB is miniscule, with ~0.02 km3 of lava over ~3 km2, yet the ~6 km long series of fissures, cracks and pits are well-preserved for analog studies of volcanic processes. The termination of eruption was likely related to proximity of the 2,270 ± 50 BP eruption of the much larger Wapi lava field (~5.5 km3 over 325 km2 area) on the same rift. Our investigation extends early work by R. Greeley and colleagues, focusing on imagery, compositional variations, ejecta distribution, dGPS profiles and LiDAR scans of features related to: (1) fissure eruptions - spatter ramparts, cones, feeder dikes, extension cracks; (2) lava lake formation - surface morphology, squeeze-ups, slab pahoehoe lava mounds, lava drain-back, flow lobe overlaps; and (3) phreatic steam blasts - explosion pits, ejecta blankets of ash and blocks. Preliminary results indicate multiple fissure eruptions and growth of a basin-filled lava lake up to ~ 10 m thick with outflow sheet lava flows. Remnant mounds of original lake crust reveal an early high lava lake level, which subsided as much as 5 m as the molten interior drained back into the fissure system. Rapid loss of magma supply led to the collapse of fissure walls allowing groundwater influx that triggered multiple steam blasts along at least 500 m. Early blasts occurred while lake magma pressure was still high enough to produce squeeze-ups when penetrated by ejecta blocks. The King's Bowl pit crater exemplifies processes of a small, but highly energetic

Will Mount Etna erupt before EGU General Assembly 2017?

Science.gov (United States)

Aloisi, Marco; Cannavo', Flavio; Palano, Mimmo

2017-04-01

Mount Etna has historically recorded a long and very various series of eruptions. The eruptions have mostly shown an episodic character, despite a near continuous supply of magma. In the last years, activity at Mount Etna seems to follow a recurrent pattern characterized by very similar "inflation/paroxysmal events/deflation" dynamic. The paroxysms occurred in December 2015 and May 2016, which involved the "Voragine" crater, can be considered among the most violent observed during the last two decades. These events showed high lava fountains, in the order of hundreds of meters in height, and eruption columns, several kilometres high. A new cycle, characterized by a clear similar inflation of the whole volcano edifice is currently underway. Here, we analyse these recent volcanic cycles and discuss about a) a possible upper bound for the inflation dynamic, above which a paroxysmal event occurs, b) the comparison of the models generating the considered lava fountains and c) a possible time-predictable model of the expected paroxysmal event.

SYMPATHETIC FILAMENT ERUPTIONS FROM A BIPOLAR HELMET STREAMER IN THE SUN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Jiayan; Jiang Yunchun; Zheng Ruisheng; Bi Yi; Hong Junchao; Yang Bo

2012-01-01

On 2005 August 5, two solar filaments erupted successively from different confined arcades underlying a common overarching multiple-arcade bipolar helmet streamer. We present detailed observations of these two events and identify them as sympathetic filament eruptions. The first (F1) is a small active-region filament located near the outskirts of the streamer arcade. It underwent a nonradial eruption, initially moving in the interior of the streamer arcade and resulting in an over-and-out coronal mass ejection. The second filament (F2), a larger quiescent one far away from F1, was clearly disturbed during the F1 eruption. It then underwent a very slow eruption and finally disappeared completely and permanently. Because two belt-shaped diffuse dimmings formed along the footprints of the streamer arcade in the first eruption and persisted throughout the complete disappearance of F2, the eruption series are interpreted as sympathetic: the simple expansion of the common streamer arcade forced by the F1 eruption weakened magnetic flux overlying F2 and thus led to its slow eruption, with the dimming formation indicating their physical connection. Our observations suggest that multiple-arcade bipolar helmet-streamer configurations are appropriate to producing sympathetic eruptions. Combined with the recent observations of unipolar-streamer sympathetic events, it appears that a multiple-arcade unipolar or bipolar helmet streamer can serve as a common magnetic configuration for sympathetic eruptions.

Explosive processes during the 2015 eruption of Axial Seamount, as recorded by seafloor hydrophones

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Caplan-Auerbach, J.; Dziak, R. P.; Haxel, J.; Bohnenstiehl, D. R.; Garcia, C.

2017-04-01

Following the installation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative cabled array, the 2015 eruption of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca ridge, became the first submarine eruption to be captured in real time by seafloor seismic and acoustic instruments. This eruption also marked the first instance where the entire eruption cycle of a submarine volcano, from the previous eruption in 2011 to the end of the month-long 2015 event, was monitored continuously using autonomous ocean bottom hydrophones. Impulsive sounds associated with explosive lava-water interactions are identified within hydrophone records during both eruptions. Explosions within the caldera are acoustically distinguishable from those occurring in association with north rift lava flows erupting in 2015. Acoustic data also record a series of broadband diffuse events, occurring in the waning phase of the eruption, and are interpreted as submarine Hawaiian explosions. This transition from gas-poor to gas-rich eruptive activity coincides with an increase in water temperature within the caldera and with a decrease in the rate of deflation. The last recorded diffuse events coincide with the end of the eruption, represented by the onset of inflation. All the observed explosion signals couple strongly into the water column, and only weakly into the solid Earth, demonstrating the importance of hydroacoustic observations as a complement to seismic and geodetic studies of submarine eruptions.

Novel microbial diversity retrieved by autonomous robotic exploration of the world's deepest vertical phreatic sinkhole.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahl, Jason W; Fairfield, Nathaniel; Harris, J Kirk; Wettergreen, David; Stone, William C; Spear, John R

2010-03-01

The deep phreatic thermal explorer (DEPTHX) is an autonomous underwater vehicle designed to navigate an unexplored environment, generate high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) maps, collect biological samples based on an autonomous sampling decision, and return to its origin. In the spring of 2007, DEPTHX was deployed in Zacatón, a deep (approximately 318 m), limestone, phreatic sinkhole (cenote) in northeastern Mexico. As DEPTHX descended, it generated a 3-D map based on the processing of range data from 54 onboard sonars. The vehicle collected water column samples and wall biomat samples throughout the depth profile of the cenote. Post-expedition sample analysis via comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a wealth of microbial diversity. Traditional Sanger gene sequencing combined with a barcoded-amplicon pyrosequencing approach revealed novel, phylum-level lineages from the domains Bacteria and Archaea; in addition, several novel subphylum lineages were also identified. Overall, DEPTHX successfully navigated and mapped Zacatón, and collected biological samples based on an autonomous decision, which revealed novel microbial diversity in a previously unexplored environment.

Plasma Brightenings in a Failed Solar Filament Eruption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y.; Ding, M. D., E-mail: yingli@nju.edu.cn [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 (China)

2017-03-20

Failed filament eruptions are solar eruptions that are not associated with coronal mass ejections. In a failed filament eruption, the filament materials usually show some ascending and falling motions as well as generating bright EUV emissions. Here we report a failed filament eruption (SOL2016-07-22) that occurred in a quiet-Sun region observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory . In this event, the filament spreads out but gets confined by the surrounding magnetic field. When interacting with the ambient magnetic field, the filament material brightens up and flows along the magnetic field lines through the corona to the chromosphere. We find that some materials slide down along the lifting magnetic structure containing the filament and impact the chromosphere, and through kinetic energy dissipation, cause two ribbon-like brightenings in a wide temperature range. There is evidence suggesting that magnetic reconnection occurs between the filament magnetic structure and the surrounding magnetic fields where filament plasma is heated to coronal temperatures. In addition, thread-like brightenings show up on top of the erupting magnetic fields at low temperatures, which might be produced by an energy imbalance from a fast drop of radiative cooling due to plasma rarefaction. Thus, this single event of a failed filament eruption shows the existence of a variety of plasma brightenings that may be caused by completely different heating mechanisms.

Forecasting deflation, intrusion and eruption at inflating volcanoes

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Stephen; Cortés, Joaquín A.

2018-01-01

A principal goal of volcanology is to successfully forecast the start of volcanic eruptions. This paper introduces a general forecasting method, which relies on a stream of monitoring data and a statistical description of a given threshold criterion for an eruption to start. Specifically we investigate the timing of intrusive and eruptive events at inflating volcanoes. The gradual inflation of the ground surface is a well-known phenomenon at many volcanoes and is attributable to pressurised magma accumulating within a shallow chamber. Inflation usually culminates in a rapid deflation event caused by magma escaping from the chamber to produce a shallow intrusion and, in some cases, a volcanic eruption. We show that the ground elevation during 15 inflation periods at Krafla volcano, Iceland, increased with time towards a limiting value by following a decaying exponential with characteristic timescale τ. The available data for Krafla, Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes show that the duration of inflation (t*) is approximately equal to τ. The distribution of t* / τ values follows a log-logistic distribution in which the central 60% of the data lie between 0.99 deflation event starting during a specified time interval to be estimated. The time window in which there is a specified probability of deflation starting can also be forecast, and forecasts can be updated after each new deformation measurement. The method provides stronger forecasts than one based on the distribution of repose times alone and is transferable to other types of monitoring data and/or other patterns of pre-eruptive unrest.

Evidence for Mixed Helicity in Erupting Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Muglach, K.; Wang, Y.-M.; Kliem, B.

2009-09-01

Erupting filaments are sometimes observed to undergo a rotation about the vertical direction as they rise. This rotation of the filament axis is generally interpreted as a conversion of twist into writhe in a kink-unstable magnetic flux rope. Consistent with this interpretation, the rotation is usually found to be clockwise (as viewed from above) if the post-eruption arcade has right-handed helicity, but counterclockwise if it has left-handed helicity. Here, we describe two non-active-region filament events recorded with the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory in which the sense of rotation appears to be opposite to that expected from the helicity of the post-event arcade. Based on these observations, we suggest that the rotation of the filament axis is, in general, determined by the net helicity of the erupting system, and that the axially aligned core of the filament can have the opposite helicity sign to the surrounding field. In most cases, the surrounding field provides the main contribution to the net helicity. In the events reported here, however, the helicity associated with the filament "barbs" is opposite in sign to and dominates that of the overlying arcade.

Characteristics of EIT Dimmings in Solar Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi; Sterling, A. C.

2006-01-01

Intensity "dimmings" in coronal images are a key feature of solar eruptions. Such dimmings are likely the source locations for much of the material expelled in coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Characteristics such as the timing of the dimmings with respect to the onset of other eruption signatures, and the location of the dimmings in the context of the magnetic field environment of the erupting region, are indicative of the mechanism leading to the eruption. We examine dimmings of six eruptions in images from the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on SOHO, along with supplementary soft X-ray (SXR) data from GOES and the SXR Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. We examine the timing of the dimming onset and compare with the time of EUV and SXR brightening and determine the timescale for the recovery from dimming for each event. With line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms from the MDI instrument on SOHO, we determine the magnetic structure of the erupting regions and the locations of the dimmings in those regions. From our analysis we consider which mechanism likely triggered each eruption: internal tether cutting, external tether cutting ("breakout"), loss of equilibrium, or some other mechanism.

Global time-size distribution of volcanic eruptions on Earth.

Science.gov (United States)

Papale, Paolo

2018-05-01

Volcanic eruptions differ enormously in their size and impacts, ranging from quiet lava flow effusions along the volcano flanks to colossal events with the potential to affect our entire civilization. Knowledge of the time and size distribution of volcanic eruptions is of obvious relevance for understanding the dynamics and behavior of the Earth system, as well as for defining global volcanic risk. From the analysis of recent global databases of volcanic eruptions extending back to more than 2 million years, I show here that the return times of eruptions with similar magnitude follow an exponential distribution. The associated relative frequency of eruptions with different magnitude displays a power law, scale-invariant distribution over at least six orders of magnitude. These results suggest that similar mechanisms subtend to explosive eruptions from small to colossal, raising concerns on the theoretical possibility to predict the magnitude and impact of impending volcanic eruptions.

CONTRACTING AND ERUPTING COMPONENTS OF SIGMOIDAL ACTIVE REGIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Rui; Wang Yuming; Liu Chang; Wang Haimin; Török, Tibor

2012-01-01

It has recently been noted that solar eruptions can be associated with the contraction of coronal loops that are not involved in magnetic reconnection processes. In this paper, we investigate five coronal eruptions originating from four sigmoidal active regions, using high-cadence, high-resolution narrowband EUV images obtained by the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO). The magnitudes of the flares associated with the eruptions range from GOES class B to class X. Owing to the high-sensitivity and broad temperature coverage of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO, we are able to identify both the contracting and erupting components of the eruptions: the former is observed in cold AIA channels as the contracting coronal loops overlying the elbows of the sigmoid, and the latter is preferentially observed in warm/hot AIA channels as an expanding bubble originating from the center of the sigmoid. The initiation of eruption always precedes the contraction, and in the energetically mild events (B- and C-flares), it also precedes the increase in GOES soft X-ray fluxes. In the more energetic events, the eruption is simultaneous with the impulsive phase of the nonthermal hard X-ray emission. These observations confirm that loop contraction is an integrated process in eruptions with partially opened arcades. The consequence of contraction is a new equilibrium with reduced magnetic energy, as the contracting loops never regain their original positions. The contracting process is a direct consequence of flare energy release, as evidenced by the strong correlation of the maximal contracting speed, and strong anti-correlation of the time delay of contraction relative to expansion, with the peak soft X-ray flux. This is also implied by the relationship between contraction and expansion, i.e., their timing and speed.

Thermophilic subseafloor microorganisms from the 1996 North Gorda Ridge eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Summit, Melanie; Baross, John A.

1998-12-01

High-temperature microbes were present in two hydrothermal event plumes (EP96A and B) resulting from the February-March 1996 eruptions along the North Gorda Ridge. Anaerobic thermophiles were cultured from 17 of 22 plume samples at levels exceeding 200 organisms per liter; no thermophiles were cultured from any of 12 samples of background seawater. As these microorganisms grow at temperatures of 50-90°C, they could not have grown in the event plume and instead most probably derived from a subseafloor environment tapped by the event plume source fluids. Event plumes are thought to derive from a pre-existing subseafloor fluid reservoir, which implies that these thermophiles are members of a native subseafloor community that was present before the eruptive event. Thermophiles also were cultured from continuous chronic-style hydrothermal plumes in April 1996; these plumes may have formed from cooling lava piles. To better understand the nutritional, chemical, and physical constraints of pre-eruptive crustal environments, seven coccoidal isolates from the two event plumes were partially characterized. Results from nutritional and phylogenetic studies indicate that these thermophiles are heterotrophic archaea that represent new species, and probably a new genus, within the Thermococcales.

Isotopic fractionation of soil water during the evaporation process in the presence of a phreatic water table

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leopoldo, P.R.; Stolf, R.

1979-01-01

This experiment was conducted with columns of soil, constitued by alluvion sediment keeping a phreatic watertable at a depth of 40 cm and constant water supply, and its objective was to check the water behaviour as to its deuterium and oxigen content when moving from the lower layers to the upper layers, and consequent loss to the atmosphere through evaporation. It was noted that the existing D and 18 O content in the water forming the phreativ watertable practivally does not vary with this process. In addition to the observations on soil columns, soil water from the Brasilian northeastern region was collected and analysed. The phreatic watertable at the collecting site lay at a depth of about 40-50 cm. Preliminarily, it was noted that these results apparently indicate an excess evaporation, and are also consistent with those obtained by other investigators, who proposed the use of stable isotopes to study problems related to salinization of water in this region. (Author) [pt

Environmental Effects on Volcanic Eruptions:From Deep Ocean to Deep Space. Chapter 3. Volcanism and Ice Interactions on Earth and Mars. Chapter 3

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Mary G.; Allen, Carlton C.; Gudmundsson, Magnus T.; Gulick, Virginia C.; Jakobsson, Sveinn P.; Lucchitta, Baerbel K.; Skilling, Ian P.; Waitt, Richard B.

2000-01-01

CONCLUSION Volcano/ice interactions produce meltwater. Meltwater can enter the groundwater cycle and under the influence of hydrothermal systems, it can be later discharged to form channels and valleys or cycled upward to melt permafrost. Water or ice-saturated ground can erupt into phreatic craters when covered by lava. Violent mixing of meltwater and volcanic material and rapid release can generate lahars or jokulhlaups, that have the ability to freight coarse material, great distances downslope from the vent. Eruption into meltwater generate unique appearing edifices, that are definitive indicators of volcano/ice interaction. These features are hyaloclastic ridges or mounds and if capped by lava, tuyas. On Earth, volcano/ice interactions are limited to alpine regions and ice-capped polar and temperate regions. On Mars, where precipitation may be an ancient phenomenon, these interactions may be limited to areas of ground ice accumulation or the northern lowlands where water may have ponded fairly late in martian history. The recognition of features caused by volcano/ice interactions could provide strong constraints for the history of volatiles on Mars.

Remote observations of eruptive clouds and surface thermal activity during the 2009 eruption of Redoubt volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Webley, P. W.; Lopez, T. M.; Ekstrand, A. L.; Dean, K. G.; Rinkleff, P.; Dehn, J.; Cahill, C. F.; Wessels, R. L.; Bailey, J. E.; Izbekov, P.; Worden, A.

2013-06-01

Volcanoes often erupt explosively and generate a variety of hazards including volcanic ash clouds and gaseous plumes. These clouds and plumes are a significant hazard to the aviation industry and the ground features can be a major hazard to local communities. Here, we provide a chronology of the 2009 Redoubt Volcano eruption using frequent, low spatial resolution thermal infrared (TIR), mid-infrared (MIR) and ultraviolet (UV) satellite remote sensing data. The first explosion of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano occurred on March 15, 2009 (UTC) and was followed by a series of magmatic explosive events starting on March 23 (UTC). From March 23-April 4 2009, satellites imaged at least 19 separate explosive events that sent ash clouds up to 18 km above sea level (ASL) that dispersed ash across the Cook Inlet region. In this manuscript, we provide an overview of the ash clouds and plumes from the 19 explosive events, detailing their cloud-top heights and discussing the variations in infrared absorption signals. We show that the timing of the TIR data relative to the event end time was critical for inferring the TIR derived height and true cloud top height. The ash clouds were high in water content, likely in the form of ice, which masked the negative TIR brightness temperature difference (BTD) signal typically used for volcanic ash detection. The analysis shown here illustrates the utility of remote sensing data during volcanic crises to measure critical real-time parameters, such as cloud-top heights, changes in ground-based thermal activity, and plume/cloud location.

Stress field control during large caldera-forming eruptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Costa

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Crustal stress field can have a significant influence on the way magma is channelled through the crust and erupted explosively at the surface. Large Caldera Forming Eruptions (LCFEs can erupt hundreds to thousands of cubic kilometres of magma in a relatively short time along fissures under the control of a far-field extensional stress. The associated eruption intensities are estimated in the range 109 - 1011 kg/s. We analyse syn-eruptive dynamics of LCFEs, by simulating numerically explosive flow of magma through a shallow dyke conduit connected to a magma chamber that in turn is fed by a deeper magma reservoir, both under the action of an extensional far-field stress. Results indicate that huge amounts of high viscosity silicic magma can be erupted over timescales of a few to several hours. Our study provides answers to outstanding questions relating to the intensity and duration of catastrophic volcanic eruptions in the past. In addition, it presents far-reaching implications for the understanding of dynamics and intensity of large-magnitude volcanic eruptions on Earth and to highlight the necessity of a future research to advance our knowledge of these rare catastrophic events.

Emotional Eruptions, Volcanic Activity and Global Mobilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole B.

2011-01-01

The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010 set off a number of environmental, economic and cultural effects obstructing thousands of people in the midst of their global mobility flows. It halted, as well, the exchange of goods and commodities and exposed the vulnerability...... of the global aeromobility system. In this paper an account is given of how the event was experienced by a European academic attending a number of North American conferences at precisely the time of the eruption. The paper is an attempt to describe how people reacted emotionally as well as rationally......, attempting to find strategies for coping with the consequences of the eruption....

Probabilistic short-term forecasting of eruption rate at Kīlauea Volcano using a physics-based model

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, K. R.

2016-12-01

Deterministic models of volcanic eruptions yield predictions of future activity conditioned on uncertainty in the current state of the system. Physics-based eruption models are well-suited for deterministic forecasting as they can relate magma physics with a wide range of observations. Yet, physics-based eruption forecasting is strongly limited by an inadequate understanding of volcanic systems, and the need for eruption models to be computationally tractable. At Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, episodic depressurization-pressurization cycles of the magma system generate correlated, quasi-exponential variations in ground deformation and surface height of the active summit lava lake. Deflations are associated with reductions in eruption rate, or even brief eruptive pauses, and thus partly control lava flow advance rates and associated hazard. Because of the relatively well-understood nature of Kīlauea's shallow magma plumbing system, and because more than 600 of these events have been recorded to date, they offer a unique opportunity to refine a physics-based effusive eruption forecasting approach and apply it to lava eruption rates over short (hours to days) time periods. A simple physical model of the volcano ascribes observed data to temporary reductions in magma supply to an elastic reservoir filled with compressible magma. This model can be used to predict the evolution of an ongoing event, but because the mechanism that triggers events is unknown, event durations are modeled stochastically from previous observations. A Bayesian approach incorporates diverse data sets and prior information to simultaneously estimate uncertain model parameters and future states of the system. Forecasts take the form of probability distributions for eruption rate or cumulative erupted volume at some future time. Results demonstrate the significant uncertainties that still remain even for short-term eruption forecasting at a well-monitored volcano - but also the value of a physics

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. III. Catastrophe of the Eruptive Filament at a Magnetic Null Point and Formation of an Opposite-Handedness CME

Science.gov (United States)

Uralov, A. M.; Grechnev, V. V.; Rudenko, G. V.; Myshyakov, I. I.; Chertok, I. M.; Filippov, B. P.; Slemzin, V. A.

2014-10-01

Our analysis in Papers I and II (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. 289, 289, 2014b and Solar Phys. 289, 1279, 2014c) of the 18 November 2003 solar event responsible for the 20 November geomagnetic superstorm has revealed a complex chain of eruptions. In particular, the eruptive filament encountered a topological discontinuity located near the solar disk center at a height of about 100 Mm, bifurcated, and transformed into a large cloud, which did not leave the Sun. Concurrently, an additional CME presumably erupted close to the bifurcation region. The conjectures about the responsibility of this compact CME for the superstorm and its disconnection from the Sun are confirmed in Paper IV (Grechnev et al., Solar Phys. submitted, 2014a), which concludes about its probable spheromak-like structure. The present article confirms the presence of a magnetic null point near the bifurcation region and addresses the origin of the magnetic helicity of the interplanetary magnetic clouds and their connection to the Sun. We find that the orientation of a magnetic dipole constituted by dimmed regions with the opposite magnetic polarities away from the parent active region corresponded to the direction of the axial field in the magnetic cloud, while the pre-eruptive filament mismatched it. To combine all of the listed findings, we propose an intrinsically three-dimensional scheme, in which a spheromak-like eruption originates via the interaction of the initially unconnected magnetic fluxes of the eruptive filament and pre-existing ones in the corona. Through a chain of magnetic reconnections their positive mutual helicity was transformed into the self-helicity of the spheromak-like magnetic cloud.

Airborne thermal infrared imaging of the 2004-2005 eruption of Mount St. Helens

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, D. J.; Vallance, J. W.; Logan, M.; Wessels, R.; Ramsey, M.

2005-12-01

A helicopter-mounted forward-looking infrared imaging radiometer (FLIR) documented the explosive and effusive activity at Mount St. Helens during the 2004-2005 eruption. A gyrostabilzed gimbal controlled by a crew member houses the FLIR radiometer and an optical video camera attached at the lower front of the helicopter. Since October 1, 2004 the system has provided an unprecedented data set of thermal and video dome-growth observations. Flights were conducted as frequently as twice daily during the initial month of the eruption (when changes in the crater and dome occurred rapidly), and have been continued on a tri-weekly basis during the period of sustained dome growth. As with any new technology, the routine use of FLIR images to aid in volcano monitoring has been a learning experience in terms of observation strategy and data interpretation. Some of the unique information that has been derived from these data to date include: 1) Rapid identification of the phreatic nature of the early explosive phase; 2) Observation of faulting and associated heat flow during times of large scale deformation; 3) Venting of hot gas through a short lived crater lake, indicative of a shallow magma source; 4) Increased heat flow of the crater floor prior to the initial dome extrusion; 5) Confirmation of new magma reaching the surface; 6) Identification of the source of active lava extrusion, dome collapse, and block and ash flows. Temperatures vary from ambient, in areas insulated by fault gouge and talus produced during extrusion, to as high as 500-740 degrees C in regions of active extrusion, collapse, and fracturing. This temperature variation needs to be accounted for in the retrieval of eruption parameters using satellite-based techniques as such features are sub-pixel size in satellite images.

A Vulnerability Evaluation of the Phreatic Water in the Plain Area of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Based on the VDEAL Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruiliang Jia

2014-11-01

Full Text Available A VDEAL (V is the lithology of the vadose zone, D is the groundwater depth, E is the degree of groundwater exploitation, A is the aquifer characteristics and L is the land use pattern. model, which is suitable for a vulnerability evaluation of the groundwater in arid inland areas, and that is based on the GOD (G is the groundwater status, O is overburden feature and D is groundwater depth method and DRASTIC (D is the depth of water-table, R is the net recharge, A is the aquifer media, S is the soil media, T is the topography, I is the impact of the vadose and C is the conductivity of the aquifer. model is proposed in this paper. Five indicators were selected by reference to the DRAV (D is the depth of water-table, R is the net recharge, A is the aquifer media and V is the impact of the vadose. and VLDA (V is the lithology of the vadose zone , L is the land use pattern, D is the groundwater depth and A is the aquifer characteristics and. models, namely, the lithology of the vadose zone (V, the groundwater depth (D, the degree of groundwater exploitation (E, the aquifer characteristics (A and the land use pattern (L. According to monitoring data from 2003 and 2011, the variations of phreatic water quality in the plain area of the Junggar Basin were divided into three types: the water quality may have deteriorated, be unchanged or improved. Four groups of indicator weights were configured to calculate the vulnerability index using the VDEAL model. The changes of phreatic water quality were then compared against the vulnerability index. The normalized weights of V, D, E, A, and L were respectively 0.15, 0.25, 0.10, 0.10, and 0.40; this is according to the principle that the sampling sites of deteriorated water quality are generally distributed in a high-vulnerability region, and the sites of unchanged and improved water quality are distributed in middle vulnerability, low vulnerability and invulnerable regions. The evaluation results of phreatic

Classification of mini-dimmings associated with extreme ultraviolet eruptions by using graph theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Bazargan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Coronal dimmings in both micro and macro scales, can be observed by extreme ultraviolet images, recorded from Solar Dynamics Observatory or Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA. Mini-dimmings are sometimes associated with wave-like brightening, called coronal mass ejections. Here, the sun full disk images with 171 Å wavelenght, cadence of 2.5, and  0.6 arcsec cell size, were taken on 3 March 2012, then the obtained data were analyzed. Using Zernike Moment and Support Vector Machine (SVM, mini dimmings are detected. 538 active region events, 680 coronal hole events and 723 quiet sun events have been recognized using algorithm. The position, time duration and spatial expansion of these events were computed .The eruptive dimmings have a more spatial development than thermal dimmings after eruptions. This is evident in their graph characteristics length. Then, using graph theory, eruptive and thermal mini-dimmings were classified, with 13% error, for 200 dimmings. 68 dimmings were classified as thermal, and 132 as eruptive. To do this, evolution of graph characteristic length were used.

Geochemistry of volcanic ashes, thermal waters and gases ejected during the 1979 eruption of Ontake Volcano, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiura, Tumomu; Sugisaki, Ryuichi; Mizutani, Yoshihiko; Kusakabe, Minoru.

1980-01-01

Ontake Volcano suddenly began to erupt on its south-western flank near the summit at 05sup(h)20sup(m) on Oct. 28, 1979, forming several new craters and ejecting large amounts of volcanic ash and steam. Up to that time, the volcano had been believed to be dormant, though there were weak geothermal activities at a part of the south-western flank of the volcano, Jigokudani. This paper reports some results obtained by preliminary examination of volcanic ashes, thermal waters and gases collected on and around Ontake Volcano during the early stage of eruptive activity. The volcanic ashes are homogeneous in chemical and mineralogical compositions, and similar in chemical composition to the pre-historic volcanic ashes. The ashes contain pyrite, anhydrite, cristobalite and clay minerals. The sulfur isotopic equilibrium temperature is estimated to be about 400 0 C for pyrite-anhydrite pairs in the volcanic ashes. The estimated temperature is apparently too high for the temperature of phreatic explosion. The interpretation of this isotopic data remains unsettled. The thermal waters collected from the boiling pools in craters are enriched in D and 18 O. The isotopic enrichment is probably caused by evaporation of water at the surface of boiling pool. The hydrogen and oxygen isotopic data also suggest that spring waters issuing around Ontake Volcano are meteoric in origin. Nigorigo Hot Spring, about 4 km north-west of Ontake Volcano, showed significant increase in the concentrations of major dissolved chemical components soon after the eruption, but since then no significant change in chemical and isotopic composition has been observed. (author)

The Ottaviano eruption of Somma-Vesuvio (8000 y B.P.): a magmatic alternating fall and flow-forming eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Rolandi, G.; Maraffi, S.; Petrosino, P.; Lirer, L.

1993-11-01

The Ottaviano eruption occurred in the late neolithic (8000 y B.P.). 2.40 km 3 of phonolitic pyroclastic material (0.61 km 3 DRE) were emplaced as pyroclastic flow, surge and fall deposits. The eruption began with a fall phase, with a model column height of 14 km, producing a pumice fall deposit (LA). This phase ended with short-lived weak explosive activity, giving rise to a fine-grained deposit (L1), passing to pumice fall deposits as the result of an increasing column height and mass discharge rate. The subsequent two fall phases (producing LB and LC deposits), had model column heights of 20 and 22 km with eruption rates of 2.5 × 10 7 and 2.81 × 10 7 kg/s, respectively. These phases ended with the deposition of ash layers (L2 and L3), related to a decreasing, pulsing explosive activity. The values of dynamic parameters calculated for the eruption classify it as a sub-plinian event. Each fall phase was characterized by variations in the eruptive intensity, and several pyroclastic flows were emplaced (F1 to F3). Alternating pumice and ash fall beds record the waning of the eruption. Finally, owing to the collapse of a eruptive column of low gas content, the last pyroclastic flow (F4) was emplaced.

A cascade of magmatic events during the assembly and eruption of a super-sized magma body

Science.gov (United States)

Allan, Aidan. S. R.; Barker, Simon J.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Morgan, Daniel J.; Rooyakkers, Shane M.; Schipper, C. Ian; Wilson, Colin J. N.

2017-07-01

We use comprehensive geochemical and petrological records from whole-rock samples, crystals, matrix glasses and melt inclusions to derive an integrated picture of the generation, accumulation and evacuation of 530 km3 of crystal-poor rhyolite in the 25.4 ka Oruanui supereruption (New Zealand). New data from plagioclase, orthopyroxene, amphibole, quartz, Fe-Ti oxides, matrix glasses, and plagioclase- and quartz-hosted melt inclusions, in samples spanning different phases of the eruption, are integrated with existing data to build a history of the magma system prior to and during eruption. A thermally and compositionally zoned, parental crystal-rich (mush) body was developed during two periods of intensive crystallisation, 70 and 10-15 kyr before the eruption. The mush top was quartz-bearing and as shallow as 3.5 km deep, and the roots quartz-free and extending to >10 km depth. Less than 600 year prior to the eruption, extraction of large volumes of 840 °C low-silica rhyolite melt with some crystal cargo (between 1 and 10%), began from this mush to form a melt-dominant (eruptible) body that eventually extended from 3.5 to 6 km depth. Crystals from all levels of the mush were entrained into the eruptible magma, as seen in mineral zonation and amphibole model pressures. Rapid translation of crystals from the mush to the eruptible magma is reflected in textural and compositional diversity in crystal cores and melt inclusion compositions, versus uniformity in the outermost rims. Prior to eruption the assembled eruptible magma body was not thermally or compositionally zoned and at temperatures of 790 °C, reflecting rapid cooling from the 840 °C low-silica rhyolite feedstock magma. A subordinate but significant volume (3-5 km3) of contrasting tholeiitic and calc-alkaline mafic material was co-erupted with the dominant rhyolite. These mafic clasts host crystals with compositions which demonstrate that there was some limited pre-eruptive physical interaction of mafic

SOLAR MULTIPLE ERUPTIONS FROM A CONFINED MAGNETIC STRUCTURE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jeongwoo; Chae, Jongchul [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826 (Korea, Republic of); Liu, Chang; Jing, Ju [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States)

2016-09-20

How eruption can recur from a confined magnetic structure is discussed based on the Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of the NOAA active region 11444, which produced three eruptions within 1.5 hr on 2012 March 27. The active region (AR) had the positive-polarity magnetic fields in the center surrounded by the negative-polarity fields around. Since such a distribution of magnetic polarity tends to form a dome-like magnetic fan structure confined over the AR, the multiple eruptions were puzzling. Our investigation reveals that this event exhibits several properties distinct from other eruptions associated with magnetic fan structures: (i) a long filament encircling the AR was present before the eruptions; (ii) expansion of the open–closed boundary (OCB) of the field lines after each eruption was suggestive of the growing fan-dome structure, and (iii) the ribbons inside the closed magnetic polarity inversion line evolved in response to the expanding OCB. It thus appears that in spite of multiple eruptions the fan-dome structure remained undamaged, and the closing back field lines after each eruption rather reinforced the fan-dome structure. We argue that the multiple eruptions could occur in this AR in spite of its confined magnetic structure because the filament encircling the AR was adequate for slipping through the magnetic separatrix to minimize the damage to its overlying fan-dome structure. The result of this study provides a new insight into the productivity of eruptions from a confined magnetic structure.

SOLAR MULTIPLE ERUPTIONS FROM A CONFINED MAGNETIC STRUCTURE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jeongwoo; Chae, Jongchul; Liu, Chang; Jing, Ju

2016-01-01

How eruption can recur from a confined magnetic structure is discussed based on the Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of the NOAA active region 11444, which produced three eruptions within 1.5 hr on 2012 March 27. The active region (AR) had the positive-polarity magnetic fields in the center surrounded by the negative-polarity fields around. Since such a distribution of magnetic polarity tends to form a dome-like magnetic fan structure confined over the AR, the multiple eruptions were puzzling. Our investigation reveals that this event exhibits several properties distinct from other eruptions associated with magnetic fan structures: (i) a long filament encircling the AR was present before the eruptions; (ii) expansion of the open–closed boundary (OCB) of the field lines after each eruption was suggestive of the growing fan-dome structure, and (iii) the ribbons inside the closed magnetic polarity inversion line evolved in response to the expanding OCB. It thus appears that in spite of multiple eruptions the fan-dome structure remained undamaged, and the closing back field lines after each eruption rather reinforced the fan-dome structure. We argue that the multiple eruptions could occur in this AR in spite of its confined magnetic structure because the filament encircling the AR was adequate for slipping through the magnetic separatrix to minimize the damage to its overlying fan-dome structure. The result of this study provides a new insight into the productivity of eruptions from a confined magnetic structure.

Solar filament material oscillations and drainage before eruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi, Yi; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Hong, Junchao; Li, Haidong; Yang, Dan; Yang, Bo

2014-01-01

Both large-amplitude longitudinal (LAL) oscillations and material drainage in a solar filament are associated with the flow of material along the filament axis, often followed by an eruption. However, the relationship between these two motions and a subsequent eruption event is poorly understood. We analyze a filament eruption using EUV imaging data captured by the Atmospheric Imaging Array on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Hα images from the Global Oscillation Network Group. Hours before the eruption, the filament was activated, with one of its legs undergoing a slow rising motion. The asymmetric activation inclined the filament relative to the solar surface. After the active phase, LAL oscillations were observed in the inclined filament. The oscillation period increased slightly over time, which may suggest that the magnetic fields supporting the filament evolve to be flatter during the slow rising phase. After the oscillations, a significant amount of filament material was drained toward one filament endpoint, followed immediately by the violent eruption of the filament. The material drainage may further support the change in magnetic topology prior to the eruption. Moreover, we suggest that the filament material drainage could play a role in the transition from a slow to a fast rise of the erupting filament.

Onset of a Large Ejective Solar Eruption from a Typical Coronal-jet-base Field Configuration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joshi, Navin Chandra; Magara, Tetsuya; Moon, Yong-Jae [School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi-Do, 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L., E-mail: navin@khu.ac.kr, E-mail: njoshi98@gmail.com [NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)

2017-08-10

Utilizing multiwavelength observations and magnetic field data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO )/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), SDO /Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite ( GOES ), and RHESSI , we investigate a large-scale ejective solar eruption of 2014 December 18 from active region NOAA 12241. This event produced a distinctive “three-ribbon” flare, having two parallel ribbons corresponding to the ribbons of a standard two-ribbon flare, and a larger-scale third quasi-circular ribbon offset from the other two. There are two components to this eruptive event. First, a flux rope forms above a strong-field polarity inversion line and erupts and grows as the parallel ribbons turn on, grow, and spread apart from that polarity inversion line; this evolution is consistent with the mechanism of tether-cutting reconnection for eruptions. Second, the eruption of the arcade that has the erupting flux rope in its core undergoes magnetic reconnection at the null point of a fan dome that envelops the erupting arcade, resulting in formation of the quasi-circular ribbon; this is consistent with the breakout reconnection mechanism for eruptions. We find that the parallel ribbons begin well before (∼12 minutes) the onset of the circular ribbon, indicating that tether-cutting reconnection (or a non-ideal MHD instability) initiated this event, rather than breakout reconnection. The overall setup for this large-scale eruption (diameter of the circular ribbon ∼10{sup 5} km) is analogous to that of coronal jets (base size ∼10{sup 4} km), many of which, according to recent findings, result from eruptions of small-scale “minifilaments.” Thus these findings confirm that eruptions of sheared-core magnetic arcades seated in fan–spine null-point magnetic topology happen on a wide range of size scales on the Sun.

CO2, SO2, and H2S Degassing Related to the 2009 Redoubt Eruption, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, C. A.; Kelly, P. J.; Evans, W.; Doukas, M. P.; McGimsey, R. G.; Neal, C. A.

2012-12-01

The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska was particularly well monitored for volcanic gas emissions with 35 airborne measurements of CO2, SO2, and H2S that span from October 2008 to August 2010. Increases in CO2 degassing were detected up to 5 months prior to the eruption and varied between 3630 and 9020 tonnes per day (t/d) in the 6 weeks prior to the eruption. Increased pre-eruptive CO2 degassing was accompanied by comparatively low S emission, resulting in molar C/S ratios that ranged between 30-60. However, the C/S ratio dropped to 2.4 coincident with the first phreatic explosion on March 15, 2009, and remained steady during the explosive (March 22 - April 4, 2009), effusive dome-building (April 5 - July 1, 2009), and waning phases (August 2009 onward) of the eruption. Observations of ice-melt rates, melt water discharge, and water chemistry in the months leading up to the eruption suggested that surface waters represented drainage from surficial, perched reservoirs of condensed magmatic steam and glacial meltwater. While the surface waters were capable of scrubbing many thousands of t/d of SO2, sampling of these fluids revealed that only a few hundred tonnes of SO2 was reacting to a dissolved component each day. This is also much less than the ~ 2100 t/d SO2 expected from degassing of magma in the upper crust (3-6.5 km), where petrologic analysis shows the final magma equilibration occurred. Thus, the high pre-eruptive C/S ratios observed could reflect bulk degassing of upper-crustal magma followed by nearly complete loss of SO2 in a magmatic-hydrothermal system. Alternatively, high C/S ratios could be attributed to degassing of low silica andesitic magma that intruded into the mid-crust in the 5 months prior to eruption; modeling suggests that mixing of this magma with pre-existing high silica andesite magma or mush would have caused a reduction of the C/S ratio to a value consistent with that measured during the eruption. Monitoring emissions regularly

Global science: the eruption of Krakatau.

Science.gov (United States)

Dörries, Matthias

2003-01-01

The eruption of the volcano Krakatau in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) in 1883 had worldwide impact. This was perceived in the three quite different types of global propagation that occurred after the eruption: a rapid pressure wave, noticeable only to measuring instruments, followed a few hours later by the spread of the news of the event, succeeded by a slowly expanding optical phenomenon that lasted for a couple of years. Krakatau was the first natural catastrophe of global magnitude that was almost immediately recognized as such throughout the world, largely thanks to the recently installed worldwide telegraphic network.

Establishing the chronology of explosive super-eruptions in the record of the Yellowstone hotspot track (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Reichow, M. K.; Branney, M. J.; Knott, T.; Storey, M.; Finn, D. R.; Coe, R. S.; McCurry, M. O.; Bonnichsen, B.

2013-12-01

Although caldera-forming super-eruptions (≥450 km3) are amongst the most catastrophic events to affect the Earth's surface, we do not know how often they occur globally, and how large the individual eruptions are. This is because, with a few exceptions, the vast volcanic stratigraphies at many large igneous provinces have not yet been resolved in sufficient detail to isolate and quantify the individual events. Much progress is needed on this if we are to verify the past and potential environmental and climatic impact of these super-eruptions. We are reconstructing the history of catastrophic eruptions in the youngest and best-preserved large intra continental volcanic province worldwide, by resolving the vast Miocene rhyolitic volcanic stratigraphy of the central Snake River Plain, Idaho. Large explosive eruptions, several previously un-documented, generated an unusually hot (searing-hot rhyolitic glass 5-100 m thick. The density currents also generated thermal atmospheric plumes (phoenix clouds) that dispersed 100's to 1000's of km3 rhyolitic ash 1000's of km across continental USA and beyond. High-precision chronology and quantification of the erupted volumes and the frequency of eruptions is needed to assess the likely significant wider impact of these events on climate and ecosystems. To determine the size of the individual events, we have been correlating each soil-bounded eruption-unit regionally. This is hindered by their abundance, and closely similar appearance within monotonous successions exposed in distant (50-200 km) mountain ranges. To tackle this we are employing a combination of tools to isolate and correlate individual layers: field logging coupled with characterization of the whole-rock, glass, and mineral chemistries, together with high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating, U-Pb zircon dating, with detailed paleomagnetic characterisation of polarities and secular variations. This multidisciplinary approach is yielding robust ';fingerprints'; to

External and Internal Reconnection in Two Filament-Carrying Magnetic-Cavity Solar Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.

2004-01-01

We observe two near-limb solar filament eruptions, one of 2000 February 26 and the other of 2002 January 4. For both we use 195 A Fe XII images from the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) and magnetograms from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), both of which are on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). For the earlier event we also use soft X-ray telescope (SXT), hard X-ray telescope (HXT), and Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) data from the Yohkoh satellite, and hard X-ray data from the BATSE experiment on the Compton Gamma Ra.v Observatory (CGRO). Both events occur in quadrupolar magnetic regions, and both have coronal features that we infer belong to the same magnetic cavity structures as the filaments. In both cases, the cavity and filament first rise slowly at approx.10 km/s prior to eruption and then accelerate to approx.100 km/s during the eruption, although the slow-rise movement for the higher altitude cavity elements is clearer in the later event. We estimate that both filaments and both cavities contain masses of approx.10(exp 14)-10(exp 15) and approx.10(exp 15)-10(exp 16) g, respectively. We consider whether two specific magnetic reconnection-based models for eruption onset, the "tether cutting" and the "breakout" models, are consistent with our observations. In the earlier event, soft X-rays from SXT show an intensity increase during the 12 minute interval over which fast eruption begins, which is consistent with tether- cutting-model predictions. Substantial hard X-rays, however, do not occur until after fast eruption is underway, and so this is a constraint the tether-cutting model must satisfy. During the same 12 minute interval over which fast eruption begins, there are brightenings and topological changes in the corona indicative of high-altitude reconnection early in the eruption, and this is consistent with breakout predictions. In both eruptions, the state of the overlying loops at the time of onset of the fast-rise phase of

External and Internal Reconnection in Two Filament-Carrying Magnetic Cavity Solar Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.

2004-01-01

We observe two near-limb solar filament eruptions. one of 2000 February 26 and the other of 2002 January 4. For both we use 195 A Fe XII images from the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) and magnetograms from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI). both of which are on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. (SOHO). For the earlier event we also use soft X-ray telescope (SXT). hard X-ray telescope (HXT). and Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) data from the Yohkoh satellite. and hard X-ray data from the BATSE experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. (CGRO). Both events occur in quadrupolar magnetic regions. and both have coronal features that we infer belong to the same magnetic cavity structures as the filaments. In both cases. the cavity and filament first rise slowly at approx. 10 km/s prior to eruption and then accelerate to approx. 100 km/s during the eruption. although the slow-rise movement for the higher altitude cavity elements is clearer in the later event. We estimate that both filaments and both cavities contain masses of approx. 10(exp14) - 1 0(exp 15) and approx. l0(exp 15) - l0(exp 16) g. respectively. We consider whether two specific magnetic reconnection-based models for eruption onset. the "tether cutting" and the "breakout" models. are consistent with our observations. In the earlier event, soft X-rays from SXT show an intensity increase during the 12 minute interval over which fast eruption begins. which is consistent with tether- cutting-model predictions. Substantial hard X-ray. however. do not occur until after fast eruption is underway. and so this is a constraint the tether-cutting model must satisfy. During the same 12 minute interval over which fast eruption begins, there are brightenings and topological changes in the corona indicative of high-altitude reconnection early in the eruption. and this is consistent with breakout predictions. In both eruptions. the state of the overlying loops at the time of onset of the fast

Do volcanic eruptions affect climate? Sulfur gases may cause cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Self, Stephen; Rampino, Michael R.

1988-01-01

The relationship between volcanic eruptions on earth and the observed climatic changes is investigated. The results of the comparison and analyses of volcanologic and climatologic data sets for the years between 1880 and 1980 indicate that changes in temperature caused by even of the largest eruptions recorded during this time were about the same as normal variations in temperature. However, when temperature records for several months or years preceding and following a given eruption were analyzed, a statistically significant temperature decrease of 0.2-0.5 C was found for the periods of one to two years immediately following some of the 19th and 20th century explosive events that prodiced large aerosol clouds (e.g., Krakatau and Agung eruptions). It is suggested that the content of sulfur in the erupted magma determines the size of aerosol cloud producing the cooling effect.

Eruption probabilities for the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional volcanism, northern California, and probabilities for large explosive eruptions in the Cascade Range

Science.gov (United States)

Nathenson, Manuel; Clynne, Michael A.; Muffler, L.J. Patrick

2012-01-01

Chronologies for eruptive activity of the Lassen Volcanic Center and for eruptions from the regional mafic vents in the surrounding area of the Lassen segment of the Cascade Range are here used to estimate probabilities of future eruptions. For the regional mafic volcanism, the ages of many vents are known only within broad ranges, and two models are developed that should bracket the actual eruptive ages. These chronologies are used with exponential, Weibull, and mixed-exponential probability distributions to match the data for time intervals between eruptions. For the Lassen Volcanic Center, the probability of an eruption in the next year is 1.4x10-4 for the exponential distribution and 2.3x10-4 for the mixed exponential distribution. For the regional mafic vents, the exponential distribution gives a probability of an eruption in the next year of 6.5x10-4, but the mixed exponential distribution indicates that the current probability, 12,000 years after the last event, could be significantly lower. For the exponential distribution, the highest probability is for an eruption from a regional mafic vent. Data on areas and volumes of lava flows and domes of the Lassen Volcanic Center and of eruptions from the regional mafic vents provide constraints on the probable sizes of future eruptions. Probabilities of lava-flow coverage are similar for the Lassen Volcanic Center and for regional mafic vents, whereas the probable eruptive volumes for the mafic vents are generally smaller. Data have been compiled for large explosive eruptions (>≈ 5 km3 in deposit volume) in the Cascade Range during the past 1.2 m.y. in order to estimate probabilities of eruption. For erupted volumes >≈5 km3, the rate of occurrence since 13.6 ka is much higher than for the entire period, and we use these data to calculate the annual probability of a large eruption at 4.6x10-4. For erupted volumes ≥10 km3, the rate of occurrence has been reasonably constant from 630 ka to the present, giving

ARCADE IMPLOSION CAUSED BY A FILAMENT ERUPTION IN A FLARE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Juntao; Simões, P. J. A.; Fletcher, L.; Hannah, I. G. [SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Thalmann, J. K. [Institute of Physics/IGAM, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Hudson, H. S., E-mail: j.wang.4@research.gla.ac.uk [SSL/UC, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2016-12-20

Coronal implosions—the convergence motion of plasmas and entrained magnetic field in the corona due to a reduction in magnetic pressure—can help to locate and track sites of magnetic energy release or redistribution during solar flares and eruptions. We report here on the analysis of a well-observed implosion in the form of an arcade contraction associated with a filament eruption, during the C3.5 flare SOL2013-06-19T07:29. A sequence of events including the magnetic flux-rope instability and distortion, followed by a filament eruption and arcade implosion, lead us to conclude that the implosion arises from the transfer of magnetic energy from beneath the arcade as part of the global magnetic instability, rather than due to local magnetic energy dissipation in the flare. The observed net contraction of the imploding loops, which is found also in nonlinear force-free field extrapolations, reflects a permanent reduction of magnetic energy underneath the arcade. This event shows that, in addition to resulting in the expansion or eruption of an overlying field, flux-rope instability can also simultaneously implode an unopened field due to magnetic energy transfer. It demonstrates the “partial opening of the field” scenario, which is one of the ways in 3D to produce a magnetic eruption without violating the Aly–Sturrock hypothesis. In the framework of this observation, we also propose a unification of three main concepts for active region magnetic evolution, namely the metastable eruption model, the implosion conjecture, and the standard “CSHKP” flare model.

Robust satellite techniques for monitoring volcanic eruptions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pergola, N.; Pietrapertosa, C. [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Metodologie Avanzate, Tito Scalo, PZ (Italy); Lacava, T.; Tramutoli, V. [Potenza Universita' della Basilicata, Potenza (Italy). Dipt. di Ingegneria e Fisica dell' Ambiente

2001-04-01

Through this paper the robust approach to monitoring volcanic aerosols by satellite is applied to an extended set of events affecting Stromboli and Etna volcanoes to assess its performance in automated detection of eruptive clouds and in monitoring pre-eruptive emission activities. Using only NOAA/AVHRR data at hand (without any specific atmospheric model or ancillary ground-based measurements) the proposed method automatically discriminates meteorological from eruptive volcanic clouds and, in several cases, identified pre-eruptive anomalies in the emission rates not identified by traditional methods. The main merit of this approach is its effectiveness in recognising field anomalies also in the presence of a highly variable surface background as well as its intrinsic exportability not only on different geographic areas but also on different satellite instrumental packages. In particular, the possibility to extend the proposed method to the incoming new MSG/SEVIRI satellite package (which is going to fly next year) with its improved spectral (specific bands for SO{sub 2}) and temporal (up to 15 min) resolutions has been evaluated representing the natural continuation of this work.

TWO-DIMENSIONAL SIMULATIONS OF EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS OF KICK-EM JENNY AND OTHER SUBMARINE VOLCANOS

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Galen Gisler

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Kick-em Jenny, in the Eastern Caribbean, is a submerged volcanic cone that has erupted a dozen or more times since its discovery in 1939. The most likely hazard posed by this volcano is to shipping in the immediate vicinity (through volcanic missiles or loss-of-buoyancy, but it is of interest to estimate upper limits on tsunamis that might be produced by a catastrophic explosive eruption. To this end, we have performed two-dimensional simulations of such an event in a geometry resembling that of Kick-em Jenny with our SAGE adaptive mesh Eulerian multifluid compressible hydrocode. We use realistic equations of state for air, water, and basalt, and follow the event from the initial explosive eruption, through the generation of a transient water cavity and the propagation of waves away from the site. We find that even for extremely catastrophic explosive eruptions, tsunamis from Kick-em Jenny are unlikely to pose significant danger to nearby islands. For comparison, we have also performed simulations of explosive eruptions at the much larger shield volcano Vailulu'u in the Samoan chain, where the greater energy available can produce a more impressive wave. In general, however, we conclude that explosive eruptions do not couple well to water waves. The waves that are produced from such events are turbulent and highly dissipative, and don't propagate well. This is consistent with what we have found previously in simulations of asteroid-impact generated tsunamis. Non-explosive events, however, such as landslides or gas hydrate releases, do couple well to waves, and our simulations of tsunamis generated by sub- aerial and sub-aqueous landslides demonstrate this.

Lava Eruption and Emplacement: Using Clues from Hawaii and Iceland to Probe the Lunar Past

Science.gov (United States)

Needham, Debra Hurwitz; Hamilton, C. W.; Bleacher, J. E.; Whelley, P. L.; Young, K. E.; Scheidt, S. P.; Richardson, J. A.; Sutton, S. S.

2017-01-01

Investigating recent eruptions on Earth is crucial to improving understanding of relationships between eruption dynamics and final lava flow morphologies. In this study, we investigated eruptions in Holuhraun, Iceland, and Kilauea, Hawaii to gain insight into the lava dynamics near the source vent, the initiation of lava channels, and the origin of down-channel features. Insights are applied to Rima Bode on the lunar nearside to deduce the sequence of events that formed this lunar sinuous rille system. These insights are crucial to correctly interpreting whether the volcanic features associated with Rima Bode directly relate to eruption conditions at the vent and, thus, can help us understand those eruption dynamics, or, alternatively, whether the features formed as a result of more localized influences on lava flow dynamics. For example, if the lava channel developed early in the eruption and was linked to pulses in vent activity, its morphology can be analyzed to interpret the flux and duration of the eruption. Conversely, if the lava channel initiated late in the eruption as the result of a catastrophic breaching of lava that had previously pooled within the vent [e.g., 1], then the final channel morphology will not indicate eruption dynamics but rather local dynamics associated with that breach event. Distinguishing between these two scenarios is crucial for correctly interpreting the intensity and duration of volcanic history on the Moon.

Triggering of the Largest Deccan Eruptions by the Chicxulub Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, M. A.; Alvarez, W.; Self, S.; Karlstrom, L.; Renne, P. R.; Manga, M.; Sprain, C. J.; Smit, J.; Vanderkluysen, L.; Gibson, S. A.

2015-12-01

Modern constraints on the timing of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and the Chicxulub impact, together with a particularly voluminous and apparently brief eruptive pulse toward the end of the "main-stage" eruptions of the Deccan continental flood basalt province, suggest that these three events may have occurred within less than about a hundred thousand years of each other. Partial melting induced by the Chicxulub event does not provide an energetically plausible explanation for this remarkable coincidence, and both geochronologic and magnetic-polarity data show that Deccan volcanism was underway well before Chicxulub/K-Pg time. However, historical data show that in some cases eruptions from existing volcanic systems are triggered by earthquakes. Seismic modeling of the ground motion due to the Chicxulub impact suggests that the resulting Mw~11 earthquake could have generated seismic energy densities of at least 0.1-1.0 J/m3 throughout the upper ~200 km of the Earth's mantle, sufficient to trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide based upon comparison with historical examples. Triggering may have been caused by a transient increase in the effective permeability of the existing deep magmatic system beneath the Deccan province, or mantle plume "head." We suggest that the Chicxulub impact triggered the enormous Poladpur, Ambenali, and Mahabaleshwar (Wai sub-group) lava flows that may account for >70% of the Deccan Traps main-stage eruptions. This hypothesis is consistent with independent stratigraphic, geochronologic, geochemical, and tectonic constraints, which combine to indicate that at approximately Chicxulub/K-Pg time a huge pulse of mantle plume-derived magma passed through the crust with little interaction, and erupted to form the most extensive and voluminous lava flows known on Earth. This impact-induced pulse of volcanism may have enhanced the K-Pg extinction event, and/or suppressed post-extinction biotic recovery. High-precision radioisotopic

The 2014 eruptions of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Waythomas, Christopher F.; Haney, Matthew M.; Wallace, Kristi; Cameron, Cheryl E.; Schneider, David J.

2017-12-22

across the region results in a relatively large number of airborne observations of eruptive activity. During the 2014 Pavlof eruptions, the Alaska Volcano Observatory received observations and photographs from pilots and local observers, which aided evaluation of the eruptive activity and the areas affected by eruptive products.This report outlines the chronology of events associated with the 2014 eruptive activity at Pavlof Volcano, provides documentation of the style and character of the eruptive episodes, and reports briefly on the eruptive products and impacts. The principal observations are described and portrayed on maps and photographs, and the 2014 eruptive activity is compared to historical eruptions.

Doppler weather radar observations of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, David J.; Hoblitt, Richard P.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a transportable Doppler C-band radar during the precursory stage of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska that provided valuable information during subsequent explosive events. We describe the capabilities of this new monitoring tool and present data captured during the Redoubt eruption. The MiniMax 250-C (MM-250C) radar detected seventeen of the nineteen largest explosive events between March 23 and April 4, 2009. Sixteen of these events reached the stratosphere (above 10 km) within 2–5 min of explosion onset. High column and proximal cloud reflectivity values (50 to 60 dBZ) were observed from many of these events, and were likely due to the formation of mm-sized accretionary tephra-ice pellets. Reflectivity data suggest that these pellets formed within the first few minutes of explosion onset. Rapid sedimentation of the mm-sized pellets was observed as a decrease in maximum detection cloud height. The volcanic cloud from the April 4 explosive event showed lower reflectivity values, due to finer particle sizes (related to dome collapse and related pyroclastic flows) and lack of significant pellet formation. Eruption durations determined by the radar were within a factor of two compared to seismic and pressure-sensor derived estimates, and were not well correlated. Ash dispersion observed by the radar was primarily in the upper troposphere below 10 km, but satellite observations indicate the presence of volcanogenic clouds in the stratosphere. This study suggests that radar is a valuable complement to traditional seismic and satellite monitoring of explosive eruptions.

The chemically zoned 1949 eruption on La Palma (Canary Islands): Petrologic evolution and magma supply dynamics of a rift zone eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Klügel, Andreas; Hoernle, Kaj A.; Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich; White, James D. L.

2000-03-01

The 1949 rift zone eruption along the Cumbre Vieja ridge on La Palma involved three eruptive centers, 3 km spaced apart, and was chemically and mineralogically zoned. Duraznero crater erupted tephrite for 14 days and shut down upon the opening of Llano del Banco, a fissure that issued first tephrite and, after 3 days, basanite. Hoyo Negro crater opened 4 days later and erupted basanite, tephrite, and phonotephrite, while Llano del Banco continued to issue basanite. The eruption ended with Duraznero erupting basanite with abundant crustal and mantle xenoliths. The tephrites and basanites from Duraznero and Llano del Banco show narrow compositional ranges and define a bimodal suite. Each batch ascended and evolved separately without significant intermixing, as did the Hoyo Negro basanite, which formed at lower degrees of melting. The magmas fractionated clinopyroxene +olivine±kaersutite±Ti-magnetite at 600-800 MPa and possibly 800-1100 MPa. Abundant reversely zoned phenocrysts reflect mixing with evolved melts at mantle depths. Probably as early as 1936, Hoyo Negro basanite entered the deep rift system at 200-350 MPa. Some shallower pockets of this basanite evolved to phonotephrite through differentiation and assimilation of wall rock. A few months prior to eruption, a mixing event in the mantle may have triggered the final ascent of the magmas. Most of the erupted tephrite and basanite ascended from mantle depths within hours to days without prolonged storage in crustal reservoirs. The Cumbre Vieja rift zone differs from the rift zones of Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) in lacking a summit caldera or a summit reservoir feeding the rift system and in being smaller and less active with most of the rift magma solidifying between eruptions.

Requirement of alveolar bone formation for eruption of rat molars

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Gary E.; He, Hongzhi; Gutierrez, Dina L.; Ring, Sherry; Yao, Shaomian

2011-01-01

Tooth eruption is a localized event that requires a dental follicle (DF) to regulate the resorption of alveolar bone to form an eruption pathway. During the intra-osseous phase of eruption, the tooth moves through this pathway. The mechanism or motive force that propels the tooth through this pathway is controversial but many studies have shown that alveolar bone growth at the base of the crypt occurs during eruption. To determine if this bone growth (osteogenesis) was causal, experiments were designed in which the expression of an osteogenic gene in the DF, bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP6), was inhibited by injection of the 1st mandibular molar of the rat with an siRNA targeted against BMP6. The injection was followed by electroporation to promote uptake of the siRNA. In 45 first molars injected, eruption either was delayed or completely inhibited (7 molars). In the impacted molars, an eruption pathway formed but bone growth at the base of the crypt was greatly reduced as compared to the erupted first molar controls. These studies show that alveolar bone growth at the base of the crypt is required for tooth eruption and that BMP6 may be an essential gene for promoting this growth. PMID:21896048

Sequence of eruptive events in the Vesuvio area recorded in shallow-water Ionian Sea sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Taricco, C.; Alessio, S.; Vivaldo, G.

2008-01-01

The dating of the cores we drilled from the Gallipoli terrace in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea), previously obtained by tephroanalysis, is checked by applying a method to objectively recognize volcanic events. This automatic statistical procedure allows identifying pulse-like features in a series and evaluating quantitatively the confidence level at which the significant peaks are detected. We applied it to the 2000-years-long pyroxenes series of the GT89-3 core, on which the dating is based. The method confirms the dating previously performed by detecting at a high confidence level the peaks originally used and indicates a few possible undocumented eruptions. Moreover, a spectral analysis, focussed on the long-term variability of the pyroxenes series and performed by several advanced methods, reveals that the volcanic pulses are superimposed to a millennial trend and a 400 years oscillation.

Resistivity structure and geochemistry of the Jigokudani Valley hydrothermal system, Mt. Tateyama, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Seki, Kaori; Kanda, Wataru; Tanbo, Toshiya; Ohba, Takeshi; Ogawa, Yasuo; Takakura, Shinichi; Nogami, Kenji; Ushioda, Masashi; Suzuki, Atsushi; Saito, Zenshiro; Matsunaga, Yasuo

2016-10-01

This study clarifies the hydrothermal system of Jigokudani Valley near Mt. Tateyama volcano in Japan by using a combination of audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) survey and hot-spring water analysis in order to assess the potential of future phreatic eruptions in the area. Repeated phreatic eruptions in the area about 40,000 years ago produced the current valley morphology, which is now an active solfatara field dotted with hot springs and fumaroles indicative of a well-developed hydrothermal system. The three-dimensional (3D) resistivity structure of the hydrothermal system was modeled by using the results of an AMT survey conducted at 25 locations across the valley in 2013-2014. The model suggests the presence of a near-surface highly conductive layer of falling largely on a mixing line between magmatic fluids and local meteoric water (LMW). The geochemical analysis suggests that the hydrothermal system includes a two-phase zone of vapor-liquid. A comparison of the resistivity structure and the geochemically inferred structure suggests that a hydrothermal reservoir is present at a depth of approximately 500 m, from which hot-spring water differentiates into the three observed types. The two-phase zone appears to be located immediately beneath the cap rock structure. These findings suggest that the hydrothermal system of Jigokudani Valley exhibits a number of factors that could trigger a future phreatic eruption.

The yearly amount and characteristics of deep-buried phreatic evaporation in hyper-arid areas

Science.gov (United States)

Li, H.; Wang, W.; Zhan, H.; Qiu, F.; Wu, F.; Zhang, G.

2015-12-01

Water scarcity is the primary cause of land deterioration, so finding new available water resources is crucial to ecological restoration. We investigated a hyper-arid Gobi location in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in this work wherein the burial depth of phreatic water is over 200 m. An air-conditioner was used in a closed greenhouse to condense and measure the yearly amount of phreatic evaporation (PE) from 2010 to 2015. The results show that the annual quantity of PE is 4.52 mm, and that the PE has sinusoidal characteristics. The average PE is 0.0183 mm d-1 from March to November. Accordingly, by monitoring the annual changes in soil-air temperature and humidity to a depth of 5.0 m, we analyzed the water migration mechanism in the heterothermozone (subsurface zone of variable temperature). The results show that, from March to November, the temperature and absolute humidity (AH) increase. This is due to the flow of solar heat entering the soil - the soil subsequently releases moisture and the soil is in a state of increasing AH so that evaporation occurs. From November to March, the temperature decreases. Now, the soil absorbs water vapor and AH is in a state of decline. Thus, it is temperature alternation in the heterothermozone - due to solar heat transfer - that provides the main driving power for PE. When it drives water vapor to move downwards in the heterothermozone, a small part is reversed upwards and evaporates. Solar radiation intensity dominates the annual sinusoidal PE characteristics.

Explosive eruptions triggered by rockfalls at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Tim R.; Thelen, Weston A.; Patrick, Matthew R.; Swanson, Donald A.; Wilson, David C.

2012-01-01

Ongoing eruptive activity at Kīlauea volcano’s (Hawai‘i) summit has been controlled in part by the evolution of its vent from a 35-m-diameter opening into a collapse crater 150 m across. Geologic observations, in particular from a network of webcams, have provided an unprecedented look at collapse crater development, lava lake dynamics, and shallow outgassing processes. These observations show unequivocally that the hundreds of transient outgassing bursts and weak explosive eruptions that have punctuated the vent’s otherwise nearly steady-state behavior, and that are associated with composite seismic events, were triggered by rockfalls from the vent walls onto the top of the lava column. While the process by which rockfalls drive the explosive bursts is not fully understood, we believe that it is initiated by the generation of a rebound splash, or Worthington jet, which then undergoes fragmentation. The external triggering of low-energy outgassing events by rockfalls represents a new class of small transient explosive eruptions.

A statistical method linking geological and historical eruption time series for volcanic hazard estimations: Applications to active polygenetic volcanoes

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Rosas, Ana Teresa; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando

2008-09-01

The probabilistic analysis of volcanic eruption time series is an essential step for the assessment of volcanic hazard and risk. Such series describe complex processes involving different types of eruptions over different time scales. A statistical method linking geological and historical eruption time series is proposed for calculating the probabilities of future eruptions. The first step of the analysis is to characterize the eruptions by their magnitudes. As is the case in most natural phenomena, lower magnitude events are more frequent, and the behavior of the eruption series may be biased by such events. On the other hand, eruptive series are commonly studied using conventional statistics and treated as homogeneous Poisson processes. However, time-dependent series, or sequences including rare or extreme events, represented by very few data of large eruptions require special methods of analysis, such as the extreme-value theory applied to non-homogeneous Poisson processes. Here we propose a general methodology for analyzing such processes attempting to obtain better estimates of the volcanic hazard. This is done in three steps: Firstly, the historical eruptive series is complemented with the available geological eruption data. The linking of these series is done assuming an inverse relationship between the eruption magnitudes and the occurrence rate of each magnitude class. Secondly, we perform a Weibull analysis of the distribution of repose time between successive eruptions. Thirdly, the linked eruption series are analyzed as a non-homogeneous Poisson process with a generalized Pareto distribution as intensity function. As an application, the method is tested on the eruption series of five active polygenetic Mexican volcanoes: Colima, Citlaltépetl, Nevado de Toluca, Popocatépetl and El Chichón, to obtain hazard estimates.

User manual of nuclide dispersion in phreatic aquifers model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rives, D.E.

1999-01-01

The Nuclide Dispersion in Phreatic Aquifers (DRAF) model was developed in the 'Division Estudios Ambientales' of the 'Gerencia de Seguridad Radiologica y Nuclear, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica' (1991), for the Safety Assessment of Near Surface Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities. Afterwards, it was modified in several opportunities, adapting it to a number of application conditions. The 'Manual del usuario del codigo DRAF' here presented is a reference document for the use of the last three versions of the code developed for the 'Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear' between 1995 and 1996. The DRAF model solves the three dimension's solute transport equation for porous media by the finite differences method. It takes into account the advection, dispersion, radioactive decay, and retention in the solid matrix processes, and has multiple possibilities for the source term. There are three versions of the model, two of them for the saturated zone and one for the unsaturated zone. All the versions have been verified in different conditions, and have been applied in exercises of the International Atomic Energy Agency and also in real cases. (author)

The largest deep-ocean silicic volcanic eruption of the past century.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Rebecca; Soule, S Adam; Manga, Michael; White, James; McPhie, Jocelyn; Wysoczanski, Richard; Jutzeler, Martin; Tani, Kenichiro; Yoerger, Dana; Fornari, Daniel; Caratori-Tontini, Fabio; Houghton, Bruce; Mitchell, Samuel; Ikegami, Fumihiko; Conway, Chris; Murch, Arran; Fauria, Kristen; Jones, Meghan; Cahalan, Ryan; McKenzie, Warren

2018-01-01

The 2012 submarine eruption of Havre volcano in the Kermadec arc, New Zealand, is the largest deep-ocean eruption in history and one of very few recorded submarine eruptions involving rhyolite magma. It was recognized from a gigantic 400-km 2 pumice raft seen in satellite imagery, but the complexity of this event was concealed beneath the sea surface. Mapping, observations, and sampling by submersibles have provided an exceptionally high fidelity record of the seafloor products, which included lava sourced from 14 vents at water depths of 900 to 1220 m, and fragmental deposits including giant pumice clasts up to 9 m in diameter. Most (>75%) of the total erupted volume was partitioned into the pumice raft and transported far from the volcano. The geological record on submarine volcanic edifices in volcanic arcs does not faithfully archive eruption size or magma production.

Properties of Ground Level Enhancement Events and the Associated Solar Eruptions During Solar Cycle 23

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalswamy, N.; Xie, H.; Yashiro, S.; Akiyama, S.; Makela, P.; Usokin, I. G.

2012-01-01

Solar cycle 23 witnessed the most complete set of observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with the Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) events. We present an overview of the observed properties of the GLEs and those of the two associated phenomena, viz., flares and CMEs, both being potential sources of particle acceleration. Although we do not find a striking correlation between the GLE intensity and the parameters of flares and CMEs, the solar eruptions are very intense involving X-class flares and extreme CME speeds (average approx. 2000 km/s). An M7.1 flare and a 1200 km/s CME are the weakest events in the list of 16 GLE events. Most (80 %) of the CMEs are full halos with the three non-halos having widths in the range 167 to 212 degrees. The active regions in which the GLE events originate are generally large: 1290 msh (median 1010 msh) compared to 934 msh (median: 790 msh) for SEP-producing active regions. For accurate estimation of the CME height at the time of metric type II onset and GLE particle release, we estimated the initial acceleration of the CMEs using flare and CME observations. The initial acceleration of GLE-associated CMEs is much larger (by a factor of 2) than that of ordinary CMEs (2.3 km/sq s vs. 1 km/sq s). We confirmed the initial acceleration for two events for which CME measurements are available in the inner corona. The GLE particle release is delayed with respect to the onset of all electromagnetic signatures of the eruptions: type II bursts, low frequency type III bursts, soft X-ray flares and CMEs. The presence of metric type II radio bursts some 17 min (median: 16 min; range: 3 to 48 min) before the GLE onset indicates shock formation well before the particle release. The release of GLE particles occurs when the CMEs reach an average height of approx 3.09 R(sub s) (median: 3.18 R (sub s) ; range: 1.71 to 4.01 R (sub s) ) for well-connected events (source longitude in the range W20–W90). For poorly connected events, the

The June 2014 eruption at Piton de la Fournaise: Robust methods developed for monitoring challenging eruptive processes

Science.gov (United States)

Villeneuve, N.; Ferrazzini, V.; Di Muro, A.; Peltier, A.; Beauducel, F.; Roult, G. C.; Lecocq, T.; Brenguier, F.; Vlastelic, I.; Gurioli, L.; Guyard, S.; Catry, T.; Froger, J. L.; Coppola, D.; Harris, A. J. L.; Favalli, M.; Aiuppa, A.; Liuzzo, M.; Giudice, G.; Boissier, P.; Brunet, C.; Catherine, P.; Fontaine, F. J.; Henriette, L.; Lauret, F.; Riviere, A.; Kowalski, P.

2014-12-01

After almost 3.5 years of quiescence, Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) produced a small summit eruption on 20 June 2014 at 21:35 (GMT). The eruption lasted 20 hours and was preceded by: i) onset of deep eccentric seismicity (15-20 km bsl; 9 km NW of the volcano summit) in March and April 2014; ii) enhanced CO2 soil flux along the NW rift zone; iii) increase in the number and energy of shallow (shallow location, was not characteristic of an eruptive crisis. However, at 20:06 on 20/06 their character changed. This was 74 minutes before the onset of tremor. Deformations then began at 20:20. Since 2007, PdF has emitted small magma volumes (processing of seismic data, borehole tiltmeters and permanent monitoring of summit gas emissions, plus CO2 soil flux, were used to track precursory activity. JERK, based on an analysis of the acceleration slope of a broad-band seismometer data, allowed advanced notice of the new eruption by 50 minutes. MSNoise, based on seismic velocity determination, showed a significant decrease 7 days before the eruption. These signals were coupled with change in summit fumarole composition. Remote sensing allowed the following syn-eruptive observations: - INSAR confirmed measurements made by the OVPF geodetic network, showing that deformation was localized around the eruptive fissures; - A SPOT5 image acquired at 05:41 on 21/06 allowed definition of the flow field area (194 500 m2); - A MODIS image acquired at 06:35 on 21/06 gave a lava discharge rate of 6.9±2.8 m3 s-1, giving an erupted volume of 0.3 and 0.4 Mm3. - This rate was used with the DOWNFLOW and FLOWGO models, calibrated with the textural data from Piton's 2010 lava, to run lava flow projections; showing that the event was volume limited. Preliminary sample analyses suggest that the olivine rich lavas have a differentiated character (melt MgO: 5.8 - 6.2 wt.%); proof of chamber residence. However, some aphyric tephra are more primitive (MgO: 8.2 wt.%). This suggests eruption due to

Managing public and media response to a reawakening volcano: lessons from the 2004 eruptive activity of Mount St. Helens: Chapter 23 in A volcano rekindled: the renewed eruption of Mount St. Helens, 2004-2006

Science.gov (United States)

Frenzen, Peter M.; Matarrese, Michael T.; Sherrod, David R.; Scott, William E.; Stauffer, Peter H.

2008-01-01

Volcanic eruptions and other infrequent, large-scale natural disturbances pose challenges and opportunities for public-land managers. In the days and weeks preceding an eruption, there can be considerable uncertainty surrounding the magnitude and areal extent of eruptive effects. At the same time, public and media interest in viewing developing events is high and concern for public safety on the part of local land managers and public safety officials is elevated. Land managers and collaborating Federal, State, and local officials must decide whether evacuations or restrictions to public access are necessary, the appropriate level of advance preparation, and how best to coordinate between overlapping jurisdictions. In the absence of a formal Federal or State emergency declaration, there is generally no identified source of supplemental funding for emergency-response preparation or managing extraordinary public and media response to developing events. In this chapter, we examine responses to escalating events that preceded the 2004 Mount St. Helens eruption and changes in public perception during the extended period of the largely nonexplosive, dome-building eruption that followed. Lessons learned include the importance of maintaining up-to-date emergency-response plans, cultivating close working relationships with collaborating agencies, and utilizing an organized response framework that incorporates clearly defined roles and responsibilities and effective communication strategies.

Earthquakes and Volcanic Processes at San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador, Determined from a Small, Temporary Seismic Network

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, S.; Schiek, C. G.; Zeiler, C. P.; Velasco, A. A.; Hurtado, J. M.

2008-12-01

The San Miguel volcano lies within the Central American volcanic chain in eastern El Salvador. The volcano has experienced at least 29 eruptions with Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI) of 2. Since 1970, however, eruptions have decreased in intensity to an average of VEI 1, with the most recent eruption occurring in 2002. Eruptions at San Miguel volcano consist mostly of central vent and phreatic eruptions. A critical challenge related to the explosive nature of this volcano is to understand the relationships between precursory surface deformation, earthquake activity, and volcanic activity. In this project, we seek to determine sub-surface structures within and near the volcano, relate the local deformation to these structures, and better understand the hazard that the volcano presents in the region. To accomplish these goals, we deployed a six station, broadband seismic network around San Miguel volcano in collaboration with researchers from Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET). This network operated continuously from 23 March 2007 to 15 January 2008 and had a high data recovery rate. The data were processed to determine earthquake locations, magnitudes, and, for some of the larger events, focal mechanisms. We obtained high precision locations using a double-difference approach and identified at least 25 events near the volcano. Ongoing analysis will seek to identify earthquake types (e.g., long period, tectonic, and hybrid events) that occurred in the vicinity of San Miguel volcano. These results will be combined with radar interferometric measurements of surface deformation in order to determine the relationship between surface and subsurface processes at the volcano.

Tephra-Producing Eruptions of Holocene Age at Akutan Volcano, Alaska; Frequency, Magnitude, and Hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Waythomas, C. F.; Wallace, K. L.; Schwaiger, H.

2012-12-01

Akutan Volcano in the eastern Aleutian Islands of Alaska is one of the most historically active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc (43 eruptions in about the past 250 years). Explosive eruptions pose major hazards to aircraft flying north Pacific air routes and to local infrastructure on Akutan and neighboring Unalaska Island. Air travel, infrastructure, and population in the region have steadily increased during the past several decades, and thus it is important to better understand the frequency, magnitude, and characteristics of tephra-producing eruptions. The most recent eruption was a VEI 2 event on March 8-May 21, 1992 that resulted in minor ash emissions and trace amounts of proximal fallout. Nearly continuous low-level emission of ash and steam is typical of historical eruptions, and most of the historical events have been similar in magnitude to the 1992 event. The most recent major eruption occurred about 1600 yr. B.P. and likely produced the ca. 2-km diameter summit caldera and inundated valleys that head on the volcano with pyroclastic-flow and lahar deposits that are tens of meters thick. The 1600 yr. B.P. eruption covered most of Akutan Island with up to 2.5 m of coarse scoriaceous tephra fall, including deposits 0.5-1 m thick near the City of Akutan. Tephra-fall deposits associated with this eruption exhibit a continuous sequence of black, fine to coarse scoriaceous lapilli overlain by a lithic-rich facies and finally a muddy aggregate-rich facies indicating water involvement during the latter stages of the eruption. Other tephra deposits of Holocene age on Akutan Island include more than a dozen discrete fine to coarse ash beds and 3-6 beds of scoriaceous, coarse lapilli tephra indicating that there have been several additional major eruptions (>VEI 3) of Akutan Volcano during the Holocene. Radiocarbon dates on these events are pending. In addition to tephra falls from Akutan, other fine ash deposits are found on the island that originated from other

Sequence of eruptive events in the Vesuvio area recorded in shallow-water Ionian Sea sediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Taricco

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The dating of the cores we drilled from the Gallipoli terrace in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea, previously obtained by tephroanalysis, is checked by applying a method to objectively recognize volcanic events. This automatic statistical procedure allows identifying pulse-like features in a series and evaluating quantitatively the confidence level at which the significant peaks are detected. We applied it to the 2000-years-long pyroxenes series of the GT89-3 core, on which the dating is based. The method confirms the dating previously performed by detecting at a high confidence level the peaks originally used and indicates a few possible undocumented eruptions. Moreover, a spectral analysis, focussed on the long-term variability of the pyroxenes series and performed by several advanced methods, reveals that the volcanic pulses are superimposed to a millennial trend and a 400 years oscillation.

Indirect Climatic Effects of Major Volcanic Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, D. J.

2007-05-01

The direct effects on climate, related to atmospheric emissions to the atmosphere following major volcanic eruptions, are well-known although the sparseness of such eruptions make detailed study on the range of such variations difficult. In general terms, infrared absorption by volcanic emissions to the stratosphere result in local heating early in the event when gaseous sulfur compounds exist. This early period is followed by gas to particle conversion, on a time scale of 1-2 months, promoting the formation of sulfuric acid-water droplets. Coagulation and droplet growth result in the "volcanic stratospheric aerosol layer" which is related to the predominant direct climatic effect of large eruptions, the cooling of the troposphere by backscattering of solar visible radiation to space with a recovery time scale of 1-2 years. In this paper we will discuss some of the less-known "indirect" effects of the volcanic stratospheric aerosol on climate. We label them indirect as they act on climate through intermediary atmospheric constituents. The intermediaries in the volcanic indirect climatic effect are generally atmospheric greenhouse gases or other atmospheric gases and conditions which affect greenhouse gases. For example, cooling of the troposphere following major eruptions reduces the growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide related to respiration by the terrestrial biosphere. In addition, redirection of part of the direct solar beam into diffuse radiation by the volcanic stratospheric aerosol stimulates plant photosynthesis, further reducing the carbon dioxide growth rate. The growth rate of the second-most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, methane, is also affected by volcanic emissions. Volcanic stratospheric aerosol particles provide surface area which catalyzes heterogeneous chemical reactions thus stimulating removal of stratospheric ozone, also a greenhouse gas. Although major droughts usually related to ENSO events have opposite effects on carbon

Geomorphic consequences of volcanic eruptions in Alaska: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Waythomas, Christopher F.

2015-01-01

Eruptions of Alaska volcanoes have significant and sometimes profound geomorphic consequences on surrounding landscapes and ecosystems. The effects of eruptions on the landscape can range from complete burial of surface vegetation and preexisting topography to subtle, short-term perturbations of geomorphic and ecological systems. In some cases, an eruption will allow for new landscapes to form in response to the accumulation and erosion of recently deposited volcaniclastic material. In other cases, the geomorphic response to a major eruptive event may set in motion a series of landscape changes that could take centuries to millennia to be realized. The effects of volcanic eruptions on the landscape and how these effects influence surface processes has not been a specific focus of most studies concerned with the physical volcanology of Alaska volcanoes. Thus, what is needed is a review of eruptive activity in Alaska in the context of how this activity influences the geomorphology of affected areas. To illustrate the relationship between geomorphology and volcanic activity in Alaska, several eruptions and their geomorphic impacts will be reviewed. These eruptions include the 1912 Novarupta–Katmai eruption, the 1989–1990 and 2009 eruptions of Redoubt volcano, the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano, and the recent historical eruptions of Pavlof volcano. The geomorphic consequences of eruptive activity associated with these eruptions are described, and where possible, information about surface processes, rates of landscape change, and the temporal and spatial scale of impacts are discussed.A common feature of volcanoes in Alaska is their extensive cover of glacier ice, seasonal snow, or both. As a result, the generation of meltwater and a variety of sediment–water mass flows, including debris-flow lahars, hyperconcentrated-flow lahars, and sediment-laden water floods, are typical outcomes of most types of eruptive activity. Occasionally, such flows can be quite

The global magnitude-frequency relationship for large explosive volcanic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Rougier, Jonathan; Sparks, R. Stephen J.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Brown, Sarah K.

2018-01-01

For volcanoes, as for other natural hazards, the frequency of large events diminishes with their magnitude, as captured by the magnitude-frequency relationship. Assessing this relationship is valuable both for the insights it provides about volcanism, and for the practical challenge of risk management. We derive a global magnitude-frequency relationship for explosive volcanic eruptions of at least 300Mt of erupted mass (or M4.5). Our approach is essentially empirical, based on the eruptions recorded in the LaMEVE database. It differs from previous approaches mainly in our conservative treatment of magnitude-rounding and under-recording. Our estimate for the return period of 'super-eruptions' (1000Gt, or M8) is 17ka (95% CI: 5.2ka, 48ka), which is substantially shorter than previous estimates, indicating that volcanoes pose a larger risk to human civilisation than previously thought.

Tsunamis generated by eruptions from mount st. Augustine volcano, alaska.

Science.gov (United States)

Kienle, J; Kowalik, Z; Murty, T S

1987-06-12

During an eruption of the Alaskan volcano Mount St. Augustine in the spring of 1986, there was concern about the possibility that a tsunami might be generated by the collapse of a portion of the volcano into the shallow water of Cook Inlet. A similar edifice collapse of the volcano and ensuing sea wave occurred during an eruption in 1883. Other sea waves resulting in great loss of life and property have been generated by the eruption of coastal volcanos around the world. Although Mount St. Augustine remained intact during this eruptive cycle, a possible recurrence of the 1883 events spurred a numerical simulation of the 1883 sea wave. This simulation, which yielded a forecast of potential wave heights and travel times, was based on a method that could be applied generally to other coastal volcanos.

Characterize Eruptive Processes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentine, G.

2001-01-01

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR), ''Characterize Eruptive Processes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada'', presents information about natural volcanic systems and the parameters that can be used to model their behavior. This information is used to develop parameter-value distributions appropriate for analysis of the consequences of volcanic eruptions through a potential repository at Yucca Mountain. Many aspects of this work are aimed at resolution of the Igneous Activity Key Technical Issue (KTI) as identified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC 1998, p. 3), Subissues 1 and 2, which address the probability and consequence of igneous activity at the proposed repository site, respectively. Within the framework of the Disruptive Events Process Model Report (PMR), this AMR provides information for the calculations in two other AMRs ; parameters described herein are directly used in calculations in these reports and will be used in Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA). Compilation of this AMR was conducted as defined in the Development Plan, except as noted. The report begins with considerations of the geometry of volcanic feeder systems, which are of primary importance in predicting how much of a potential repository would be affected by an eruption. This discussion is followed by one of the physical and chemical properties of the magmas, which influences both eruptive styles and mechanisms for interaction with radioactive waste packages. Eruptive processes including the ascent velocity of magma at depth, the onset of bubble nucleation and growth in the rising magmas, magma fragmentation, and velocity of the resulting gas-particle mixture are then discussed. The duration of eruptions, their power output, and mass discharge rates are also described. The next section summarizes geologic constraints regarding the interaction between magma and waste packages. Finally, they discuss bulk grain size produced by relevant explosive eruptions and grain shapes

Characterize Eruptive Processes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Valentine

2001-12-20

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR), ''Characterize Eruptive Processes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada'', presents information about natural volcanic systems and the parameters that can be used to model their behavior. This information is used to develop parameter-value distributions appropriate for analysis of the consequences of volcanic eruptions through a potential repository at Yucca Mountain. Many aspects of this work are aimed at resolution of the Igneous Activity Key Technical Issue (KTI) as identified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC 1998, p. 3), Subissues 1 and 2, which address the probability and consequence of igneous activity at the proposed repository site, respectively. Within the framework of the Disruptive Events Process Model Report (PMR), this AMR provides information for the calculations in two other AMRs ; parameters described herein are directly used in calculations in these reports and will be used in Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA). Compilation of this AMR was conducted as defined in the Development Plan, except as noted. The report begins with considerations of the geometry of volcanic feeder systems, which are of primary importance in predicting how much of a potential repository would be affected by an eruption. This discussion is followed by one of the physical and chemical properties of the magmas, which influences both eruptive styles and mechanisms for interaction with radioactive waste packages. Eruptive processes including the ascent velocity of magma at depth, the onset of bubble nucleation and growth in the rising magmas, magma fragmentation, and velocity of the resulting gas-particle mixture are then discussed. The duration of eruptions, their power output, and mass discharge rates are also described. The next section summarizes geologic constraints regarding the interaction between magma and waste packages. Finally, they discuss bulk grain size produced by relevant explosive eruptions and grain

Surface morphology of caldera-forming eruption deposits revealed by lidar mapping of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon- Implications for emplacement and surface modification

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Joel E.; Bacon, Charles R.; Major, Jon J.; Wright, Heather M.; Vallance, James W.

2017-01-01

Large explosive eruptions of silicic magma can produce widespread pumice fall, extensive ignimbrite sheets, and collapse calderas. The surfaces of voluminous ignimbrites are rarely preserved or documented because most terrestrial examples are heavily vegetated, or severely modified by post-depositional processes. Much research addresses the internal sedimentary characteristics, flow processes, and depositional mechanisms of ignimbrites, however, surface features of ignimbrites are less well documented and understood, except for comparatively small-volume deposits of historical eruptions. The ~7,700 calendar year B.P. climactic eruption of Mount Mazama, USA vented ~50 km3 of magma, deposited first as rhyodacite pumice fall and then as a zoned rhyodacite-to-andesite ignimbrite as Crater Lake caldera collapsed. Lidar collected during summer 2010 reveals the remarkably well-preserved surface of the Mazama ignimbrite and related deposits surrounding Crater Lake caldera in unprecedented detail despite forest cover. The ±1 m lateral and ±4 cm vertical resolution lidar allows surface morphologies to be classified. Surface morphologies are created by internal depositional processes and can point to the processes at work when pyroclastic flows come to rest. We describe nine surface features including furrow-ridge sets and wedge-shaped mounds in pumice fall eroded by high-energy pyroclastic surges, flow- parallel ridges that record the passage of multiple pyroclastic flows, perched benches of marginal deposits stranded by more-mobile pyroclastic-flow cores, hummocks of dense clasts interpreted as lag deposit, transverse ridges that mark the compression and imbrication of flows as they came to rest, scarps indicating ignimbrite remobilization, fields of pit craters caused by phreatic explosions, fractures and cracks caused by extensional processes resulting from ignimbrite volume loss, and stream channels eroded in the newly formed surface. The nine morphologies presented

ACCELERATION PHASES OF A SOLAR FILAMENT DURING ITS ERUPTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, H. Q.; Chen, Y.; Fu, H.; Zhang, J.; Cheng, X.; LI, G.

2015-01-01

Filament eruptions often lead to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can affect critical technological systems in space and on the ground when they interact with the geo-magnetosphere at high speeds. Therefore, it is important to investigate the acceleration mechanisms of CMEs in solar/space physics. Based on observations and simulations, the resistive magnetic reconnection and the ideal instability of magnetic flux ropes have been proposed to accelerate CMEs. However, it remains uncertain whether both of them play a comparable role during a particular eruption. It has been extremely difficult to separate their contributions as they often work in a close time sequence during one fast acceleration phase. Here we report an intriguing filament eruption event, which shows two apparently separated fast acceleration phases and provides us an excellent opportunity to address the issue. Through analyzing the correlations between velocity (acceleration) and soft (hard) X-ray profiles, we suggest that the instability and magnetic reconnection make a major contribution during the first and second fast acceleration phases, respectively. Further, we find that both processes have a comparable contribution to the filament acceleration in this event

Linking the Lusi mud eruption dynamics with regional and global seismic activity: a statistical analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Collignon, Marine; Hammer, Øyvind; Fallahi, Mohammad J.; Lupi, Matteo; Schmid, Daniel W.; Alwi, Husein; Hadi, Soffian; Mazzini, Adriano

2017-04-01

The 29th May 2006, gas water and mud breccia started to erupt at several localities along the Watukosek fault system in the Sidoarjo Regency in East Java Indonesia. The most prominent eruption site, named Lusi, is still active and the emitted material now covers a surface of nearly 7 km2, resulting in the displacement of 60.000 people (up to date). Due to its social and economic impacts, as well as its spectacular dimensions, the Lusi eruption still attracts the attention of international media and scientists. In the framework of the Lusi Lab project (ERC grant n° 308126), many efforts were made to develop a quasi-constant monitoring of the site and the regional areas. Several studies attempted to predict the flow rate evolution or ground deformation, resulting in either overestimating or underestimating the longevity of the eruption. Models have failed because Lusi is not a mud volcano but a sedimentary hosted hydrothermal system that became apparent after the M6.3 Yogyakarta earthquake. Another reason is because such models usually assume that the flow will decrease pacing the overpressure reduction during the deflation of the chamber. These models typically consider a closed system with a unique chamber that is not being recharged. Overall the flow rate has decreased over the past ten years, although it has been largely fluctuating with monthly periods of higher mud breccia discharge. Monitoring of the eruption has revealed that numerous anomalous events are temporally linked to punctual events such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Nevertheless, the quantification of these events has never been investigated in details. In this study, we present a compilation of anomalous events observed at the Lusi site during the last 10 years. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we then statistically compare the displacement, recorded at different seismic stations around Lusi, with the regional and global earthquakes catalogue to test the probability that an earthquake

Giant caldera in the Arctic Ocean: Evidence of the catastrophic eruptive event.

Science.gov (United States)

Piskarev, Alexey; Elkina, Daria

2017-04-10

A giant caldera located in the eastern segment of the Gakkel Ridge could be firstly seen on the bathymetric map of the Arctic Ocean published in 1999. In 2014, seismic and multibeam echosounding data were acquired at the location. The caldera is 80 km long, 40 km wide and 1.2 km deep. The total volume of ejected volcanic material is estimated as no less than 3000 km 3 placing it into the same category with the largest Quaternary calderas (Yellowstone and Toba). Time of the eruption is estimated as ~1.1 Ma. Thin layers of the volcanic material related to the eruption had been identified in sedimentary cores located about 1000 km away from the Gakkel Ridge. The Gakkel Ridge Caldera is the single example of a supervolcano in the rift zone of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge System.

The Atmospheric Impact of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Self, Stephen; Zhao, Jing-Xia; Holasek, Rick E.; Torres, Ronnie C.; King, Alan J.

1993-01-01

The 1991 eruption of Pinatubo produced about 5 cubic kilometers of dacitic magma and may be the second largest volcanic eruption of the century. Eruption columns reached 40 kilometers in altitude and emplaced a giant umbrella cloud in the middle to lower stratosphere that injected about 17 megatons of SO2, slightly more than twice the largest yielded by the 1982 eruption of El Chichon, Mexico. The SO2 formed sulfate aerosols that produced the largest perturbation to the stratospheric aerosol layer since the eruption of Krakatau in 1883. The aerosol cloud spread rapidly around the Earth in about 3 weeks and attained global coverage by about 1 year after the eruption. Peak local midvisible optical depths of up to 0.4 were measured in late 1992, and globally averaged values were about 0.1 to 0.15 for 2 years. The large aerosol cloud caused dramatic decreases in the amount of net radiation reaching the Earth's surface, producing a climate forcing that was two times stronger than the aerosols of El Chichon. Effects on climate were an observed surface cooling in the northern hemisphere of up to 0.5 to 0.6 C, equivalent to a hemispheric-wide reduction in net radiation of 4 watts per square meter and a cooling of perhaps as large as -0.4 C over large parts of the earth in 1992-93. Climate models seem to have predicted the cooling with a reasonable degree of accuracy. The Pinatubo climate forcing was stronger than the opposite warming of either the El Nino event or anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the period 1991-93. As a result of the presence of the aerosol particles, midlatitude ozone concentrations reached their lowest levels on record during 1992-93, the southern hemisphere 'ozone hole' increased in 1992 to an unprecedented size and ozone depletion rates were observed to be faster than ever before recorded. The atmospheric impact of the Pinatubo eruption has been profound, and it has sparked a lively interest in the role that volcanic aerosols play in climate change

New Perspectives on the Climatic Impact of the 1600 Eruption of Huaynaputina Volcano, Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Verosub, K. L.; Lippman, J.

2007-05-01

A critical test of the new understanding of volcanic aerosols developed since 1982 is to determine if it can predict the effects of larger eruptions than those that have occurred since El Chichon. To do that, requires detailed information about the effects of specific large eruptions. We have been investigating the human and climatic impacts of the 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina volcano in Peru. The estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index for this eruption is 6, which is comparable to that of the 1815 eruption of Tambora volcano in Indonesia, which produced global cooling and led to crop failures, famine and social unrest. On the basis of tree-ring data, Briffa et al. (1998) suggested that the most severe short-term Northern Hemisphere cooling event of the past 600 years occurred in 1601, the year following the Huaynaputina eruption. In order gain a better understanding of the nature and extent of this cooling, we have been collecting annual time series that provide information about climatic conditions during time intervals that bracket the Huaynaputina eruption. Among the time series that we have examined (or plan to examine) are ice conditions in the harbors of Tallinn, Estonia, and Riga, Latvia and in Lake Suwa in Japan: cherry blossom blooming (sakura) dates from Kyoto, Japan; records of agricultural production from China and Russia; tithe records from the Spanish colonial empire; dates of the beginning of the wine harvest in France and the rye harvest in Sweden; prices of agricultural commodities in Europe; and river flows from the Nile and the Colorado. Often, in the records we have examined, 1601 shows up as one of the coldest years, if not the coldest year. In addition, the worst famines in Russian history took place between 1601 and 1603, which eventually led to the overthrow of Tsar Boris Gudonov. Thus, there is considerable evidence that the climatic impacts of the Huaynaputina eruption were comparable to those from the Tambora eruption. This result is

How Pore-Fluid Pressure due to Heavy Rainfall Influences Volcanic Eruptions, Example of 1998 and 2008 Eruptions of Cerro Azul (Galapagos)

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Albino, F.; Amelung, F.; Gregg, P. M.

2016-12-01

About 30 worldwide seismic studies have shown a strong correlation between rainfall and earthquakes in the past 22 years (e.g. Costain and Bollinger, 2010). Such correlation has been explained by the phenomenon of hydro-seismicity via pore pressure diffusion: an increase of pore-fluid in the upper crust reduces the normal stress on faults, which can trigger shear failure. Although this pore pressure effect is widely known for earthquakes, this phenomenon and more broadly poro-elasticity process are not widely studied on volcanoes. However, we know from our previous works that tensile failures that open to propagate magma through the surface are also pore pressure dependent. We have demonstrated that an increase of pore pressure largely reduces the overpressure required to rupture the magma reservoir. We have shown that the pore pressure has more influence on reservoir stability than other parameters such as the reservoir depth or the edifice loading. Here, we investigate how small pore-fluid changes due to hydrothermal or aquifer refill during heavy rainfall may perturb the conditions of failure around magma reservoirs and, what is more, if these perturbations are enough to trigger magma intrusions. We quantify the pore pressure effect on magmatic system by combining 1) 1D pore pressure diffusion model to quantify how pore pressure changes from surface to depth after heavy rainfall events and 2) 2D poro-elastic numerical model to provide the evolution of failure conditions of the reservoir as a consequence of these pore pressure changes. Sensitivity analysis is also performed to characterize the influence on our results of the poro-elastic parameters (hydraulic diffusivity, permeability and porosity) and the geometry of the magma reservoir and the aquifer (depth, size, shape). Finally, we apply our methodology to Cerro Azul volcano (Galapagos) where both last eruptions (1998 and 2008) occurred just after heavy rainfall events, without any pre-eruptive inflation. In

Deformation regime and long-term precursors to eruption at large calderas: Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Robert M.; Kilburn, Christopher R. J.

2016-03-01

Eruptions at large calderas are normally preceded by variable rates of unrest that continue for decades or more. A classic example is the 1994 eruption of Rabaul caldera, in Papua New Guinea, which began after 23 years of surface uplift and volcano-tectonic (VT) seismicity at rates that changed unevenly with time by an order of magnitude. Although the VT event rate and uplift rate peaked in 1983-1985, eruptions only began a decade later and followed just 27 hours of anomalous changes in precursory signal. Here we argue that the entire 23 years of unrest belongs to a single sequence of damage accumulation in the crust and that, in 1991-1992, the crust's response to applied stress changed from quasi-elastic (elastic deformation with minor fault movement) to inelastic (deformation predominantly by fault movement alone). The change in behaviour yields limiting trends in the variation of VT event rate with deformation and can be quantified with a mean-field model for an elastic crust that contains a dispersed population of small faults. The results show that identifying the deformation regime for elastic-brittle crust provides new criteria for using precursory time series to evaluate the potential for eruption. They suggest that, in the quasi-elastic regime, short-term increases in rates of deformation and VT events are unreliable indicators of an imminent eruption, but that, in the inelastic regime, the precursory rates may follow hyperbolic increases with time and offer the promise of developing forecasts of eruption as much as months beforehand.

Role of Laboratory Plasma Experiments in exploring the Physics of Solar Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, S.

2017-12-01

Solar eruptive events are triggered over a broad range of spatio-temporal scales by a variety of fundamental processes (e.g., force-imbalance, magnetic-reconnection, electrical-current driven instabilities) associated with arched magnetoplasma structures in the solar atmosphere. Contemporary research on solar eruptive events is at the forefront of solar and heliospheric physics due to its relevance to space weather. Details on the formation of magnetized plasma structures on the Sun, storage of magnetic energy in such structures over a long period (several Alfven transit times), and their impulsive eruptions have been recorded in numerous observations and simulated in computer models. Inherent limitations of space observations and uncontrolled nature of solar eruptions pose significant challenges in testing theoretical models and developing the predictive capability for space-weather. The pace of scientific progress in this area can be significantly boosted by tapping the potential of appropriately scaled laboratory plasma experiments to compliment solar observations, theoretical models, and computer simulations. To give an example, recent results from a laboratory plasma experiment on arched magnetic flux ropes will be presented and future challenges will be discussed. (Work supported by National Science Foundation, USA under award number 1619551)

Concurrent eruptions at Etna, Stromboli, and Vulcano: casualty or causality?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Funiciello

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Anecdotes of concurrent eruptions at Etna, Stromboli, and Vulcano (Southern Italy have persisted for more than 2000 years and volcanologists in recent and past times have hypothesized a causal link among these volcanoes. Here this hypothesis is tested. To introduce the problem and provide examples of the type of expected volcanic phenomena, narratives of the most notable examples of concurrent eruptions are provided. Then the frequency of eruptions at each individual volcano is analysed for about the last 300 years and the expected probability of concurrent eruptions is calculated to compare it to the observed probability. Results show that the occurrence of concurrent eruptions is often more frequent than a random probability, particularly for the Stromboli-Vulcano pair. These results are integrated with a statistical analysis of the earthquake catalogue to find evidence of linked seismicity in the Etnean and Aeolian areas. Results suggest a moderate incidence of non-random concurrent eruptions, but available data are temporally limited and do not allow an unequivocal identification of plausible triggers; our results, however, are the first attempt to quantify a more-than-2000-years-old curious observation and constitute a starting point for more sophisticated analyses of new data in the future. We look forward to our prediction of a moderate incidence of concurrent eruptions being confirmed or refuted with the passage of time and occurrence of new events.

Transition from confined to phreatic conditions as the factor controlling salinization and change in redox state, Upper subaquifer of the Judea Group, Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Gavrieli, Ittai; Burg, Avi; Guttman, Joseph

2002-08-01

An increase in salinity and change from oxic to anoxic conditions are observed in the Upper subaquifer of the Judea Group in the Kefar Uriyya pumping field at the western foothills of the Judea Mountains, Israel. Hydrogeological data indicate that the change, which occurs over a distance of only a few kilometers, coincides with a transition from confined to phreatic conditions in the aquifer. The deterioration in the water quality is explained as a result of seepage of more saline, organic-rich water from above, into the phreatic "roofed" part of the aquifer. The latter is derived from the bituminous chalky rocks of the Mount Scopus Group, which confine the aquifer in its southeastern part. In this confined part, water in perched horizons within the Mount Scopus Group cannot leak down and flow westward while leaching organic matter and accumulating salts. However, upon reaching the transition area from confined to phreatic conditions, seepage to the Judea Upper subaquifer is possible, thereby allowing it to be defined as a leaky aquifer. The incoming organic matter consumes the dissolved oxygen and allows bacterial sulfate reduction. The latter accounts for the H2S in the aquifer, as indicated by sulfur isotopic analyses of coexisting sulfate and sulfide. Thus, from an aquifer management point of view, in order to maintain the high quality of the water in the confined southeastern part of the Kefar Uriyya field, care should be taken not to draw the confined-roofed transition area further east by over pumping.

Dwarf Star Erupts in Giant Flare

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

This movie taken by NASA'S Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows one of the largest flares, or star eruptions, ever recorded at ultraviolet wavelengths. The star, called GJ 3685A, just happened to be in the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's field of view while the telescope was busy observing galaxies. As the movie demonstrates, the seemingly serene star suddenly exploded once, then even more intensely a second time, pouring out in total about one million times more energy than a typical flare from our Sun. The second blast of light constituted an increase in brightness by a factor of at least 10,000. Flares are huge explosions of energy stemming from a single location on a star's surface. They are caused by the brief destruction of a star's magnetic fields. Many types of stars experience them, though old, small, rapidly rotating 'red dwarfs' like GJ 3685A tend to flare more frequently and dramatically. These stars, called flare stars, can experience powerful eruptions as often as every few hours. Younger stars, in general, also erupt more often. One of the reasons astronomers study flare stars is to gain a better picture and history of flare events taking place on the Sun. A preliminary analysis of the GJ 3685A flare shows that the mechanisms underlying stellar eruptions may be more complex than previously believed. Evidence for the two most popular flare theories was found. Though this movie has been sped up (the actual flare lasted about 20 minutes), time-resolved data exist for each one-hundredth of a second. These observations were taken at 2 p.m. Pacific time, April 24, 2004. In the still image, the time sequence starts in the upper left panel, continues in the upper right, then moves to the lower left and ends in the lower right. The circular and linear features that appear below and to the right of GJ 3685A during the flare event are detector artifacts caused by the extreme brightness of the flare.

Mechanism of human tooth eruption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Inger

2014-01-01

Human eruption is a unique developmental process in the organism. The aetiology or the mechanism behind eruption has never been fully understood and the scientific literature in the field is extremely sparse. Human and animal tissues provide different possibilities for eruption analyses, briefly ...... keeps this new theory in mind. Understanding the aetiology of the eruption process is necessary for treating deviant eruption courses....... to insight into the aetiology behind eruption. A new theory on the eruption mechanism is presented. Accordingly, the mechanism of eruption depends on the correlation between space in the eruption course, created by the crown follicle, eruption pressure triggered by innervation in the apical root membrane......, and the ability of the periodontal ligament to adapt to eruptive movements. Animal studies and studies on normal and pathological eruption in humans can support and explain different aspects in the new theory. The eruption mechanism still needs elucidation and the paper recommends that future research on eruption...

Magnetic field re-arrangement after prominence eruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopp, R.A.; Poletto, G.

1986-01-01

It has long been known that magnetic reconnection plays a fundamental role in a variety of solar events. Although mainly invoked in flare problems, large-scale loops interconnecting active regions, evolving coronal hole boundaries, the solar magnetic cycle itself, provide different evidence of phenomena which involve magnetic reconnection. A further example might be given by the magnetic field rearrangement which occurs after the eruption of a prominence. Since most often a prominence reforms after its disappearance and may be observed at about the same position it occupied before erupting, the magnetic field has to undergo a temporary disruption to relax back, via reconnection, to a configuration similar to the previous one. The above sequence of events is best observable in the case of two-ribbon (2-R) flares but most probably is associated with all filament eruptions. Even if the explanation of the magnetic field rearrangement after 2-R flares in terms of reconnection is generally accepted, the lack of a three-dimensional model capable of describing the field reconfiguration, has prevented, up to now, a thorough analysis of its topology as traced by Hα/x-ray loops. The purpose of the present work is to present a numerical technique which enables one to predict and visualize the reconnected configuration, at any time t, and therefore allows one to make a significant comparison of observations and model predictions throughout the whole process. 5 refs., 3 figs

A new approach to investigate an eruptive paroxysmal sequence using camera and strainmeter networks: Lessons from the 3-5 December 2015 activity at Etna volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Bonaccorso, A.; Calvari, S.

2017-10-01

Explosive sequences are quite common at basaltic and andesitic volcanoes worldwide. Studies aimed at short-term forecasting are usually based on seismic and ground deformation measurements, which can be used to constrain the source region and quantify the magma volume involved in the eruptive process. However, during single episodes of explosive sequences, integration of camera remote sensing and geophysical data are scant in literature, and the total volume of pyroclastic products is not determined. In this study, we calculate eruption parameters for four powerful lava fountains occurring at the main and oldest Mt. Etna summit crater, Voragine, between 3 and 5 December 2015. These episodes produced impressive eruptive columns and plume clouds, causing lapilli and ash fallout to more than 100 km away. We analyse these paroxysmal events by integrating the images recorded by a network of monitoring cameras and the signals from three high-precision borehole strainmeters. From the camera images we calculated the total erupted volume of fluids (gas plus pyroclastics), inferring amounts from 1.9 ×109 m3 (first event) to 0.86 ×109 m3 (third event). Strain changes recorded during the first and most powerful event were used to constrain the depth of the source. The ratios of strain changes recorded at two stations during the four lava fountains were used to constrain the pyroclastic fraction for each eruptive event. The results revealed that the explosive sequence was characterized by a decreasing trend of erupted pyroclastics with time, going from 41% (first event) to 13% (fourth event) of the total erupted pyroclastic volume. Moreover, the volume ratio fluid/pyroclastic decreased markedly in the fourth and last event. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time ever that erupted volumes of both fluid and pyroclastics have been estimated for an explosive sequence from a monitoring system using permanent cameras and high precision strainmeters. During future

An Astronomical Time Machine: Light Echoes from Historic Supernovae and Stellar Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Rest, Armin

2014-01-01

Tycho Brahe's observations of a supernova in 1572 challenged the dogma that the celestial realm was unchanging. Now, 440 years later we have once again seen the light that Tycho saw as simple reflections from walls of Galactic dust. These light echoes, as well as ones detected from other historical events such as Cas A and Eta Carinae's Great Eruption, give us a rare opportunity in astronomy: the direct observation of the cause (the explosion/eruption) and the effect (the remnant) of the same astronomical event. But we can do more: the light echoes let us look at the explosion from different angles, and permit us to map the asymmetries in the explosion. I will discuss how the unprecedented three-dimensional view of these exciting events allows us to unravel some of their secrets.

Initiation of Solar Eruptions: Recent Observations and Implications for Theories

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, A. C.

2006-01-01

Solar eruptions involve the violent disruption of a system of magnetic field. Just how the field is destabilized and explodes to produce flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is still being debated in the solar community. Here I discuss recent observational work into these questions by ourselves (me and my colleagues) and others. Our work has concentrated mainly on eruptions that include filaments. We use the filament motion early in the event as a tracer of the motion of the general erupting coronal field in and around the filament, since that field itself is hard to distinguish otherwise. Our main data sources are EUV images from SOHO/EIT and TRACE, soft Xray images from Yohkoh, and magnetograms from SOHO/MDI, supplemented with coronagraph images from SOHO/LASCO, hard X-ray data, and ground-based observations. We consider the observational findings in terms of three proposed eruption-initiation mechanisms: (i) runaway internal tether-cutting reconnection, (ii) slow external tether-cutting reconnection ("breakout"), and (iii) ideal MHD instability.

A critical evaluation of the evidence for multiple Late Pleistocene eruptions of Laacher See Volcano

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zernack, Anke Verena; Hoggard, Christian Steven; Sauer, Florian Rudolf

The c. 12,900 BP Plinian eruption of Laacher See Volcano is one of the largest known volcanic events of the Late Pleistocene in the Northern Hemisphere. It buried proximal areas under tens of meters of pyroclastic flow, surge and fallout deposits and deposited a widespread tephra layer across much...... of dispersal of the products from varying eruptive stages and some sites even report two distinct Laacher See Tephra layers that have been interpreted as evidence of a precursor eruption. In order to assess the potential for multiple Late Pleistocene eruptions of Laacher See Volcano, we have compiled...

Probabilistic eruption forecasting at short and long time scales

Science.gov (United States)

Marzocchi, Warner; Bebbington, Mark S.

2012-10-01

Any effective volcanic risk mitigation strategy requires a scientific assessment of the future evolution of a volcanic system and its eruptive behavior. Some consider the onus should be on volcanologists to provide simple but emphatic deterministic forecasts. This traditional way of thinking, however, does not deal with the implications of inherent uncertainties, both aleatoric and epistemic, that are inevitably present in observations, monitoring data, and interpretation of any natural system. In contrast to deterministic predictions, probabilistic eruption forecasting attempts to quantify these inherent uncertainties utilizing all available information to the extent that it can be relied upon and is informative. As with many other natural hazards, probabilistic eruption forecasting is becoming established as the primary scientific basis for planning rational risk mitigation actions: at short-term (hours to weeks or months), it allows decision-makers to prioritize actions in a crisis; and at long-term (years to decades), it is the basic component for land use and emergency planning. Probabilistic eruption forecasting consists of estimating the probability of an eruption event and where it sits in a complex multidimensional time-space-magnitude framework. In this review, we discuss the key developments and features of models that have been used to address the problem.

Volcanic eruption of the mid-ocean ridge along the East Pacific Rise crest at 9°45-52'N: direct submersible observations of seafloor phenomena associated with an eruption event in April, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Haymon, R.M.; Fornari, D.J.; Von Damm, Karen L.; Lilley, M.D.; Perfit, M.R.; Edmond, J.M.; Shanks, Wayne C.; Lutz, R.A.; Grebmeier, J.M.; Carbotte, S.; Wright, D.; McLaughlin, E.; Smith, M.; Beedle, N.; Olson, E.

1993-01-01

In April, 1991, we witnessed from the submersible Alvin a suite of previously undocumented seafloor phenomena accompanying an in-progress eruption of the mid-ocean ridge on the East Pacific Rise crest at 9°45′N–52′N. The volume of the eruption could not be precisely determined, although comparison of pre- and post-eruption SeaBeam bathymetry indicate that any changes in ridge crest morphology resulting from the eruption were < 10 m high.

Hydrothermal system of the Papandayan Volcano, West Java, Indonesia and its geochemistry evolution of thermal water after the November 2002 eruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Mazot

2014-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol2no1.20072Papandayan is a strato volcano situated in West Java, Indonesia. After the last magmatic eruptionin 1772, only few phreatic explosions have been occurring. At the present time, the activity is centeredin the northeast crater manifested by the presence of fumaroles and hot springs. In November 2002an explosive eruption occurred and ejected ash and altered rocks. Study of the altered rocks revealedthat an advanced argillic alteration took place in the hydrothermal system by an interaction betweenacid fl uids and rocks. Four zones of alteration have been formed as a limited extension along faults oracross permeable structures at different levels beneath the active crater of the volcano.Two types of acid fl uids are distinguished in the crater of the Papandayan Volcano: (1 acidsulphate-chloride water with pH values between 1.6 and 4.6, and (2 acid sulphate water with pHvalues between 1.2 and 2.5. The samples collected after the eruption revealed an increase in the SO4/Cl and Mg / Cl ratios. This evolution is likely explained by an increase in the neutralization of acidfl uids which tends to show that water-rock interactions were more signifi cant after the eruption. Thechanges in chemistry observed in 2003 were the consequence of the opening of new fractures whereunaltered or less altered volcanic rocks were in contact with the ascending acid water. The high δ34Svalues (9-17‰ observed in the acid sulphate-chloride water before the November 2002 eruptionsuggest that dissolved sulphates were mainly formed by the disproportionation of magmatic SO2. Onthe other hand, the low δ34S values (-0.3-7 ‰ observed in acid sulphate-chloride water sampled afterthe eruption suggest that the origin of dissolved sulphates for these waters is the surfi cial oxidation ofhydrogen sulphide.

Morphometry and distribution of isolated caves as a guide for phreatic and confined paleohydrological conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Frumkin, Amos; Fischhendler, Itay

2005-04-01

Isolated caves are a special cave type common in most karst terrains, formed by prolonged slow water flow where aggressivity is locally boosted. The morphometry and distribution of isolated caves are used here to reconstruct the paleohydrology of a karstic mountain range. Within a homogenous karstic rock sequence, two main types of isolated caves are distinguished, and each is associated with a special hydrogeologic setting: maze caves form by rising water in the confined zone of the aquifer, under the Mt. Scopus Group (Israel) confinement, while chamber caves are formed in phreatic conditions, apparently by lateral flow mixing with a vadose input from above.

MULTIPLE OUTFLOWS IN THE GIANT ERUPTION OF A MASSIVE STAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphreys, Roberta M.; Gordon, Michael S.; Jones, Terry J. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, 116 Church St. SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Martin, John C., E-mail: roberta@umn.edu [University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL 62703 (United States)

2016-08-01

The supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410 in NGC 2748 reached a maximum luminosity of ≈−14 mag. It was quickly realized that it was not a true supernova, but another example of a nonterminal giant eruption. PSN J09132750+7627410 is distinguished by multiple P Cygni absorption minima in the Balmer emission lines that correspond to outflow velocities of −400, −1100, and −1600 km s{sup −1}. Multiple outflows have been observed in only a few other objects. In this paper we describe the evolution of the spectrum and the P Cygni profiles for 3 months past maximum, the post-maximum formation of a cool, dense wind, and the identification of a possible progenitor. One of the possible progenitors is an infrared source. Its pre-eruption spectral energy distribution suggests a bolometric luminosity of −8.3 mag and a dust temperature of 780 K. If it is the progenitor, it is above the AGB limit, unlike the intermediate-luminosity red transients. The three P Cygni profiles could be due to ejecta from the current eruption, the wind of the progenitor, or previous mass-loss events. We suggest that they were all formed as part of the same high-mass-loss event and are due to material ejected at different velocities or energies. We also suggest that multiple outflows during giant eruptions may be more common than reported.

Progressive approach to eruption at Campi Flegrei caldera in southern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilburn, Christopher R J; De Natale, Giuseppe; Carlino, Stefano

2017-05-15

Unrest at large calderas rarely ends in eruption, encouraging vulnerable communities to perceive emergency warnings of volcanic activity as false alarms. A classic example is the Campi Flegrei caldera in southern Italy, where three episodes of major uplift since 1950 have raised its central district by about 3 m without an eruption. Individual episodes have conventionally been treated as independent events, so that only data from an ongoing episode are considered pertinent to evaluating eruptive potential. An implicit assumption is that the crust relaxes accumulated stress after each episode. Here we apply a new model of elastic-brittle failure to test the alternative view that successive episodes promote a long-term accumulation of stress in the crust. The results provide the first quantitative evidence that Campi Flegrei is evolving towards conditions more favourable to eruption and identify field tests for predictions on how the caldera will behave during future unrest.

Holocene eruption history in Iceland - Eruption frequency vs. Tephra layer frequency

Science.gov (United States)

Oladottir, B. A.; Larsen, G.

2012-12-01

Volcanic deposits of all kinds are used to reconstruct eruption history of volcanoes and volcanic zones. In Iceland tephra is the ideal volcanic deposit to study eruption history as two out of every three eruptions taking place there during the last 11 centuries have been explosive, leaving tephra as their only product. If eruptions producing both lava and tephra are included three out of every four eruptions have produced tephra. Tephra dispersal and deposition depends on factors such as eruption magnitude, eruption cloud height, duration of eruption and prevailing wind directions at the time of eruption. Several outcrops around a particular volcano must therefore be measured to obtain optimal information of its eruption history. Vegetation in the area of deposition is also of great importance for its preservation. Tephra deposited on un-vegetated land is rapidly eroded by wind and water, and deposits up to few tens of cm thickness may be lost from the record. Such tephra deposited on grassy or forested land is at least partly sheltered from the wind after deposition. Soon after tephra deposition (how soon depends on tephra thickness) the root system of the vegetation creates an even better shelter for the tephra and when this stage is reached the tephra is preserved in the soil for millennia, given that no soil erosion takes place. Vegetation is often boosted in the first years after tephra deposition which in turn helps tephra preservation. A setback of using soil sections for reconstructing Holocene eruption history is the lack of soil at the beginning of the era but for that time period tephra records in lake and marine sediments can be used. When tephra stratigraphy in soil sections is measured to study eruption history and eruption frequency of a volcano it must be kept in mind that what is seen is in fact the tephra layer frequency. One section only shows tephra layers deposited in that location and more importantly only the layers preserved there. The

Probabilistic tephra hazard maps for the Neapolitan area: Quantitative volcanological study of Campi Flegrei eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Mastrolorenzo, G.; Pappalardo, L.; Troise, C.; Panizza, A.; de Natale, G.

2008-07-01

Tephra fall is a relevant hazard of Campi Flegrei caldera (Southern Italy), due to the high vulnerability of Naples metropolitan area to such an event. Here, tephra derive from magmatic as well as phreatomagmatic activity. On the basis of both new and literature data on known, past eruptions (Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), grain size parameters, velocity at the vent, column heights and erupted mass), and factors controlling tephra dispersion (wind velocity and direction), 2D numerical simulations of fallout dispersion and deposition have been performed for a large number of case events. A bayesian inversion has been applied to retrieve the best values of critical parameters (e.g., vertical mass distribution, diffusion coefficients, velocity at the vent), not directly inferable by volcanological study. Simulations are run in parallel on multiple processors to allow a fully probabilistic analysis, on a very large catalogue preserving the statistical proprieties of past eruptive history. Using simulation results, hazard maps have been computed for different scenarios: upper limit scenario (worst-expected scenario), eruption-range scenario, and whole-eruption scenario. Results indicate that although high hazard characterizes the Campi Flegrei caldera, the territory to the east of the caldera center, including the whole district of Naples, is exposed to high hazard values due to the dominant westerly winds. Consistently with the stratigraphic evidence of nature of past eruptions, our numerical simulations reveal that even in the case of a subplinian eruption (VEI = 3), Naples is exposed to tephra fall thicknesses of some decimeters, thereby exceeding the critical limit for roof collapse. Because of the total number of people living in Campi Flegrei and the city of Naples (ca. two million of inhabitants), the tephra fallout risk related to a plinian eruption of Campi Flegrei largely matches or exceeds the risk related to a similar eruption at Vesuvius.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of the phreatic system of the coastal wetland located between Fiumi Uniti and Bevano rivers in the southern Po plain (Northern Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Marconi, V.; Dinelli, E.; Antonellini, M.; Capaccioni, B.; Balugani, E.; Gabbianelli, G.

2009-04-01

A hydrogeochemical study has been undertaken on the phreatic system of the coastal area included between Fiumi Uniti and Bevano rivers (in the southern part of the Po plain, near the city of Ravenna) within the framework of the CIRCLE-ERANET project WATERKNOW on the effects of climate change on the mediterranean catchments. It is one of the first attempt in the area to characterize the shallow groundwater water system and to investigate if the arsenic anomaly, known in deeper groundwater (about 100 µg/l according to recent Annual Groundwater Quality Reports of Emilia-Romagna Region), occurs also in the phreatic system. The coastal part of the Po plain consists of a low-lying and mechanically-drained farmland further from the sea and of a narrow belt of dunes and pine forests in the backshore area. The study area is recognized as a protected area at european (ZPS and SIC, site code number: IT 14070009), national and regional level (Po delta Park area). As a result of an intensive exploitation of coastal aquifers for agricultural, industrial, and civil uses, both the phreatic aquifer and the surface waters (drainage ditches and ponds) have been contaminated by seawater and by deeper groundwater. Samples representative of the top of the water table were collected in Summer 2008 in 22 auger-holes and in 3 shallow piezometers (6 m deep) documenting the deeper layers of the phreatic groundwater system. Temperature, electrical conductivity, pH and Eh of the groundwater and of the surface water were measured on site using portable instruments. Samples were filtered directly in the field, an aliquot was acidified with diluted HCl for metal analysis. Cations were determined by Flame Atomic Absorption (thermo S-series spectrometer), anions by ion chromatography (Dionex ICS-90), Fe, As, Si, B by ICP-OES (Thermo iCAP6000). The data collected in the field show that a fresh groundwater lens is still present at the top of the phreatic aquifer in the backshore area and that the

The eruption of Mount Pagan volcano, Mariana Islands, 15 May 1981

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, N.G.; Koyanagi, R.Y.; Sinton, J.M.; Honma, K.T.

1984-01-01

A major explosive eruption occurred 15 May 1981 at Mount Pagan Volcano, the larger of two historic eruptive centers on Pagan Island, Mariana Islands. The eruption was preceded by increased numbers of locally felt earthquakes beginning in late March or early April and by new ground cracks, new sublimates, and increased gas emissions. A swarm of felt earthquakes began at 0745h (local time = UCT+10 hours) 15 May, and at 0915 h, closely following a loud sonic boom, a strong plinian column issued from the volcano. The high-altitude ash cloud (at least 13.5 km) travelled south-southeast, but ash and scoria deposits were thickest (> 2 m) in the NW sector of the island because of the prevailing low-altitude southeasterly winds. The early activity of 15 May probably involved magmatic eruption along a fissure system oriented about N10??E. However, the eruption became hydromagmatic, possibly within minutes, and was largely restricted to three long-lived vents. The northernmost of these built a substantial new scoria-ash cinder cone. Flows and air-fall deposits, consisting almost entirely of juvenile material, exceeded 105 ?? 106 m3 in volume (75 ?? 106 m3 of magma) on land and at least 70-100 ?? 606 m3 at sea. An unknown volume was carried away by stratospheric winds. Lithic blocks and juvenile bombs as large as 1 m in diameter were thrown more than 2 km from the summit, and evidence for base-surge was observed in restricted corridors as low as 200 m elevation on the north and south slopes of the volcano. Neither of these events resulted in serious injuries to the 54 residents of the island, nor did the eruption produce serious chemical hazards in their water supply. Weak eruptions occurred during the ensuing month, and some of these were monitored by ground observations, seismic monitoring, and deformation studies. Precursory seismicity and possibly deformation occurred with some of the observed eruptions. More vigorous eruptions were reported by visiting residents in late

An 18,000 year-long eruptive record from Volcán Chaitén, northwestern Patagonia: Paleoenvironmental and hazard-assessment implications

Science.gov (United States)

Alloway, Brent V.; Pearce, Nick J. G.; Moreno, Patricio I.; Villarosa, Gustavo; Jara, Ignacio; De Pol-Holz, Ricardo; Outes, Valeria

2017-07-01

The 2008 eruption of Volcán Chaitén (VCha) in northwestern Patagonia was the first explosive rhyolitic eruption to have occurred within a century and provided an unprecedented scientific opportunity to examine all facets of the eruption ranging from magma rheology/ascent rates to ash-fall effects on biota and infrastructure. Up to very recently it was thought that the latest eruption prior to the 2008 event occurred c. 9750 cal. a BP. Although a number of researchers have recognised additional eruptive products, but their stratigraphy, age, and geochemical attributes have not been systematically described and/or recorded. In this study, we provide a detailed examination of andic cover-beds and tephra-bearing lake sequences located both proximally and distally to VCha, which record a series of hitherto unknown rhyolitic eruptive products and place all previous observations firmly within a coherent stratigraphic framework. Through major- and trace-element glass shard geochemistry we are able to confidently verify eruptive source. A total of 20 discrete tephra beds are recognised, with at least 10 having widespread areal distributions and/or depositional imprints broadly comparable to, or greater than, the 2008-tephra event. This record indicates that VCha has been continuously but intermittently active as far back as the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (c. 18,000 cal a BP) with two dominant, genetically related magma types and an intermediary 'mixed' type. Before this the eruptive record has been largely obscured and/or erased by widespread Andean piedmont glaciation. However, based on the tempo of VCha activity over the last c. 18,000 years, older VCha eruptives can be anticipated to occur as well as future hazardous explosive events. The new eruptive inventory will ultimately be useful for correlating equivalent-aged sequences and refining long-term eruptive tempo as well as corresponding temporal changes in magmatic evolution.

Historic hydrovolcanism at Deception Island (Antarctica): implications for eruption hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Pedrazzi, Dario; Németh, Károly; Geyer, Adelina; Álvarez-Valero, Antonio M.; Aguirre-Díaz, Gerardo; Bartolini, Stefania

2018-01-01

Deception Island (Antarctica) is the southernmost island of the South Shetland Archipelago in the South Atlantic. Volcanic activity since the eighteenth century, along with the latest volcanic unrest episodes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, demonstrates that the volcanic system is still active and that future eruptions are likely. Despite its remote location, the South Shetland Islands are an important touristic destination during the austral summer. In addition, they host several research stations and three summer field camps. Deception Island is characterised by a Quaternary caldera system with a post-caldera succession and is considered to be part of an active, dispersed (monogenetic), volcanic field. Historical post-caldera volcanism on Deception Island involves monogenetic small-volume (VEI 2-3) eruptions such forming cones and various types of hydrovolcanic edifices. The scientific stations on the island were destroyed, or severely damaged, during the eruptions in 1967, 1969, and 1970 mainly due to explosive activity triggered by the interaction of rising (or erupting) magma with surface water, shallow groundwater, and ice. We conducted a detailed revision (field petrology and geochemistry) of the historical hydrovolcanic post-caldera eruptions of Deception Island with the aim to understand the dynamics of magma-water interaction, as well as characterise the most likely eruptive scenarios from future eruptions. We specifically focused on the Crimson Hill (estimated age between 1825 and 1829), and Kroner Lake (estimated age between 1829 and 1912) eruptions and 1967, 1969, and 1970 events by describing the eruption mechanisms related to the island's hydrovolcanic activity. Data suggest that the main hazards posed by volcanism on the island are due to fallout, ballistic blocks and bombs, and subordinate, dilute PDCs. In addition, Deception Island can be divided into five areas of expected activity due to magma-water interaction, providing additional

Use of thermal infrared imaging for monitoring renewed dome growth at Mount St. Helens, 2004: Chapter 17 in A volcano rekindled: the renewed eruption of Mount St. Helens, 2004-2006

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, David J.; Vallance, James W.; Wessels, Rick L.; Logan, Matthew; Ramsey, Michael S.; Sherrod, David R.; Scott, William E.; Stauffer, Peter H.

2008-01-01

A helicopter-mounted thermal imaging radiometer documented the explosive vent-clearing and effusive phases of the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 2004. A gyrostabilized gimbal controlled by a crew member housed the radiometer and an optical video camera attached to the nose of the helicopter. Since October 1, 2004, the system has provided thermal and video observations of dome growth. Flights conducted as frequently as twice daily during the initial month of the eruption monitored rapid changes in the crater and 1980-86 lava dome. Thermal monitoring decreased to several times per week once dome extrusion began. The thermal imaging system provided unique observations, including timely recognition that the early explosive phase was phreatic, location of structures controlling thermal emissions and active faults, detection of increased heat flow prior to the extrusion of lava, and recognition of new lava extrusion. The first spines, 1 and 2, were hotter when they emerged (maximum temperature 700-730°C) than subsequent spines insulated by as much as several meters of fault gouge. Temperature of gouge-covered spines was about 200°C where they emerged from the vent, and it decreased rapidly with distance from the vent. The hottest parts of these spines were as high as 500-730°C in fractured and broken-up regions. Such temperature variation needs to be accounted for in the retrieval of eruption parameters using satellite-based techniques, as such features are smaller than pixels in satellite images.

Beyond baking soda: Demonstrating the link between volcanic eruptions and viscosity to all ages

Science.gov (United States)

Smithka, I. N.; Walters, R. L.; Harpp, K. S.

2014-12-01

Public interest in volcanic eruptions and societal relevance of volcanic hazards provide an excellent basis for successful earth science outreach. During a museum-based earth science outreach event free and open to the public, we used two new interactive experiments to illustrate the relationship between gas content, magma viscosity, and eruption style. Learning objectives for visitors are to understand: how gas drives volcanic eruptions, the differences between effusive and explosive eruption styles, viscosity's control on gas pressure within a magma reservoir, and the role of gas pressure on eruption style. Visitors apply the scientific method by asking research questions and testing hypotheses by conducting the experiments. The demonstrations are framed with real life examples of volcanic eruptions (e.g., Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980), providing context for the scientific concepts. The first activity demonstrates the concept of fluid viscosity and how gas interacts with fluids of different viscosities. Visitors blow bubbles into water and corn syrup. The corn syrup is so viscous that bubbles are trapped, showing how a more viscous material builds up higher gas pressure. Visitors are asked which kind of magma (high or low viscosity) will produce an explosive eruption. To demonstrate an explosive eruption, visitors add an Alka-Seltzer tablet to water in a snap-top film canister. The reaction rapidly produces carbon dioxide gas, increasing pressure in the canister until the lid pops off and the canister launches a few meters into the air (tinyurl.com/nzsgfoe). Increasing gas pressure in the canister is analogous to gas pressure building within a magma reservoir beneath a volcano. The lid represents high-viscosity magma that prevents degassing, causing gas pressure to reach explosive levels. This interactive activity is combined with a display of an effusive eruption: add vinegar to baking soda in a model volcano to produce a quick-flowing eruption. These

The 2004–2008 dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens, Washington: Epilogue

Science.gov (United States)

Dzurisin, Daniel; Moran, Seth C.; Lisowski, Michael; Schilling, Steve P.; Anderson, Kyle R.; Werner, Cynthia A.

2015-01-01

The 2004–2008 dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens ended during winter 2007–2008 at a time when field observations were hampered by persistent bad weather. As a result, recognizing the end of the eruption was challenging—but important for scientists trying to understand how and why long-lived eruptions end and for public officials and land managers responsible for hazards mitigation and access restrictions. In hindsight, the end of the eruption was presaged by a slight increase in seismicity in December 2007 that culminated on January 12–13, 2008, with a burst of more than 500 events, most of which occurred in association with several tremor-like signals and a spasmodic burst of long-period earthquakes. At about the same time, a series of regular, localized, small-amplitude tilt events—thousands of which had been recorded during earlier phases of the eruption—came to an end. Thereafter, seismicity declined to 10–20 events per day until January 27–28, when a spasmodic burst of about 50 volcano-tectonic earthquakes occurred over a span of 3 h. This was followed by a brief return of repetitive “drumbeat” earthquakes that characterized much of the eruption. By January 31, however, seismicity had declined to 1–2 earthquakes per day, a rate similar to pre-eruption levels. We attribute the tilt and seismic observations to convulsive stagnation of a semisolid magma plug in the upper part of the conduit. The upward movement of the plug ceased when the excess driving pressure, which had gradually decreased throughout the eruption as a result of reservoir deflation and increasing overburden from the growing dome, was overcome by increasing friction as a result of cooling and crystallization of the plug.

A novel approach to estimate the eruptive potential and probability in open conduit volcanoes.

Science.gov (United States)

De Gregorio, Sofia; Camarda, Marco

2016-07-26

In open conduit volcanoes, volatile-rich magma continuously enters into the feeding system nevertheless the eruptive activity occurs intermittently. From a practical perspective, the continuous steady input of magma in the feeding system is not able to produce eruptive events alone, but rather surplus of magma inputs are required to trigger the eruptive activity. The greater the amount of surplus of magma within the feeding system, the higher is the eruptive probability.Despite this observation, eruptive potential evaluations are commonly based on the regular magma supply, and in eruptive probability evaluations, generally any magma input has the same weight. Conversely, herein we present a novel approach based on the quantification of surplus of magma progressively intruded in the feeding system. To quantify the surplus of magma, we suggest to process temporal series of measurable parameters linked to the magma supply. We successfully performed a practical application on Mt Etna using the soil CO2 flux recorded over ten years.

Comparison of the 26 May 2012 SEP Event with the 3 November 2011 SEP Event

Science.gov (United States)

Makela, P. A.; Gopalswamy, N.; Thakur, N.; Xie, H.

2015-12-01

We compare the solar and interplanetary events associated with two large solar energetic particle (SEP) events on 26 May 2012 and 3 November 2011. Both SEP events were detected at three longitudinally widely separated locations by STEREO A and B spacecraft (more than 100 deg away from Earth) and the Wind and SOHO spacecraft near Earth. In Earth view, the November 2011 eruption occurred far behind the east limb at N09E154, whereas the May 2012 eruption occurred closer to the west limb at N15W121, suggesting that SEPs accelerated during the 2012 event might have easier access to Earth. Even though the 2012 event was more intense in the GOES >10 MeV proton channel (peak intensity 14 pfu) than the 2011 event (peak intensity 4 pfu), we find that the latter event was more intense at higher energies (> 40 MeV). Also, the initial rise at lower energies was slightly faster for the 2011 event as measured by SOHO/ERNE. In addition, the CME associated with the May 2012 event was faster with an estimated space speed of ~2029 km/s than that in the November 2011 event (1188 km/s). STEREO/EUVI images of the associated post-eruption arcades (PEAs) indicate that their orientations were different: the PEA of the May 2012 event had a high inclination (north-south), while the inclination of the PEA of the 2011 event was more moderate. Differences in the flux rope orientation may also have effect on the longitudinal extent of the SEP events. These observations suggest that the dependence of solar proton intensities on the observer's longitudinal distance from the solar source is more complex than traditionally assumed.

Assessment of the atmospheric impact of volcanic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Sigurdsson, H.

1988-01-01

The dominant global impact of volcanic activity is likely to be related to the effects of volcanic gases on the Earth's atmosphere. Volcanic gas emissions from individual volcanic arc eruptions are likely to cause increases in the stratospheric optical depth that result in surface landmass temperature decline of 2 to 3 K for less than a decade. Trachytic and intermediate magmas are much more effective in this regard than high-silica magmas, and may also lead to extensive ozone depletion due to effect of halogens and magmatic water. Given the assumed relationship between arc volcanism and subduction rate, and the relatively small variation in global spreading rates in the geologic record, it is unlikely that the rates of arc volcanism have varied greatly during the Cenozoic. Hotspot related basaltic fissure eruptions in the subaerial environment have a higher mass yield of sulfur, but lofting of the valcanic aerosol to levels above the tropopause is required for a climate impact. High-latitude events, such as the Laki 1783 eruption can easily penetrate the tropopause and enter the stratosphere, but formation of a stratospheric volcanic aerosol form low-latitude effusive basaltic eruptions is problematical, due to the elevated low-latitude tropopause. Due to the high sulfur content of hotspot-derived basaltic magmas, their very high mass eruption rates and the episodic behavior, hotspots must be regarded as potentially major modifiers of Earth's climate through the action of their volcanic volatiles on the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere.

Effects of megascale eruptions on Earth and Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Thordarson, T.; Rampino, M.; Keszthelyi, L.P.; Self, S.

2009-01-01

Volcanic features are common on geologically active earthlike planets. Megascale or "super" eruptions involving >1000 Gt of magma have occurred on both Earth and Mars in the geologically recent past, introducing prodigious volumes of ash and volcanic gases into the atmosphere. Here we discuss felsic (explosive) and mafi c (flood lava) supereruptions and their potential atmospheric and environmental effects on both planets. On Earth, felsic supereruptions recur on average about every 100-200,000 years and our present knowledge of the 73.5 ka Toba eruption implies that such events can have the potential to be catastrophic to human civilization. A future eruption of this type may require an unprecedented response from humankind to assure the continuation of civilization as we know it. Mafi c supereruptions have resulted in atmospheric injection of volcanic gases (especially SO2) and may have played a part in punctuating the history of life on Earth. The contrast between the more sustained effects of flood basalt eruptions (decades to centuries) and the near-instantaneous effects of large impacts (months to years) is worthy of more detailed study than has been completed to date. Products of mafi c supereruptions, signifi cantly larger than known from the geologic record on Earth, are well preserved on Mars. The volatile emissions from these eruptions most likely had global dispersal, but the effects may not have been outside what Mars endures even in the absence of volcanic eruptions. This is testament to the extreme variability of the current Martian atmosphere: situations that would be considered catastrophic on Earth are the norm on Mars. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Terbinafine induced pityriasis rosea-like eruption.

Science.gov (United States)

George, Anisha; Bhatia, Anuradha; Kanish, Bimal; Williams, Abhilasha

2015-01-01

Terbinafine is an allylamine antifungal agent which is widely used for the treatment of fungal infections. Cutaneous side effects have been reported in 2% of the patients on terbinafine therapy with many morphological patterns. We report a case of terbinafine induced pityriasis rosea, a very rare side effect of terbinafine. This report emphasizes the importance of counseling the patient to report immediately in the event of a cutaneous eruption.

Terbinafine induced pityriasis rosea-like eruption

OpenAIRE

Anisha George; Anuradha Bhatia; Bimal Kanish; Abhilasha Williams

2015-01-01

Terbinafine is an allylamine antifungal agent which is widely used for the treatment of fungal infections. Cutaneous side effects have been reported in 2% of the patients on terbinafine therapy with many morphological patterns. We report a case of terbinafine induced pityriasis rosea, a very rare side effect of terbinafine. This report emphasizes the importance of counseling the patient to report immediately in the event of a cutaneous eruption.

Analysis of an Anemone-Type Eruption in an On-Disk Coronal Hole

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi; Tennant, Allyn; Alexander, Caroline; Sterling, Alphonse; Moore, Ronald; Woolley, Robert

2016-01-01

We report on an eruption seen in a very small coronal hole (about 120 arcseconds across), beginning at approximately 19:00 Universal Time on March 3, 2016. The event was initially observed by an amateur astronomer (RW) in an H-alpha movie from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG); the eruption attracted the attention of the observer because there was no nearby active region. To examine the region in detail, we use data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) in wavelengths 193 angstroms, 304 angstroms, and 94 angstroms, and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Data analysis and calibration activities such as scaling, rotation so that north is up, and removal of solar rotation are accomplished with SunPy. The eruption in low-cadence HMI data begins with the appearance of a bipole in the location of the coronal hole, followed by (apparent) expansion outwards when the intensity of the AIA wavelengths brighten; as the event proceeds, the coronal hole disappears. From high-cadence data, we will present results on the magnetic evolution of this structure, how it is related to intensity brightenings seen in the various SDO/AIA wavelengths, and how this event compares with the standard-anemone picture.

Multi-stage volcanic island flank collapses with coeval explosive caldera-forming eruptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, James E; Cassidy, Michael; Talling, Peter J

2018-01-18

Volcanic flank collapses and explosive eruptions are among the largest and most destructive processes on Earth. Events at Mount St. Helens in May 1980 demonstrated how a relatively small (300 km 3 ), but can also occur in complex multiple stages. Here, we show that multistage retrogressive landslides on Tenerife triggered explosive caldera-forming eruptions, including the Diego Hernandez, Guajara and Ucanca caldera eruptions. Geochemical analyses were performed on volcanic glasses recovered from marine sedimentary deposits, called turbidites, associated with each individual stage of each multistage landslide. These analyses indicate only the lattermost stages of subaerial flank failure contain materials originating from respective coeval explosive eruption, suggesting that initial more voluminous submarine stages of multi-stage flank collapse induce these aforementioned explosive eruption. Furthermore, there are extended time lags identified between the individual stages of multi-stage collapse, and thus an extended time lag between the initial submarine stages of failure and the onset of subsequent explosive eruption. This time lag succeeding landslide-generated static decompression has implications for the response of magmatic systems to un-roofing and poses a significant implication for ocean island volcanism and civil emergency planning.

Source mechanisms of persistent shallow earthquakes during eruptive and non-eruptive periods between 1981 and 2011 at Mount St. Helens, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Lehto, Heather L.; Roman, Diana C.; Moran, Seth C.

2013-01-01

Shallow seismicity between 0 and 3-km depth has persisted at Mount St. Helens, Washington (MSH) during both eruptive and non-eruptive periods for at least the past thirty years. In this study we investigate the source mechanisms of shallow volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes at MSH by calculating high-quality hypocenter locations and fault plane solutions (FPS) for all VT events recorded during two eruptive periods (1981–1986 and 2004–2008) and two non-eruptive periods (1987–2004 and 2008–2011). FPS show a mixture of normal, reverse, and strike-slip faulting during all periods, with a sharp increase in strike-slip faulting observed in 1987–1997 and an increase in normal faulting in 1998–2004. FPS P-axis orientations show a ~ 90° rotation with respect to regional σ1 (N23°E) during 1981–1986 and 2004–2008, bimodal orientations (~ N-S and ~ E-W) during 1987–2004, and bimodal orientations at ~ N-E and ~ S-W from 2008–2011. We interpret these orientations to likely be due to pressurization accompanying the shallow intrusion and subsequent eruption of magma as domes during 1981–1986 and 2004–2008 and the buildup of pore pressure beneath a seismogenic volume (located at 0–1 km) with a smaller component due to the buildup of tectonic forces during 1987–2004 and 2008–2011.

Experimental estimates of the energy budget of hydrothermal eruptions; application to 2012 Upper Te Maari eruption, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Montanaro, Cristian; Scheu, Bettina; Cronin, Shane J.; Breard, Eric C. P.; Lube, Gert; Dingwell, Donald B.

2016-10-01

Sudden hydrothermal eruptions occur in many volcanic settings and may include high-energy explosive phases. Ballistics launched by such events, together with ash plumes and pyroclastic density currents, generate deadly proximal hazards. The violence of hydrothermal eruptions (or explosive power) depends on the energy available within the driving-fluids (gas or liquid), which also influences the explosive mechanisms, volumes, durations, and products of these eruptions. Experimental studies in addition to analytical modeling were used here to elucidate the fragmentation mechanism and aspects of energy balance within hydrothermal eruptions. We present results from a detailed study of recent event that occurred on the 6th of August 2012 at Upper Te Maari within the Tongariro volcanic complex (New Zealand). The eruption was triggered by a landslide from this area, which set off a rapid stepwise decompression of the hydrothermal system. Explosive blasts were directed both westward and eastward of the collapsed area, with a vertical ash plume sourced from an adjacent existing crater. All explosions ejected blocks on ballistic trajectories, hundreds of which impacted New Zealand's most popular hiking trail and a mountain lodge, 1.4 km from the explosion locus. We have employed rocks representative of the eruption source area to perform rapid decompression experiments under controlled laboratory conditions that mimic hydrothermal explosions under controlled laboratory conditions. An experimental apparatus for 34 by 70 mm cylindrical samples was built to reduce the influence of large lithic enclaves (up to 30 mm in diameter) within the rock. The experiments were conducted in a temperature range of 250 °C-300 °C and applied pressure between 4 MPa and 6.5 MPa, which span the range of expected conditions below the Te Maari crater. Within this range we tested rapid decompression of pre-saturated samples from both liquid-dominated conditions and the vapor-dominated field

High-resolution Observations of Downflows at One End of a Pre-eruption Filament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Qin; Deng, Na; Jing, Ju; Wang, Haimin, E-mail: ql47@njit.edu [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102-1982 (United States)

2017-06-01

Studying the dynamics of filaments at the pre-eruption phase can shed light on the precursor of eruptive events. Such high-resolution studies (of the order of 0.″1) are highly desirable yet very rare. In this work, we present a detailed observation of a pre-eruption evolution of a filament obtained by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). One end of the filament is anchored at the sunspot in the NOAA active region (AR) 11515, which is well observed by NST H α off-bands from four hours before to one hour after the filament eruption. A M1.6 flare is associated with the eruption. We observed persistent downflowing materials along the H α multi-threaded component of the loop toward the AR end during the pre-eruption phase. We traced the trajectories of plasma blobs along the H α threads and obtained a plane-of-sky velocity of 45 km s{sup −1} on average. Furthermore, we estimated the real velocities of the downflows and the altitude of the filament by matching the observed H α threads with magnetic field lines extrapolated from a nonlinear force-free field model. Observations of chromospheric brightenings at the footpoints of the falling plasma blobs are also presented. The lower limit of the kinetic energy per second of the downflows through the brightenings is found to be ∼10{sup 21} erg. Larger FOV observations from BBSO full-disk H α images show that the AR end of the filament started ascending four hours before the flare. We attribute the observed downflows at the AR end of the filament to the draining effect of the filament rising prior to its eruption. During the slow-rise phase, the downflows continuously drained away ∼10{sup 15}g mass from the filament over a few hours, which is believed to be essential for the instability, and could be an important precursor of eruptive events.

Seismic observations of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska - 1989-2010 and a conceptual model of the Redoubt magmatic system

Science.gov (United States)

Power, John A.; Stihler, Scott D.; Chouet, Bernard A.; Haney, Matthew M.; Ketner, D.M.

2013-01-01

Seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, has been closely monitored since 1989 by a network of five to ten seismometers within 22 km of the volcano's summit. Major eruptions occurred in 1989-1990 and 2009 and were characterized by large volcanic explosions, episodes of lava dome growth and failure, pyroclastic flows, and lahars. Seismic features of the 1989-1990 eruption were 1) weak precursory tremor and a short, 23-hour-long, intense swarm of repetitive shallow long-period (LP) events centered 1.4 km below the crater floor, 2) shallow volcano-tectonic (VT) and hybrid earthquakes that separated early episodes of dome growth, 3) 13 additional swarms of LP events at shallow depths precursory to many of the 25 explosions that occurred over the more than 128 day duration of eruptive activity, and 4) a persistent cluster of VT earthquakes at 6 to 9 km depth. In contrast the 2009 eruption was preceded by a pronounced increase in deep-LP (DLP) events at lower crustal depths (25 to 38 km) that began in mid-December 2008, two months of discontinuous shallow volcanic tremor that started on January 23, 2009, a strong phreatic explosion on March 15, and a 58-hour-long swarm of repetitive shallow LP events. The 2009 eruption consisted of at least 23 major explosions between March 23 and April 5, again accompanied by shallow VT earthquakes, several episodes of shallow repetitive LP events and dome growth continuing until mid July. Increased VT earthquakes at 4 to 9 km depth began slowly in early April, possibly defining a mid-crustal magma source zone. Magmatic processes associated with the 2009 eruption seismically activated the same portions of the Redoubt magmatic system as the 1989-1990 eruption, although the time scales and intensity vary considerably among the two eruptions. The occurrence of precursory DLP events suggests that the 2009 eruption may have involved the rise of magma from lower crustal depths. Based on the evolution of seismicity during the 1989-1990 and

Large explosive basaltic eruptions at Katla volcano, Iceland: Fragmentation, grain size and eruption dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Schmith, Johanne; Höskuldsson, Ármann; Holm, Paul Martin; Larsen, Guðrún

2018-04-01

Katla volcano in Iceland produces hazardous large explosive basaltic eruptions on a regular basis, but very little quantitative data for future hazard assessments exist. Here details on fragmentation mechanism and eruption dynamics are derived from a study of deposit stratigraphy with detailed granulometry and grain morphology analysis, granulometric modeling, componentry and the new quantitative regularity index model of fragmentation mechanism. We show that magma/water interaction is important in the ash generation process, but to a variable extent. By investigating the large explosive basaltic eruptions from 1755 and 1625, we document that eruptions of similar size and magma geochemistry can have very different fragmentation dynamics. Our models show that fragmentation in the 1755 eruption was a combination of magmatic degassing and magma/water-interaction with the most magma/water-interaction at the beginning of the eruption. The fragmentation of the 1625 eruption was initially also a combination of both magmatic and phreatomagmatic processes, but magma/water-interaction diminished progressively during the later stages of the eruption. However, intense magma/water interaction was reintroduced during the final stages of the eruption dominating the fine fragmentation at the end. This detailed study of fragmentation changes documents that subglacial eruptions have highly variable interaction with the melt water showing that the amount and access to melt water changes significantly during eruptions. While it is often difficult to reconstruct the progression of eruptions that have no quantitative observational record, this study shows that integrating field observations and granulometry with the new regularity index can form a coherent model of eruption evolution.

Possible Triggering of the Largest Deccan Traps Eruptions By the Chicxulub Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, M. A.; Alvarez, W.; Self, S.; Karlstrom, L.; Renne, P. R.; Manga, M.; Sprain, C. J.; Smit, J.; Vanderkluysen, L.; Gibson, S. A.

2014-12-01

New constraints on the timing of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and the Chicxulub impact, together with a particularly voluminous and apparently brief eruptive pulse toward the end of the "main-stage" eruptions of the Deccan continental flood basalt province, suggest that these three events may have occurred within less than about a hundred thousand years of each other. Partial melting induced by the Chicxulub event does not provide an energetically-plausible explanation for this coincidence, and both geochronologic and magnetic-polarity data show that Deccan volcanism was underway well before Chicxulub/K-Pg time. However, historical data document that eruptions from existing volcanic systems can be triggered by earthquakes. Seismic modeling of the ground motion due to the Chicxulub impact suggests that the impact could have generated seismic energy densities of order 0.1-1.0 J/m3 throughout the upper ~200 km of the Earth's mantle, sufficient to trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide based upon comparison with historical examples. Triggering may have been caused by a transient increase in the effective permeability of the existing deep magmatic system beneath the Deccan province, or mantle plume "head." It is therefore reasonable to hypothesize that the Chicxulub impact might have triggered the enormous Poladpur, Ambenali, and Mahabaleshwar (Wai sub-group) lava flows that account for >70% of the Deccan Traps main-stage eruptions. This hypothesis is consistent with independent stratigraphic, geochronologic, geochemical, and tectonic constraints, which combine to indicate that at approximately Chicxulub/K-Pg time a huge pulse of mantle plume-derived magma passed through the crust with little interaction, and erupted to form the most extensive and voluminous lava flows known on Earth. High-precision radioisotopic dating of the main-phase Deccan flood basalt formations may be able either to confirm or reject this hypothesis, which in turn might help

Multi-stage volcanic island flank collapses with coeval explosive caldera-forming eruptions

OpenAIRE

Hunt, James E.; Cassidy, Michael; Talling, Peter J.

2018-01-01

Volcanic flank collapses and explosive eruptions are among the largest and most destructive processes on Earth. Events at Mount St. Helens in May 1980 demonstrated how a relatively small (<5 km3) flank collapse on a terrestrial volcano could immediately precede a devastating eruption. The lateral collapse of volcanic island flanks, such as in the Canary Islands, can be far larger (>300 km3), but can also occur in complex multiple stages. Here, we show that multistage retrogressive lands...

Imaging Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in a Solar Eruptive Flare

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Ding, M. D.; Sun, X.; Qiu, J.; Priest, E. R.

2017-01-01

Solar flares are among the most energetic events in the solar atmosphere. It is widely accepted that flares are powered by magnetic reconnection in the corona. An eruptive flare is usually accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, both of which are probably driven by the eruption of a magnetic flux rope (MFR). Here we report an eruptive flare on 2016 March 23 observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory . The extreme-ultraviolet imaging observations exhibit the clear rise and eruption of an MFR. In particular, the observations reveal solid evidence of magnetic reconnection from both the corona and chromosphere during the flare. Moreover, weak reconnection is observed before the start of the flare. We find that the preflare weak reconnection is of tether-cutting type and helps the MFR to rise slowly. Induced by a further rise of the MFR, strong reconnection occurs in the rise phases of the flare, which is temporally related to the MFR eruption. We also find that the magnetic reconnection is more of 3D-type in the early phase, as manifested in a strong-to-weak shear transition in flare loops, and becomes more 2D-like in the later phase, as shown by the apparent rising motion of an arcade of flare loops.

Imaging Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in a Solar Eruptive Flare

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y.; Ding, M. D. [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023 (China); Sun, X. [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Qiu, J. [Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States); Priest, E. R., E-mail: yingli@nju.edu.cn [School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland (United Kingdom)

2017-02-01

Solar flares are among the most energetic events in the solar atmosphere. It is widely accepted that flares are powered by magnetic reconnection in the corona. An eruptive flare is usually accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, both of which are probably driven by the eruption of a magnetic flux rope (MFR). Here we report an eruptive flare on 2016 March 23 observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory . The extreme-ultraviolet imaging observations exhibit the clear rise and eruption of an MFR. In particular, the observations reveal solid evidence of magnetic reconnection from both the corona and chromosphere during the flare. Moreover, weak reconnection is observed before the start of the flare. We find that the preflare weak reconnection is of tether-cutting type and helps the MFR to rise slowly. Induced by a further rise of the MFR, strong reconnection occurs in the rise phases of the flare, which is temporally related to the MFR eruption. We also find that the magnetic reconnection is more of 3D-type in the early phase, as manifested in a strong-to-weak shear transition in flare loops, and becomes more 2D-like in the later phase, as shown by the apparent rising motion of an arcade of flare loops.

Magnetic Braids in Eruptions of a Spiral Structure in the Solar Atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhenghua; Xia, Lidong; Nelson, Chris J.; Liu, Jiajia; Wiegelmann, Thomas; Tian, Hui; Klimchuk, James A.; Chen, Yao; Li, Bo

2018-02-01

We report on high-resolution imaging and spectral observations of eruptions of a spiral structure in the transition region, which were taken with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The eruption coincided with the appearance of two series of jets, with velocities comparable to the Alfvén speeds in their footpoints. Several pieces of evidence of magnetic braiding in the eruption are revealed, including localized bright knots, multiple well-separated jet threads, transition region explosive events, and the fact that all three of these are falling into the same locations within the eruptive structures. Through analysis of the extrapolated 3D magnetic field in the region, we found that the eruptive spiral structure corresponded well to locations of twisted magnetic flux tubes with varying curl values along their lengths. The eruption occurred where strong parallel currents, high squashing factors, and large twist numbers were obtained. The electron number density of the eruptive structure is found to be ∼3 × 1012 cm‑3, indicating that a significant amount of mass could be pumped into the corona by the jets. Following the eruption, the extrapolations revealed a set of seemingly relaxed loops, which were visible in the AIA 94 Å channel, indicating temperatures of around 6.3 MK. With these observations, we suggest that magnetic braiding could be part of the mechanisms explaining the formation of solar eruption and the mass and energy supplement to the corona.

Pre-eruptive conditions of dacitic magma erupted during the 21.7 ka Plinian event at Nevado de Toluca volcano, Central Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Arce, J. L.; Gardner, J. E.; Macías, J. L.

2013-01-01

The Nevado de Toluca volcano in Central Mexico has been active over the last ca. 42 ka, during which tens of km3 of pyroclastic material were erupted and two important Plinian-type eruptions occurred at ca. 21.7 ka (Lower Toluca Pumice: LTP) and ca. 10.5 ka (Upper Toluca Pumice: UTP). Samples from both the LTP and UTP contain plagioclase, amphibole, iron-titanium oxides, and minor anhedral biotite, set in a vesicular, rhyolitic, glassy matrix. In addition, UTP dacites contain orthopyroxene. Analysis of melt inclusions in plagioclase phenocrysts yields H2O contents of 2-3.5 wt.% for LTP and 1.3-3.6 wt.% for UTP samples. Ilmenite-ulvospinel geothermometry yields an average temperature of ~ 868 °C for the LTP magma (hotter than the UTP magma, ~ 842 °C; Arce et al., 2006), whereas amphibole-plagioclase geothermometry yields a temperature of 825-859 °C for the LTP magma. Water-saturated experiments using LTP dacite suggest that: (i) amphibole is stable above 100 MPa and below 900 °C; (ii) plagioclase crystallizes below 250-100 MPa at temperatures of 850-900 °C; and (iii) pyroxene is stable only below pressures of 200-100 MPa and temperatures of 825-900 °C. Comparison of natural and experimental data suggests that the LTP dacitic magma was stored at 150-200 MPa (5.8-7.7 km below the volcano summit). No differences in pressure found between 21.7 ka and 10.5 ka suggest that these two magmas were stored at similar depths. Orthopyroxene produced in lower temperature LTP experiments is compositionally different to those found in UTP natural samples, suggesting that they originated in two different magma batches. Whole-rock chemistry, petrographic features, and mineral compositions suggest that magma mixing was responsible for the generation of the dacitic Plinian LTP eruption.

Volcanic Eruptions in the Southern Red Sea During 2007–2013

KAUST Repository

Jonsson, Sigurjon; Xu, Wenbin

2015-01-01

The first volcanic eruption known to occur in the southern Red Sea in over a century started on Jebel at Tair Island in September 2007. The early phase of the eruption was energetic, with lava reaching the shore of the small island within hours, destroying a Yemeni military outpost and causing a few casualties. The eruption lasted several months, producing a new summit cone and lava covering an area of 5.9 km2, which is about half the area of the island. The Jebel at Tair activity was followed by two more eruptions within the Zubair archipelago, about 50 km to the southeast, in 2011–2012 and 2013, both of which started on the seafloor and resulted in the formation of new islands. The first of these eruptions started in December 2011 in the northern part of the archipelago and lasted for about one month, generating a small (0.25 km2) oval-shaped island. Coastal erosion during the first two years following the end of the eruption has reduced the size of the island to 0.19 km2. The second event occurred in the central part of the Zubair Islands and lasted roughly two months (September–November, 2013), forming a larger (0.68 km2) island. The recent volcanic eruptions in the southern Red Sea are a part of increased activity seen in the entire southern Red Sea region following the onset of a rifting episode in Afar (Ethiopia) in 2005.

Volcanic Eruptions in the Southern Red Sea During 2007–2013

KAUST Repository

Jonsson, Sigurjon

2015-04-03

The first volcanic eruption known to occur in the southern Red Sea in over a century started on Jebel at Tair Island in September 2007. The early phase of the eruption was energetic, with lava reaching the shore of the small island within hours, destroying a Yemeni military outpost and causing a few casualties. The eruption lasted several months, producing a new summit cone and lava covering an area of 5.9 km2, which is about half the area of the island. The Jebel at Tair activity was followed by two more eruptions within the Zubair archipelago, about 50 km to the southeast, in 2011–2012 and 2013, both of which started on the seafloor and resulted in the formation of new islands. The first of these eruptions started in December 2011 in the northern part of the archipelago and lasted for about one month, generating a small (0.25 km2) oval-shaped island. Coastal erosion during the first two years following the end of the eruption has reduced the size of the island to 0.19 km2. The second event occurred in the central part of the Zubair Islands and lasted roughly two months (September–November, 2013), forming a larger (0.68 km2) island. The recent volcanic eruptions in the southern Red Sea are a part of increased activity seen in the entire southern Red Sea region following the onset of a rifting episode in Afar (Ethiopia) in 2005.

An application of the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient to solar compact and eruptive events

Science.gov (United States)

Korsós, M. B.; Ruderman, Michael S.; Erdélyi, R.

2018-01-01

We propose to apply the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient (WGM), introduced in Korsós et al., 2015, for analysing the pre-flare and pre-CME behaviour and evolution of Active Regions (ARs) using the SDO/HMI-Debrecen Data catalogue. To demonstrate the power of investigative capabilities of the WGM method, in terms of flare and CME eruptions, we studied two typical ARs, namely, AR 12158 and AR 12192. The choice of ARs represent canonical cases. AR 12158 produced an X1.6 flare with fast "halo" CME (vlinear = 1267 kms-1) while in AR 12192 there occurred a range of powerful X-class eruptions, i.e. X1.1, X1.6, X3.1, X1.0, X2.0 and X2.0-class energetic flares, interestingly, none with an accompanying CME. The value itself and temporal variation of WGM is found to possess potentially important diagnostic information about the intensity of the expected flare class. Furthermore, we have also estimated the flare onset time from the relationship of duration of converging and diverging motions of the area-weighted barycenters of two subgroups of opposite magnetic polarities. This test turns out not only to provide information about the intensity of the expected flare-class and the flare onset time but may also indicate whether a flare will occur with/without fast CME. We have also found that, in the case when the negative polarity barycenter has moved around and the positive one "remained" at the same coordinates preceding eruption, the flare occurred with fast "halo" CME. Otherwise, when both the negative and the positive polarity barycenters have moved around, the AR produced flares without CME. If these properties found for the movement of the barycenters are generic pre-cursors of CME eruption (or lack of it), identifying them may serve as an excellent pre-condition for refining the forecast of the lift-off of CMEs.

Ash resuspension related to the 2011-2012 Cordón Caulle eruption, Chile, in a rural community of Patagonia, Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Forte, Pablo; Domínguez, Lucia; Bonadonna, Costanza; Gregg, Chris E.; Bran, Donaldo; Bird, Deanne; Castro, Jonathan M.

2018-01-01

The 2011-2012 Cordón Caulle eruption emitted about 1 km3 of rhyodacitic tephra. Dominant westerly winds in the region caused most of the primary tephra to deposit in neighboring Argentina. In addition to the impact of widespread dispersal and fallout of primary tephra during the eruption, Argentina was also significantly affected by remobilization of the primary ash even several years after the climactic phase of the eruption. In this mixed methods study, we combine aspects of natural and social sciences to characterize the ash resuspension events associated with the 2011-2012 Cordón Caulle deposits and assess the impacts on the Argentinian farming community of Ingeniero Jacobacci in the Patagonian Steppe. Our findings show the primary importance of wind, rainfall and ash availability in controlling the occurrence and persistence of ash resuspension events. The role played by these variables was also reflected in the seasonal distribution of events observed. Regarding the impacts, our results complement those of earlier studies and demonstrate that ash resuspension events can exacerbate the negative impact of primary tephra fallout events from the time of deposition to many years after the eruption. Only after five years has the environment and the farming community begun to show signs of recovery. Our findings also highlight the importance of assessing ash resuspension events in multi-hazard scenarios involving volcanic and hydrometeorologic hazards.

Idiosyncrasies of volcanic sulfur viscosity and the triggering of unheralded volcanic eruptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa eScolamacchia

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Unheralded blue-sky eruptions from dormant volcanoes cause serious fatalities, such as at Mt. Ontake (Japan on 27 September 2014. Could these events result from magmatic gas being trapped within hydrothermal system aquifers by elemental sulfur (Se clogging pores, due to sharp increases in its viscosity when heated above 159oC? This mechanism was thought to prime unheralded eruptions at Mt. Ruapehu in New Zealand. Impurities in sulfur (As, Te, Se are known to modify S-viscosity and industry experiments showed that organic compounds, H2S, and halogens dramatically influence Se viscosity under typical hydrothermal heating/cooling rates and temperature thresholds. However, the effects of complex sulfur compositions are currently ignored at volcanoes, despite its near ubiquity in long-lived volcano-hydrothermal systems. Models of impure S behavior must be urgently formulated to detect pre-eruptive warning signs before the next blue-sky eruption

The eruptive chronology of the Ampato-Sabancaya volcanic complex (Southern Peru)

Science.gov (United States)

Samaniego, Pablo; Rivera, Marco; Mariño, Jersy; Guillou, Hervé; Liorzou, Céline; Zerathe, Swann; Delgado, Rosmery; Valderrama, Patricio; Scao, Vincent

2016-09-01

vulcanian events, although its erupted volume remained low and only produced a local impact through ash fallout. We have identified at least 6 eruptions during the last 4-5 ka, including the historical AD 1750-1784 and 1987-1998 events. On the basis of this recurrent low-to-moderate explosive activity, Sabancaya must be considered active and a potentially threatening volcano.

New Aspects of a Lid-Removal Mechanism in the Onset of a SEP-Producing Eruption Sequence

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Falconer, David; Knox, Javon M

2014-06-01

We examine a sequence of two ejective eruptions from a single active region on 2012 January 23, using magnetograms and EUV images from SDO/HMI and SDO/AIA, and EUV images from STEREO. Cheng et al. (2013) showed that the first eruption's (``Eruption 1'') flux rope was apparent only in ``hotter'' AIA channels, and that it removed overlying field that allowed the second eruption (``Eruption 2'') to begin via ideal MHD instability; here we say Eruption 2 began via a ``lid removal'' mechanism. We show that during Eruption-1's onset, its flux rope underwent ``tether weakening'' (TW) reconnection with the field of an adjacent active region. Standard flare loops from Eruption 1 developed over Eruption-2's flux rope and enclosed filament, but these overarching new loops were unable to confine that flux rope/filament. Eruption-1's flare loops, from both TW reconnection and standard-flare-model internal reconnection, were much cooler than Eruption-2's flare loops (GOES thermal temperatures of ~9 MK compared to ~14 MK). This eruption sequence produced a strong solar energetic particle (SEP) event (10 MeV protons, >10^3 pfu for 43 hrs), apparently starting when Eruption-2's CME blasted through Eruption-1's CME at 5---10 R_s. This occurred because the two CMEs originated in close proximity and in close time sequence: Eruption-1's fast rise started soon after the TW reconnection; the lid removal by Eruption-1's ejection triggered the slow onset of Eruption 2; and Eruption-2's CME, which started ~1 hr later, was three times faster than Eruption-1's CME.

The 2008 phreatomagmatic eruption of Okmok volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska: Chronology, deposits, and landform changes

Science.gov (United States)

Jessica Larsen,; Neal, Christina; Schaefer, Janet R.; Kaufman, Max; Lu, Zhong

2015-01-01

Okmok volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, explosively erupted over a five-week period between July 12 and August 23, 2008. The eruption was predominantly phreatomagmatic, producing fine-grained tephra that covered most of northeastern Umnak Island. The eruption had a maximum Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 4, with eruption column heights up to 16 km during the opening phase. Several craters and a master tuff cone formed in the caldera as a result of phreatomagmatic explosions and accumulated tephra-fall and surge deposits. Ascending magma continuously interacted with an extensive shallow groundwater table in the caldera, resulting in the phreatomagmatic character of the eruption. Syneruptive explosion and collapse processes enlarged a pre-existing lake, created a second, entirely new lake, and formed new, deep craters. A field of ephemeral collapse pits and collapse escarpments formed where rapid groundwater withdrawal removed material from beneath capping lava flows. This was the first significant phreatomagmatic event in the U.S. since the Ukinrek Maars eruption in 1977.

Hazards of volcanic lakes: analysis of Lakes Quilotoa and Cuicocha, Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Gunkel

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Volcanic lakes within calderas should be viewed as high-risk systems, and an intensive lake monitoring must be carried out to evaluate the hazard of potential limnic or phreatic-magmatic eruptions. In Ecuador, two caldera lakes – Lakes Quilotoa and Cuicocha, located in the high Andean region >3000 a.s.l. – have been the focus of these investigations. Both volcanoes are geologically young or historically active, and have formed large and deep calderas with lakes of 2 to 3 km in diameter, and 248 and 148 m in depth, respectively. In both lakes, visible gas emissions of CO₂ occur, and an accumulation of CO₂ in the deep water body must be taken into account.

Investigations were carried out to evaluate the hazards of these volcanic lakes, and in Lake Cuicocha intensive monitoring was carried out for the evaluation of possible renewed volcanic activities. At Lake Quilotoa, a limnic eruption and diffuse CO₂ degassing at the lake surface are to be expected, while at Lake Cuicocha, an increased risk of a phreatic-magmatic eruption exists.

Himawari-8 infrared observations of the June-August 2015 Mt Raung eruption, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Takayuki; Takasaki, Kenji; Maeno, Fukashi; Wooster, Martin J.; Yasuda, Atsushi

2018-05-01

Volcanic activity involves processes that can change over short periods of time, which are sometimes closely related to the eruptive mode or the timing of its transitions. Eruptions bring high-temperature magma or gas to the surface; thermal observations of these eruptions can be used to determine the timeline of eruptive sequences or eruptive processes. In 2014, a new-generation meteorological satellite, Himawari-8, which carried a new sensor, the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), was launched. The AHI makes high-frequency infrared observations at a spatial resolution of 2 km during 10-min observation cycles. We analyzed an effusive eruption that occurred in 2015 at Mt Raung in Indonesia using these AHI images, which was the first attempt applying them to volcanological study. Based on the detailed analysis of the time-series variations in its thermal anomalies, this eruptive sequence was segmented into a Precursory Stage, Pulse 1, Pulse 2 and a Terminal Stage. Pulses 1 and 2 are effusive stages that exhibited a consecutive two-pulse pattern in their variations, reflecting changes in the lava effusion rate; the other stages are non-effusive. We were also able to determine the exact times of the onset and reactivation of lava flow effusion, as well as the precursory signals that preceded these events.

Magma fluxes and recurreance rate of eruptions at Nevado de Toluca volcano (Mexico)

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Gregor; Probst, Line; Arce, José L.; Caricchi, Luca

2017-04-01

Forecasting the frequency and size of volcanic eruptions is a long-term goal for hazard mitigation. The frequency at which a given crustal magmatic system is driven towards a critical state and the magnitude of the resulting volcanic events are linked to the supply rate of fresh magma, crustal properties, and tectonic setting. Our ability to forecast the recurrence rate of eruptions is hampered by the lack of data on key variables such as the average magma flux locally and globally. The aim of this project is to identify the average magma supply rate and injection frequency for eruptions of different magnitude and eruptive style. We centred our study at Nevado de Toluca in Mexico, a subduction-related volcano with an eruptive history spanning about 1.5 million years of comparatively well documented effusive and explosive eruptions dominantly of dacitic composition. We carry out in-situ high precision zircon geochronology for a sequence of eruptions of different magnitude to obtain a distribution of crystal ages from which average crustal magma fluxes can be calculated. Eruptive fluxes will be constrained by extracting lava flow volumes from a digital elevation model. A combination of whole rock and mineral chemistry will provide quantitative insights on petrogenetic processes and on the frequency at which intensive parameters changed within the magma reservoir before the eruptions. Our results will be integrated in a global database including other volcanic systems and literature data to attempt to identify similarities and differences between magmatic reservoirs feeding volcanic eruptions of different magnitude. The final target of this project is to identify the physical factors controlling the recurrence rate of volcanic eruptions at regional and global scale.

Petrological cycles and caldera-forming events

Science.gov (United States)

Bachmann, O.; Deering, C. D.

2012-12-01

Many caldera-forming events can be framed within broad petrological cycles; volcanic stratigraphy typically defines a trend from mafic to more silicic magmas with time, culminating in the catastrophic evacuation of an upper crustal reservoir filled with the silicic magma, followed by a return to the eruption of more mafic magmas shortly after caldera collapse. Understanding how such cycles develop has clear implications for characterizing the current state of an active system. Here, we focus on a detailed examination of the well-exposed Quaternary Kos-Nisyros eruptive sequence (eastern Aegean arc) to frame a potential model for such cycles. On the basis of zircon U/Th/Pb ages, building the upper crustal magma chamber large enough to induce caldera collapse required at least a few hundred thousand years. This timeframe is necessary not only for the accumulation of large amounts of viscous, gas-rich silicic magma, but also to heat the upper crust sufficiently to allow the developing reservoir to be maintained above the solidus. In the Kos-Nisyros volcanic center, small eruptions precede the caldera-forming event and mark this period of thermal maturation as the system transitions from intermediate to silicic magma, reaching the most-evolved state only shortly prior to the caldera-forming event, the Kos Plateau Tuff (> 60 km3 of volatile-rich, high-silica rhyolite). The Kos Plateau Tuff was then followed by small-volume eruptions of more mafic magma (basaltic andesite, andesite, and dacites) that are characterized by a drier mineral assemblage. With time, the system transitioned back to cold, wet, high-SiO2 rhyolite. We suggest that the changes in magma composition and mineralogy following the caldera-forming event are due to a near-complete crystallization of the non-erupted mush in the upper crustal reservoir as it is abruptly decompressed during eruption. This rapid crystallization (1) leads to the formation of a porphyritic texture in the crystalline residual - a

The influence of eruption season on the global aerosol evolution and radiative impact of tropical volcanic eruptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Toohey

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Simulations of tropical volcanic eruptions using a general circulation model with coupled aerosol microphysics are used to assess the influence of season of eruption on the aerosol evolution and radiative impacts at the Earth's surface. This analysis is presented for eruptions with SO₂ injection magnitudes of 17 and 700 Tg, the former consistent with estimates of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, the later a near-"super eruption". For each eruption magnitude, simulations are performed with eruptions at 15° N, at four equally spaced times of year. Sensitivity to eruption season of aerosol optical depth (AOD, clear-sky and all-sky shortwave (SW radiative flux is quantified by first integrating each field for four years after the eruption, then calculating for each cumulative field the absolute or percent difference between the maximum and minimum response from the four eruption seasons. Eruption season has a significant influence on AOD and clear-sky SW radiative flux anomalies for both eruption magnitudes. The sensitivity to eruption season for both fields is generally weak in the tropics, but increases in the mid- and high latitudes, reaching maximum values of ~75 %. Global mean AOD and clear-sky SW anomalies show sensitivity to eruption season on the order of 15–20 %, which results from differences in aerosol effective radius for the different eruption seasons. Smallest aerosol size and largest cumulative impact result from a January eruption for Pinatubo-magnitude eruption, and from a July eruption for the near-super eruption. In contrast to AOD and clear-sky SW anomalies, all-sky SW anomalies are found to be insensitive to season of eruption for the Pinatubo-magnitude eruption experiment, due to the reflection of solar radiation by clouds in the mid- to high latitudes. However, differences in all-sky SW anomalies between eruptions in different seasons are significant for the larger eruption magnitude, and the ~15 % sensitivity to

Unambiguous Evidence of Coronal Implosions during Solar Eruptions and Flares

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Juntao; Simões, P. J. A.; Fletcher, L.

2018-05-01

In the implosion conjecture, coronal loops contract as the result of magnetic energy release in solar eruptions and flares. However, after almost two decades, observations of this phenomenon are still rare and most previous reports are plagued by projection effects so that loop contraction could be either true implosion or just a change in loop inclination. In this paper, to demonstrate the reality of loop contractions in the global coronal dynamics, we present four events with the continuously contracting loops in an almost edge-on geometry from the perspective of SDO/AIA, which are free from the ambiguity caused by the projection effects, also supplemented by contemporary observations from STEREO for examination. In the wider context of observations, simulations and theories, we argue that the implosion conjecture is valid in interpreting these events. Furthermore, distinct properties of the events allow us to identify two physical categories of implosion. One type demonstrates a rapid contraction at the beginning of the flare impulsive phase, as magnetic free energy is removed rapidly by a filament eruption. The other type, which has no visible eruption, shows a continuous loop shrinkage during the entire flare impulsive phase, which we suggest shows the ongoing conversion of magnetic free energy in a coronal volume. Corresponding scenarios are described that can provide reasonable explanations for the observations. We also point out that implosions may be suppressed in cases when a heavily mass-loaded filament is involved, possibly serving as an alternative account for their observational rarity.

MINIFILAMENT ERUPTIONS THAT DRIVE CORONAL JETS IN A SOLAR ACTIVE REGION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Falconer, David A.; Panesar, Navdeep K.; Akiyama, Sachiko; Yashiro, Seiji; Gopalswamy, Nat

2016-01-01

We present observations of eruptive events in an active region adjacent to an on-disk coronal hole on 2012 June 30, primarily using data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO )/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), SDO /Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), and STEREO - B . One eruption is of a large-scale (∼100″) filament that is typical of other eruptions, showing slow-rise onset followed by a faster-rise motion starting as flare emissions begin. It also shows an “EUV crinkle” emission pattern, resulting from magnetic reconnections between the exploding filament-carrying field and surrounding field. Many EUV jets, some of which are surges, sprays and/or X-ray jets, also occur in localized areas of the active region. We examine in detail two relatively energetic ones, accompanied by GOES M1 and C1 flares, and a weaker one without a GOES signature. All three jets resulted from small-scale (∼20″) filament eruptions consistent with a slow rise followed by a fast rise occurring with flare-like jet-bright-point brightenings. The two more-energetic jets showed crinkle patters, but the third jet did not, perhaps due to its weakness. Thus all three jets were consistent with formation via erupting minifilaments, analogous to large-scale filament eruptions and to X-ray jets in polar coronal holes. Several other energetic jets occurred in a nearby portion of the active region; while their behavior was also consistent with their source being minifilament eruptions, we could not confirm this because their onsets were hidden from our view. Magnetic flux cancelation and emergence are candidates for having triggered the minifilament eruptions.

Evaluation of the Minifilament-Eruption Scenario for Solar Coronal Jets in Polar Coronal Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Baikie, Tomi K.; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Falconer, David; Moore, Ronald L.; Savage, Sabrina L.

2016-01-01

Solar coronal jets are suspected to result from magnetic reconnection low in the Sun's atmosphere. Sterling et al. (2015) looked as 20 jets in polar coronal holes, using X-ray images from the Hinode/X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and EUV images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). They suggested that each jet was driven by the eruption of twisted closed magnetic field carrying a small-scale filament, which they call a 'minifilament', and that the jet was produced by reconnection of the erupting field with surrounding open field. In this study, we carry out a more extensive examination of polar coronal jets. From 180 hours of XRT polar coronal hole observations spread over two years (2014-2016), we identified 130 clearly-identifiable X-ray jet events and thus determined an event rate of over 17 jets per day per in the Hinode/XRT field of view. From the broader set, we selected 25 of the largest and brightest events for further study in AIA 171, 193, 211, and 304 Angstrom images. We find that at least the majority of the jets follow the minifilament-eruption scenario, although for some cases the evolution of the minifilament in the onset of its eruption is more complex than presented in the simplified schematic of Sterling et al. (2015). For all cases in which we could make a clear determination, the spire of the X-ray jet drifted laterally away from the jet-base-edge bright point; this spire drift away from the bright point is consistent with expectations of the minifilament-eruption scenario for coronal-jet production. This work was supported with funding from the NASA/MSFC Hinode Project Office, and from the NASA HGI program.

Heating of an Erupting Prominence Associated with a Solar Coronal Mass Ejection on 2012 January 27

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jin-Yi; Moon, Yong-Jae; Kim, Kap-Sung [Department of Astronomy and Space Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17104 (Korea, Republic of); Raymond, John C.; Reeves, Katharine K. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2017-07-20

We investigate the heating of an erupting prominence and loops associated with a coronal mass ejection and X-class flare. The prominence is seen as absorption in EUV at the beginning of its eruption. Later, the prominence changes to emission, which indicates heating of the erupting plasma. We find the densities of the erupting prominence using the absorption properties of hydrogen and helium in different passbands. We estimate the temperatures and densities of the erupting prominence and loops seen as emission features using the differential emission measure method, which uses both EUV and X-ray observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the X-ray Telescope on board Hinode . We consider synthetic spectra using both photospheric and coronal abundances in these calculations. We verify the methods for the estimation of temperatures and densities for the erupting plasmas. Then, we estimate the thermal, kinetic, radiative loss, thermal conduction, and heating energies of the erupting prominence and loops. We find that the heating of the erupting prominence and loop occurs strongly at early times in the eruption. This event shows a writhing motion of the erupting prominence, which may indicate a hot flux rope heated by thermal energy release during magnetic reconnection.

Multispacecraft observations of a prominence eruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Bemporad

2009-10-01

Full Text Available On 9 May 2007 a prominence eruption occurred at the West limb. Remarkably, the event was observed by the STEREO/EUVI telescopes and by the HINODE/EIS and SOHO/UVCS spectrometers. We present results from all these instruments. High-cadence (~37 s data from STEREO/EUVI A and B in the He II λ304 line were used to study the 3-D shape and expansion of the prominence. The high spatial resolution EUVI images (~1.5"/pixel have been used to infer via triangulation the 3-D shape and orientation of the prominence 12 min after the eruption onset. At this time the prominence has mainly the shape of a "hook" highly inclined southward, has an average thickness of 0.068 R⊙, a length of 0.43 R⊙ and lies, in first approximation, on a plane. Hence, the prominence is mainly a 2-D structure and there is no evidence for a twisted flux rope configuration. HINODE/EIS was scanning with the 2" slit the region where the filament erupted. The EIS spectra show during the eruption remarkable non-thermal broadening (up to ~100 km s−1 in the region crossed by the filament in spectral lines emitted at different temperatures, possibly with differences among lines from higher Fe ionization stages. The CME was also observed by the SOHO/UVCS instrument: the spectrograph slit was centered at 1.7 R⊙, at a latitude of 5° SW and recorded a sudden increase in the O VI λλ1032–1037 and Si XII λ520 spectral line intensities, representative of the CME front transit.

Eruptive mechanism at Volcán de Colima: Interpreting transitions between styles

Science.gov (United States)

Varley, N.; James, M. R.; Hutchison, W.; Arámbula, R.; Reyes, G.

2013-05-01

In January 2013 eruptions resumed at Volcán de Colima, the previous activity having ceased in June 2011. This period represented the quietest the volcano has been since before the previous episode commenced in 1998. The new eruptive episode is showing differences compared to the 1998-2011 period, which are presenting a challenge to interpret. Lower gases fluxes coupled with lower fumaroles temperatures are consistent with the decreasing trend of volatile-contents but the two larger Vulcanian eruptions in January produced pyroclastic density currents with a greater degree of fragmentation than previous events. A dome has been growing within the newly formed crater within the previous dome. The 1998-2011 eruption included five periods of effusive activity, with little variation in composition. Domes grew with effusion rates covering more than 2 orders of magnitude. Both explosive and effusive activity was centred at multiple locations within the summit crater. The SO2 flux showed a general declining trend throughout this period and 2005 included the largest pyroclastic flows witnessed since the last Plinian eruption in 1913. Swarms of small amplitude long period events were detected prior to each larger eruption, these have been again witnessed in 2013. The characteristics of the swarms is being compared, the generation of events being related to brittle fracturing along the conduit margin. The episode terminated in June 2011 with an explosion which removed the upper portion of the most recent and extended period of dome growth, which was at a very slow rate from January 2007. Automated 3D computer vision reconstruction techniques (structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo, SfM-MVS) have permitted the estimation of dome volumes from 1 m resolution digital elevation models. A small decrease in volume (0.4×105 m3) was detected prior to the explosion, which was related to the formation of steps in the dome surface, related to localized zones of weakness. For the

Satellite Observations of Volcanic Clouds from the Eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, K. G.; Ekstrand, A. L.; Webley, P.; Dehn, J.

2009-12-01

Redoubt Volcano began erupting on 23 March 2009 (UTC) and consisted of 19 events over a 14 day period. The volcano is located on the Alaska Peninsula, 175 km southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The previous eruption was in 1989/1990 and seriously disrupted air traffic in the region, including the near catastrophic engine failure of a passenger airliner. Plumes and ash clouds from the recent eruption were observed on a variety of satellite data (AVHRR, MODIS and GOES). The eruption produced volcanic clouds up to 19 km which are some of the highest detected in recent times in the North Pacific region. The ash clouds primarily drifted north and east of the volcano, had a weak ash signal in the split window data and resulted in light ash falls in the Cook Inlet basin and northward into Alaska’s Interior. Volcanic cloud heights were measured using ground-based radar, and plume temperature and wind shear methods but each of the techniques resulted in significant variations in the estimates. Even though radar showed the greatest heights, satellite data and wind shears suggest that the largest concentrations of ash may be at lower altitudes in some cases. Sulfur dioxide clouds were also observed on satellite data (OMI, AIRS and Calipso) and they primarily drifted to the east and were detected at several locations across North America, thousands of kilometers from the volcano. Here, we show time series data collected by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, illustrating the different eruptive events and ash clouds that developed over the subsequent days.

Modeling of H alpha Eruptive Events Observed at the Solar Limb

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kotrč, Pavel; Bárta, Miroslav; Schwartz, Pavol; Kupryakov, Yu. A.; Kashapova, L. K.; Karlický, Marian

2013-01-01

Roč. 284, č. 2 (2013), s. 447-466 ISSN 0038-0938 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/09/1705; GA ČR(CZ) GA205/09/1469; GA ČR GAP209/10/1706; GA ČR GAP209/10/1680; GA ČR GAP209/12/1652; GA ČR GAP209/12/0103 Grant - others:EU(XE) PCIG-GA-2011-304265; EU(XE) People-2011-IRES 295272 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : flares * eruptions * spectrum Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 3.805, year: 2013

The 1845 Hekla eruption: Grain-size characteristics of a tephra layer

Science.gov (United States)

Gudnason, Jonas; Thordarson, Thor; Houghton, Bruce F.; Larsen, Gudrun

2018-01-01

The 1845 eruption is commonly viewed as a typical Hekla eruption. It is a key event in the eruptive history of the volcano, as it is one of the best documented Hekla eruptions, in terms of contemporary accounts and observations. The eruption started on 2 September 1845 with an intense, hour long explosive Plinian phase that passed into effusive activity, ending on the 16 March 1846. The amount of tephra produced in the opening phase was 0.13 km3/7.5 × 1010 kg. The total grain-size distribution of the deposit is bimodal with a dominant coarse mode at - 2.5 φ (5.6 mm) and a broad finer mode at 3 to 4.5 φ (0.125 to 0.045 mm). At individual sites, the grain-size distribution of the tephra from the Plinian opening phase is also commonly (not always) bimodal. Deconvolved grain-size distributions exhibit distinctly different sedimentation patterns of the coarse and fine subpopulations. The lapilli-dominated subpopulation fines rapidly with transport, while the ash-dominated subpopulation shows less changes with distance, indicating premature sedimentation of fines by aggregation from the 1845 volcanic plume. Tephra deposition was to the ESE of the volcano from a 19 km (a.s.l.) high eruption plume. The plume front travelled at speeds of 16-19 m s- 1. Reports of ash deposition onto ships near the Faroe and Shetland Islands, 700 to 1100 km away from Hekla, demonstrate that even moderate-sized Hekla eruptions can affect very large parts of European air-space.

Merapi 2010 eruption—Chronology and extrusion rates monitored with satellite radar and used in eruption forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Pallister, John S.; Schneider, David; Griswold, Julia P.; Keeler, Ronald H.; Burton, William C.; Noyles, Christopher; Newhall, Christopher G.; Ratdomopurbo, Antonius

2013-01-01

Despite dense cloud cover, satellite-borne commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enabled frequent monitoring of Merapi volcano's 2010 eruption. Near-real-time interpretation of images derived from the amplitude of the SAR signals and timely delivery of these interpretations to those responsible for warnings, allowed satellite remote sensing for the first time to play an equal role with in situ seismic, geodetic and gas monitoring in guiding life-saving decisions during a major volcanic crisis. Our remotely sensed data provide an observational chronology for the main phase of the 2010 eruption, which lasted 12 days (26 October–7 November, 2010). Unlike the prolonged low-rate and relatively low explosivity dome-forming and collapse eruptions of recent decades at Merapi, the eruption began with an explosive eruption that produced a new summit crater on 26 October and was accompanied by an ash column and pyroclastic flows that extended 8 km down the flanks. This initial explosive event was followed by smaller explosive eruptions on 29 October–1 November, then by a period of rapid dome growth on 1–4 November, which produced a summit lava dome with a volume of ~ 5 × 106 m3. A paroxysmal VEI 4 magmatic eruption (with ash column to 17 km altitude) destroyed this dome, greatly enlarged the new summit crater and produced extensive pyroclastic flows (to ~ 16 km radial distance in the Gendol drainage) and surges during the night of 4–5 November. The paroxysmal eruption was followed by a period of jetting of gas and tephra and by a second short period (12 h) of rapid dome growth on 6 November. The eruption ended with low-level ash and steam emissions that buried the 6 November dome with tephra and continued at low levels until seismicity decreased to background levels by about 23 November. Our near-real-time commercial SAR documented the explosive events on 26 October and 4–5 November and high rates of dome growth (> 25 m3 s− 1). An event tree

Uranium migration in a podzol. The role of colloids in the non-saturated zone and the phreatic water: application to the Landes de Gascogne area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crancon, P.

2001-01-01

The non-saturated zone of a soil represents the interface between the atmosphere and the phreatic water. The confinement efficiency of the non-saturated zone above the phreatic water depends on the fastness of water transfers and on the type of pollutant transport mechanisms. Uranium (VI) can combine with humid acids to form very stable complexes. The aggregates of the absorbing complex are highly sensible to the variations of the ionic force of the environment. This sensitiveness can be at the origin of a strong remobilization of the colloid humic compounds of the soil, and of their migration towards the underground water. In this situation, the uranium complexed by humic compounds can rapidly migrate in the soil. The comparative reactive transport of the total uranium and its isotopes has been studied in a site, the Landes de Gascogne podzol (SW France), where metallic uranium has been sprinkled on the surface of the soil. The field study has been completed with an experimental column transport study using uranium isotopes tracer techniques. The field study shows that most of uranium is trapped in the very first cm of the soil. However, anomalous high uranium concentrations are observed in underground waters, more than 2 km away from the contaminated areas. This demonstrates that a fast and long distance transport process exists for uranium in the unsaturated zone. In the sandy soil of the study area, natural argillo-humic colloids migrate with the velocity of water but can be delayed when the ionic force of the underground waters increases. It is shown that uranium is strongly linked with the thin grain size fraction ( 233 U allows to discriminate between the uranium transported through the sand in a non-reactive way, and the uranium desorbed from the argillo-humic aggregates and the sand grain coatings. A fast reduction of the ionic force of the environment during the tests shows an important remobilization of uranium from the soil. When the complex relations

LAD Dissertation Prize: Laboratory Identification of Magnetohydrodynamic Eruption Criteria in the Solar Corona

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Clayton E.; Yamada, Masaaki; Ji, Hantao

2018-06-01

Ideal magnetohydrodynamic instabilities such as the kink and torus instabilities are believed to play an important role in driving storage-and-release eruptions in the solar corona. These instabilities act on long-lived, arched magnetic flux ropes that are line-tied to the solar surface. In spite of numerous observational and computational studies, the conditions under which these instabilities produce an eruption remain a subject of intense debate. In this paper, we use a line-tied, arched flux rope experiment to systematically study storage-and-release eruption mechanisms in the laboratory [1]. Thin in situ magnetic probes facilitate the study of both the equilibrium and the stability of these laboratory flux ropes. In particular, they permit the direct measurement of magnetic (J×B) forces, both in equilibrium [2] and during dynamic events [3, 4]. Regarding stability and eruptions, two major results are reported: First, a new stability regime is identified where torus-unstable flux ropes fail to erupt. In this ‘failed torus’ regime, the flux rope is torus-unstable but kink-stable. Under these conditions, a dynamic toroidal field tension force surges in magnitude and prevents the flux rope from erupting [3, 4]. This dynamic tension force, which is missing from existing eruption models, is generated by magnetic self-organization events within the line-tied flux rope. Second, a clear torus instability threshold is observed in the kink-unstable regime. This latter result, which is consistent with existing theoretical [5] and numerical [6] results, verifies the key role of the torus instability in driving flux rope eruptions in the solar corona.[1] C. E. Myers, Ph.D. Thesis, Princeton University (2015)[2] C. E. Myers et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 112102 (2016)[3] C. E. Myers et al., Nature 528, 526 (2015)[4] C. E. Myers et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59, 014048 (2017)[5] O. Olmedo & J. Zhang, Astrophys. J. 718, 433 (2010)[6] T. Török & B. Kliem, Astrophys. J

A submarine volcanic eruption leads to a novel microbial habitat.

Science.gov (United States)

Danovaro, Roberto; Canals, Miquel; Tangherlini, Michael; Dell'Anno, Antonio; Gambi, Cristina; Lastras, Galderic; Amblas, David; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; Frigola, Jaime; Calafat, Antoni M; Pedrosa-Pàmies, Rut; Rivera, Jesus; Rayo, Xavier; Corinaldesi, Cinzia

2017-04-24

Submarine volcanic eruptions are major catastrophic events that allow investigation of the colonization mechanisms of newly formed seabed. We explored the seafloor after the eruption of the Tagoro submarine volcano off El Hierro Island, Canary Archipelago. Near the summit of the volcanic cone, at about 130 m depth, we found massive mats of long, white filaments that we named Venus's hair. Microscopic and molecular analyses revealed that these filaments are made of bacterial trichomes enveloped within a sheath and colonized by epibiotic bacteria. Metagenomic analyses of the filaments identified a new genus and species of the order Thiotrichales, Thiolava veneris. Venus's hair shows an unprecedented array of metabolic pathways, spanning from the exploitation of organic and inorganic carbon released by volcanic degassing to the uptake of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. This unique metabolic plasticity provides key competitive advantages for the colonization of the new habitat created by the submarine eruption. A specialized and highly diverse food web thrives on the complex three-dimensional habitat formed by these microorganisms, providing evidence that Venus's hair can drive the restart of biological systems after submarine volcanic eruptions.

Experimental Constraints on Forecasting the Location of Volcanic Eruptions from Pre-eruptive Surface Deformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Guldstrand

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Volcanic eruptions pose a threat to lives and property when volcano flanks and surroundings are densely populated. The local impact of an eruption depends firstly on its location, whether it occurs near a volcano summit, or down on the flanks. Then forecasting, with a defined accuracy, the location of a potential, imminent eruption would significantly improve the assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards. Currently, the conventional volcano monitoring methods based on the analysis of surface deformation assesses whether a volcano may erupt but are not implemented to locate imminent eruptions in real time. Here we show how surface deformation induced by ascending eruptive feeders can be used to forecast the eruption location through a simple geometrical analysis. Our analysis builds on the results of 33 scaled laboratory experiments simulating the emplacement of viscous magma intrusions in a brittle, cohesive Coulomb crust under lithostatic stress conditions. The intrusion-induced surface deformation was systematically monitored at high spatial and temporal resolution. In all the experiments, surface deformation preceding the eruptions resulted in systematic uplift, regardless of the intrusion shape. The analysis of the surface deformation patterns leads to the definition of a vector between the center of the uplifted area and the point of maximum uplift, which systematically acted as a precursor to the eruption's location. The temporal evolution of this vector indicated the direction in which the subsequent eruption would occur and ultimately the location itself, irrespective of the feeder shapes. Our findings represent a new approach on how surface deformation on active volcanoes that are not in active rifts could be analysed and used prior to an eruption with a real potential to improve hazard mitigation.

SYMPATHETIC SOLAR FILAMENT ERUPTIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Rui; Liu, Ying D.; Zimovets, Ivan; Hu, Huidong; Yang, Zhongwei [State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Dai, Xinghua, E-mail: liuxying@spaceweather.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2016-08-10

The 2015 March 15 coronal mass ejection as one of the two that together drove the largest geomagnetic storm of solar cycle 24 so far was associated with sympathetic filament eruptions. We investigate the relations between the different filaments involved in the eruption. A surge-like small-scale filament motion is confirmed as the trigger that initiated the erupting filament with multi-wavelength observations and using a forced magnetic field extrapolation method. When the erupting filament moved to an open magnetic field region, it experienced an obvious acceleration process and was accompanied by a C-class flare and the rise of another larger filament that eventually failed to erupt. We measure the decay index of the background magnetic field, which presents a critical height of 118 Mm. Combining with a potential field source surface extrapolation method, we analyze the distributions of the large-scale magnetic field, which indicates that the open magnetic field region may provide a favorable condition for F2 rapid acceleration and have some relation with the largest solar storm. The comparison between the successful and failed filament eruptions suggests that the confining magnetic field plays an important role in the preconditions for an eruption.

Degassing vs. eruptive styles at Mt. Etna volcano (Sicily, Italy): Volatile stocking, gas fluxing, and the shift from low-energy to highly-explosive basaltic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Moretti, Roberto; Métrich, Nicole; Di Renzo, Valeria; Aiuppa, Alessandro; Allard, Patrick; Arienzo, Ilenia

2017-04-01

Basaltic magmas can transport and release large amounts of volatiles into the atmosphere, especially in subduction zones, where slab-derived fluids enrich the mantle wedge. Depending on magma volatile content, basaltic volcanoes thus display a wide spectrum of eruptive styles, from common Strombolian-type activity to Plinian events. Mt. Etna in Sicily, is a typical basaltic volcano where the volatile control on such a variable activity can be investigated. Based on a melt inclusion study in products from Strombolian or lava-fountain activity to Plinian eruptions, here we show that for the same initial volatile content, different eruptive styles reflect variable degassing paths throughout the composite Etnean plumbing system. The combined influence of i) crystallization, ii) deep degassing and iii) CO2 gas fluxing can explain the evolution of H2O, CO2, S and Cl in products from such a spectrum of activity. Deep crystallization produces the CO2-rich gas fluxing the upward magma portions, which will become buoyant and easily mobilized in small gas-rich batches stored within the plumbing system. When reaching gas dominated conditions (i.e., a gas/melt mass ratio of 0.3 and CO2,gas/H2Ogas molar ratio 5 ), these will erupt effusively or mildly explosively, whilst in case of the 122 BC Plinian eruption, open-system degassing conditions took place within the plumbing system, such that continuous CO2-fluxing determined gas accumulation on top of the magmatic system. The emission of such a cap in the early eruptive phase triggered the arrival of deep H2O-rich whose fast decompression and bubble nucleation lead to the highly explosive character, enhanced by abundant microlite crystallization and consequent increase of magma effective viscosity. This could explain why open system basaltic systems like Etna may experience highly explosive or even Plinian episodes during eruptions that start with effusive to mildly explosive phases. The proposed mechanism also determines a

Magma viscosity estimation based on analysis of erupted products. Potential assessment for large-scale pyroclastic eruptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Shingo

2010-01-01

After the formulation of guidelines for volcanic hazards in site evaluation for nuclear installations (e.g. JEAG4625-2009), it is required to establish appropriate methods to assess potential of large-scale pyroclastic eruptions at long-dormant volcanoes, which is one of the most hazardous volcanic phenomena on the safety of the installations. In considering the volcanic dormancy, magma eruptability is an important concept. The magma eruptability is dominantly controlled by magma viscosity, which can be estimated from petrological analysis of erupted materials. Therefore, viscosity estimation of magmas erupted in past eruptions should provide important information to assess future activities at hazardous volcanoes. In order to show the importance of magma viscosity in the concept of magma eruptability, this report overviews dike propagation processes from a magma chamber and nature of magma viscosity. Magma viscosity at pre-eruptive conditions of magma chambers were compiled based on previous petrological studies on past eruptions in Japan. There are only 16 examples of eruptions at 9 volcanoes satisfying data requirement for magma viscosity estimation. Estimated magma viscosities range from 10 2 to 10 7 Pa·s for basaltic to rhyolitic magmas. Most of examples fall below dike propagation limit of magma viscosity (ca. 10 6 Pa·s) estimated based on a dike propagation model. Highly viscous magmas (ca. 10 7 Pa·s) than the dike propagation limit are considered to lose eruptability which is the ability to form dikes and initiate eruptions. However, in some cases, small precursory eruptions of less viscous magmas commonly occurred just before climactic eruptions of the highly viscous magmas, suggesting that the precursory dike propagation by the less viscous magmas induced the following eruptions of highly viscous magmas (ca. 10 7 Pa·s). (author)

RECOVERY FROM GIANT ERUPTIONS IN VERY MASSIVE STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashi, Amit; Davidson, Kris; Humphreys, Roberta M.

2016-01-01

We use a hydro-and-radiative-transfer code to explore the behavior of a very massive star (VMS) after a giant eruption—i.e., following a supernova impostor event. Beginning with reasonable models for evolved VMSs with masses of 80 M ⊙ and 120 M ⊙ , we simulate the change of state caused by a giant eruption via two methods that explicitly conserve total energy. (1) Synthetically removing outer layers of mass of a few M ⊙ while reducing the energy of the inner layers. (2) Synthetically transferring energy from the core to the outer layers, an operation that automatically causes mass ejection. Our focus is on the aftermath, not the poorly understood eruption itself. Then, using a radiation-hydrodynamic code in 1D with realistic opacities and convection, the interior disequilibrium state is followed for about 200 years. Typically the star develops a ∼400 km s −1 wind with a mass loss rate that begins around 0.1 M ⊙  yr −1 and gradually decreases. This outflow is driven by κ-mechanism radial pulsations. The 1D models have regular pulsations but 3D models will probably be more chaotic. In some cases a plateau in the mass-loss rate may persist about 200 years, while other cases are more like η Car which lost >10 M ⊙ and then had an abnormal mass loss rate for more than a century after its eruption. In our model, the post-eruption outflow carried more mass than the initial eruption. These simulations constitute a useful preliminary reconnaissance for 3D models which will be far more difficult

Somma-Vesuvius Plinian Eruptions fed by mafic magma: insights from bubbles in melt inclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Esposito, R.; Redi, D.; Cannatelli, C.; Danyushevsky, L. V.; Lima, A.; Bodnar, R. J.; De Vivo, B.

2014-12-01

Mt. Somma-Vesuvius Plinian eruptions were first described by Pliny the younger in 79 AD during the infamous eruption that destroyed Pompeii. Today, such eruptions are still a concern to the nearly 3 million people living in the Naples metropolitan area. Understanding the source for Mt. Somma-Vesuvius magma and the coexisting volatile phase is vital to better constrain the long-term eruptive behavior of this volcano. In the present study, ~ 50 olivine phenocrysts were selected from lavas and pumices produced during mild effusive events referred to as inter-Plinian eruptions, and from highly explosive Plinian eruptions that occurred at Mt. Somma-Vesuvius between 33000 ka and 1631 AD. Selected olivine phenocrysts containing MI were examined petrographically and analyzed for Fo content. Fo varies from 69 to 73 mole% for inter-Plinian olivine crystals and from 84 to 90 mole% with one zoned olivine containing 76-81 mole% Fo, for Plinian olivine crystals. Investigated MI vary from slightly crystallized to highly crystallized. Selected crystallized MI were reheated using the Vernadsky stage, and quenched to a homogeneous glass (Group 1) or glass plus a vapor bubble (Group 2). On one hand, MI of Group 1 are hosted in olivine ranging from Fo72 to Fo76 and were all erupted from the Pompeii eruption (white pumice deposit). On the other hand, MI of Group 2 are trapped in olivine ranging from Fo69 to Fo81 and from Fo84 to Fo90, and the hosts are representative of both Plinian and inter-Plinian events. The only eruption where Group-1 and Group-2 MI coexist is the Pompeii eruption. Group 2 MIs were further analyzed by Raman to test for the presence of volatiles (CO2 or H2O) in the vapor bubbles. CO2 was detected in all MI analyzed. CO2 density was determined using the distance between the two Fermi-diad peaks, and ranges between 0.14 and 0.55 g/cm3. Six MI also showed evidence for H2O in the vapor bubble. In addition, carbonates were detected at the glass-vapor interface of five

Holocene volcanic geology, volcanic hazard, and risk on Taveuni, Fiji

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronin, S.J.; Neall, V.E.

2001-01-01

The Holocene volcanic geology of Taveuni has been mapped in order to produce a volcanic hazard and risk assessment for the island. Taveuni is the third-largest island of the Fiji group and home to 14,500 people. At least cubic km 2.7 of olivine-alkali-basalt magma was erupted from over 100 events throughout the Holocene. Vents are concentrated along a northeast-striking rift zone that is parallel to other regional structural trends. There is an overall trend of younging southward along the rift. Holocene lavas and tephras are grouped within six newly defined eruptive periods, established on a basis of radiocarbon dating. Within these periods, 14 tephra layers, useful as local marker horizons, are recognised. At least 58% of Holocene eruptions produced lava flows, while almost all produced some tephra. Individual eruption event volumes ranged between 0.001 and cubic km 0.20 (dense rock equivalent). Many eruptions involved at least some phases of phreatic and/or phreato-magmatic activity, although dominant hydrovolcanic activity was limited to only a few events. A volcanic hazard map is presented, based on the Holocene geology map and statistical analyses of eruption recurrence. The highest levels of ground-based and near-vent hazards are concentrated along the southern portion of the island's rift axis, with the paths of initial lava flows predicted from present topography. Tephra fall hazards are based on eruption parameters interpreted from mapped Holocene tephra layers. Hawaiian explosive-style eruptions appear to be a dominant eruptive process, with prevailing low-level (<3 km) southeasterly winds dispersing most tephra to the northwestern quadrant. Vulnerable elements (population centres, infrastructure, and economy) on Taveuni have been considered in deriving a volcanic risk assessment for the island. A number of infrastructural and subdivision developments are either under way or planned for the island, driven by its highly fertile soils and availability of

Experimental constraints on forecasting the location of volcanic eruptions from pre-eruptive surface deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Guldstrand, Frank; Galland, Olivier; Hallot, Erwan; Burchardt, Steffi

2018-02-01

Volcanic eruptions pose a threat to lives and property when volcano flanks and surroundings are densely populated. The local impact of an eruption depends firstly on its location, whether it occurs near a volcano summit, or down on the flanks. Then forecasting, with a defined accuracy, the location of a potential, imminent eruption would significantly improve the assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards. Currently, the conventional volcano monitoring methods based on the analysis of surface deformation assesses whether a volcano may erupt but are not implemented to locate imminent eruptions in real time. Here we show how surface deformation induced by ascending eruptive feeders can be used to forecast the eruption location through a simple geometrical analysis. Our analysis builds on the results of 33 scaled laboratory experiments simulating magma intrusions in a brittle crust, during which the intrusion-induced surface deformation was systematically monitored at high spatial and temporal resolution. In all the experiments, surface deformation preceding the eruptions resulted in systematic uplift, regardless of the intrusion shape. The analysis of the surface deformation patterns leads to the definition of a vector between the centre of the uplifted zone and the point of maximum uplift, which systematically acted as a precursor to the eruption’s location. The temporal evolution of this vector indicated the direction in which the subsequent eruption would occur and ultimately the location itself, irrespective of the feeder shapes. Our findings represent a new approach on how surface deformation on active volcanoes could be analysed and used prior to an eruption with a real potential to improve hazard mitigation.

Towards real-time eruption forecasting in the Auckland Volcanic Field: application of BET_EF during the New Zealand National Disaster Exercise `Ruaumoko'

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, Jan; Marzocchi, Warner; Jolly, Gill; Constantinescu, Robert; Selva, Jacopo; Sandri, Laura

2010-03-01

The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) is a young basaltic field that lies beneath the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. Over the past 250,000 years the AVF has produced at least 49 basaltic centers; the last eruption was only 600 years ago. In recognition of the high risk associated with a possible future eruption in Auckland, the New Zealand government ran Exercise Ruaumoko in March 2008, a test of New Zealand’s nation-wide preparedness for responding to a major disaster resulting from a volcanic eruption in Auckland City. The exercise scenario was developed in secret, and covered the period of precursory activity up until the eruption. During Exercise Ruaumoko we adapted a recently developed statistical code for eruption forecasting, namely BET_EF (Bayesian Event Tree for Eruption Forecasting), to independently track the unrest evolution and to forecast the most likely onset time, location and style of the initial phase of the simulated eruption. The code was set up before the start of the exercise by entering reliable information on the past history of the AVF as well as the monitoring signals expected in the event of magmatic unrest and an impending eruption. The average probabilities calculated by BET_EF during Exercise Ruaumoko corresponded well to the probabilities subjectively (and independently) estimated by the advising scientists (differences of few percentage units), and provided a sound forecast of the timing (before the event, the eruption probability reached 90%) and location of the eruption. This application of BET_EF to a volcanic field that has experienced no historical activity and for which otherwise limited prior information is available shows its versatility and potential usefulness as a tool to aid decision-making for a wide range of volcano types. Our near real-time application of BET_EF during Exercise Ruaumoko highlighted its potential to clarify and possibly optimize decision-making procedures in a future AVF eruption

Eruption and degassing dynamics of the major August 2015 Piton de la Fournaise eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Di Muro, Andrea; Arellano, Santiago; Aiuppa, Alessandro; Bachelery, Patrick; Boudoire, Guillaume; Coppola, Diego; Ferrazzini, Valerie; Galle, Bo; Giudice, Gaetano; Gurioli, Lucia; Harris, Andy; Liuzzo, Marco; Metrich, Nicole; Moune, Severine; Peltier, Aline; Villeneuve, Nicolas; Vlastelic, Ivan

2016-04-01

Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) shield volcano is one of the most active basaltic volcanoes in the World with one eruption every nine months, on average. This frequent volcanic activity is broadly bimodal, with frequent small volume, short lived eruptions (de la Fournaise volcanological observatory (DOAS, MultiGaS, diffuse CO2 soil emissions). Regular lava and tephra sampling was also performed for geochemical and petrological analysis. The eruption was preceded by a significant increase in CO2 soil emissions at distal soil stations (ca. 15 km from the summit), with CO2 enrichment also being recorded at summit low temperature fumaroles. Eruptive products were spectacularly zoned, with plagioclase and pyroxene being abundant in the early erupted products and olivine being the main phase in the late-erupted lavas. Total gas emissions at the eruptive vent underwent a decrease during the first half of the eruption and then an increase, mirroring the time evolution of magma discharge rate (from 5-10 m3/s in September to 15-30 m3/s in late-October) and the progressive change in magma composition. In spite of significant evolution in magma and gas output, CO2/SO2 ratios in high temperature gases remained quite low (< 0.3) and with little temporal change. Geochemical data indicated that this relatively long-lived eruption corresponded to the progressive drainage of most of the shallow part of PdF plumbing system, triggered by a new pulse of deep magma. While erupted magma and high temperature gases were mostly provided by the shallow part of the system, distal sites and summit low temperature fumaroles recorded a deeper triggering mechanism.

Impact of volcanic eruptions on the marine carbon cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Segschneider, Joachim; Ulrike, Niemeier; Martin, Wiesner; Claudia, Timmreck

2010-05-01

The impact of volcanic eruptions on the marine carbon cycle is investigated for the example of the Pinatubo eruption with model simulations of the distribution of the ash cloud and deposition on the ocean surface and the impact of the nutrient addition from ash leachates on the oceanic biological production and hence biological carbon pump. Natural variations of aerosols, especially due to large-magnitude volcanic eruptions, are recognized as a significant climate forcing, altering the Earth's radiation balance and thus tending to cause global temperature changes. While the impact of such events on climate and the terrestrial biosphere is relatively well documented, scientific knowledge of their effects on marine ecosystems and consequent feedbacks to the atmosphere is still very limited. In the deep sea, subaerial eruptive events of global significance are commonly recorded as widespread ash layers, which were often found to be associated with increased abundances of planktic organisms. This has led to the hypothesis that the influx of volcanic ash may provide an external nutrient source for primary production (in particular through iron fertilization) in ocean surface waters. Recent laboratory experiments have demonstrated that pristine volcanic ash indeed releases significant amounts of macronutrients and bioactive trace metals (including phosphate, iron and silica) adsorbed to the surface of the ash particles. The release of these components most likely has its largest impact in ocean regions where their availability is crucial for the growth of oceanic biomass, which are the high-nutrient but low-productivity (low-iron) areas in the Pacific and the Southern Ocean. These in turn are neighbored by most of those subaerially active volcanoes that are capable of ejecting huge amounts of aerosols into the high-velocity stratospheric wind fields. The dispersal and fallout of ash thus has a high potential to induce globally significant, transient net CO2 removal from

Eruptive shearing of tube pumice: pure and simple

OpenAIRE

Dingwell, Donald B.; Lavallée, Yan; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Flaws, Asher; Marti, Joan; Nichols, Alexander R. L.; Gilg, H. Albert; Schillinger, Burkhard

2016-01-01

Understanding the physicochemical conditions extant and mechanisms operative during explosive volcanism is essential for reliable forecasting and mitigation of volcanic events. Rhyolitic pumices reflect highly vesiculated magma whose bubbles can serve as a strain indicator for inferring the state of stress operative immediately prior to eruptive fragmentation. Obtaining the full kinematic picture reflected in bubble population geometry has been extremely difficult, involving dissection of a s...

May 2011 eruption of Telica Volcano, Nicaragua: Multidisciplinary observations

Science.gov (United States)

Witter, M. R.; Geirsson, H.; La Femina, P. C.; Roman, D. C.; Rodgers, M.; Muñoz, A.; Morales, A.; Tenorio, V.; Chavarria, D.; Feineman, M. D.; Furman, T.; Longley, A.

2011-12-01

Telica volcano, an andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Nicaragua, erupted in May 2011. The eruption, produced ash but no lava and required the evacuation of over 500 people; no injuries were reported. We present the first detailed report of the eruption, using information from the TElica Seismic ANd Deformation (TESAND) network, that provides real-time data, along with visual observations, ash leachate analysis, and fumarole temperature measurements. Telica is located in the Maribios mountain range. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua and has frequent small explosions and rare large (VEI 4) eruptions, with the most recent sizable eruptions (VEI 2) occurring in 1946 and 1999. The 2011 eruption is the most explosive since 1999. The eruption consisted of a series of ash explosions, with the first observations from May 8, 2011 when local residents reported ash fall NE of the active crater. Popping sounds could be heard coming from the crater on May 10. On May 13, the activity intensified and continued with some explosions every day for about 2 weeks. The well-defined plumes originated from the northern part of the crater. Ash fall was reported 4 km north of the active crater on May 14. The largest explosion at 2:54 pm (local time) on May 21 threw rocks from the crater and generated a column 2 km in height. Fresh ash samples were collected on May 16, 18, and 21 and preliminary inspection shows that the majority of the material is fragmented rock and crystalline material, i.e. not juvenile. Ash leachates (ash:water = 1:25) contain a few ppb As, Se, and Cd; tens of ppb Co and Ni; and up to a few hundred ppb Cu and Zn. Telica typically has hundreds of small seismic events every day, even when the volcano is not erupting. The TESAND network detected an increase in the rate and magnitude of seismic activity, with a maximum magnitude of 3.3. Elevated fumarole temperatures at locations near the active vent were also observed throughout the May 2011

Properties of a Small-scale Short-duration Solar Eruption with a Driven Shock

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Beili; Feng, Li; Lu, Lei; Zhang, Jie; Magdalenic, Jasmina; Su, Yingna; Su, Yang; Gan, Weiqun

2018-03-01

Large-scale solar eruptions have been extensively explored over many years. However, the properties of small-scale events with associated shocks have rarely been investigated. We present analyses of a small-scale, short-duration event originating from a small region. The impulsive phase of the M1.9-class flare lasted only four minutes. The kinematic evolution of the CME hot channel reveals some exceptional characteristics, including a very short duration of the main acceleration phase (fast and impulsive kinematics subsequently results in a piston-driven shock related to a metric type II radio burst with a high starting frequency of ∼320 MHz of the fundamental band. The type II source is formed at a low height of below 1.1 R ⊙ less than ∼2 minutes after the onset of the main acceleration phase. Through the band-split of the type II burst, the shock compression ratio decreases from 2.2 to 1.3, and the magnetic field strength of the shock upstream region decreases from 13 to 0.5 Gauss at heights of 1.1–2.3 R ⊙. We find that the CME (∼4 × 1030 erg) and flare (∼1.6 × 1030 erg) consume similar amounts of magnetic energy. The same conclusion for large-scale eruptions implies that small- and large-scale events possibly share a similar relationship between CMEs and flares. The kinematic particularities of this event are possibly related to the small footpoint-separation distance of the associated magnetic flux rope, as predicted by the Erupting Flux Rope model.

Shallow conduit processes of the 1991 Hekla eruption, Iceland

Science.gov (United States)

Gudnason, J.; Thordarson, T.; Houghton, B. F.

2013-12-01

On January 17, 1991 at 17:00 hrs, the 17th eruption of Hekla since 1104AD began. Lasting for almost two months, it produced 0.02 km3 of icelandite tephra and ~0.15km3 of icelandite lava. This eruption was the third of four eruptions since 1980 with a recurrence period of approximately 10 years, as opposed to a recurrence interval of c. 55 years for the eruptions in the period 1104AD to 1947AD. [1] The last four Hekla eruptions are typified by a 0.5-2 hour-long initial phase of subplinian intensity and discharge ranging from 2900-6700 m3/s [2]. In all 4 events the inital phase was followed by a sustained and relatively low-discharge(sorted tephra fall covering >20,000 km2. Here we examine the first phase of the Hekla 1991 eruption with focus on vesiculation and fragmentation processes in the shallow conduit and ash production. Samples of the tephra fall were collected on snow immediately after the initial phase at multiple sites providing a representative spatial coverage within the 0.1mm isopach [3]. This set was augmented by samples collected in 2012 to provide tighter coverage of near vent region. Grain size of all samples has been measured down to 1 micron. Density measurements have been conducted on 4 near-vent pumice samples (100 clasts each) and the pumice vesicle size distribution has been determined in a selected subset of clasts. The reconstructed whole deposit grain size distribution exhibits a unimodal, log-normal distribution peaking at -3 phi, typical of dry, magmatic fragmentation. Pumice densities range from 520-880 kg/m3 and exhibit a tight unimodal and log-normal distribution indicating a mean vesicularity of 77% to 79% for the magma erupted during the initial phase. Along with preliminary results for bubble number density and vesicle size distribution this implies a single late-stage homogeneous bubble nucleation and very uniform conditions of magma fragmentation during this short-lived initial phase of the Hekla 1991 eruption. 1. Gudmundsson, A

Ballistic blocks around Kīlauea Caldera: Their vent locations and number of eruptions in the late 18th century

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Donald A.; Zolkos, Scott P.; Haravitch, Ben

2012-01-01

Thousands of ballistic blocks occur around Kīlauea Caldera and record part of the latest major period of explosive activity on the volcano, in late 1790 or within a few years thereafter. The sizes of the blocks – the largest of which is more than 2 m in nominal diameter – and differences in rock types allow the definition of at least 6 dispersal lobes of mostly undetermined relative age. The orientations of the lobes help approximate the locations of vents or explosion sources on the floor of the caldera, now deeply buried by younger lava flows. The vents may have been distributed northward for about 2 km from near the site of the modern Halema'uma'u Crater and were apparently confined to the western half of the caldera. The blocks are entirely lithic except for those in one dispersal lobe, which contains cored bombs and blocks as well as juvenile lapilli. Eruption parameters calculated from EJECT! suggest that the phreatic and phreatomagmatic explosions could have been generated at the water table, about 600 m below the high point on the caldera rim.

THE LOCATION OF NON-THERMAL VELOCITY IN THE EARLY PHASES OF LARGE FLARES—REVEALING PRE-ERUPTION FLUX ROPES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harra, Louise K.; Matthews, Sarah; Culhane, J. L.; Cheung, Mark C. M.; Kontar, Eduard P.; Hara, Hirohisa

2013-01-01

Non-thermal velocity measurements of the solar atmosphere, particularly from UV and X-ray emission lines have demonstrated over the decades that this parameter is important in understanding the triggering of solar flares. Enhancements have often been observed before intensity enhancements are seen. However, until the launch of Hinode, it has been difficult to determine the spatial location of the enhancements to better understand the source region. The Hinode EUV Imaging Spectrometer has the spectral and spatial resolution to allow us to probe the early stages of flares in detail. We analyze four events, all of which are GOES M- or X-classification flares, and all are located toward the limb for ease of flare geometry interpretation. Three of the flares were eruptive and one was confined. In all events, pre-flare enhancement in non-thermal velocity at the base of the active region and its surroundings has been found. These enhancements seem to be consistent with the footpoints of the dimming regions, and hence may be highlighting the activation of a coronal flux rope for the three eruptive events. In addition, pre-flare enhancements in non-thermal velocity were found above the looptops for the three eruptive events

A comparison study of a solar active-region eruptive filament and a neighboring non-eruptive filament

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Chao-Wei; Wu, Shi-Tsan; Feng, Xue-Shang; Hu, Qiang

2016-01-01

Solar active region (AR) 11283 is a very magnetically complex region and it has produced many eruptions. However, there exists a non-eruptive filament in the plage region just next to an eruptive one in the AR, which gives us an opportunity to perform a comparison analysis of these two filaments. The coronal magnetic field extrapolated using our CESE-MHD-NLFFF code reveals that two magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) exist in the same extrapolation box supporting these two filaments, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field shows that the eruptive MFR contains a bald-patch separatrix surface (BPSS) cospatial very well with a pre-eruptive EUV sigmoid, which is consistent with the BPSS model for coronal sigmoids. The magnetic dips of the non-eruptive MFRs match Hα observation of the non-eruptive filament strikingly well, which strongly supports the MFR-dip model for filaments. Compared with the non-eruptive MFR/filament (with a length of about 200 Mm), the eruptive MFR/filament is much smaller (with a length of about 20 Mm), but it contains most of the magnetic free energy in the extrapolation box and holds a much higher free energy density than the non-eruptive one. Both the MFRs are weakly twisted and cannot trigger kink instability. The AR eruptive MFR is unstable because its axis reaches above a critical height for torus instability, at which the overlying closed arcades can no longer confine the MFR stably. On the contrary, the quiescent MFR is very firmly held by its overlying field, as its axis apex is far below the torus-instability threshold height. Overall, this comparison investigation supports that an MFR can exist prior to eruption and the ideal MHD instability can trigger an MFR eruption.

A comparison study of a solar active-region eruptive filament and a neighboring non-eruptive filament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Chao-Wei; Feng, Xue-Shang; Wu, Shi-Tsan; Hu, Qiang

2016-01-01

Solar active region (AR) 11283 is a very magnetically complex region and it has produced many eruptions. However, there exists a non-eruptive filament in the plage region just next to an eruptive one in the AR, which gives us an opportunity to perform a comparison analysis of these two filaments. The coronal magnetic field extrapolated using our CESE–MHD–NLFFF code reveals that two magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) exist in the same extrapolation box supporting these two filaments, respectively. Analysis of the magnetic field shows that the eruptive MFR contains a bald-patch separatrix surface (BPSS) cospatial very well with a pre-eruptive EUV sigmoid, which is consistent with the BPSS model for coronal sigmoids. The magnetic dips of the non-eruptive MFRs match Hα observation of the non-eruptive filament strikingly well, which strongly supports the MFR-dip model for filaments. Compared with the non-eruptive MFR/filament (with a length of about 200 Mm), the eruptive MFR/filament is much smaller (with a length of about 20 Mm), but it contains most of the magnetic free energy in the extrapolation box and holds a much higher free energy density than the non-eruptive one. Both the MFRs are weakly twisted and cannot trigger kink instability. The AR eruptive MFR is unstable because its axis reaches above a critical height for torus instability, at which the overlying closed arcades can no longer confine the MFR stably. On the contrary, the quiescent MFR is very firmly held by its overlying field, as its axis apex is far below the torus-instability threshold height. Overall, this comparison investigation supports that an MFR can exist prior to eruption and the ideal MHD instability can trigger an MFR eruption. (paper)

RECOVERY FROM GIANT ERUPTIONS IN VERY MASSIVE STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kashi, Amit; Davidson, Kris; Humphreys, Roberta M., E-mail: kashi@astro.umn.edu [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church St. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)

2016-01-20

We use a hydro-and-radiative-transfer code to explore the behavior of a very massive star (VMS) after a giant eruption—i.e., following a supernova impostor event. Beginning with reasonable models for evolved VMSs with masses of 80 M{sub ⊙} and 120 M{sub ⊙}, we simulate the change of state caused by a giant eruption via two methods that explicitly conserve total energy. (1) Synthetically removing outer layers of mass of a few M{sub ⊙} while reducing the energy of the inner layers. (2) Synthetically transferring energy from the core to the outer layers, an operation that automatically causes mass ejection. Our focus is on the aftermath, not the poorly understood eruption itself. Then, using a radiation-hydrodynamic code in 1D with realistic opacities and convection, the interior disequilibrium state is followed for about 200 years. Typically the star develops a ∼400 km s{sup −1} wind with a mass loss rate that begins around 0.1 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} and gradually decreases. This outflow is driven by κ-mechanism radial pulsations. The 1D models have regular pulsations but 3D models will probably be more chaotic. In some cases a plateau in the mass-loss rate may persist about 200 years, while other cases are more like η Car which lost >10 M{sub ⊙} and then had an abnormal mass loss rate for more than a century after its eruption. In our model, the post-eruption outflow carried more mass than the initial eruption. These simulations constitute a useful preliminary reconnaissance for 3D models which will be far more difficult.

Quantifying probabilities of eruptions at Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Brancato, Alfonso

2010-05-01

One of the major goals of modern volcanology is to set up sound risk-based decision-making in land-use planning and emergency management. Volcanic hazard must be managed with reliable estimates of quantitative long- and short-term eruption forecasting, but the large number of observables involved in a volcanic process suggests that a probabilistic approach could be a suitable tool in forecasting. The aim of this work is to quantify probabilistic estimate of the vent location for a suitable lava flow hazard assessment at Mt. Etna volcano, through the application of the code named BET (Marzocchi et al., 2004, 2008). The BET_EF model is based on the event tree philosophy assessed by Newhall and Hoblitt (2002), further developing the concept of vent location, epistemic uncertainties, and a fuzzy approach for monitoring measurements. A Bayesian event tree is a specialized branching graphical representation of events in which individual branches are alternative steps from a general prior event, and evolving into increasingly specific subsequent states. Then, the event tree attempts to graphically display all relevant possible outcomes of volcanic unrest in progressively higher levels of detail. The procedure is set to estimate an a priori probability distribution based upon theoretical knowledge, to accommodate it by using past data, and to modify it further by using current monitoring data. For the long-term forecasting, an a priori model, dealing with the present tectonic and volcanic structure of the Mt. Etna, is considered. The model is mainly based on past vent locations and fracture location datasets (XX century of eruptive history of the volcano). Considering the variation of the information through time, and their relationship with the structural setting of the volcano, datasets we are also able to define an a posteriori probability map for next vent opening. For short-term forecasting vent opening hazard assessment, the monitoring has a leading role, primarily

Evolution of the magma feeding system during a Plinian eruption: The case of Pomici di Avellino eruption of Somma-Vesuvius, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Massaro, S.; Costa, A.; Sulpizio, R.

2018-01-01

The current paradigm for volcanic eruptions is that magma erupts from a deep magma reservoir through a volcanic conduit, typically modelled with fixed rigid geometries such as cylinders. This simplistic view of a volcanic eruption does not account for the complex dynamics that usually characterise a large explosive event. Numerical simulations of magma flow in a conduit combined with volcanological and geological data, allow for the first description of a physics-based model of the feeding system evolution during a sustained phase of an explosive eruption. The method was applied to the Plinian phase of the Pomici di Avellino eruption (PdA, 3945 ±10 cal yr BP) from Somma-Vesuvius (Italy). Information available from volcanology, petrology, and lithology studies was used as input data and as constraints for the model. In particular, Mass Discharge Rates (MDRs) assessed from volcanological methods were used as target values for numerical simulations. The model solutions, which are non-unique, were constrained using geological and volcanological data, such as volume estimates and types of lithic components in the fall deposits. Three stable geometric configurations of the feeding system (described assuming elliptical cross-section of variable dimensions) were assessed for the Eruptive Units 2 and 3 (EU2, EU3), which form the magmatic Plinian phase of PdA eruption. They describe the conduit system geometry at time of deposition of EU2 base, EU2 top, and EU3. A 7-km deep dyke (length 2 a = 200-4 00 m, width 2 b = 10- 12 m), connecting the magma chamber to the surface, characterised the feeding system at the onset of the Plinian phase (EU2 base). The feeding system rapidly evolved into hybrid geometric configuration, with a deeper dyke (length 2 a = 600- 800 m, width 2 b = 50 m) and a shallower cylindrical conduit (diameter D = 50 m, dyke-to-cylinder transition depth ∼2100 m), during the eruption of the EU2 top. The deeper dyke reached the dimensions of 2 a = 2000 m and

LATERAL OFFSET OF THE CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS FROM THE X-FLARE OF 2006 DECEMBER 13 AND ITS TWO PRECURSOR ERUPTIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Harra, Louise K.

2011-01-01

Two GOES sub-C-class precursor eruptions occurred within ∼10 hr prior to and from the same active region as the 2006 December 13 X4.3-class flare. Each eruption generated a coronal mass ejection (CME) with center laterally far offset (∼> 45°) from the co-produced bright flare. Explaining such CME-to-flare lateral offsets in terms of the standard model for solar eruptions has been controversial. Using Hinode/X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) data, and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) data, we find or infer the following. (1) The first precursor was a 'magnetic-arch-blowout' event, where an initial standard-model eruption of the active region's core field blew out a lobe on one side of the active region's field. (2) The second precursor began similarly, but the core-field eruption stalled in the side-lobe field, with the side-lobe field erupting ∼1 hr later to make the CME either by finally being blown out or by destabilizing and undergoing a standard-model eruption. (3) The third eruption, the X-flare event, blew out side lobes on both sides of the active region and clearly displayed characteristics of the standard model. (4) The two precursors were offset due in part to the CME originating from a side-lobe coronal arcade that was offset from the active region's core. The main eruption (and to some extent probably the precursor eruptions) was offset primarily because it pushed against the field of the large sunspot as it escaped outward. (5) All three CMEs were plausibly produced by a suitable version of the standard model.

Proximal stratigraphy and event sequence of the c. 5600 cal. yr BP Whakatane rhyolite eruption episode from Haroharo volcano, Okataina Volcanic Centre, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, T.; Nairn, I.; Smith, V.; Shane, P.

2005-01-01

The c. 5600 cal. yr BP Whakatane eruption episode consisted of a sequence of intracaldera rhyolite eruptions from at least five vents spread over 11 km of the Haroharo linear vent zone within Okataina Volcanic Centre. Initial vent-opening eruptions from the Haroharo vent produced coarse lithic clast 'blast beds' and pyroclastic density currents surges). These were immediately followed by eruption of very mobile pumiceous pyroclastic surges from the Makatiti vent 6 km to the southwest. Major plinian eruptions from the Makatiti vent then dispersed Whakatane Tephra pumice fall deposits (bulk volume c. 6 km 3 ) across the northeastern North Island while smaller explosive eruptions produced pyroclastic flows and falls from the Haroharo-Rotokohu vents and at the Pararoa vent on the caldera rim 11 km northeast from Makatiti. The pyroclastic eruptions at all vents were followed by the extrusion of lava flows and domes; extruded lava volumes ranged from 0.03 km 3 for the Pararoa dome to 7.5 km 3 for the Makatiti-Tapahoro lava flows and domes. Minor variations in whole rock and glass chemistry show that the three main vent areas each tapped a slightly different high-silica rhyolite magma. About 10 km 3 of M-type magma was erupted from the Makatiti-Tapahoro vents; c. 1.3 km 3 of H-type magma from the Haroharo-Rotokohu vents, and 0.04 km 3 of P-type magma from the Pararoa vent. There are no significant weathering or erosional breaks within the Whakatane eruptive sequence, which suggests that all Whakatane eruptions occurred within a short time interval. However, extrusion of the Haroharo dome within the Makatiti pyroclastic eruption sequence suggests a duration of c. 2 yr for the main pyroclastic eruption phase. Emplacement of the following voluminous (7.5 km 3 ) lavas from the Makatiti-Tapahoro vents would have occurred over >10 yr at the c. 10-20 m 3 /s inferred extrusion rates. (author). 19 refs., 16 figs., 7 tabs

The 1793 Eruption of San Martin Volcano (Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico)

Science.gov (United States)

Espindola, J. M.; Zamora-Camacho, A.; Godinez, M. L.; Rodriguez-Elizarraras, S.

2007-12-01

San Martin Tuxtla Volcano is located in the State of Veracruz, Eastern Mexico (18.572N, 95.169W, 1650 masl). Its last eruption, which occurred 1793, was described by D. Jose Moziño, a naturalist sent by the Viceroy-of the then New Spain-to report on the eruption. The activity lasted for several months with distinct events of explosive character, which produced thick ash fall deposits in its vicinity. The explosions were heard, among other places, in the coasts of Tampico some 500km NW from the volcano. The ash fall reached distances up to 200 Km from the crater and covered an area of about 112,000 Km2. Following the description of Moziño and the results of field studies we make a reconstruction of the eruption. We identified the air fall deposit from this eruption and present an isopach map. We present radiocarbon ages of the paleosoils under the ash bed as an indirect evidence of its age. This data together with present day wind velocities, and a diffusion-advection model of the dispersion of ashes allow to estimate in at least 10km the altitude reached by some of the eruptive plumes. An estimation of the minimum volume of ash erupted, based on the reconstructed isopachs, is of about 1.3 x 108 m3. Microphotographs of the ashes suggest that the activity was of phreatomagmatic and strombolian nature. Finally, we address some aspects of the volcanic risk in the area derived from our study.

IMPULSIVE ACCELERATION OF CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS. II. RELATION TO SOFT X-RAY FLARES AND FILAMENT ERUPTIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bein, B. M.; Berkebile-Stoiser, S.; Veronig, A. M.; Temmer, M. [Kanzelhoehe Observatory-IGAM, Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 5, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Vrsnak, B. [Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Kaciceva 26, HR-10000 Zagreb (Croatia)

2012-08-10

Using high time cadence images from the STEREO EUVI, COR1, and COR2 instruments, we derived detailed kinematics of the main acceleration stage for a sample of 95 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in comparison with associated flares and filament eruptions. We found that CMEs associated with flares reveal on average significantly higher peak accelerations and lower acceleration phase durations, initiation heights, and heights, at which they reach their peak velocities and peak accelerations. This means that CMEs that are associated with flares are characterized by higher and more impulsive accelerations and originate from lower in the corona where the magnetic field is stronger. For CMEs that are associated with filament eruptions we found only for the CME peak acceleration significantly lower values than for events that were not associated with filament eruptions. The flare rise time was found to be positively correlated with the CME acceleration duration and negatively correlated with the CME peak acceleration. For the majority of the events the CME acceleration starts before the flare onset (for 75% of the events) and the CME acceleration ends after the soft X-ray (SXR) peak time (for 77% of the events). In {approx}60% of the events, the time difference between the peak time of the flare SXR flux derivative and the peak time of the CME acceleration is smaller than {+-}5 minutes, which hints at a feedback relationship between the CME acceleration and the energy release in the associated flare due to magnetic reconnection.

Eruption of Odontomas into the Oral Cavity: A Report of 2 Cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sreenivasan Bhargavan Sarojini

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Odontomas are the commonest odontogenic tumors of the oral cavity and are by nature asymptomatic. They consist mainly of dental tissue that may or may not be arranged in an orderly fashion. Their presence is often detected accidentally or due to the presence of a dental disturbance such as an unerupted tooth. The very rarity of odontomas erupting into the oral cavity validates the need for more current literature on the phenomenon. Our report of two cases aims to present and discuss the rare event of an erupting odontoma with the dental community.

Co-eruptive subsidence and post-eruptive uplift associated with the 2011-2012 eruption of Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Chile, revealed by DInSAR

Science.gov (United States)

Euillades, Pablo Andrés; Euillades, Leonardo Daniel; Blanco, Mauro Hugo; Velez, María Laura; Grosse, Pablo; Sosa, Gustavo Javier

2017-09-01

The 2011-2012 eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex, southern Andes (Chile), was associated with complex surface deformation affecting an area of roughly 50 by 50 km. We report here differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) results of pre-, co- and post-eruptive deformation from ENVISAT ASAR, COSMO-Skymed, and ALOS-2/PALSAR scenes acquired between early 2011 and early 2017. No clear pre-eruptive deformation is observed during five months before the eruption, although some patterns could be interpreted as showing inflation occurring between April and May 2011. Co-eruptive interferograms show a complex deformation pattern consisting in a major deflation lobe (120 cm LOS lengthening) centered 10 km NW of the eruption vent accompanied by smaller uplift and subsidence regions in the vicinity of the vent. Re-inflation began immediately after the end of the eruption. A first pulse lasted 3 years between 2012 and 2015, accumulating 70 cm uplift. We detect here a second pulse, beginning in June 2016 and still ongoing in February 2017, reaching 12 cm in half a year. Inverse modeling with spherical cavity and spheroidal sources locates re-inflation sources at a depth ranging between 8 and 11 km under the surface. It suggests re-filling of the reservoir occurring after the draining of a shallow magma chamber during the 2011-2012 eruption.

Premature dental eruption: report of case.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McNamara, C M

2011-08-05

This case report reviews the variability of dental eruption and the possible sequelae. Dental eruption of the permanent teeth in cleft palate children may be variable, with delayed eruption the most common phenomenon. A case of premature dental eruption of a maxillary left first premolar is demonstrated, however, in a five-year-old male. This localized premature dental eruption anomaly was attributed to early extraction of the primary dentition, due to caries.

Post-Eruption Deformation Processes Measured Using ALOS-1 and UAVSAR InSAR at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren N. Schaefer

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Pacaya volcano is a persistently active basaltic cone complex located in the Central American Volcanic Arc in Guatemala. In May of 2010, violent Volcanic Explosivity Index-3 (VEI-3 eruptions caused significant topographic changes to the edifice, including a linear collapse feature 600 m long originating from the summit, the dispersion of ~20 cm of tephra and ash on the cone, the emplacement of a 5.4 km long lava flow, and ~3 m of co-eruptive movement of the southwest flank. For this study, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR images (interferograms processed from both spaceborne Advanced Land Observing Satellite-1 (ALOS-1 and aerial Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR data acquired between 31 May 2010 and 10 April 2014 were used to measure post-eruptive deformation events. Interferograms suggest three distinct deformation processes after the May 2010 eruptions, including: (1 subsidence of the area involved in the co-eruptive slope movement; (2 localized deformation near the summit; and (3 emplacement and subsequent subsidence of about a 5.4 km lava flow. The detection of several different geophysical signals emphasizes the utility of measuring volcanic deformation using remote sensing techniques with broad spatial coverage. Additionally, the high spatial resolution of UAVSAR has proven to be an excellent compliment to satellite data, particularly for constraining motion components. Measuring the rapid initiation and cessation of flank instability, followed by stabilization and subsequent influence on eruptive features, provides a rare glimpse into volcanic slope stability processes. Observing these and other deformation events contributes both to hazard assessment at Pacaya and to the study of the stability of stratovolcanoes.

Understanding the Lacher See eruption through a geoarchaeological lens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sauer, Florian Rudolf; Hoggard, Christian Steven; Zernack, Anke Verena

to be fully understood. Sites which provide sufficient resolution are few (given issues of taphonomy among others) and current classificatory systems of Late Palaeolithic artefacts hinder the understanding of cultural change in the face of the drastic environmental shift, brought upon by the eruption (Sauer...... for the discovery of new sites which provide stratified remains of both tephra and hunter-gatherer activity. Secondly, through the assessment of artefact classifications through geometric morphometric methodologies, technological reactions on the eruption are detailed. These two methodologies permit a study...... of the catastrophic event, in terms of both the late glacial landscape and the people living therein. Only through this multifaceted approach can we now begin to understand hunter-gatherer reactions and decisions to this past disaster, towards the end of the Final Palaeolithic. Riede, F. (2017). Splendid Isolation...

Premature eruption of the premolars.

Science.gov (United States)

Camm, J H; Schuler, J L

1990-01-01

This paper presents a variety of cases in which very early loss of abscessed primary molars caused early eruption of the permanent successors. Clinical sequelae including ectopic eruption, alteration of eruption sequence, arch-length inadequacy and tooth impaction are illustrated by five case reports.

Large-scale and Long-duration Simulation of a Multi-stage Eruptive Solar Event

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, chaowei; Hu, Qiang; Wu, S. T.

2015-04-01

We employ a data-driven 3D MHD active region evolution model by using the Conservation Element and Solution Element (CESE) numerical method. This newly developed model retains the full MHD effects, allowing time-dependent boundary conditions and time evolution studies. The time-dependent simulation is driven by measured vector magnetograms and the method of MHD characteristics on the bottom boundary. We have applied the model to investigate the coronal magnetic field evolution of AR11283 which was characterized by a pre-existing sigmoid structure in the core region and multiple eruptions, both in relatively small and large scales. We have succeeded in producing the core magnetic field structure and the subsequent eruptions of flux-rope structures (see https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/96898685/large.mp4 for an animation) as the measured vector magnetograms on the bottom boundary evolve in time with constant flux emergence. The whole process, lasting for about an hour in real time, compares well with the corresponding SDO/AIA and coronagraph imaging observations. From these results, we show the capability of the model, largely data-driven, that is able to simulate complex, topological, and highly dynamic active region evolutions. (We acknowledge partial support of NSF grants AGS 1153323 and AGS 1062050, and data support from SDO/HMI and AIA teams).

Insights into the Toba Super-Eruption using SEM Analysis of Ash Deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Gatti, E.; Achyuthan, H.; Durant, A. J.; Gibbard, P.; Mokhtar, S.; Oppenheimer, C.; Raj, R.; Shridar, A.

2010-12-01

The ~74 ka Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) super-eruption of Toba volcano, Northern Sumatra, was the largest eruption of the Quaternary (magnitude M= 8.8) and injected massive quantities of volcanic gases and ash into the stratosphere. YTT deposits covered at least 40,000,000 km2 of Southeast Asia and are preserved in river valleys across peninsular India and Malaysia, and in deep-sea tephra layers in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and South China Sea. Initial studies hypothesized the eruption caused immediate and substantial global cooling during the ~ 1 kyr between Dansgaard-Oeschger events 19 and 20 which devastated ecosystems and hominid populations. A more recent review argues against severe post-YTT climatic deterioration and cannot find clear evidence for considerable impacts on ecosystems or bio-diversity. The determination of the eruptive parameters is crucial in this issue to document the eruption and understand the potential impacts from future super-volcanic eruptions. Volcanic ash deposits can offer dramatic insights into key eruptive parameters, including magnitude, duration and plume height. The composition and shape of volcanic ashes can be used to interpret physical properties of an erupting magma and tephra transport, while textural characteristics such as grain roughness and surface vescicularity can provide insights into degassing history, volatile content and explosive activity of the volcano. We present a stratigraphic and sedimentological analysis of YTT deposits in stratified contexts at three localities in India, at two sites in Peninsular Malaysia, and at several localities around Lake Toba and on Samosir Island, Sumatra. These sites offer excellent constraints on the spatial distribution of YTT deposits which can be used to infer dispersal directions of the cloud, and provide insights into environmental controls on preservation of tephra beds. The research aims at a systematic interpretation of the Toba tephra to understand the volcanic

Some isotopic and geochemical anomalies observed in Mexico prior to large scale earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz R, S. de la; Armienta, M.A.; Segovia A, N.

1992-05-01

A brief account of some experiences obtained in Mexico, related with the identification of geochemical precursors of volcanic eruptions and isotopic precursors of earthquakes and volcanic activity is given. The cases of three recent events of volcanic activity and one large earthquake are discussed in the context of an active geological environment. The positive results in the identification of some geochemical precursors that helped to evaluate the eruptive potential during two volcanic crises (Tacana 1986 and Colima 1991), and the significant radon-in-soil anomalies observed during a volcanic catastrophic eruption (El Chichon, 1982) and prior to a major earthquake (Michoacan, 1985) are critically analysed. (Author)

Some isotopic and geochemical anomalies observed in Mexico prior to large scale earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cruz R, S. de la; Armienta, M A; Segovia A, N

1992-05-15

A brief account of some experiences obtained in Mexico, related with the identification of geochemical precursors of volcanic eruptions and isotopic precursors of earthquakes and volcanic activity is given. The cases of three recent events of volcanic activity and one large earthquake are discussed in the context of an active geological environment. The positive results in the identification of some geochemical precursors that helped to evaluate the eruptive potential during two volcanic crises (Tacana 1986 and Colima 1991), and the significant radon-in-soil anomalies observed during a volcanic catastrophic eruption (El Chichon, 1982) and prior to a major earthquake (Michoacan, 1985) are critically analysed. (Author)

Toward an integrative spatiotemporal architecture of the magma plumbing system leading to systematic Plinian eruption at Montagne Pelée Martinique (Lesser Antilles)

Science.gov (United States)

Boudon, G.; Balcone-Boissard, H.; Lyonnet, E.; Morgan, D. J.

2017-12-01

between the perturbation identified in the reservoir and the eruption. We thus highlight that: i) the perturbation event is not systematically the same through all eruptions; ii) the timescale that separate this event from the eruptions is in the order of 4-6 months, significantly shorter that what was up to now estimated for large silicic eruptions.

An Estimate of the Likelihood for a Climatically Significant Volcanic Eruption Within the Present Decade (2000-2009)

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Robert M.; Franklin, M. Rose (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Since 1750, the number of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions (i.e., those having a volcanic explosivity index, or VEI, equal to 4 or larger) per decade is found to span 2-11, with 96% located in the tropics and extra-tropical Northern Hemisphere, A two-point moving average of the time series has higher values since the 1860s than before, measuring 8.00 in the 1910s (the highest value) and measuring 6.50 in the 1980s, the highest since the 18 1 0s' peak. On the basis of the usual behavior of the first difference of the two-point moving averages, one infers that the two-point moving average for the 1990s will measure about 6.50 +/- 1.00, implying that about 7 +/- 4 cataclysmic volcanic eruptions should be expected during the present decade (2000-2009). Because cataclysmic volcanic eruptions (especially, those having VEI equal to 5 or larger) nearly always have been associated with episodes of short-term global cooling, the occurrence of even one could ameliorate the effects of global warming. Poisson probability distributions reveal that the probability of one or more VEI equal to 4 or larger events occurring within the next ten years is >99%, while it is about 49% for VEI equal to 5 or larger events and 18% for VEI equal to 6 or larger events. Hence, the likelihood that a, climatically significant volcanic eruption will occur within the next 10 years appears reasonably high.

Characterizing the first historic eruption of Nabro, Eritrea: Insights from thermal and UV remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Sealing, Christine R.

June 2011 saw the first historic eruption of Nabro volcano, one of an ongoing sequence of eruptions in the Afar-Red Sea region since 2005. It halted air travel in northern Africa, contaminated food and water sources, and displaced thousands from their homes. Due to its remote location, little was known about this event in terms of the quantity of erupted products and the timing and mechanisms of their emplacement. Geographic isolation, previous quiescence and regional civil unrest meant that this volcano was effectively unmonitored at the time of eruption, and opportunities for field study are limited. Using free, publicly available satellite data, I examined rates of lava effusion and SO2 emission in order to quantify the amount of erupted products and understand the temporal evolution of the eruption, as well as explore what information can be gleaned about eruption mechanisms using remote sensing data. These data revealed a bimodal eruption, beginning with explosive activity marked by high SO2 emission totalling 1824 - 2299 KT, and extensive ash fall of 270 - 440 km2. This gave way to a period of rapid effusion, producing a ˜17 km long lava flow, and a volume of ˜22.1 x 106 m3. Mass balance between the SO2 and lava flows reveals no sulfur 'excess', suggesting that nearly all of the degassed magma was extruded. The 2011 eruption of Nabro lasted nearly 6 weeks, and may be considered the second largest historic eruption in Africa. Work such as this highlights the importance of satellite remote sensing for studying and monitoring volcanoes, particularly those in remote regions that may be otherwise inaccessible.

Stress-induced comenditic trachyte effusion triggered by trachybasalt intrusion : multidisciplinary study of the AD 1761 eruption at Terceira Island (Azores)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pimentel, A.; Zanon, V.; de Groot, Lennart; Hipólito, A.; Di Chiara, A.; Self, S.

2016-01-01

The AD 1761 eruption on Terceira was the only historical subaerial event on the island and one of the last recorded in the Azores. The eruption occurred along the fissure zone that crosses the island and produced a trachybasalt lava flow and scoria cones. Small comenditic trachyte lava domes (known

Improvements on the seismic catalog previous to the 2011 El Hierro eruption.

Science.gov (United States)

Domínguez Cerdeña, Itahiza; del Fresno, Carmen

2017-04-01

Precursors from the submarine eruption of El Hierro (Canary Islands) in 2011 included 10,000 low magnitude earthquakes and 5 cm crustal deformation within 81 days previous to the eruption onset on the 10th October. Seismicity revealed a 20 km horizontal migration from the North to the South of the island and depths ranging from 10 and 17 km with deeper events occurring further South. The earthquakes of the seismic catalog were manually picked by the IGN almost in real time, but there has not been a subsequent revision to check for new non located events jet and the completeness magnitude for the seismic catalog have strong changes during the entire swarm due to the variable number of events per day. In this work we used different techniques to improve the quality of the seismic catalog. First we applied different automatic algorithms to detect new events including the LTA-STA method. Then, we performed a semiautomatic system to correlate the new P and S detections with known phases from the original catalog. The new detected earthquakes were also located using Hypoellipse algorithm. The resulting new catalog included 15,000 new events mainly concentrated in the last weeks of the swarm and we assure a completeness magnitude of 1.2 during the whole series. As the seismicity from the original catalog was already relocated using hypoDD algorithm, we improved the location of the new events using a master-cluster relocation. This method consists in relocating earthquakes towards a cluster of well located events instead of a single event as the master-event method. In our case this cluster correspond to the relocated earthquakes from the original catalog. Finally, we obtained a new equation for the local magnitude estimation which allow us to include corrections for each seismic station in order to avoid local effects. The resulting magnitude catalog has a better fit with the moment magnitude catalog obtained for the strong earthquakes of this series in previous studies

[Drug eruptions caused by noncorticoid anti-inflammatory agents].

Science.gov (United States)

Roujeau, J C; Guillaume, J C; Revuz, J; Touraine, R

1984-01-01

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAI) may elicit various kinds of cutaneous side effects. The commonest ones are non-specific erythematous eruptions, sometimes with a phototoxic distribution, and urticaria. Vasculitis and severe bullous eruptions (Stevens-Johnson's syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis) are rare but may have severe outcomes. The overall incidence of cutaneous reactions is about the same for all NSAI, 1 to 3 p. 100, during the clinical studies performed before marketing the drug, but this increases afterwards (up to 45 p. 100 for Benoxaprofen). Drugs with long half-lives may carry a higher risk for severe cutaneous reactions. NSAI are now the main cause of drug induced TEN. Urticarial reactions seem related to pharmacological phenomena while the pathogenic events leading to other kinds of skin reactions remain unknown. An hypersensitivity reaction is postulated. The therapeutic value of corticosteroids for the severe cutaneous side effects of drugs is still controversial.

Nitrogen Fate in a Phreatic Fluviokarst Watershed: a Stable Isotope, Sediment Tracing, and Numerical Modeling Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Husic, A.; Fox, J.; Ford, W. I., III; Agouridis, C.; Currens, J. C.; Taylor, C. J.

2017-12-01

Sediment tracing tools provide an insight into provenance, fate, and transport of sediment and, when coupled to stable isotopes, can elucidate in-stream biogeochemical processes. Particulate nitrogen fate in fluviokarst systems is a relatively unexplored area of research partially due to the complex hydrodynamics at play in karst systems. Karst topography includes turbulent conduits that transport groundwater and contaminants at speeds more typical of open channel flows than laminar Darcian flows. While it is accepted that karst hydro-geomorphology represents a hybrid surface-subsurface system for fluid, further investigation is needed to determine whether, and to what extent, karst systems behave like surface agricultural streams or porous media aquifers with respect to their role in nitrogen cycling. Our objective is to gain an understanding of in-conduit nitrogen processes and their effect on net nitrogen-exports from karst springs to larger waterbodies. The authors apply water, sediment, carbon, and nitrogen tracing techniques to analyze water for nitrate, sediment carbon and nitrogen, and stable sediment nitrogen isotope (δ15N). Thereafter, a new numerical model is formulated that: simulates dissolved inorganic nitrogen and sediment nitrogen transformations in the phreatic karst conduit; couples carbon turnover and nitrogen transformations in the model structure; and simulates the nitrogen stable isotope mass balance for the dissolved and sediment phases. Nitrogen tracing data results show a significant increase in δ15N of sediment nitrogen at the spring outlet relative to karst inputs indicating the potential for isotope fractionation during dissolved N uptake by bed sediments in the conduit and during denitrification within bed sediments. The new numerical modeling structure is then used to reproduce the data results and provide an estimate of the relative dominance of N uptake and denitrification within the surficial sediments of the karst conduit system

Multiple dendrochronological responses to the eruption of Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Science.gov (United States)

Sheppard, P.R.; Ort, M.H.; Anderson, K.C.; Clynne, M.A.; May, E.M.

2009-01-01

Two dendrochronological properties – ring width and ring chemistry – were investigated in trees near Cinder Cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park, northeastern California, for the purpose of re-evaluating the date of its eruption. Cinder Cone is thought to have erupted in AD 1666 based on ring-width evidence, but interpreting ring-width changes alone is not straightforward because many forest disturbances can cause changes in ring width. Old Jeffrey pines growing in Cinder Cone tephra and elsewhere for control comparison were sampled. Trees growing in tephra show synchronous ring-width changes at AD 1666, but this ring-width signal could be considered ambiguous for dating the eruption because changes in ring width can be caused by other events. Trees growing in tephra also show changes in ring phosphorus, sulfur, and sodium during the late 1660s, but inter-tree variability in dendrochemical signals makes dating the eruption from ring chemistry alone difficult. The combination of dendrochemistry and ring-width signals improves confidence in dating the eruption of Cinder Cone over the analysis of just one ring-growth property. These results are similar to another case study using dendrochronology of ring width and ring chemistry at Parícutin, Michoacán, Mexico, a cinder cone that erupted beginning in 1943. In both cases, combining analysis with ring width and ring chemistry improved confidence in the dendro-dating of the eruptions.

Serreta 1998-2001 submarine volcanic eruption, offshore Terceira (Azores): Characterization of the vent and inferences about the eruptive dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Casas, David; Pimentel, Adriano; Pacheco, José; Martorelli, Eleonora; Sposato, Andrea; Ercilla, Gemma; Alonso, Belen; Chiocci, Francesco

2018-05-01

High-resolution bathymetric data and seafloor sampling were used to characterize the most recent volcanic eruption in the Azores region, the 1998-2001 Serreta submarine eruption. The vent of the eruption is proposed to be an asymmetric topographic high, composed of two coalescing volcanic cones, underlying the location where lava balloons had been observed at the sea surface during the eruption. The volcanic products related to the 1998-2001 eruption are constrained to an area of 0.5 km2 around the proposed vent position. A submarine Strombolian-style eruption producing basaltic lava balloons, ash and coarse scoriaceous materials with limited lateral dispersion led to the buildup of the cones. The 1998-2001 Serreta eruption shares many similarities with other intermediate-depth lava balloon-forming eruptions (e.g., the 1891 eruption offshore Pantelleria and the 2011-2012 eruption south of El Hierro), revealing the particular conditions needed for the production of this unusual and scarcely documented volcanic product.

Palaeomagnetic constraints on the age of Lomo Negro volcanic eruption (El Hierro, Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Villasante-Marcos, Víctor; Pavón-Carrasco, Francisco Javier

2014-12-01

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out in 29 cores drilled at six different sites from the volcanic products of Lomo Negro eruption (El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain). Systematic thermal and alternating field demagnetization of the samples' natural remanent magnetization revealed a northward, stable palaeomagnetic direction similar in all the samples. Rock magnetic experiments indicate that this palaeomagnetic component is carried by a mixture of high-Ti and low-Ti titanomagnetite crystals typical of basaltic lithologies that have experienced a significant degree of oxyexsolution during subaerial cooling. The well constrained palaeomagnetic direction of Lomo Negro lavas was used to perform a palaeomagnetic dating of the volcanic event, using the SHA.DIF.14k global geomagnetic model restricted for the last 3000 yr. It can be unambiguously concluded that Lomo Negro eruption occurred well before the previously proposed date of 1793 AD, with three different age ranges being statistically possible during the last 3 ka: 115 BC-7 AD, 410-626 AD and 1499-1602 AD. The calibration of a previously published non-calibrated 14C dating suggests a XVI c. date for Lomo Negro eruption. This conclusion leaves open the possibility that the seismic crisis occurred at El Hierro in 1793 AD was related to an intrusive magmatic event that either did not reach the surface or either culminated in an unregistered submarine eruption similar to the one occurred in 2011-2012 at the southern off-shore ridge of the island.

Io - One of at Least Four Simultaneous Erupting Volcanic Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

This photo of an active volcanic eruption on Jupiter's satellite Io was taken 1 hour, 52 minutes after the accompanying picture, late in the evening of March 4, 1979, Pacific time. On the limb of the satellite can be seen one of at least four simultaneous volcanic eruptions -- the first such activity ever observed on another celestial body. Seen against the limb are plume-like structures rising more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the surface. Several eruptions have been identified with volcanic structures on the surface of Io, which have also been identified by Voyager 1's infrared instrument as being abnormally hot -- several hundred degrees warmer than surrounding terrain. The fact that several eruptions appear to be occurring at the same time suggests that Io has the most active surface in the solar system and that volcanism is going on there essentially continuously. Another characteristic of the observed volcanism is that it appears to be extremely explosive, with velocities more than 2,000 miles an hour (at least 1 kilometer per second). That is more violent than terrestrial volcanoes like Etna, Vesuvius or Krakatoa.

MINI-FILAMENT ERUPTION AS THE INITIATION OF A JET ALONG CORONAL LOOPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Junchao; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Yang, Bo; Xu, Zhe; Xiang, Yongyuan

2016-01-01

Minifilament eruptions (MFEs) and coronal jets are different types of solar small-scale explosive events. We report an MFE observed at the New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST). As seen in the NVST H α images, during the rising phase, the minifilament erupts outward orthogonally to its length, accompanied with a flare-like brightening at the bottom. Afterward, dark materials are found to possibly extend along the axis of the expanded filament body. The MFE is analogous to large filament eruptions. However, a simultaneous observation of the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows that a jet is initiated and flows out along nearby coronal loops during the rising phase of the MFE. Meanwhile, small hot loops, which connect the original eruptive site of the minifilament to the footpoints of the coronal loops, are formed successively. A differential emission measure analysis demonstrates that, on the top of the new small loops, a hot cusp structure exists. We conjecture that the magnetic fields of the MFE interact with magnetic fields of the coronal loops. This interaction is interpreted as magnetic reconnection that produces the jet and the small hot loops.

MINI-FILAMENT ERUPTION AS THE INITIATION OF A JET ALONG CORONAL LOOPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Junchao; Jiang, Yunchun; Yang, Jiayan; Yang, Bo; Xu, Zhe; Xiang, Yongyuan, E-mail: hjcsolar@ynao.ac.cn [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China)

2016-10-20

Minifilament eruptions (MFEs) and coronal jets are different types of solar small-scale explosive events. We report an MFE observed at the New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST). As seen in the NVST H α images, during the rising phase, the minifilament erupts outward orthogonally to its length, accompanied with a flare-like brightening at the bottom. Afterward, dark materials are found to possibly extend along the axis of the expanded filament body. The MFE is analogous to large filament eruptions. However, a simultaneous observation of the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows that a jet is initiated and flows out along nearby coronal loops during the rising phase of the MFE. Meanwhile, small hot loops, which connect the original eruptive site of the minifilament to the footpoints of the coronal loops, are formed successively. A differential emission measure analysis demonstrates that, on the top of the new small loops, a hot cusp structure exists. We conjecture that the magnetic fields of the MFE interact with magnetic fields of the coronal loops. This interaction is interpreted as magnetic reconnection that produces the jet and the small hot loops.

Chaparrastique (San Mighel) Volcano Eruptions since Dec. 29th, 2013, El Salvador

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Hackert, B.; Bajo, J. V.; Escobar, D.; Gutierrez, E.

2015-12-01

The December 29th, 2013 eruption of Chaparrastique (San Miguel) volcano in El Salvador came as a surprise and was the first of several small eruptions in the past two years. They came after many years of preceeding earthquake swarms and significant degassing. Being the second volcano to erupt in El Salvador in less than ten years, it caused grave concern for the population of the country. Although they were not large eruptions (VEI 2), the materials were widespread and caused deposits of volcanic tephra as far at the capital San Salvador and closed the airports in the vecinity for a couple of days. This is a summary of the research, mitigation and services that were done days after the first eruption on December 29, 2013 and the follwing months. In conjunction with the team of the Direccion General del Observatorio Ambiental from the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales possible first response strategies were discussed and decided to obtain results that could be quickly put in place to mitigate and decide on actions such as evacuations or relocations of people living in volcano related high-risk hazard areas. Collection of samples, mapping and measurements of the volcanic tephra in the field together with Digital Globe and areal photography after the event, allowed identification of four different volcanic products that can be correlated to the opening of the vent and ending in the eruption of juvenile materials of basaltic to trachybasaltic composition, and the production of a lahar hazard map based on LaharZ.

Late Pleistocene-Holocene cataclysmic eruptions at Nevado de Toluca and Jocotitlan volcanoes, central Mexico

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Macias, J.L.; Garcia, P.A.; Arce, J.L.; Siebe, C.; Espindola, J.M.; Komorowski, J.C.; Scott, K.

1997-01-01

This field guide describes a five day trip to examine deposits of Late Pleistocene-Holocene cataclysmic eruptions at Nevado de Toluca and Jocotitlan volcanoes in central Mexico. We will discuss the stratigraphy, petrology, and sedimentological characteristics of these deposits which provide insights into the eruptive history, type of volcanic activity, and transport and emplacement mechanisms of pyroclastic materials. These parameters will allow us to discuss the kinds of hazards and the risk that they pose to populations around these volcanoes. The area to be visited is tectonically complex thus we will also discuss the location of the volcanoes with respect to the tectonic environment. The first four days of the field trip will be dedicated to Nevado de Toluca Volcano (19 degrees 09'N; 99 degrees 45'W) located at 23 km. southwest of the City of Toluca, and is the fourth highest peak in the country, reaching an elevation of 4,680 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.). Nevado de Toluca is an andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano, composed of a central vent excavated upon the remains of older craters destroyed by former events. Bloomfield and Valastro, (1974, 1977) concluded that the last cycle of activity occurred nearly equal 11,600 yr. ago. For this reason Nevado de Toluca has been considered an extinct volcano. Our studies, however, indicate that Nevado de Toluca has had at least two episodes of cone destruction by sector collapse as well as several explosive episodes including plinian eruptions and dome-destruction events. These eruptions occurred during the Pleistocene but a very young eruption characterized by surge and ash flows occurred ca. 3,300 yr. BP. This new knowledge of the volcano's eruptive history makes the evaluation of its present state of activity and the geological hazards necessary. This is important because the area is densely populated and large cities such as Toluca and Mexico are located in its proximity.

Most Powerful Eruption in the Universe Discovered

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

Astronomers have found the most powerful eruption seen in the Universe using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. A supermassive black hole generated this eruption by growing at a remarkable rate. This discovery shows the enormous appetite of large black holes, and the profound impact they have on their surroundings. The huge eruption is seen in a Chandra image of the hot, X-ray emitting gas of a galaxy cluster called MS 0735.6+7421. Two vast cavities extend away from the supermassive black hole in the cluster's central galaxy. The eruption - which has lasted for 100 million years and is still going - has generated the energy equivalent to hundreds of millions of gamma-ray bursts. Animation of Eruption from Supermassive Black Hole Animation of Eruption from Supermassive Black Hole This event was caused by gravitational energy release as enormous amounts of matter fell toward a black hole. Most of the matter was swallowed, but some of it was violently ejected before being captured by the black hole. "I was stunned to find that a mass of about 300 million Suns was swallowed," said Brian McNamara of Ohio University in Athens, lead author of the study that appears in the January 6, 2005 issue of Nature. "This is almost as massive as the supermassive black hole that swallowed it." Astronomers are not sure where such large amounts of matter came from. One theory is that gas from the host galaxy catastrophically cooled and was then swallowed by the black hole. Illustration of MS 0735.6+742 Illustration of MS 0735.6+742 The energy released shows that the black hole in MS 0735 has grown very dramatically during this eruption. Previous studies suggest that other large black holes have grown very little in the recent past, and that only smaller black holes are still growing quickly. "This new result is as surprising as it is exciting", said co-author Paul Nulsen of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics. "This black hole is feasting when it should be fasting." Radio

The Pu'u 'O'o-Kupaianaha Eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii: The First 20 Years

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Heliker, Christina C.; Swanson, Donald A.; Takahashi, Taeko Jane

2003-01-01

The Pu'u 'O'o-Kupaianaha eruption started on January 3, 1983. The ensuing 20-year period of nearly continuous eruption is the longest at Kilauea Volcano since the famous lava-lake activity of the 19th century. No rift-zone eruption in more than 600 years even comes close to matching the duration and volume of activity of these past two decades. Fortunately, such a landmark event came during a period of remarkable technological advancements in volcano monitoring. When the eruption began, the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were but glimmers on the horizon, broadband seismology was in its infancy, and the correlation spectrometer (COSPEC), used to measure SO2 flux, was still very young. Now, all of these techniques are employed on a daily basis to track the ongoing eruption and construct models about its behavior. The 12 chapters in this volume, written by present or past Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff members and close collaborators, celebrate the growth of understanding that has resulted from research during the past 20 years of Kilauea's eruption. The chapters range widely in emphasis, subject matter, and scope, but all present new concepts or important modifications of previous ideas - in some cases, ideas long held and cherished.

Small volcanic eruptions and the stratospheric sulfate aerosol burden

Science.gov (United States)

Pyle, David M.

2012-09-01

(Rampino and Self 1984, Pyle et al 1996, Self and Rampino 2012). But as yet, there is little evidence for the consequences of this scale of eruption for the climate system (Miles et al 2004), and few data against which to test simulations of stratospheric sulfur-injection 'geoengineering' scenarios of a similar scale and frequency (e.g. English et al 2012). A hint of the new volcano-observing capability came during the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland. For a few days in April 2010 meteorological conditions, coupled with a dramatic increase in volcanic ash production, led to the wide dispersal of fine volcanic particles across northern Europe; an event which was widely tracked by ground-based and satellite-borne instruments, augmented by in situ measurements from balloons and aircraft (Bennett et al 2010, Flentje et al 2010, Harrison et al 2010, Stohl et al 2011). Despite the interest in Eyjafjallajökull at the time, this was, geologically, only a very modest eruption with limited sulfur emissions and an impact restricted mainly to the regional troposphere (e.g. Thomas and Prata 2011, Walker et al 2012). Then, in June 2011, a previously dormant volcano in north-east Africa began to erupt violently. Little is known about Nabro, which is a partially collapsed volcano that straddles the Eritrea-Ethiopia border, and has had no known historical activity (Wiart and Oppenheimer 2005). Despite the remote location, and lack of prior warning, the event and its aftermath were remarkably well captured by remote-sensing instruments, as demonstrated in the new letter by Sawamura et al (2012). Using both ground-based and satellite-borne laser-ranging (lidar) data, Sawamura et al (2012) were able to extract detailed information about the nature of the volcanic aerosol layer, and its spread around the globe. The eruption started strongly, with substantial ash plumes for the first 48 h, rising to 9-14 km altitude (Smithsonian Institution 2011, Bourassa et al 2012), that carried at

Eruption products of the 1883 eruption of Krakatau and their final settlement

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Izumi Yokoyama

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Firstly the volume of pyroclastic ejecta during the 1883 eruption of Krakatau is re-examined. To revise the volume of flow deposits, the author basically follows Verbeek’s observation while to estimate the fall deposits, as the last resort, the author assumes that volume ratios fall / flow are common to similar caldera eruptions, and the ratios determined by the caldera- forming eruptions of Novarupta and Pinatubo are applied to the Krakatau eruption. Verbeek’s estimation of the total volume of ejecta, 12 km3 is revised to 19 km3. This is significantly different from the volume of disrupted volcano edifice, 8 km3. Such a result does not support the predecessors’ hypothesis that calderas are formed by collapses of volcano edifices into magma reservoirs in replacement of the total ejecta. Through the discussion on the volume estimation of volcanic ejecta on and around Krakatau, the author recognizes that such estimation should be originally very difficult to attain enough accuracy. Much importance of “caldera deposits” to post-eruption settlements of the ejecta is emphasized. In relation to caldera formation, mechanical stability of a cavity in the crust is discussed. Lastly, upon the basis of subsurface structure, especially caldera deposits, a structural image of Krakatau caldera is presented.

Possible Triggering of the Largest Deccan Eruptions by the Chicxulub Impact

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Richards, Mark; Alvarez, Walter; Self, Stephen; Karlstrom, Leif; Renne, Paul; Manga, Michael; Sprain, Courtney

2014-05-01

New constraints on the timing of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, the Chicxulub impact, and a particularly voluminous and apparently brief pulse within the "main-stage" eruptions of the Deccan Traps continental flood basalt province suggest that these three events may have occurred within less than several hundred thousand years of each other. Partial melting induced by the Chicxulub event does not provide an energetically-plausible explanation for this coincidence, and both geochronological and magnetic-polarity data show that Deccan volcanism was underway well before Chicxulub/K-Pg time. However, historical evidence for the triggering of distant volcanic and hydrologic events due to earthquakes suggests that surface waves excited by the Chicxulub impact might plausibly have caused a transient increase in the effective permeability of the deep magmatic system beneath the Deccan province ("plume head"), depending upon the efficiency of coupling between the impact energy and seismic waves. Recently published seismic modeling [Meschede et al., 2011] suggests that the Chicxulub impact may have generated seismic energy densities of order 0.1-1.0 J/m3 globally throughout the upper ~200 km of the Earth's mantle, just sufficient to trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide. It therefore seems reasonable to ask whether the Chicxulub impact might have triggered the enormous Poladpur, Ambenali, and Mahabaleshwar (Wai Subgroup) lava flows that account for >50% of the entire Deccan Traps volume. High-precision radioisotopic dating of the main-phase Deccan flood basalt formations should be able to either confirm or reject this hypothesis. In the former case, this singular outburst within the Deccan Traps (and possibly volcanic eruptions worldwide) may have contributed significantly to the K-Pg extinction. In the latter case, a major role for the Deccan Traps in the K-Pg extinction would seem unlikely.

A Simplified Solution for Calculating the Phreatic Line and Slope Stability during a Sudden Drawdown of the Reservoir Water Level

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Guanhua Sun

2018-01-01

Full Text Available On the basis of the Boussinesq unsteady seepage differential equation, a new simplified formula for the phreatic line of slopes under the condition of decreasing reservoir water level is derived by means of the Laplacian matrix and its inverse transform. In this context, the expression of normal stress on the slip surface under seepage forces is deduced, and a procedure for obtaining the safety factors under hydrodynamic forces is proposed. A case study of the Three Gorges Reservoir is used to analyze the influences of the water level, decreasing velocity and the permeability coefficient on slope stability.

Volcanic eruptions on Io

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Strom, R. G.; Schneider, N. M.; Terrile, R. J.; Hansen, C.; Cook, A. F.

1981-01-01

Nine eruption plumes which were observed during the Voyager 1 encounter with Io are discussed. During the Voyager 2 encounter, four months later, eight of the eruptions were still active although the largest became inactive sometime between the two encounters. Plumes range in height from 60 to over 300 km with corresponding ejection velocities of 0.5 to 1.0 km/s and plume sources are located on several plains and consist of fissures or calderas. The shape and brightness distribution together with the pattern of the surface deposition on a plume 3 is simulated by a ballistic model with a constant ejection velocity of 0.5 km/s and ejection angles which vary from 0-55 deg. The distribution of active and recent eruptions is concentrated in the equatorial regions and indicates that volcanic activity is more frequent and intense in the equatorial regions than in the polar regions. Due to the geologic setting of certain plume sources and large reservoirs of volatiles required for the active eruptions, it is concluded that sulfur volcanism rather than silicate volcanism is the most likely driving mechanism for the eruption plumes.

Post-eruption legacy effects and their implications for long-term recovery of the vegetation on Kasatochi Island, Alaska

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Talbot, S. S.; Talbot, S.L.; Walker, L.R.

2010-01-01

We studied the vegetation of Kasatochi Island, central Aleutian Islands, to provide a general field assessment regarding the survival of plants, lichens, and fungi following a destructive volcanic eruption that occurred in 2008. Plant community data were analyzed using multivariate methods to explore the relationship between pre- and post-eruption plant cover; 5 major vegetation types were identified: Honckenya peploides beach, Festuca rubra cliff shelf, Lupinus nootkatensisFestuca rubra meadow, Leymus mollis bluff ridge (and beach), and Aleuria aurantia lower slope barrens. Our study provided a very unusual glimpse into the early stages of plant primary succession on a remote island where most of the vegetation was destroyed. Plants that apparently survived the eruption dominated early plant communities. Not surprisingly, the most diverse post-eruption community most closely resembled a widespread pre-eruption type. Microhabitats where early plant communities were found were distinct and apparently crucial in determining plant survival. Comparison with volcanic events in related boreal regions indicated some post-eruption pattern similarities. ?? 2010 Regents of the University of Colorado.

The evolution of hydrous magmas in the Tongariro Volcanic Centre : the 10 ka Pahoka-Mangamate eruptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auer, A.; Palin, J.M.; White, J.D.L.; Nakagawa, M.; Stirling, C.

2015-01-01

The majority of arc-type andesites in the Tongariro Volcanic Centre are highly porphyritic, hornblende-free, two-pyroxene andesites. An exception is tephras from the c. 10,000 ka Pahoka-Mangamate event. Magmas of these Plinian eruptions bypassed the extensive crustal mush columns under the central volcanoes and sequentially derived a series of almost aphyric rocks spanning a compositional range from dacite to basaltic andesite. Mineral composition, trace element and isotopic data suggest that this eruptive series tapped a mid-crustal magma reservoir, resulting in the initial eruption of an hydrous dacitic magma and several following eruptions characterised by less-evolved and less-hydrous compositions at progressively higher temperatures and substantially lower 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios. Systematic changes in magma chemistry are also reflected in a sequential change in phenocryst content starting with an early hornblende-plagioclase-dominated assemblage to a late olivine-plagioclase-dominated assemblage. (author).

Influence of volatile degassing on the eruptibility of large igneous province magmatic systems

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Mittal, T.; Richards, M. A.

2017-12-01

Magmatic volatiles, in particular their buoyancy, may play a critical role in determining whether a magma reservoir can build up enough overpressure leading to drive flood basalt eruptions (Black & Manga 2017). Thus, it is important to understand the extent to which volatiles can remain trapped in a magmatic system and how they influence the eruptibility. Although the high-temperature metamorphic aureloe around a magma chamber is typically considered to have low permeability due to ductile creep, recent theoretical, experimental, and field work (e.g. Noriaki et al. 2017) have highlighted the role of dynamic permeability in magmatic systems. Consequently, the effective permeability of the crust when magma is present in the system can be orders of magnitude larger than that of exhumed rock samples. We model dynamic permeability changes as a competition between hydro-fracturing (increased porosity) and fracture closure by ductile creep and hydrothermal mineral precipitation (reduced porosity) and find yearly-to-decadal time-scales for periodic fracturing and fluid loss events and an increase in average permeability. We then use a fully coupled poro-thermo-elastic framework to model to explore the macroscopic influence of volatile loss on the stress state of the crust in this higher time-averaged permeability setting. We derive new semi-analytical solutions and combine them with a magma chamber box model (modified from Degruyter & Huber 2014) to analyze system-scale dynamics for both basaltic and silicic magmatic systems. We find that passive degassing likely has a substantial temporal influence on the stress distribution in the crust and the highly crystalline mush zone immediately surrounding a magma reservoir, and find an additional scale : pore-pressure diffusion timescale that exerts a first-order control on the magnitude and frequency of volcanic eruptions. We also explore how disconnected magma batches interact indirectly with each other and its implications for

Characterization of volcanic deposits and geoarchaeological studies from the 1815 eruption of Tambora volcano

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Igan Supriatman Sutawidjaja

2014-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol1no1.20066aThe eruption of Tambora volcano on the island of Sumbawa in 1815 is generally considered as the largest and the most violent volcanic event in recorded history. The cataclysmic eruption occurred on 11 April 1815 was initiated by Plinian eruption type on 5 April and killed more than 90,000 people on Sumbawa and nearby Lombok. The type plinian eruptions occurred twice and ejected gray pumice and ash, to form stratified deposits as thick as 40-150 cm on the slopes and mostly distributed over the district west of the volcano. Following this, at about 7 pm, on 11 April the first pyroclastic surge was generated and progressively became greater extending to almost whole direction, mainly to the north, west, and south districts from the eruption center. The deadliest volcanic eruption buried ancient villages by pyroclastic surge and flow deposits in almost intact state, thus preserving important archaeological evidence for the period. High preservation in relatively stable conditions and known date of the eruptions provide approximate dating for the archaeological remains. Archaeological excavations on the site uncovered a variety of remains were relieved by ground penetrating radar (GPR to map structural remains of the ancient villages under the pyroclastic surge and flow deposits. These traverses showed that GPR could define structures as deep as 10 m (velocity 0.090 m/ns and could accurately map the thickness of the stratified volcanic deposits in the Tambora village area.    

Explosive eruptive history of Pantelleria, Italy: Repeated caldera collapse and ignimbrite emplacement at a peralkaline volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Nina J.; Rotolo, Silvio G.; Williams, Rebecca; Speranza, Fabio; McIntosh, William C.; Branney, Michael J.; Scaillet, Stéphane

2018-01-01

A new, pre-Green Tuff (46 ka) volcanic stratigraphy is presented for the peralkaline Pantelleria Volcano, Italy. New 40Ar/39Ar and paleomagnetic data are combined with detailed field studies to develop a comprehensive stratigraphic reconstruction of the island. We find that the pre-46 ka succession is characterised by eight silica-rich peralkaline (trachyte to pantellerite) ignimbrites, many of which blanketed the entire island. The ignimbrites are typically welded to rheomorphic, and are commonly associated with lithic breccias and/or pumice deposits. They record sustained radial pyroclastic density currents fed by low pyroclastic fountains. The onset of ignimbrite emplacement is typically preceded (more rarely followed) by pumice fallout with limited dispersal, and some eruptions lack any associated pumice fall deposit, suggesting the absence of tall eruption columns. Particular attention is given to the correlation of well-developed lithic breccias in the ignimbrites, interpreted as probable tracers of caldera collapses. They record as many as five caldera collapse events, in contrast to the two events reported to date. Inter-ignimbrite periods are characterised by explosive and effusive eruptions with limited dispersal, such as small pumice cones, as well as pedogenesis. These periods have similar characteristics as the current post-Green Tuff activity on the island, and, while not imminent, it is reasonable to postulate the occurrence of another ignimbrite-forming eruption sometime in the future.

Magma displacements under insular volcanic fields, applications to eruption forecasting: El Hierro, Canary Islands, 2011-2013

Science.gov (United States)

García, A.; Fernández-Ros, A.; Berrocoso, M.; Marrero, J. M.; Prates, G.; De la Cruz-Reyna, S.; Ortiz, R.

2014-04-01

Significant deformations, followed by increased seismicity detected since 2011 July at El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain, prompted the deployment of additional monitoring equipment. The climax of this unrest was a submarine eruption first detected on 2011 October 10, and located at about 2 km SW of La Restinga, southernmost village of El Hierro Island. The eruption ceased on 2012 March 5, after the volcanic tremor signals persistently weakened through 2012 February. However, the seismic activity did not end with the eruption, as several other seismic crises followed. The seismic episodes presented a characteristic pattern: over a few days the number and magnitude of seismic event increased persistently, culminating in seismic events severe enough to be felt all over the island. Those crises occurred in 2011 November, 2012 June and September, 2012 December to 2013 January and in 2013 March-April. In all cases the seismic unrest was preceded by significant deformations measured on the island's surface that continued during the whole episode. Analysis of the available GPS and seismic data suggests that several magma displacement processes occurred at depth from the beginning of the unrest. The first main magma movement or `injection' culminated with the 2011 October submarine eruption. A model combining the geometry of the magma injection process and the variations in seismic energy release has allowed successful forecasting of the new-vent opening.

SOLAR ERUPTION AND LOCAL MAGNETIC PARAMETERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jeongwoo; Chae, Jongchul [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826 (Korea, Republic of); Liu, Chang; Jing, Ju [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States)

2016-11-10

It is now a common practice to use local magnetic parameters such as magnetic decay index for explaining solar eruptions from active regions, but there can be an alternative view that the global properties of the source region should be counted as a more important factor. We discuss this issue based on Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of the three successive eruptions within 1.5 hr from the NOAA active region 11444 and the magnetic parameters calculated using the nonlinear force-free field model. Two violent eruptions occurred in the regions with relatively high magnetic twist number (0.5–1.5) and high decay index (0.9–1.1) at the nominal height of the filament (12″) and otherwise a mild eruption occurred, which supports the local-parameter paradigm. Our main point is that the time sequence of the eruptions did not go with these parameters. It is argued that an additional factor, in the form of stabilizing force, should operate to determine the onset of the first eruption and temporal behaviors of subsequent eruptions. As supporting evidence, we report that the heating and fast plasma flow continuing for a timescale of an hour was the direct cause for the first eruption and that the unidirectional propagation of the disturbance determined the timing of subsequent eruptions. Both of these factors are associated with the overall magnetic structure rather than local magnetic properties of the active region.

Recolonization of the intertidal and shallow subtidal community following the 2008 eruption of Alaska's Kasatochi Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Jewett, S. C.; Drew, G. S.

2014-03-01

The intertidal and nearshore benthic communities of Kasatochi Island are described following a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 2008. Prior to the eruption, the island was surrounded by a dense bed of canopy-forming dragon kelp Eualaria fistulosa which supported a productive nearshore community. The eruption extended the coastline of the island approximately 400 m offshore to roughly the 20 m isobath. One year following the eruption a reconnaissance survey found the intertidal zone devoid of life. Subtidally, the canopy kelp, as well as limited understory algal species and associated benthic fauna on the hard substratum, were buried by debris from the eruption. The resulting substrate was comprised almost entirely of medium and coarse sands with a depauperate benthic community. Comparisons of habitat and biological communities with other nearby Aleutian Islands and the Icelandic submarine volcanic eruption of Surtsey confirm dramatic reductions in flora and fauna consistent with the initial stages of recovery from a large-scale disturbance event. Four and five years following the eruption brief visits revealed dramatic intertidal and subtidal recolonization of the flora and fauna in some areas. Signs of nesting and fledging of young pigeon guillemots Cepphus columba suggest that the recovery of the nearshore biota may have begun affecting higher trophic levels. Recolonization or lack thereof was tied to bathymetric changes from coastal and nearshore erosion over the study period.

Variation of Surface Air Temperature in Relation to El Nino and Cataclysmic Volcanic Eruptions, 1796-1882

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Robert M.

1999-01-01

During the contemporaneous interval of 1796-1882 a number of significant decreases in temperature are found in the records of Central England and Northern Ireland. These decreases appear to be related to the occurrences of El Nino and/or cataclysmic volcanic eruptions. For example, a composite of residual temperatures of the Central England dataset, centering temperatures on the yearly onsets of 20 El Nino of moderate to stronger strength, shows that, on average, the change in temperature varied by about +/- 0.3 C from normal being warmer during the boreal fall-winter leading up to the El Nino year and cooler during the spring-summer of the El Nino year. Also, the influence of El Nino on Central England temperatures appears to last about 1-2 years. Similarly, a composite of residual temperatures of the Central England dataset, centering temperatures on the month of eruption for 26 cataclysmic volcanic eruptions, shows that, on average, the change in temperature decreased by about 0.1 - 0.2 C, typically, 1-2 years after the eruption, although for specific events, like Tambora, the decrease was considerably greater. Additionally, tropical eruptions appear to produce greater changes in temperature than extratropical eruptions, and eruptions occurring in boreal spring-summer appear to produce greater changes in temperature than those occurring in fall-winter.

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate: Outstanding Research Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Robock, Alan

2016-04-01

Large volcanic eruptions inject sulfur gases into the stratosphere, which convert to sulfate aerosols with an e-folding residence time of about one year. The radiative and chemical effects of this aerosol cloud produce responses in the climate system. Based on observations after major eruptions of the past and experiments with numerical models of the climate system, we understand much about their climatic impact, but there are also a number of unanswered questions. Volcanic eruptions produce global cooling, and are an important natural cause of interannual, interdecadal, and even centennial-scale climate change. One of the most interesting volcanic effects is the "winter warming" of Northern Hemisphere continents following major tropical eruptions. During the winter in the Northern Hemisphere following every large tropical eruption of the past century, surface air temperatures over North America, Europe, and East Asia were warmer than normal, while they were colder over Greenland and the Middle East. This pattern and the coincident atmospheric circulation correspond to the positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. While this response is observed after recent major eruptions, most state-of-the-art climate models have trouble simulating winter warming. Why? High latitude eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere, while also producing global cooling, do not have the same impact on atmospheric dynamics. Both tropical and high latitude eruptions can weaken the Indian and African summer monsoon, and the effects can be seen in past records of flow in the Nile and Niger Rivers. Since the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991, there have been no large eruptions that affected climate, but the cumulative effects of small eruptions over the past decade have had a small effect on global temperature trends. Some important outstanding research questions include: How much seasonal, annual, and decadal predictability is possible following a large volcanic eruption? Do

Warning signals for eruptive events in spreading fires.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Jerome M; Whitesides, George M

2015-02-24

Spreading fires are noisy (and potentially chaotic) systems in which transitions in dynamics are notoriously difficult to predict. As flames move through spatially heterogeneous environments, sudden shifts in temperature, wind, or topography can generate combustion instabilities, or trigger self-stabilizing feedback loops, that dramatically amplify the intensities and rates with which fires propagate. Such transitions are rarely captured by predictive models of fire behavior and, thus, complicate efforts in fire suppression. This paper describes a simple, remarkably instructive physical model for examining the eruption of small flames into intense, rapidly moving flames stabilized by feedback between wind and fire (i.e., "wind-fire coupling"-a mechanism of feedback particularly relevant to forest fires), and it presents evidence that characteristic patterns in the dynamics of spreading flames indicate when such transitions are likely to occur. In this model system, flames propagate along strips of nitrocellulose with one of two possible modes of propagation: a slow, structured mode, and a fast, unstructured mode sustained by wind-fire coupling. Experimental examination of patterns in dynamics that emerge near bifurcation points suggests that symptoms of critical slowing down (i.e., the slowed recovery of the system from perturbations as it approaches tipping points) warn of impending transitions to the unstructured mode. Findings suggest that slowing responses of spreading flames to sudden changes in environment (e.g., wind, terrain, temperature) may anticipate the onset of intense, feedback-stabilized modes of propagation (e.g., "blowup fires" in forests).

Slow-moving and far-travelled dense pyroclastic flows during the Peach Spring super-eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Roche, Olivier; Buesch, David C.; Valentine, Greg A.

2016-01-01

Explosive volcanic super-eruptions of several hundred cubic kilometres or more generate long run-out pyroclastic density currents the dynamics of which are poorly understood and controversial. Deposits of one such event in the southwestern USA, the 18.8 Ma Peach Spring Tuff, were formed by pyroclastic flows that travelled >170 km from the eruptive centre and entrained blocks up to ~70–90 cm diameter from the substrates along the flow paths. Here we combine these data with new experimental results to show that the flow’s base had high-particle concentration and relatively modest speeds of ~5–20 m s−1, fed by an eruption discharging magma at rates up to ~107–108 m3 s−1 for a minimum of 2.5–10 h. We conclude that sustained high-eruption discharge and long-lived high-pore pressure in dense granular dispersion can be more important than large initial velocity and turbulent transport with dilute suspension in promoting long pyroclastic flow distance.

Magma evolution inside the 1631 Vesuvius magma chamber and eruption triggering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stoppa Francesco

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Vesuvius is a high-risk volcano and the 1631 Plinian eruption is a reference event for the next episode of explosive unrest. A complete stratigraphic and petrographic description of 1631 pyroclastics is given in this study. During the 1631 eruption a phonolite was firstly erupted followed by a tephritic phonolite and finally a phonolitic tephrite, indicating a layered magma chamber. We suggest that phonolitic basanite is a good candidate to be the primitive parental-melt of the 1631 eruption. Composition of apatite from the 1631 pyroclastics is different from those of CO2-rich melts indicating negligible CO2 content during magma evolution. Cross checking calculations, using PETROGRAPH and PELE software, accounts for multistage evolution up to phonolite starting from a phonolitic basanite melt similar to the Vesuvius medieval lavas. The model implies crystal settling of clinopyroxene and olivine at 6 kbar and 1220°C, clinopyroxene plus leucite at a pressure ranging from 2.5 to 0.5 kbar and temperature ranging from 1140 to 940°C. Inside the phonolitic magma chamber K-feldspar and leucite would coexist at a temperature ranging from from 940 to 840°C and at a pressure ranging from 2.5 to0.5 kbar. Thus crystal fractionation is certainly a necessary and probably a sufficient condition to evolve the melt from phono tephritic to phonolitic in the 1631 magma chamber. We speculate that phonolitic tephrite magma refilling from deeper levels destabilised the chamber and triggered the eruption, as testified by the seismic precursor phenomena before 1631 unrest.

Magma evolution inside the 1631 Vesuvius magma chamber and eruption triggering

Science.gov (United States)

Stoppa, Francesco; Principe, Claudia; Schiazza, Mariangela; Liu, Yu; Giosa, Paola; Crocetti, Sergio

2017-03-01

Vesuvius is a high-risk volcano and the 1631 Plinian eruption is a reference event for the next episode of explosive unrest. A complete stratigraphic and petrographic description of 1631 pyroclastics is given in this study. During the 1631 eruption a phonolite was firstly erupted followed by a tephritic phonolite and finally a phonolitic tephrite, indicating a layered magma chamber. We suggest that phonolitic basanite is a good candidate to be the primitive parental-melt of the 1631 eruption. Composition of apatite from the 1631 pyroclastics is different from those of CO2-rich melts indicating negligible CO2 content during magma evolution. Cross checking calculations, using PETROGRAPH and PELE software, accounts for multistage evolution up to phonolite starting from a phonolitic basanite melt similar to the Vesuvius medieval lavas. The model implies crystal settling of clinopyroxene and olivine at 6 kbar and 1220°C, clinopyroxene plus leucite at a pressure ranging from 2.5 to 0.5 kbar and temperature ranging from 1140 to 940°C. Inside the phonolitic magma chamber K-feldspar and leucite would coexist at a temperature ranging from from 940 to 840°C and at a pressure ranging from 2.5 to0.5 kbar. Thus crystal fractionation is certainly a necessary and probably a sufficient condition to evolve the melt from phono tephritic to phonolitic in the 1631 magma chamber. We speculate that phonolitic tephrite magma refilling from deeper levels destabilised the chamber and triggered the eruption, as testified by the seismic precursor phenomena before 1631 unrest.

Magmatic controls on eruption dynamics of the 1950 yr B.P. eruption of San Antonio Volcano, Tacaná Volcanic Complex, Mexico-Guatemala

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Mora, Juan Carlos; Gardner, James Edward; Macías, José Luis; Meriggi, Lorenzo; Santo, Alba Patrizia

2013-07-01

San Antonio Volcano, in the Tacaná Volcanic Complex, erupted ~ 1950 yr. B.P., with a Pelean type eruption that produced andesitic pyroclastic surges and block-and-ash flows destroying part of the volcano summit and producing a horse-shoe shaped crater open to the SW. Between 1950 and 800 yr B.P. the eruption continued with effusive andesites followed by a dacite lava flow and a summit dome, all from a single magma batch. All products consist of phenocrysts and microphenocrysts of zoned plagioclase, amphibole, pyroxene, magnetite ± ilmenite, set in partially crystallized groundmass of glass and microlites of the same mineral phases, except for the lack of amphibole. Included in the andesitic blocks of the block-and-ash flow deposit are basaltic andesite enclaves with elongated and ellipsoidal forms and chilled margins. The enclaves have intersertal textures with brown glass between microphenocrysts of plagioclase, hornblende, pyroxene, and olivine, and minor proportions of phenocrysts of plagioclase, hornblende, and pyroxene. A compositional range obtained of blocks and enclaves resulted from mixing between andesite (866 °C ± 22) and basaltic andesite (enclaves, 932 °C ± 22), which may have triggered the explosive Pelean eruption. Vestiges of that mixing are preserved as complex compositional zones in plagioclase and clinopyroxene-rich reaction rims in amphibole in the andesite. Whole-rock chemistry, geothermometry, experimental petrology and modeling results suggest that after the mixing event the eruption tapped hybrid andesitic magma (≤ 900 °C) and ended with effusive dacitic magma (~ 825 °C), all of which were stored at ~ 200 MPa water pressure. A complex open-system evolution that involved crustal end-members best explains the generation of effusive dacite from the hybrid andesite. Amphibole in the dacite is rimmed by reaction products of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, and Fe-Ti oxides produced by decompression during ascent. Amphibole in the andesite

Bringing the world to a standstill: an investigation into the effects of a Novarupta scale volcanic eruption on today's aviation industry

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Welchman, R. A.

2010-12-01

Novarupta erupted in Alaska on 6th June 1912 and was the biggest of the 21st century. It erupted for 60 hours and sent an ash cloud over 32,000m into the air. People were stranded for several days, houses destroyed, villages abandoned and food supplies disrupted for a long period after the eruption. Ash was recorded to have travelled over 9,500km away in Africa, demonstrating potentially global impacts. The eruption occurred when Alaska had very little aviation industry, today however the airspace above Alaska is one of the busiest in the world. The eruption in Iceland in 2010 which disrupted the European airspace for several weeks and closed it completely for five days, brought to light just how disruptive a volcanic eruption can be, even in countries where volcanic activity is not considered a hazard. It was an expensive event for the aviation industry and caused much disruption. Simulations of a Katmai scale eruption were run in the ‘present-day’, using the PUFF ash fall model. Simulations were run for one week from the start the eruption. A ‘worst-case’ scenario is presented based on data from 2005-2009. It is a hypothetical eruption started on 17th January 2005 and it shows that ash is likely to cause havoc in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. At least 43 airports on average would be severely affected each day of the simulation, leading to several of the major air routes being affected. Where financial data is available, an estimated cost of this event is presented. A 500 hr simulation is presented to demonstrate the possible global effects that could occur within three weeks of an eruption. It shows ash being transported across the equator at high altitudes to the southern hemisphere in Asia as well as the whole of the northern hemisphere being engulfed. The complex implications an eruption like this would have on national and international infrastructures is presented. The results could aid further scientific studies, governmental bodies and

The source and longevity of sulfur in an Icelandic flood basalt eruption plume

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Ilyinskaya, Evgenia; Edmonds, Marie; Mather, Tamsin; Schmidt, Anja; Hartley, Margaret; Oppenheimer, Clive; Pope, Francis; Donovan, Amy; Sigmarsson, Olgeir; Maclennan, John; Shorttle, Oliver; Francis, Peter; Bergsson, Baldur; Barsotti, Sara; Thordarson, Thorvaldur; Bali, Eniko; Keller, Nicole; Stefansson, Andri

2015-04-01

The Holuhraun fissure eruption (Bárðarbunga volcanic system, central Iceland) has been ongoing since 31 August 2014 and is now the largest in Europe since the 1783-84 Laki event. For the first time in the modern age we have the opportunity to study at first hand the environmental impact of a flood basalt fissure eruption (>1 km3 lava). Flood basalt eruptions are one of the most hazardous volcanic scenarios in Iceland and have had enormous societal and economic consequences across the northern hemisphere in the past. The Laki eruption caused the deaths of >20% of the Icelandic population by environmental pollution and famine and potentially also increased European levels of mortality through air pollution by sulphur-bearing gas and aerosol. A flood basalt eruption was included in the UK National Risk Register in 2012 as one of the highest priority risks. The gas emissions from Holuhraun have been sustained since its beginning, repeatedly causing severe air pollution in populated areas in Iceland. During 18-22 September, SO2 fluxes reached 45 kt/day, a rate of outgassing rarely observed during sustained eruptions, suggesting that the sulfur loading per kg of erupted magma exceeds both that of other recent eruptions in Iceland and perhaps also other historic basaltic eruptions globally. This raises key questions regarding the origin of these prodigious quantities of sulphur. A lack of understanding of the source of this sulfur, the conversion rates of SO2 gas into aerosol, the residence times of aerosol in the plume and the dependence of these on meteorological factors is limiting our confidence in the ability of atmospheric models to forecast gas and aerosol concentrations in the near- and far-field from Icelandic flood basalt eruptions. In 2015 our group is undertaking a project funded by UK NERC urgency scheme to investigate several aspects of the sulfur budget at Holuhraun using a novel and powerful approach involving simultaneous tracking of sulfur and

Evolution of the 2015 Cotopaxi eruption revealed by combined geochemical & seismic observations

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Hidalgo, Silvana; Battaglia, Jean; Arellano, Santiago; Sierra, Daniel; Bernard, Benjamin; Parra, Rene; Kelly, Peter; Dinger, Florian; Barrington, Charlotte; Samaniego, Pablo

2018-01-01

Through integration of multiple data streams to monitor volcanic unrest scientists are able to make more robust eruption forecast and to obtain a more holistic interpretation of volcanic systems. We examined gas emission and gas geochemistry, seismic and petrologic data recorded during the 2015 unrest of Cotopaxi (Ecuador) in order to decipher the origin and temporal evolution of this eruption. Identification of families of similar seismic events and the use of seismic amplitude ratios reveals temporal changes in volcanic processes. SO2 (300 to 24000 t/d), BrO/SO2 (5-10 x10-5), SO2/HCl (5.8 ± 4.8 and 6.6 ± 3.0) and CO2/SO2 (0.6 to 2.1) measured throughout the eruption indicate a shallow magmatic source. Bulk ash and glass chemistry indicate a homogenous andesitic (SiO2 wt%=56.94 ± 0.25) magma having undergone extensive S-exsolution and degassing during ascent. These data lead us to interpret this eruption as a magma intrusion and ascend to shallow levels. The intrusion progressively interacted with the hydrothermal system, boiled off water, and produced hydromagmatic explosions. A small volume of this intrusion continued to fragment and produced episodic ash emissions until it was sufficiently degassed and rheologically stiff. Based on the 470 kt of measured SO2 we estimate that ~ 65.3 x106 m3 of magma were required to supply the emitted gases. This volume exceeds the volume of erupted juvenile material by a factor of 50. This result emphasizes the importance of careful monitoring of Cotopaxi to identify the intrusion of a new batch of magma, which could rejuvenate the non-erupted material.

Influences on the variability of eruption sequences and style transitions in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

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Kereszturi, Gábor; Németh, Károly; Cronin, Shane J.; Procter, Jonathan; Agustín-Flores, Javier

2014-10-01

Monogenetic basaltic volcanism is characterised by a complex array of eruptive behaviours, reflecting spatial and temporal variability of the magmatic properties (e.g. composition, eruptive volume, magma flux) as well as environmental factors at the vent site (e.g. availability of water, country rock geology, faulting). These combine to produce changes in eruption style over brief periods (minutes to days) in many eruption episodes. Monogenetic eruptions in some volcanic fields often start with a phreatomagmatic vent-opening phase that later transforms into "dry" magmatic explosive or effusive activity, with a strong variation in the duration and importance of this first phase. Such an eruption sequence pattern occurred in 83% of the known eruption in the 0.25 My-old Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF), New Zealand. In this investigation, the eruptive volumes were compared with the sequences of eruption styles preserved in the pyroclastic record at each volcano of the AVF, as well as environmental influencing factors, such as distribution and thickness of water-saturated semi- to unconsolidated sediments, topographic position, distances from known fault lines. The AVF showed that there is no correlation between ejecta ring volumes and environmental influencing factors that is valid for the entire AVF. In contrary, using a set of comparisons of single volcanoes with well-known and documented sequences, resultant eruption sequences could be explained by predominant patterns of the environment in which these volcanoes were erupted. Based on the spatial variability of these environmental factors, a first-order susceptibility hazard map was constructed for the AVF that forecasts areas of largest likelihood for phreatomagmatic eruptions by overlaying topographical and shallow geological information. Combining detailed phase-by-phase breakdowns of eruptive volumes and the event sequences of the AVF, along with the new susceptibility map, more realistic eruption scenarios can be

Ozone depletion following future volcanic eruptions

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Eric Klobas, J.; Wilmouth, David M.; Weisenstein, Debra K.; Anderson, James G.; Salawitch, Ross J.

2017-07-01

While explosive volcanic eruptions cause ozone loss in the current atmosphere due to an enhancement in the availability of reactive chlorine following the stratospheric injection of sulfur, future eruptions are expected to increase total column ozone as halogen loading approaches preindustrial levels. The timing of this shift in the impact of major volcanic eruptions on the thickness of the ozone layer is poorly known. Modeling four possible climate futures, we show that scenarios with the smallest increase in greenhouse gas concentrations lead to the greatest risk to ozone from heterogeneous chemical processing following future eruptions. We also show that the presence in the stratosphere of bromine from natural, very short-lived biogenic compounds is critically important for determining whether future eruptions will lead to ozone depletion. If volcanic eruptions inject hydrogen halides into the stratosphere, an effect not considered in current ozone assessments, potentially profound reductions in column ozone would result.

Improving global detection of volcanic eruptions using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. J. B. Flower

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Volcanic eruptions pose an ever-present threat to human populations around the globe, but many active volcanoes remain poorly monitored. In regions where ground-based monitoring is present the effects of volcanic eruptions can be moderated through observational alerts to both local populations and service providers, such as air traffic control. However, in regions where volcano monitoring is limited satellite-based remote sensing provides a global data source that can be utilised to provide near-real-time identification of volcanic activity. This paper details a volcanic plume detection method capable of identifying smaller eruptions than is currently feasible, which could potentially be incorporated into automated volcanic alert systems. This method utilises daily, global observations of sulfur dioxide (SO2 by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI on NASA's Aura satellite. Following identification and classification of known volcanic eruptions in 2005–2009, the OMI SO2 data, analysed using a logistic regression analysis, permitted the correct classification of volcanic events with an overall accuracy of over 80 %. Accurate volcanic plume identification was possible when lower-tropospheric SO2 loading exceeded ∼ 400 t. The accuracy and minimal user input requirements of the developed procedure provide a basis for incorporation into automated SO2 alert systems.

The 1902-3 eruptions of the Soufrière, St Vincent: Impacts, relief and response

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Pyle, David M.; Barclay, Jenni; Armijos, Maria Teresa

2018-05-01

Retrospective analysis of the contemporary colonial and scientific records of a major explosive eruption of the Soufrière of St Vincent from 1902 to 1903 reveals how this significant and prolonged event presented challenges to the authorities charged with managing the crisis and its aftermath. In a small-island setting vulnerable to multiple hazards, the spatial footprint of the volcanic hazard and the nature and intensity of the hazard effects were rather different to those of other recurrent hazards such as hurricanes. The eruption affected the same parts of the island that had been impacted by prior explosive eruptions in 1718 and 1812, and hurricanes in 1831 and 1898, with consequences that disproportionately affected those working in and around the large sugar estates. The official response to the eruption, both in terms of short-term relief and remediation, was significantly accelerated by the existence of mature plans for land-reform following the collapse of the sugar market, and ongoing plans for rebuilding in the aftermath of the destructive hurricane of 1898. The picture that this analysis helps to illuminate provides insights both into the nature of the particular eruptive episode, and the human and social response to that episode. This not only informs discussion and planning for future explosive eruptions on St Vincent, but provides important empirical evidence for building effective responses in similar multihazard contexts.

Snow and ice perturbation during historical volcanic eruptions and the formation of lahars and floods

Science.gov (United States)

Major, Jon J.; Newhall, Christopher G.

1989-10-01

Historical eruptions have produced lahars and floods by perturbing snow and ice at more than 40 volcanoes worldwide. Most of these volcanoes are located at latitudes higher than 35°; those at lower latitudes reach altitudes generally above 4000 m. Volcanic events can perturb mantles of snow and ice in at least five ways: (1) scouring and melting by flowing pyroclastic debris or blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, (2) surficial melting by lava flows, (3) basal melting of glacial ice or snow by subglacial eruptions or geothermal activity, (4) ejection of water by eruptions through a crater lake, and (5) deposition of tephra fall. Historical records of volcanic eruptions at snow-clad volcanoes show the following: (1) Flowing pyroclastic debris (pyroclastic flows and surges) and blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris are the most common volcanic events that generate lahars and floods; (2) Surficial lava flows generally cannot melt snow and ice rapidly enough to form large lahars or floods; (3) Heating the base of a glacier or snowpack by subglacial eruptions or by geothermal activity can induce basal melting that may result in ponding of water and lead to sudden outpourings of water or sediment-rich debris flows; (4) Tephra falls usually alter ablation rates of snow and ice but generally produce little meltwater that results in the formation of lahars and floods; (5) Lahars and floods generated by flowing pyroclastic debris, blasts of hot gases and pyroclastic debris, or basal melting of snow and ice commonly have volumes that exceed 105 m3. The glowing lava (pyroclastic flow) which flowed with force over ravines and ridges...gathered in the basin quickly and then forced downwards. As a result, tremendously wide and deep pathways in the ice and snow were made and produced great streams of water (Wolf 1878).

Constraining recent Shiveluch volcano eruptions (Kamchatka, Russia by means of dendrochronology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Solomina

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Shiveluch (N 56°38´, E 161°19´; elevation: active dome ~2500 m, summit of Old Shiveluch 3283 m is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka. The eruptions of Shiveluch commonly result in major environmental damage caused by debris avalanches, hot pyroclastic flows, tephra falls and lahars. Constraining these events in time and space is important for the understanding and prediction of these natural hazards. The last major eruption of Shiveluch occurred in 2005; earlier ones, dated by instrumental, historical, ¹⁴C and tephrochronological methods, occurred in the last millennium around AD 1030, 1430, 1650, 1739, 1790–1810, 1854, 1879–1883, 1897–1898, 1905, 1927–1929, 1944–1950, and 1964. A lava dome has been growing in the 1964 crater since 1980, occasionally producing tephra falls and pyroclastic flows. Several Shiveluch eruptions (~AD 1050, 1650, 1854, 1964 may have been climatically effective and are probably recorded in the Greenland ice cores.

Previously, most dates for eruptions before AD 1854 were obtained by tephrochronology and constrained by radiocarbon dating with an accuracy of several decades or centuries. In this paper we report tree-ring dates for a recent pyroclastic flow in Baidarnaia valley. Though the wood buried in these deposits is carbonized, fragile and poorly preserved, we were able to measure ring-width using standard tree-ring equipment or photographs and to cross-date these samples against the regional Kamchatka larch ring-width chronology. The dates of the outer rings indicate the date of the eruptions. In the Baidarnaia valley the eruption occurred shortly after AD 1756, but not later than AD 1758. This date coincides with the decrease of ring-width in trees growing near Shiveluch volcano in 1758–1763 in comparison with the control "non-volcanic" chronology. The pyroclastic flow in Kamenskaia valley, although similar in appearance to the one in Baidarnaia valley, definitively

Flux Cancellation Leading to CME Filament Eruptions

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Popescu, Roxana M.; Panesar, Navdeep K.; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.

2016-01-01

Solar filaments are strands of relatively cool, dense plasma magnetically suspended in the lower density hotter solar corona. They trace magnetic polarity inversion lines (PILs) in the photosphere below, and are supported against gravity at heights of up to approx.100 Mm above the chromosphere by the magnetic field in and around them. This field erupts when it is rendered unstable, often by magnetic flux cancellation or emergence at or near the PIL. We have studied the evolution of photospheric magnetic flux leading to ten observed filament eruptions. Specifically, we look for gradual magnetic changes in the neighborhood of the PIL prior to and during eruption. We use Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), both on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), to study filament eruptions and their photospheric magnetic fields. We examine whether flux cancellation or/and emergence leads to filament eruptions. We find that continuous flux cancellation was present at the PIL for many hours prior to each eruption. We present two CME-producing eruptions in detail and find the following: (a) the pre-eruption filament-holding core field is highly sheared and appears in the shape of a sigmoid above the PIL; (b) at the start of the eruption the opposite arms of the sigmoid reconnect in the middle above the site of (tether-cutting) flux cancellation at the PIL; (c) the filaments first show a slow-rise, followed by a fast-rise as they erupt. We conclude that these two filament eruptions result from flux cancellation in the middle of the sheared field, and thereafter evolve in agreement with the standard model for a CME/flare filament eruption from a closed bipolar magnetic field [flux cancellation (van Ballegooijen and Martens 1989 and Moore and Roumelrotis 1992) and runaway tether-cutting (Moore et. al 2001)].

Social and environmental impact of volcaniclastic flows related to 472 AD eruption at Vesuvius from stratigraphic and geoarcheological data

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Di Vito, Mauro A.; de Vita, Sandro; Rucco, Ilaria; Bini, Monica; Zanchetta, Giovanni; Aurino, Paola; Cesarano, Mario; Ebanista, Carlo; Rosi, Mauro; Ricciardi, Giovanni

2017-04-01

There is a growing number of evidences in the surrounding plain of Somma-Vesuvius volcano which indicate that along with primary volcanic processes (i.e. fallout, pyroclastic density currents) the syn-eruptive and post-eruptive volcaniclastic remobilization has severely impacted the ancient civilizations, which flourished in the area. This represents an important starting point for understanding the future hazard related to a potential (and not remote) renewal of volcanic activity of the Campaniana volcanoes. We present geoarcheological and stratigraphic data obtained from the analysis of more than 160 sections in the Campanian plain showing the widespread impact of volcaniclastic debris flows and floods originated from the rapid remobilization of the products of the AD 472 eruption of Somma-Vesuvius, both on the environment and on the human landscape. This eruption was one of the two sub-Plinian historical events of Somma Vesuvius. This event largely impacted the northern and eastern territory surrounding the volcano with deposition of a complex sequence of pyroclastic-fallout and -current deposits. These sequences were variably affected by syn- and post-eruptive mobilization both along the Somma-Vesuvius slopes and the Apennine valleys with the emplacement of thick mud- and debris-flows which strongly modified the preexisting paleogeography of the Plain with irretrievable damages to the agricultural and urban landscape. The multidisciplinary approach to the study of the sequences permitted to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment before the eruption and the timing of the emplacement of both pyroclastic and volcanoclastic deposits. The preexisting landscape was characterized by intense human occupation, although showing strong evidences of degradation and abandonment due to the progressive decline of the Roman Empire. The impact of volcaniclastic flows continued for decades after the eruption as highlighted in the studied sequences by stratigraphic and archaeologic

Estimation of hydrodinamics parameters in a volcanic fractured phreatic aquifer in Costa Rica. Part II. Double porosity model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macias, Julio; Vargas, Asdrubal

2017-01-01

MIM 1D transport model was successfully applied to simulate the asymmetric behavior observed in three breakthrough curves of tracer tests performed under natural gradient conditions in a phreatic fractured volcanic aquifer. The transport parameters obtained after adjustment with a computer program, suggest that only 50% of the total porosity effectively contributed to the advective-dispersive transport (mobile fraction) and the other 50% behaved as a temporary reservoir for the tracer (immobile fraction). The estimated values of hydraulic properties and MIM model parameters are within the range of values reported by other researchers. It was possible to establish a conceptual and numerical framework to explain the three-tracer tests curves behavior, despite the limitations in quality and quantity of available field information. (author) [es

Consequences of magma eruption dynamics: Intraflow variations in petrography and mineral chemistry within a single eruptive unit from Whitewater Canyon, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Ustunisik, G. K.; Nielsen, R. L.

2012-12-01

degassed. This is supported by the absence of amphibole phenocrysts in the first erupted, quenched samples. However, the presence of volatiles in glassy melt inclusions and phenocrysts suggests that the system had not completely degassed prior to the eruption. Also, the petrographic heterogeneity of the unit demonstrates that complete overturn and mixing did not happen at Mt. Jefferson. Therefore, eruption may have been triggered by the injection of mafic material; however, the petrographic and field evidence suggests that overturn is not required as part of that triggering event.

Recolonization of the intertidal and shallow subtidal community following the 2008 eruption of Alaska’s Kasatochi Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Jewett, S.C.; Drew, Gary S.

2014-01-01

The intertidal and nearshore benthic communities of Kasatochi Island are described following a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 2008. Prior to the eruption, the island was surrounded by a dense bed of canopy-forming dragon kelp Eualaria fistulosa which supported a productive nearshore community. The eruption extended the coastline of the island approximately 400 m offshore to roughly the 20 m isobath. One year following the eruption a reconnaissance survey found the intertidal zone devoid of life. Subtidally, the canopy kelp, as well as limited understory algal species and associated benthic fauna on the hard substratum, were buried by debris from the eruption. The resulting substrate was comprised almost entirely of medium and coarse sands with a depauperate benthic community. Comparisons of habitat and biological communities with other nearby Aleutian Islands and the Icelandic submarine volcanic eruption of Surtsey confirm dramatic reductions in flora and fauna consistent with the initial stages of recovery from a large-scale disturbance event. Four and five years following the eruption brief visits revealed dramatic intertidal and subtidal recolonization of the flora and fauna in some areas. Signs of nesting and fledging of young pigeon guillemots Cepphus columba suggest that the recovery of the nearshore biota may have begun affecting higher trophic levels. Recolonization or lack thereof was tied to bathymetric changes from coastal and nearshore erosion over the study period.

Inherited retarded eruption in the permanent dentition.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, P; Kotsaki, A

1997-01-01

The term retarded eruption, may be used in cases where eruption is inhibited, causing an interruption in the coordination of tooth formation and tooth eruption. The phenomenon may be local or general, and several etiological factors for retarded eruption have been listed, comprising a lack of space, ankylosis, cysts, supernumerary teeth, hormone and vitamin deficiencies and several developmental disturbances and syndromes. The present paper describes several cases of retarded eruption where no factors other than inheritance have been evident. So far 14 cases have been evaluated, 9 boys and 5 girls. In addition several cases have been registered among parents and grandparents of the probands. Typical features are: retarded eruption, defined as more than 3 SD beyond mean eruption figures, comprises all teeth in the permanent dentition, and in 5 cases also second primary molars. The chronology of tooth formation are within normal limits. Consequently the teeth finish development still laying deeply buried in the jaws, often in aberrant positions and with curves or hooks on the roots. When the teeth finally get the "signal" for eruption, 5-15 years beyond normal eruption time, they move rather quickly into right positions, despite the long eruption paths and the hooked roots. Permanent teeth without, as well as with predecessors, are affected. Extraction of predecessors does not seem to provoke eruption. The main features in management are to take care of the primary teeth, to improve-esthetics, and offer surgery and orthodontics when needed. Analyses of pedigrees indicates that the genetic transmittance may be autosomal dominant as both sexes are affected, about half of the siblings show the trait, and the trait shows continuity through generations.

Active Eruptions in the NE Lau Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Resing, J. A.; Embley, R. W.

2009-12-01

active eruptions to understand their impacts and modes of occurrence, yet these dynamic events have been difficult to capture. This response cruise produced new insights on submarine volcanism, including the first documented back-arc spreading center eruption, the first boninitic eruption, and the first observation of pillow lava formation in the deep sea, arguably one of Earth’s most common surface rock forms. The “rapidity” with which we were able to return to these sites aided in this success. The cruise on the R/V TG Thompson was funded by NSF through the R2K, MARGINS, and MGG programs, and by NOAA Ocean Exploration and PMEL. Over 37 letters of interest were submitted from the scientific community to join the cruise and/or to receive samples, from which a multidisciplinary team of petrologists, fluid chemists, oceanographers, geophysicists, and macro- and micro- biologists was assembled.

ECLIPSES DURING THE 2010 ERUPTION OF THE RECURRENT NOVA U SCORPII

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, Bradley E.; Pagnotta, Ashley; LaCluyze, Aaron P.; Reichart, Daniel E.; Ivarsen, Kevin M.; Haislip, Joshua B.; Nysewander, Melissa C.; Moore, Justin P.; Oksanen, Arto; Worters, Hannah L.; Sefako, Ramotholo R.; Mentz, Jaco; Dvorak, Shawn; Gomez, Tomas; Harris, Barbara G.; Henden, Arne A.; Tan, Thiam Guan; Templeton, Matthew; Allen, W. H.; Monard, Berto

2011-01-01

The eruption of the recurrent nova U Scorpii on 2010 January 28 is now the all-time best observed nova event. We report 36,776 magnitudes throughout its 67 day eruption, for an average of one measure every 2.6 minutes. This unique and unprecedented coverage is the first time that a nova has had any substantial amount of fast photometry. With this, two new phenomena have been discovered: the fast flares in the early light curve seen from days 9-15 (which have no proposed explanation) and the optical dips seen out of eclipse from days 41-61 (likely caused by raised rims of the accretion disk occulting the bright inner regions of the disk as seen over specific orbital phases). The expanding shell and wind cleared enough from days 12-15 so that the inner binary system became visible, resulting in the sudden onset of eclipses and the turn-on of the supersoft X-ray source. On day 15, a strong asymmetry in the out-of-eclipse light points to the existence of the accretion stream. The normal optical flickering restarts on day 24.5. For days 15-26, eclipse mapping shows that the optical source is spherically symmetric with a radius of 4.1 R ☉ . For days 26-41, the optical light is coming from a rim-bright disk of radius 3.4 R ☉ . For days 41-67, the optical source is a center-bright disk of radius 2.2 R ☉ . Throughout the eruption, the colors remain essentially constant. We present 12 eclipse times during eruption plus five just after the eruption.

ECLIPSES DURING THE 2010 ERUPTION OF THE RECURRENT NOVA U SCORPII

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Schaefer, Bradley E.; Pagnotta, Ashley [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States); LaCluyze, Aaron P.; Reichart, Daniel E.; Ivarsen, Kevin M.; Haislip, Joshua B.; Nysewander, Melissa C.; Moore, Justin P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Oksanen, Arto [Caisey Harlingten Observatory, Caracoles 166, San Pedro de Atacama (Chile); Worters, Hannah L.; Sefako, Ramotholo R. [South African Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, Cape Town (South Africa); Mentz, Jaco [Unit for Space Physics, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Dvorak, Shawn; Gomez, Tomas; Harris, Barbara G.; Henden, Arne A.; Tan, Thiam Guan; Templeton, Matthew [American Association of Variable Star Observers, 49 Bay State Road, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Allen, W. H. [Center for Backyard Astrophysics, Vintage Lane Observatory, RD 3, Blenheim (New Zealand); Monard, Berto [Center for Backyard Astrophysics, 538 W. 120th St., New York, NY 10027 (United States); and others

2011-12-01

The eruption of the recurrent nova U Scorpii on 2010 January 28 is now the all-time best observed nova event. We report 36,776 magnitudes throughout its 67 day eruption, for an average of one measure every 2.6 minutes. This unique and unprecedented coverage is the first time that a nova has had any substantial amount of fast photometry. With this, two new phenomena have been discovered: the fast flares in the early light curve seen from days 9-15 (which have no proposed explanation) and the optical dips seen out of eclipse from days 41-61 (likely caused by raised rims of the accretion disk occulting the bright inner regions of the disk as seen over specific orbital phases). The expanding shell and wind cleared enough from days 12-15 so that the inner binary system became visible, resulting in the sudden onset of eclipses and the turn-on of the supersoft X-ray source. On day 15, a strong asymmetry in the out-of-eclipse light points to the existence of the accretion stream. The normal optical flickering restarts on day 24.5. For days 15-26, eclipse mapping shows that the optical source is spherically symmetric with a radius of 4.1 R{sub Sun }. For days 26-41, the optical light is coming from a rim-bright disk of radius 3.4 R{sub Sun }. For days 41-67, the optical source is a center-bright disk of radius 2.2 R{sub Sun }. Throughout the eruption, the colors remain essentially constant. We present 12 eclipse times during eruption plus five just after the eruption.

A small-scale eruption leading to a blowout macrospicule jet in an on-disk coronal hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, Mitzi; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Gary, G. Allen

2014-01-01

We examine the three-dimensional magnetic structure and dynamics of a solar EUV-macrospicule jet that occurred on 2011 February 27 in an on-disk coronal hole. The observations are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The observations reveal that in this event, closed-field-carrying cool absorbing plasma, as in an erupting mini-filament, erupted and opened, forming a blowout jet. Contrary to some jet models, there was no substantial recently emerged, closed, bipolar-magnetic field in the base of the jet. Instead, over several hours, flux convergence and cancellation at the polarity inversion line inside an evolved arcade in the base apparently destabilized the entire arcade, including its cool-plasma-carrying core field, to undergo a blowout eruption in the manner of many standard-sized, arcade-blowout eruptions that produce a flare and coronal mass ejection. Internal reconnection made bright 'flare' loops over the polarity inversion line inside the blowing-out arcade field, and external reconnection of the blowing-out arcade field with an ambient open field made longer and dimmer EUV loops on the outside of the blowing-out arcade. That the loops made by the external reconnection were much larger than the loops made by the internal reconnection makes this event a new variety of blowout jet, a variety not recognized in previous observations and models of blowout jets.

A small-scale eruption leading to a blowout macrospicule jet in an on-disk coronal hole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, Mitzi; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L. [Space Science Office, ZP13, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Gary, G. Allen, E-mail: mitzi.adams@nasa.gov, E-mail: alphonse.sterling@nasa.gov, E-mail: ron.moore@nasa.gov, E-mail: gag0002@uah.edu [Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA. (United States)

2014-03-01

We examine the three-dimensional magnetic structure and dynamics of a solar EUV-macrospicule jet that occurred on 2011 February 27 in an on-disk coronal hole. The observations are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the SDO Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The observations reveal that in this event, closed-field-carrying cool absorbing plasma, as in an erupting mini-filament, erupted and opened, forming a blowout jet. Contrary to some jet models, there was no substantial recently emerged, closed, bipolar-magnetic field in the base of the jet. Instead, over several hours, flux convergence and cancellation at the polarity inversion line inside an evolved arcade in the base apparently destabilized the entire arcade, including its cool-plasma-carrying core field, to undergo a blowout eruption in the manner of many standard-sized, arcade-blowout eruptions that produce a flare and coronal mass ejection. Internal reconnection made bright 'flare' loops over the polarity inversion line inside the blowing-out arcade field, and external reconnection of the blowing-out arcade field with an ambient open field made longer and dimmer EUV loops on the outside of the blowing-out arcade. That the loops made by the external reconnection were much larger than the loops made by the internal reconnection makes this event a new variety of blowout jet, a variety not recognized in previous observations and models of blowout jets.

From Emergence to Eruption: The Physics and Diagnostics of Solar Active Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Mark

2017-08-01

The solar photosphere is continuously seeded by the emergence of magnetic fields from the solar interior. In turn, photospheric evolution shapes the magnetic terrain in the overlying corona. Magnetic fields in the corona store the energy needed to power coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares. In this talk, we recount a physics-based narrative of solar eruptive events from cradle to grave, from emergence to eruption, from evaporation to condensation. We review the physical processes which are understood to transport magnetic flux from the interior to the surface, inject free energy and twist into the corona, disentangle the coronal field to permit explosive energy release, and subsequently convert the released energy into observable signatures. Along the way, we review observational diagnostics used to constrain theories of active region evolution and eruption. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges enabled by the large existing repository of solar observations. We argue that the synthesis of physics and diagnostics embodied in (1) data-driven modeling and (2) machine learning efforts will be an accelerating agent for scientific discovery.

Reduced cooling following future volcanic eruptions

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Hopcroft, Peter O.; Kandlbauer, Jessy; Valdes, Paul J.; Sparks, R. Stephen J.

2017-11-01

Volcanic eruptions are an important influence on decadal to centennial climate variability. Large eruptions lead to the formation of a stratospheric sulphate aerosol layer which can cause short-term global cooling. This response is modulated by feedback processes in the earth system, but the influence from future warming has not been assessed before. Using earth system model simulations we find that the eruption-induced cooling is significantly weaker in the future state. This is predominantly due to an increase in planetary albedo caused by increased tropospheric aerosol loading with a contribution from associated changes in cloud properties. The increased albedo of the troposphere reduces the effective volcanic aerosol radiative forcing. Reduced sea-ice coverage and hence feedbacks also contribute over high-latitudes, and an enhanced winter warming signal emerges in the future eruption ensemble. These findings show that the eruption response is a complex function of the environmental conditions, which has implications for the role of eruptions in climate variability in the future and potentially in the past.

The Tarawera eruption, Lake Rotomahana, and the origin of the Pink and White Terraces

Science.gov (United States)

Keam, Ronald F.

2016-03-01

This chapter introduces the historical and geographical background for the scientific studies at Tarawera and Lake Rotomahana in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand as detailed in this Special Issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. It also presents the results of some original investigations. These are based partly on the large body of historical information that exists about the 1886 Tarawera eruption and the geothermal system at Rotomahana, and partly on the results of dedicated geological studies by other researchers within the Okataina Volcanic Centre where the historical events took place. Specifically, the new material here presented includes a detailed analysis of a previously almost neglected narrative by the only observer to witness the 1886 eruption from the southeast of the erupting craters and leave an account of his observations. The importance of a co-operative interplay between pre-existing tectonic deformation and its responses to strong seismic activity induced by magmatic intrusion is emphasised as being a major determinant in the course of the eruption, and as the main trigger of the eruption explosions that were audible throughout half of the land area of New Zealand. The chapter then concentrates on showing how the recent geological studies, in conjunction with ideas on the architecture of geysers, permit an explanation to be given as to how the unique Pink and White Terraces came to be formed.

Complicated lichenoid drug eruption.

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Armour, Katherine; Lowe, Patricia

2005-02-01

We report a case of severe lichenoid drug eruption with multiple possible causative agents. A hepatitis C-positive male presented with a short history of painful erosions of the vermilion, lichenoid lesions on the buccal mucosa and glans penis, and erosions and lichenification of the scrotum. In addition, he had a pruritic polymorphic eruption over the scalp, trunk and limbs, comprising psoriasiform and eczematous lesions. He had received combination therapy of pegylated interferon-alpha-2a and ribavirin, along with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for interferon-induced leucopenia, and propranolol for portal hypertension. The former three agents were ceased 3 weeks prior to presentation, but he remained on propranolol at the initial dermatology consultation. The polymorphous clinical picture was consistent with lichenoid drug eruption, which was confirmed on histology. The papulosquamous eruption responded quickly to 2 weeks of oral prednisone 25 mg daily, which was tapered to 1 mg over 3 months and then ceased. The mucosal lesions were slow to improve and required the addition of tacrolimus 0.03% solution t.d.s. for complete resolution.

An extreme ultraviolet wave associated with a failed eruption observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory

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Zheng, R.; Jiang, Y.; Yang, J.; Bi, Y.; Hong, J.; Yang, B.; Yang, D.

2012-05-01

Aims: Taking advantage of the high temporal and spatial resolution of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observations, we present an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wave associated with a failed filament eruption that generated no coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2011 March 1. We aim at understanding the nature and origin of this EUV wave. Methods: Combining the high-quality observations in the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona, we studied the characteristics of the wave and its relations to the associated eruption. Results: The event occurred at an ephemeral region near a small active region. The continuous magnetic flux cancelation in the ephemeral region produced pre-eruption brightenings and two EUV jets, and excited the filament eruption, accompanying it with a microflare. After the eruption, the filament material appeared far from the eruption center, and the ambient loops seemed to be intact. It was evident that the filament eruption had failed and was not associated with a CME. The wave happened just after the north jet arrived, and apparently emanated ahead of the north jet, far from the eruption center. The wave propagated at nearly constant velocities in the range of 260-350 km s-1, with a slight negative acceleration in the last phase. Remarkably, the wave continued to propagate, and a loop in its passage was intact when wave and loop met. Conclusions: Our analysis confirms that the EUV wave is a true wave, which we interpret as a fast-mode wave. In addition, the close temporal and spatial relationship between the wave and the jet provides evidence that the wave was likely triggered by the jet when the CME failed to happen. Three movies are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Erupted Compound Odontomas: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avinash Tejasvi M.L.

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The tumors in which odontogenic differentiation is fully expressed are the odontomas. Odontomas are considered as hamartomas rather than a true neoplasm. These tumors are composed of enamel, dentine, cementum and pulp tissue. It is most commonly associated with the eruption of the teeth. They are usually discovered on routine radiographic examination. In exceptional cases, the odontoma erupts in to the mouth. Nine cases of erupted compound odontomas are reported in the English literature, and the present paper reports another case of an erupted compound odontoma in a 22-year-old female patient.

Communicating likelihoods and probabilities in forecasts of volcanic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Emma E. H.; McClure, John; Johnston, David M.; Paton, Douglas

2014-02-01

The issuing of forecasts and warnings of natural hazard events, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquake aftershock sequences and extreme weather often involves the use of probabilistic terms, particularly when communicated by scientific advisory groups to key decision-makers, who can differ greatly in relative expertise and function in the decision making process. Recipients may also differ in their perception of relative importance of political and economic influences on interpretation. Consequently, the interpretation of these probabilistic terms can vary greatly due to the framing of the statements, and whether verbal or numerical terms are used. We present a review from the psychology literature on how the framing of information influences communication of these probability terms. It is also unclear as to how people rate their perception of an event's likelihood throughout a time frame when a forecast time window is stated. Previous research has identified that, when presented with a 10-year time window forecast, participants viewed the likelihood of an event occurring ‘today’ as being of less than that in year 10. Here we show that this skew in perception also occurs for short-term time windows (under one week) that are of most relevance for emergency warnings. In addition, unlike the long-time window statements, the use of the phrasing “within the next…” instead of “in the next…” does not mitigate this skew, nor do we observe significant differences between the perceived likelihoods of scientists and non-scientists. This finding suggests that effects occurring due to the shorter time window may be ‘masking’ any differences in perception due to wording or career background observed for long-time window forecasts. These results have implications for scientific advice, warning forecasts, emergency management decision-making, and public information as any skew in perceived event likelihood towards the end of a forecast time window may result in

Soil radon concentration and volcanic activity of Mt. Etna before and after the 2002 eruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imme, G.; La Delfa, S.; Lo Nigro, S.; Morelli, D.; Patane, G.

2006-01-01

Soil radon investigation, using a continuous measurement device, has been performed on Mt. Etna in order to observe possible anomalies due to seismic and/or volcanic activity. In October 2002 an eruptive event occurred. Measurements, performed on the NE flank, have shown a possible correlation between eruptive activity of the volcano and soil radon concentration anomaly. The study of the seismic activity recorded in the same flank has, also, allowed to characterize the volcano dynamics and to correlate it with the variations of radon. The obtained results seem to indicate a possible dependence on volcanic activity of the radon concentration

Sulphur-rich volcanic eruptions and stratospheric aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Rampino, M. R.; Self, S.

1984-01-01

Data from direct measurements of stratospheric optical depth, Greenland ice-core acidity, and volcanological studies are compared, and it is shown that relatively small but sulfur-rich volcanic eruptions can have atmospheric effects equal to or even greater than much larger sulfur-poor eruptions. These small eruptions are probably the most frequent cause of increased stratospheric aerosols. The possible sources of the excess sulfur released in these eruptions are discussed.

Eruptions from the Sun

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-11-01

The Sun often exhibits outbursts, launching material from its surface in powerful releases of energy. Recent analysis of such an outburst captured on video by several Sun-monitoring spacecraft may help us understand the mechanisms that launch these eruptions.Many OutburstsSolar jets are elongated, transient structures that are thought to regularly release magnetic energy from the Sun, contributing to coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), on the other hand, are enormous blob-like explosions, violently ejecting energy and mass from the Sun at incredible speeds.But could these two types of events actually be related? According to a team of scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China, they may well be. The team, led by Jiajia Liu, has analyzed observations of a coronal jet that they believe prompted the launch of a powerful CME.Observing an ExplosionGif of a movie of the CME, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatorys Atmospheric Imaging Assembly at a wavelength of 304. The original movie can be found in the article. [Liu et al.]An army of spacecraft was on hand to witness the event on 15 Jan 2013 including the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). The instruments on board these observatories captured the drama on the northern limb of the Sun as, at 19:32 UT, a coronal jet formed. Just eight minutes later, a powerful CME was released from the same active region.The fact that the jet and CME occurred in the same place at roughly the same time suggests theyre related. But did the initial motions of the CME blob trigger the jet? Or did the jet trigger the CME?Tying It All TogetherIn a recently published study, Liu and collaborators analyzed the multi-wavelength observations of this event to find the heights and positions of the jet and CME. From this analysis, they determined that the coronal jet triggered the release

Earthquake-induced static stress change on magma pathway in promoting the 2012 Copahue eruption

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Bonali, F. L.

2013-11-01

It was studied how tectonic earthquake-induced static stress changes could have contributed to favouring the 22 December 2012 major eruption at Copahue volcano, Chile. Numerical modelling indicates that the vertical N60°E-striking magma pathway below Copahue was affected by a normal stress reduction induced by the Mw 8.8 Chile earthquake of 27 February 2010. A sensitivity analysis suggests that N-, NE- and E-striking vertical planes are affected by normal stress decrease (maximum at the NE-striking plane), and that also a possible inclined N60°E plane is affected by this reduction. Copahue did not have any magmatic event since 2000. Seismic signals of awakening started in April 2012 and the first volcanic event occurred on July 2012. Thus, it is here suggested a possible earthquake-induced feedback effect on the crust below the volcanic arc up to at least 3 years after a large subduction earthquake, favouring new eruptions.

Degassing behavior of Mt. Etna volcano (Italy) before and during the 2008-2009 eruption, inferred from crater plume and soil gas measurements

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Salerno, Giuseppe; La Spina, Alessandro; Giammanco, Salvatore; Burton, Michael; Caltabiano, Tommaso; Murè, Filippo; Randazzo, Daniele; Lopez, Manuela; Bruno, Nicola; Longo, Vincenza

2010-05-01

The evolution of magmatic degassing that preceded and accompanied the 2008-2009 Mt. Etna eruption was monitored by using a combination of: i) near-daily SO2 flux measurements; ii) calculated HCl and HF fluxes, obtained combining the daily SO2 flux values with discrete FTIR measurements of SO2/HCl and SO2/HF molar ratios; iii) periodic soil CO2 flux measurements. Thanks to the differential release of magmatic gas species from an ascending magma body we were able to track the magma transfer process in the volcano plumbing system from depth (gas-rich magma ascending and degassing via the central conduit system prior to eruption at the peripheral SEC. Conversely, the 15 month long 2008-09 eruption event was characterized by quasi steady state magma supply. The calculated volume of magma required to produce the observed SO2 flux during the 2008-2009 eruption closely matches the volume of erupted magma. This "eruptive" steady-state would indicate an almost perfect process of magma migration and eruption at the surface, without substantial storage within the volcano plumbing system.

Frictional-faulting model for harmonic tremor before Redoubt Volcano eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Dmitrieva, Ksenia; Hotovec-Ellis, Alicia J.; Prejean, Stephanie G.; Dunham, Eric M.

2013-01-01

Seismic unrest, indicative of subsurface magma transport and pressure changes within fluid-filled cracks and conduits, often precedes volcanic eruptions. An intriguing form of volcano seismicity is harmonic tremor, that is, sustained vibrations in the range of 0.5–5 Hz. Many source processes can generate harmonic tremor. Harmonic tremor in the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, has been linked to repeating earthquakes of magnitudes around 0.5–1.5 that occur a few kilometres beneath the vent. Before many explosions in that eruption, these small earthquakes occurred in such rapid succession—up to 30 events per second—that distinct seismic wave arrivals blurred into continuous, high-frequency tremor. Tremor abruptly ceased about 30 s before the explosions. Here we introduce a frictional-faulting model to evaluate the credibility and implications of this tremor mechanism. We find that the fault stressing rates rise to values ten orders of magnitude higher than in typical tectonic settings. At that point, inertial effects stabilize fault sliding and the earthquakes cease. Our model of the Redoubt Volcano observations implies that the onset of volcanic explosions is preceded by active deformation and extreme stressing within a localized region of the volcano conduit, at a depth of several kilometres.

Characterization of pyroclastic deposits and pre-eruptive soils following the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Island Volcano, Alaska

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Wang, B.; Michaelson, G.; Ping, C.-L.; Plumlee, G.; Hageman, P.

2010-01-01

The 78 August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Island volcano blanketed the island in newly generated pyroclastic deposits and deposited ash into the ocean and onto nearby islands. Concentrations of water soluble Fe, Cu, and Zn determined from a 1:20 deionized water leachate of the ash were sufficient to provide short-term fertilization of the surface ocean. The 2008 pyroclastic deposits were thicker in concavities at bases of steeper slopes and thinner on steep slopes and ridge crests. By summer 2009, secondary erosion had exposed the pre-eruption soils along gulley walls and in gully bottoms on the southern and eastern slopes, respectively. Topographic and microtopographic position altered the depositional patterns of the pyroclastic flows and resulted in pre-eruption soils being buried by as little as 1 m of ash. The different erosion patterns gave rise to three surfaces on which future ecosystems will likely develop: largely pre-eruptive soils; fresh pyroclastic deposits influenced by shallowly buried, pre-eruptive soil; and thick (>1 m) pyroclastic deposits. As expected, the chemical composition differed between the pyroclastic deposits and the pre-eruptive soils. Pre-eruptive soils hold stocks of C and N important for establishing biota that are lacking in the fresh pyroclastic deposits. The pyroclastic deposits are a source for P and K but have negligible nutrient holding capacity, making these elements vulnerable to leaching loss. Consequently, the pre-eruption soils may also represent an important long-term P and K source. ?? 2010 Regents of the University of Colorado.

An Aboriginal Australian Record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae

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Hamacher, Duane W.; Frew, David J.

2010-11-01

We present evidence that the Boorong Aboriginal people of northwestern Victoria observed the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae in the nineteenth century and incorporated this event into their oral traditions. We identify this star, as well as others not specifically identified by name, using descriptive material presented in the 1858 paper by William Edward Stanbridge in conjunction with early southern star catalogues. This identification of a transient astronomical event supports the assertion that Aboriginal oral traditions are dynamic and evolving, and not static. This is the only definitive indigenous record of Eta Carinae's outburst identified in the literature to date.

ENERGY RELEASE FROM IMPACTING PROMINENCE MATERIAL FOLLOWING THE 2011 JUNE 7 ERUPTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert, H. R.; Inglis, A. R.; Mays, M. L.; Ofman, L.; Thompson, B. J.; Young, C. A. [Solar Physics Laboratory, Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2013-10-10

Solar filaments exhibit a range of eruptive-like dynamic activity, ranging from the full or partial eruption of the filament mass and surrounding magnetic structure as a coronal mass ejection to a fully confined or failed eruption. On 2011 June 7, a dramatic partial eruption of a filament was observed by multiple instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory. One of the interesting aspects of this event is the response of the solar atmosphere as non-escaping material falls inward under the influence of gravity. The impact sites show clear evidence of brightening in the observed extreme ultraviolet wavelengths due to energy release. Two plausible physical mechanisms for explaining the brightening are considered: heating of the plasma due to the kinetic energy of impacting material compressing the plasma, or reconnection between the magnetic field of low-lying loops and the field carried by the impacting material. By analyzing the emission of the brightenings in several SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly wavelengths, and comparing the kinetic energy of the impacting material (7.6 × 10{sup 26}-5.8 × 10{sup 27} erg) to the radiative energy (≈1.9 × 10{sup 25}-2.5 × 10{sup 26} erg), we find the dominant mechanism of energy release involved in the observed brightening is plasma compression.

Energy Release from Impacting Prominence Material Following the 2011 June 7 Eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, H. R.; Inglis, A. R.; Mays, M. L.; Ofman, L.; Thompson, B. J.; Young, C. A.

2013-01-01

Solar filaments exhibit a range of eruptive-like dynamic activity, ranging from the full or partial eruption of the filament mass and surrounding magnetic structure as a coronal mass ejection to a fully confined or failed eruption. On 2011 June 7, a dramatic partial eruption of a filament was observed by multiple instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory. One of the interesting aspects of this event is the response of the solar atmosphere as non-escaping material falls inward under the influence of gravity. The impact sites show clear evidence of brightening in the observed extreme ultraviolet wavelengths due to energy release. Two plausible physical mechanisms for explaining the brightening are considered: heating of the plasma due to the kinetic energy of impacting material compressing the plasma, or reconnection between the magnetic field of low-lying loops and the field carried by the impacting material. By analyzing the emission of the brightenings in several SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly wavelengths, and comparing the kinetic energy of the impacting material (7.6 × 10(exp 26) - 5.8 × 10(exp 27) erg) to the radiative energy (approx. 1.9 × 10(exp 25) - 2.5 × 10(exp 26) erg), we find the dominant mechanism of energy release involved in the observed brightening is plasma compression.

Gas flushing through hyper-acidic crater lakes: the next steps within a reframed monitoring time window

Science.gov (United States)

Rouwet, Dmitri

2016-04-01

Tracking variations in the chemical composition, water temperature and pH of brines from peak-activity crater lakes is the most obvious way to forecast phreatic activity. Volcano monitoring intrinsically implies a time window of observation that should be synchronised with the kinetics of magmatic processes, such as degassing and magma intrusion. To decipher "how much time ago" a variation in degassing regime actually occurred before eventually being detected in a crater lake is key, and depends on the lake water residence time. The above reasoning assumes that gas is preserved as anions in the lake water (SO4, Cl, F anions), in other words, that scrubbing of acid gases is complete and irreversible. Less is true. Recent work has confirmed, by direct MultiGas measurement from evaporative plumes, that even the strongest acid in liquid medium (i.e. SO2) degasses from hyper-acidic crater lakes. The less strong acid HCl has long been recognised as being more volatile than hydrophyle in extremely acidic solutions (pH near 0), through a long-term steady increase in SO4/Cl ratios in the vigorously evaporating crater lake of Poás volcano. We now know that acidic gases flush through hyper-acidic crater lake brines, but we don't know to which extend (completely or partially?), and with which speed. The chemical composition hence only reflects a transient phase of the gas flushing through the lake. In terms of volcanic surveillance this brings the advantage that the monitoring time window is definitely shorter than defined by the water chemistry, but yet, we do not know how much shorter. Empirical experiments by Capaccioni et al. (in press) have tried to tackle this kinetic problem for HCl degassing from a "lab-lake" on the short-term (2 days). With this state of the art in mind, two new monitoring strategies can be proposed to seek for precursory signals of phreatic eruptions from crater lakes: (1) Tracking variations in gas compositions, fluxes and ratios between species in

Rapid laccolith intrusion driven by explosive volcanic eruption.

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Jonathan M; Cordonnier, Benoit; Schipper, C Ian; Tuffen, Hugh; Baumann, Tobias S; Feisel, Yves

2016-11-23

Magmatic intrusions and volcanic eruptions are intimately related phenomena. Shallow magma intrusion builds subsurface reservoirs that are drained by volcanic eruptions. Thus, the long-held view is that intrusions must precede and feed eruptions. Here we show that explosive eruptions can also cause magma intrusion. We provide an account of a rapidly emplaced laccolith during the 2011 rhyolite eruption of Cordón Caulle, Chile. Remote sensing indicates that an intrusion began after eruption onset and caused severe (>200 m) uplift over 1 month. Digital terrain models resolve a laccolith-shaped body ∼0.8 km 3 . Deformation and conduit flow models indicate laccolith depths of only ∼20-200 m and overpressures (∼1-10 MPa) that likely stemmed from conduit blockage. Our results show that explosive eruptions may rapidly force significant quantities of magma in the crust to build laccoliths. These iconic intrusions can thus be interpreted as eruptive features that pose unique and previously unrecognized volcanic hazards.

Velocity variations associated with the large 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano, Java, retrieved from seismic multiplets and ambient noise cross-correlation

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Budi-Santoso, Agus; Lesage, Philippe

2016-07-01

We present a study of the seismic velocity variations that occurred in the structure before the large 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano. For the first time to our knowledge, the technique of coda wave interferometry is applied to both families of similar events (multiplets) and to correlation functions of seismic noise. About half of the seismic events recorded at the summit stations belong to one of the ten multiplets identified, including 120 similar events that occurred in the last 20 hr preceding the eruption onset. Daily noise cross-correlation functions (NCF) were calculated for the six pairs of short-period stations available. Using the stretching method, we estimate time-series of apparent velocity variation (AVV) for each multiplet and each pair of stations. No significant velocity change is detected until September 2010. From 10 October to the beginning of the eruption on 26 October, a complex pattern of AVV is observed with amplitude of up to ±1.5 per cent. Velocity decrease is first observed from families of deep events and then from shallow earthquakes. In the same period, AVV with different signs and chronologies are estimated from NCF calculated for various station pairs. The location in the horizontal plane of the velocity perturbations related with the AVV obtained from NCF is estimated by using an approach based on the radiative transfer approximation. Although their spatial resolution is limited, the resulting maps display velocity decrease in the upper part of the edifice in the period 12-25 October. After the eruption onset, the pattern of velocity perturbations is significantly modified with respect to the previous one. We interpret these velocity variations in the framework of a scenario of magmatic intrusion that integrates most observations. The perturbation of the stress field associated with the magma migration can induce both decrease and increase of the seismic velocity of rocks. Thus the detected AVVs can be considered as precursors of

2014 volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

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Cameron, Cheryl E.; Dixon, James P.; Neal, Christina A.; Waythomas, Christopher F.; Schaefer, Janet R.; McGimsey, Robert G.

2017-09-07

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 18 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2014. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of intermittent ash eruptions from long-active Cleveland and Shishaldin Volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands, and two eruptive episodes at Pavlof Volcano on the Alaska Peninsula. Semisopochnoi and Akutan volcanoes had seismic swarms, both likely the result of magmatic intrusion. The AVO also installed seismometers and infrasound instruments at Mount Cleveland during 2014.

Historical tephra-stratigraphy of the Cosiguina Volcano (Western Nicaragua)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hradecky, Petr; Rapprich, Vladislav

2008-01-01

New detailed geological field studies and 14 C dating of the Cosiguina Volcano (westernmost Nicaragua) have allowed to reconstruct a geological map of the volcano and to establish a recent stratigraphy, including three historical eruptions. Five major sequences are represented. I: pyroclastic flows around 1500 AD, II: pyroclastic flows, scoria and pumice flows and surges, III: pyroclastic deposits related to a littoral crater, IV: pyroclastic flows related to 1709 AD eruption, and finally, V: pyroclastic deposits corresponding to the cataclysmic 1835 AD phreatic, phreatomagmatic and subplinian eruption, which seems to be relatively small-scale in comparison with the preceding historical eruptions. The pulsating geochemical character of the pyroclastic rocks in the last five centuries has been documented. The beginning of every eruption is marked by increasing contents of silica and Zr. Based on that, regardless of present-day volcanic repose, the entire Cosiguina Peninsula should be considered as a very hazardous volcanic area. (author)

Estimating rates of decompression from textures of erupted ash particles produced by 1999-2006 eruptions of Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Heather M.N.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Mothes, Patricia A.; Hall, Minard L.; Ruiz, Andrés Gorki; Le Pennec, Jean-Luc

2012-01-01

Persistent low- to moderate-level eruptive activity of andesitic volcanoes is difficult to monitor because small changes in magma supply rates may cause abrupt transitions in eruptive style. As direct measurement of magma supply is not possible, robust techniques for indirect measurements must be developed. Here we demonstrate that crystal textures of ash particles from 1999 to 2006 Vulcanian and Strombolian eruptions of Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador, provide quantitative information about the dynamics of magma ascent and eruption that is difficult to obtain from other monitoring approaches. We show that the crystallinity of erupted ash particles is controlled by the magma supply rate (MSR); ash erupted during periods of high magma supply is substantially less crystalline than during periods of low magma supply. This correlation is most easily explained by efficient degassing at very low pressures (<<50 MPa) and degassing-driven crystallization controlled by the time available prior to eruption. Our data also suggest that the observed transition from intermittent Vulcanian explosions at low MSR to more continuous periods of Strombolian eruptions and lava fountains at high MSR can be explained by the rise of bubbles through (Strombolian) or trapping of bubbles beneath (Vulcanian) vent-capping, variably viscous (and crystalline) magma.

Winter warming from large volcanic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Robock, Alan; Mao, Jianping

1992-01-01

An examination of the Northern Hemisphere winter surface temperature patterns after the 12 largest volcanic eruptions from 1883-1992 shows warming over Eurasia and North America and cooling over the Middle East which are significant at the 95-percent level. This pattern is found in the first winter after tropical eruptions, in the first or second winter after midlatitude eruptions, and in the second winter after high latitude eruptions. The effects are independent of the hemisphere of the volcanoes. An enhanced zonal wind driven by heating of the tropical stratosphere by the volcanic aerosols is responsible for the regions of warming, while the cooling is caused by blocking of incoming sunlight.

Explosive Volcanic Eruptions from Linear Vents on Earth, Venus and Mars: Comparisons with Circular Vent Eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Glaze, Lori S.; Baloga, Stephen M.; Wimert, Jesse

2010-01-01

Conditions required to support buoyant convective plumes are investigated for explosive volcanic eruptions from circular and linear vents on Earth, Venus, and Mars. Vent geometry (linear versus circular) plays a significant role in the ability of an explosive eruption to sustain a buoyant plume. On Earth, linear and circular vent eruptions are both capable of driving buoyant plumes to equivalent maximum rise heights, however, linear vent plumes are more sensitive to vent size. For analogous mass eruption rates, linear vent plumes surpass circular vent plumes in entrainment efficiency approximately when L(sub o) > 3r(sub o) owing to the larger entrainment area relative to the control volume. Relative to circular vents, linear vents on Venus favor column collapse and the formation of pyroclastic flows because the range of conditions required to establish and sustain buoyancy is narrow. When buoyancy can be sustained, however, maximum plume heights exceed those from circular vents. For current atmospheric conditions on Mars, linear vent eruptions are capable of injecting volcanic material slightly higher than analogous circular vent eruptions. However, both geometries are more likely to produce pyroclastic fountains, as opposed to convective plumes, owing to the low density atmosphere. Due to the atmospheric density profile and water content on Earth, explosive eruptions enjoy favorable conditions for producing sustained buoyant columns, while pyroclastic flows would be relatively more prevalent on Venus and Mars. These results have implications for the injection and dispersal of particulates into the planetary atmosphere and the ability to interpret the geologic record of planetary volcanism.

The Campanian Ignimbrite Eruption: New Data on Volcanic Ash Dispersal and Its Potential Impact on Human Evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E.; Hambach, Ulrich; Veres, Daniel; Iovita, Radu

2013-01-01

The Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) volcanic eruption was the most explosive in Europe in the last 200,000 years. The event coincided with the onset of an extremely cold climatic phase known as Heinrich Event 4 (HE4) approximately 40,000 years ago. Their combined effect may have exacerbated the severity of the climate through positive feedbacks across Europe and possibly globally. The CI event is of particular interest not only to investigate the role of volcanism on climate forcing and palaeoenvironments, but also because its timing coincides with the arrival into Europe of anatomically modern humans, the demise of Neanderthals, and an associated major shift in lithic technology. At this stage, however, the degree of interaction between these factors is poorly known, based on fragmentary and widely dispersed data points. In this study we provide important new data from Eastern Europe which indicate that the magnitude of the CI eruption and impact of associated distal ash (tephra) deposits may have been substantially greater than existing models suggest. The scale of the eruption is modelled by tephra distribution and thickness, supported by local data points. CI ashfall extends as far as the Russian Plain, Eastern Mediterranean and northern Africa. However, modelling input is limited by very few data points in Eastern Europe. Here we investigate an unexpectedly thick CI tephra deposit in the southeast Romanian loess steppe, positively identified using geochemical and geochronological analyses. We establish the tephra as a widespread primary deposit, which blanketed the topography both thickly and rapidly, with potentially catastrophic impacts on local ecosystems. Our discovery not only highlights the need to reassess models for the magnitude of the eruption and its role in climatic transition, but also suggests that it may have substantially influenced hominin population and subsistence dynamics in a region strategic for human migration into Europe. PMID:23799050

THE 2012 JULY 23 BACKSIDE ERUPTION: AN EXTREME ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENT?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gopalswamy, N. [Code 671, Solar Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Yashiro, S.; Thakur, N.; Mäkelä, P.; Xie, H.; Akiyama, S., E-mail: nat.gopalswamy@nasa.gov [Department of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064 (United States)

2016-12-20

The backside coronal mass ejection (CME) of 2012 July 23 had a short Sun-to-Earth shock transit time (18.5 hr). The associated solar energetic particle (SEP) event had a >10 MeV proton flux peaking at ∼5000 pfu, and the energetic storm particle event was an order of magnitude larger, making it the most intense event in the space era at these energies. By a detailed analysis of the CME, shock, and SEP characteristics, we find that the July 23 event is consistent with a high-energy SEP event (accelerating particles to gigaelectronvolt energies). The times of maximum and fluence spectra in the range 10–100 MeV were very hard, similar to those of ground-level enhancement (GLE) events. We found a hierarchical relationship between the CME initial speeds and the fluence spectral indices: CMEs with low initial speeds had SEP events with the softest spectra, while those with the highest initial speeds had SEP events with the hardest spectra. CMEs attaining intermediate speeds result in moderately hard spectra. The July 23 event was in the group of hard-spectrum events. During the July 23 event, the shock speed (>2000 km s{sup −1}), the initial acceleration (∼1.70 km s{sup −2}), and the shock-formation height (∼1.5 solar radii) were all typical of GLE events. The associated type II burst had emission components from meter to kilometer wavelengths, suggesting a strong shock. These observations confirm that the 2012 July 23 event is likely to be an extreme event in terms of the energetic particles it accelerated.

The link between multistep magma ascent and eruption intensity: examples from the recent activity of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion Island).

Science.gov (United States)

Di Muro, Andrea

2014-05-01

Caldera collapses represent catastrophic events, which induce drastic modification in a volcano plumbing system and can result in major and fast evolution of the system dynamics. At Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) volcano, the 2007 eruptive sequence extruded the largest lava volume (240 Mm3) since at least 3 centuries, provoking the collapse of a small (1 km wide; 340 m deep) summit caldera. In about 35 days, the 2007 major eruption generated i) the greatest lava output rate, ii) the strongest lava fountaining activity (> 200 m high), iii) the largest SO2 volume (> 230 kt) ever documented at PdF. This event ended a 9 year-long period (1998-2007) of continuous edifice inflation and sustained eruptive activity (3 eruptions per year on average). Unexpectedly and in spite of the large volume of magma erupted in 2007, volcano unrest and eruptive activity resumed quickly in 2008, soon after caldera collapse, and produced several closely spaced intracaldera eruptions and shallow intrusions. The post-2007 activity is associated with a trend of continuous volcano deflation and consists in small-volume (Pele's hairs, coarse ash fragments produced by lava-sea water interaction, glassy crust of lavas, high-temperature lavas quenched in water, matrix glasses) with the geophysical record of volcano unrest. Petro-chemical data suggest that the shallow PdF plumbing system is formed by a network of small sized magma pockets (sills). We explicitly link its formation and emptying with periodic magma recharges from deeper levels and repeated caldera collapses, which frequently affect the central cone of PdF. In spite of the large range in fountain intensity, dissolved volatiles contents are low and almost constant. Multistep ascent of magma inputs is identified as the key mechanism determining the evolution towards open system degassing and in fine controlling eruptive behavior.

MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF A PARTIALLY ERUPTIVE FILAMENT ON 2011 SEPTEMBER 8

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Q. M.; Ning, Z. J.; Zhou, T. H.; Ji, H. S.; Feng, L. [Key Laboratory for Dark Matter and Space Science, Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing 210008 (China); Guo, Y.; Cheng, X. [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Wiegelmann, T., E-mail: zhangqm@pmo.ac.cn [Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg-3, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany)

2015-05-20

In this paper, we report our multiwavelength observations of a partial filament eruption event in NOAA active region (AR) 11283 on 8 September 2011. A magnetic null point and the corresponding spine and separatrix surface are found in the AR. Beneath the null point, a sheared arcade supports the filament along the highly complex and fragmented polarity inversion line. After being activated, the sigmoidal filament erupted and split into two parts. The major part rose at speeds of 90–150 km s{sup −1} before reaching the maximum apparent height of ∼115 Mm. Afterward, it returned to the solar surface in a bumpy way at speeds of 20–80 km s{sup −1}. The rising and falling motions were clearly observed in the extreme-ultraviolet, UV, and Hα wavelengths. The failed eruption of the main part was associated with an M6.7 flare with a single hard X-ray source. The runaway part of the filament, however, separated from and rotated around the major part for ∼1 turn at the eastern leg before escaping from the corona, probably along large-scale open magnetic field lines. The ejection of the runaway part resulted in a very faint coronal mass ejection that propagated at an apparent speed of 214 km s{sup −1} in the outer corona. The filament eruption also triggered a transverse kink-mode oscillation of the adjacent coronal loops in the same AR. The amplitude and period of the oscillation were 1.6 Mm and 225 s. Our results are important for understanding the mechanisms of partial filament eruptions, and provide new constraints to theoretical models. The multiwavelength observations also shed light on space weather prediction.

Rheology of the 2006 eruption at Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, J. B.; Lavallée, Y.; Hess, K.-U.; von Aulock, F. W.; Dingwell, D. B.

2009-04-01

via high-resolution neutron tomography also suggest the remnant of water in the bombs. This work in progress suggests that the large eruptive event in mid-August 2006 were caused by recharge in the magma reservoir or possibly in the conduit. Subsequently, both magma batches ascended through the pipe-like conduit, but rheological differences and possibly different ascent rates impeded complete mixing. This distinction may also explain the simultaneous occurrence of a lava flow and pyroclastic flows.

Reconstructing the plinian and co-ignimbrite sources of large volcanic eruptions: A novel approach for the Campanian Ignimbrite.

Science.gov (United States)

Marti, Alejandro; Folch, Arnau; Costa, Antonio; Engwell, Samantha

2016-02-17

The 39 ka Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption was the largest volcanic eruption of the past 200 ka in Europe. Tephra deposits indicate two distinct plume forming phases, Plinian and co-ignimbrite, characteristic of many caldera-forming eruptions. Previous numerical studies have characterized the eruption as a single-phase event, potentially leading to inaccurate assessment of eruption dynamics. To reconstruct the volume, intensity, and duration of the tephra dispersal, we applied a computational inversion method that explicitly accounts for the Plinian and co-ignimbrite phases and for gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud. To verify the consistency of our results, we performed an additional single-phase inversion using an independent thickness dataset. Our better-fitting two-phase model suggests a higher mass eruption rate than previous studies, and estimates that 3/4 of the total fallout volume is co-ignimbrite in origin. Gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud dominates tephra transport only within the first hundred kilometres due to strong stratospheric winds in our best-fit wind model. Finally, tephra fallout impacts would have interrupted the westward migration of modern hominid groups in Europe, possibly supporting the hypothesis of prolonged Neanderthal survival in South-Western Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.

Impact of volcanic plume emissions on rain water chemistry during the January 2010 Nyamuragira eruptive event: implications for essential potable water resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuoco, Emilio; Tedesco, Dario; Poreda, Robert J; Williams, Jeremy C; De Francesco, Stefano; Balagizi, Charles; Darrah, Thomas H

2013-01-15

On January 2, 2010 the Nyamuragira volcano erupted lava fountains extending up to 300 m vertically along an ~1.5 km segment of its southern flank cascading ash and gas on nearby villages and cities along the western side of the rift valley. Because rain water is the only available potable water resource within this region, volcanic impacts on drinking water constitutes a major potential hazard to public health within the region. During the 2010 eruption, concerns were expressed by local inhabitants about water quality and feelings of physical discomfort (e.g. nausea, bloating, indigestion, etc.) after consuming rain water collected after the eruption began. We present the elemental and ionic chemistry of drinking water samples collected within the region on the third day of the eruption (January 5, 2010). We identify a significant impact on water quality associated with the eruption including lower pH (i.e. acidification) and increases in acidic halogens (e.g. F(-) and Cl(-)), major ions (e.g. SO(4)(2-), NH(4)(+), Na(+), Ca(2+)), potentially toxic metals (e.g. Al(3+), Mn(2+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+), Hf(4+)), and particulate load. In many cases, the water's composition significantly exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. The degree of pollution depends upon: (1) ash plume direction and (2) ash plume density. The potential negative health impacts are a function of the water's pH, which regulates the elements and their chemical form that are released into drinking water. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What factors control the size of an eruption?

Science.gov (United States)

Gudmundsson, Agust

2017-04-01

For human society, eruption sizes (eruptive volumes or masses) are of the greatest concern. In particular, the largest eruptions, producing volumes of the order of hundreds or thousands of cubic kilometres, provide, together with meteoritic impacts, the greatest natural threats to mankind. Eruptive volumes tend to follow power laws so that most eruptions are comparatively small whereas a few are very large. It follows that a while during most ruptures of the source chambers a small fraction of the magma leaves the chamber, in some ruptures a very large fraction of the magma leaves the chamber. Most explosive eruptions larger than about 25 km3 are associated with caldera collapse. In the standard 'underpressure' ('lack of magmatic support') model, however, the collapse is the consequence, not the cause, of the large eruption. For poroelastic models, typically less than 4% of the magma in a felsic chamber and less than 0.1% of the magma in a mafic chamber leaves the chamber during rupture (and eventual eruption). In some caldera models, however, 20-70% of the magma is supposed to leave the chamber before the ring-fault forms and the caldera block begins to subside. In these models any amount of magma can flow out of the chamber following its rupture and there is apparently no way to forecast either the volume of magma injected from the chamber (hence the potential size of an eventual eruption) or the conditions for caldera collapse. An alternative model is proposed here. In this model normal (small) eruptions are controlled by standard poroelastity behaviour of the chamber, whereas large eruptions are controlled by chamber-volume reduction or shrinkage primarily through caldera/graben block subsidence into the chamber. Volcanotectonic stresses are then a major cause of ring-fault/graben boundary-fault formation. When large slips occur on these faults, the subsiding crustal block reduces the volume of the underlying chamber/reservoir, thereby maintaining its excess

Plasma Evolution within an Erupting Coronal Cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Long, David M.; Harra, Louise K.; Matthews, Sarah A.; Warren, Harry P.; Lee, Kyoung-Sun; Doschek, George A.; Hara, Hirohisa; Jenkins, Jack M.

2018-03-01

Coronal cavities have previously been observed to be associated with long-lived quiescent filaments and are thought to correspond to the associated magnetic flux rope. Although the standard flare model predicts a coronal cavity corresponding to the erupting flux rope, these have only been observed using broadband imaging data, restricting an analysis to the plane-of-sky. We present a unique set of spectroscopic observations of an active region filament seen erupting at the solar limb in the extreme ultraviolet. The cavity erupted and expanded rapidly, with the change in rise phase contemporaneous with an increase in nonthermal electron energy flux of the associated flare. Hot and cool filamentary material was observed to rise with the erupting flux rope, disappearing suddenly as the cavity appeared. Although strongly blueshifted plasma continued to be observed flowing from the apex of the erupting flux rope, this outflow soon ceased. These results indicate that the sudden injection of energy from the flare beneath forced the rapid eruption and expansion of the flux rope, driving strong plasma flows, which resulted in the eruption of an under-dense filamentary flux rope.

Pattern of drug eruptions in a tertiary care hospital

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir, Z.; Nadeem, N.; Aman, S.; Kazmi, A.H.

2013-01-01

Background: An adverse drug reaction is unintentional which occurs at doses used for prophylaxis, diagnosis or treatment. Objectives: To determine the frequency of various cutaneous drug eruptions that occur in patients in a tertiary care hospital setting. Patients and Methods: All patients with cutaneous drug eruptions seen at the Dermatology Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, over 6 months were enrolled and the pattern of drug eruptions like urticaria, angioedema, fixed drug eruption, maculopapular rash, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis etc. were recorded, along with drugs that caused it. Results:A total of 160 patients (86 males, 74 females) were included in the study. Mean age of patients was 30.7+-15.4 years. Major eruptions were fixed drug eruption (21.3%) followed by urticaria without angioedema (10%), maculopapular rash (9.3%), lichenoid drug eruption (8.7%), acneiform drug eruption (7.5%), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (6.9%), vesiculobullous eruption (5.6%), erythema multiforme and eczematous eruption (5% each). Common drugs causing eruptions were sulfonamides (16.3%), followed by NSAIDs (14.4%), herbal and homeopathic medications (12.5%), penicillins (9.3%), tetracyclines (8.7%), antituberculous drugs, cephalosporins and antiepileptics (6.3% each). Conclusion: Fixed drug eruption and urticaria without angioedema were commonest eruptions while, sulfonamides and NSAIDs were the major causative drugs. Policy message: Reporting of adverse drug reactions is not done in Pakistan and needs to be done in each hospital. (author)

Proximal ecological effects of the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, F. J.

1988-01-01

The diversity of ecosystems and volcanic processes involved in the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens, southwest Washington, provide an excellent setting for examining effects of volcanic events on ecosystems. These eruptions included a lateral blast, debris avalanche, mudflows, pyroclastic flows, and airfall tephra. Affected ecosystems within 30 km of the vent were lakes, streams, upland and riparian forest, and meadows. Ecological disturbances imposed by the Mount St. Helens events were predominantly physical, rather than climatic or chemical which are the dominant classes of disturbances considered in analysis of global catastrophes. Analysis of ecosystem response to disturbance should be based on consideration of composition and structure of the predisturbance system in terms that represent potential survivability of organisms, mechanisms in the primary disturbance, initial survivors, secondary disturbances arising from the primary disturbance and the biological responses to secondary disturbances, invasion of the site by new propagules, interactions among secondary disturbance processes and surviving and invading organisms. Predicting ecosystem response to disturbance is enchanced by considering the mechanisms of disturbance rather than type of disturbance. In the 1980 Mount St. Helens events, the disturbance types, involved primarily the mechanisms of sedimentation, heating, and shear stress. Each disturbance type involved one or more mechanisms. Ecosystem response varied greatly across the landscape. Analysis of ecosystem response to disturbance, regardless of type, should include detailed consideration of the properties of individual species, primary and secondary disturbance mechanisms, and their distributions across landscapes.

Seasonal variations of volcanic eruption frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Stothers, Richard B.

1989-01-01

Do volcanic eruptions have a tendency to occur more frequently in the months of May and June? Some past evidence suggests that they do. The present study, based on the new eruption catalog of Simkin et al.(1981), investigates the monthly statistics of the largest eruptions, grouped according to explosive magnitude, geographical latitude, and year. At the 2-delta level, no month-to-month variations in eruption frequency are found to be statistically significant. Examination of previously published month-to-month variations suggests that they, too, are not statistically significant. It is concluded that volcanism, at least averaged over large portions of the globe, is probably not periodic on a seasonal or annual time scale.

A volcanic event forecasting model for multiple tephra records, demonstrated on Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Damaschke, Magret; Cronin, Shane J.; Bebbington, Mark S.

2018-01-01

Robust time-varying volcanic hazard assessments are difficult to develop, because they depend upon having a complete and extensive eruptive activity record. Missing events in eruption records are endemic, due to poor preservation or erosion of tephra and other volcanic deposits. Even with many stratigraphic studies, underestimation or overestimation of eruption numbers is possible due to mis-matching tephras with similar chemical compositions or problematic age models. It is also common to have gaps in event coverage due to sedimentary records not being available in all directions from the volcano, especially downwind. Here, we examine the sensitivity of probabilistic hazard estimates using a suite of four new and two existing high-resolution tephra records located around Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand. Previous estimates were made using only single, or two correlated, tephra records. In this study, tephra data from six individual sites in lake and peat bogs covering an arc of 120° downwind of the volcano provided an excellent temporal high-resolution event record. The new data confirm a previously identified semi-regular pattern of variable eruption frequency at Mt. Taranaki. Eruption intervals exhibit a bimodal distribution, with eruptions being an average of 65 years apart, and in 2% of cases, centuries separate eruptions. The long intervals are less common than seen in earlier studies, but they have not disappeared with the inclusion of our comprehensive new dataset. Hence, the latest long interval of quiescence, since AD 1800, is unusual, but not out of character with the volcano. The new data also suggest that one of the tephra records (Lake Rotokare) used in earlier work had an old carbon effect on age determinations. This shifted ages of the affected tephras so that they were not correlated to other sites, leading to an artificially high eruption frequency in the previous combined record. New modelled time-varying frequency estimates suggest a 33

The chemically zoned 1949 eruption on La Palma (Canary Islands): Petrologic evolution and magma supply dynamics of a rift zone eruption

OpenAIRE

Klügel, Andreas; Hoernle, Kaj A.; Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich; White, James D. L.

2000-01-01

The 1949 rift zone eruption along the Cumbre Vieja ridge on La Palma involved three eruptive centers, 3 km spaced apart, and was chemically and mineralogically zoned. Duraznero crater erupted tephrite for 14 days and shut down upon the opening of Llano del Banco, a fissure that issued first tephrite and, after 3 days, basanite. Hoyo Negro crater opened 4 days later and erupted basanite, tephrite, and phonotephrite, while Llano del Banco continued to issue basanite. The eruption ended with Dur...

Setting of the Father's Day Eruption at Kilauea

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, D. A.

2007-12-01

The Father's Day eruption and associated intrusion took place within a 10-km segment of Kilauea's east rift zone between Hi`iaka and Napau Craters--a segment that has had more numerous eruptions and intrusions than any other of comparable length during the past 200, probably the past 1000, years. Fifteen known eruptions started in this area in the past 200 years: 1840, 1922, 1923, 1962, August and October 1963, March and December 1965, August and October 1968, February and May 1969, May and November 1973, and March 1980 (only 3 cubic meters!). Three others, not previously designated as distinct eruptions despite having all the appropriate characteristics, took place during on-going eruptions: two in `Alo`i Crater in 1970 and 1972, and one in Napau Crater in 1997. Two of the largest shields on the east rift zone formed during long-lasting eruptions within this area--Kane Nui o Hamo at an unknown date, perhaps the 11-12th century, and Mauna Ulu (1969-1974). In addition, many small intrusions without eruptions are known. Seven short eruptions punctuated a prolonged eruption: four within the segment during the Mauna Ulu eruption, two at the summit and southwest rift zone during that same eruption, and one in Napau Crater in 1997 during the Pu`u `O`o eruption. Thus the Father's Day eruption is not unique by virtue of taking place during an ongoing eruption elsewhere along the rift zone. The increased frequency of activity in the segment during the 20th century is obvious, particularly after 1962. For most of the past 1,000 years, eruptions were centered at Kilauea's summit, with significant but lesser activity along the rift zones. A large summit deflation in 1924 ended the nearly continuous lava lake in Halemaumau, eventually leading to the past 5 decades of dominantly east rift zone activity. This segment of the rift zone contains most of the pit craters on Kilauea and gradually changes from a SE trend near the caldera to an ENE trend that characterizes the rest of

A Multi-spacecraft View of a Giant Filament Eruption during 2009 September 26/27

Science.gov (United States)

Gosain, Sanjay; Schmieder, Brigitte; Artzner, Guy; Bogachev, Sergei; Török, Tibor

2012-12-01

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117° during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R ⊙-time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

A MULTI-SPACECRAFT VIEW OF A GIANT FILAMENT ERUPTION DURING 2009 SEPTEMBER 26/27

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gosain, Sanjay [National Solar Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Schmieder, Brigitte [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 Place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France); Artzner, Guy [CNRS UMR 8617, Institut d' astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Bogachev, Sergei [Lebedev Physical Institute of Russian Academy of Science, Leninskij prospekt 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Toeroek, Tibor [Predictive Science, Inc., 9990 Mesa Rim Rd., Suite 170, San Diego, CA 92121 (United States)

2012-12-10

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117 Degree-Sign during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R{sub Sun }-time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

A MULTI-SPACECRAFT VIEW OF A GIANT FILAMENT ERUPTION DURING 2009 SEPTEMBER 26/27

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosain, Sanjay; Schmieder, Brigitte; Artzner, Guy; Bogachev, Sergei; Török, Tibor

2012-01-01

We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that occurred during 2009 September 26 and 27. The filament eruption was associated with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection. The filament consisted of a large and a small part, and both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO satellites were separated by about 117° during this event, so we additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS viewpoints. Using a simple trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true R/R ☉ -time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived from the two methods. We find that for both methods an exponential function fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of theoretical eruption models.

The 2001 Mt. Etna eruption: new constraints on the intrusive mechanism from ground deformation data

Science.gov (United States)

Palano, Mimmo; González, Pablo J.

2013-04-01

The occurrence of seismic swarms beneath the SW flank of Mt. Etna, often observed just a few months before an eruption, has been considered as the fragile response to a magma intrusion (Bonanno et al., 2011 and reference therein). These intrusions and/or pressurization of deep magmatic bodies, have been able to significantly affect the seismic pattern within the volcano edifice, leading to a changes in the local stress field. For example, during the months preceding the 1991-1993 Mt. Etna eruption, shallow intense seismic swarms (4-6 km deep) occurring in the SW flank (e.g. Cocina et al., 1998), related to the magma intrusion before the eruption onset, were observed contemporaneously with a rotation of stress field of about 90°. A similar scenario was observed during January 1998, when a magma recharging phases induced a local rotation of stress tensor, forcing a buried fault zone located beneath the SW flank of Mt. Etna to slip as a right-lateral strike-slip fault (Bonanno et al., 2011). This fault system was forced to slip again, during late April 2001 (more than 200 events in less than 5 days; maximum Magnitude = 3.6) by the pressurization of the magmatic bodies feeding the July-August 2001 Mt. Etna eruption. Here we analyzed in detail the July-August 2001 Mt. Etna eruption as well as the dynamics preceding this event, by using a large dataset of geodetic data (GPS and synthetic aperture radar interferometry) collected between July 2000 and August 2001. References Cocina, O., Neri, G., Privitera, E. and Spampinato S., 1998. Seismogenic stress field beneath Mt. Etna South Italy and possible relationships with volcano-tectonic features. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 83, 335-348. Bonanno A., Palano M., Privitera E., Gresta S., Puglisi G., 2011. Magma intrusion mechanisms and redistribution of seismogenic stress at Mt. Etna volcano (1997-1998). Terra Nova, 23, 339-348, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2011.01019.x, 2011.

Volatile-induced magma differentiation in the plumbing system of Mt. Etna volcano (Italy): evidence from glass in tephra of the 2001 eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Ferlito, Carmelo; Viccaro, Marco; Cristofolini, Renato

2008-02-01

Mount Etna volcano was shaken during the summer 2001 by one of the most singular eruptive episodes of the last centuries. For about 3 weeks, several eruptive fractures developed, emitting lava flows and tephra that significantly modified the landscape of the southern flank of the volcano. This event stimulated the attention of the scientific community especially for the simultaneous emission of petrologically distinct magmas, recognized as coming from different segments of the plumbing system. A stratigraphically controlled sampling of tephra layers was performed at the most active vents of the eruption, in particular at the 2,100 m (CAL) and at the 2,550 m (LAG) scoria cones. Detailed scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analyses performed on glasses found in tephra and comparison with lava whole rock compositions indicate an anomalous increase in Ti, Fe, P, and particularly of K and Cl in the upper layers of the LAG sequence. Mass balance and thermodynamic calculations have shown that this enrichment cannot be accounted for by “classical” differentiation processes, such as crystal fractionation and magma mixing. The analysis of petrological features of the magmas involved in the event, integrated with the volcanological evolution, has evidenced the role played by volatiles in controlling the magmatic evolution within the crustal portion of the plumbing system. Volatiles, constituted of H2O, CO2, and Cl-complexes, originated from a deeply seated magma body (DBM). Their upward migration occurred through a fracture network possibly developed by the seismic swarms during the period preceding the event. In the upper portion of the plumbing system, a shallower residing magma body (ABT) had chemical and physical conditions to receive migrating volatiles, which hence dissolved the mobilized elements producing the observed selective enrichment. This volatile-induced differentiation involved exclusively the lowest erupted

The 2014-15 eruption and the short-term geochemical evolution of the Fogo volcano (Cape Verde): Evidence for small-scale mantle heterogeneity

Science.gov (United States)

Mata, J.; Martins, S.; Mattielli, N.; Madeira, J.; Faria, B.; Ramalho, R. S.; Silva, P.; Moreira, M.; Caldeira, R.; Moreira, M.; Rodrigues, J.; Martins, L.

2017-09-01

Recurrent eruptions at very active ocean island volcanoes provide the ideal means to gain insight on the scale of spatial variations at the mantle source and on temporal changes of magma genesis and evolution processes. In 2014, after 19 years of quiescence, Fogo volcano (Cape Verde Archipelago) experienced a new eruption, with the vents located 200 m from those of the 1995 eruption, and less than 2000 m from those of the 1951 event. This offered a unique opportunity to investigate the existence of small-scale mantle heterogeneities and the short-term compositional evolution of magmas erupted by a very active oceanic volcano like Fogo. Here we present petrological and geochemical data from the early stages of the Fogo's most recent eruption - started on November 23, 2014 - and compare them with the signature of previous eruptions (particularly those of 1995 and 1951). The magmas erupted in 2014 are alkaline (up to 23.4% and 0.94% of normative ne and lc, respectively) with somewhat evolved compositions (Mg # < 56), ranging from tephrites to phonotephrites. The eruption of phonotephritic lavas preceded the effusion of tephritic ones. Lavas carried to the surface clinopyroxene and kaersutite phenocrysts and cognate megacrysts, which indicate that the main stages of magma evolution occurred in magma chambers most probably located at mantle depths (25.6 ± 5.5 km below sea level). This was followed by a shallower (< 1.5 km below sea level) and shorter (≈ 50 days) magma stagnation before the eruption. 2014 magmas have more unradiogenic Sr and more radiogenic Nd compositions than those of the previous 1951 and 1995 eruptions, which generally have less radiogenic Pb ratios. These isotopic differences - coming from quasi-coeval materials erupted almost in the same place - are remarkable and reflect the small-scale heterogeneity of the underlying mantle source. Moreover, they reflect the limited isotopic averaging of the source composition during partial melting events as

Eruption Cyst in the Neonate.

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de Oliveira, Alline J; Silveira, Maria Lg; Duarte, Danilo A; Diniz, Michele B

2018-01-01

The pediatric dental approach to the oral cavity of newborns requires special attention, as many aspects are unique and peculiar to this period of life. It is important that pediatricians and pediatric dentists be aware of the characteristics within normal newborn patterns and prepared to make a correct diagnosis of abnormalities at early stages. Congenital eruption cysts (ECs) are rarely observed in newborns, as at this stage of a child's life, tooth eruption is unusual. This study reports a case of EC treated successfully by monitoring of the lesion, without any surgical procedure. In the 4th month, the lesion had completely regressed, and the deciduous central incisors had erupted without problems. The clinical and radiographic monitoring of ECs in newborns seems to be a satisfactory management procedure, similar to what is recommended for older children. How to cite this article: de Oliveira AJ, Silveira MLG, Duarte DA, Diniz MB. Eruption Cyst in the Neonate. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(1):58-60.

An extreme wind erosion event of the fresh Eyjafjallajökull 2010 volcanic ash.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnalds, Olafur; Thorarinsdottir, Elin Fjola; Thorsson, Johann; Waldhauserova, Pavla Dagsson; Agustsdottir, Anna Maria

2013-01-01

Volcanic eruptions can generate widespread deposits of ash that are subsequently subjected to erosive forces which causes detrimental effects on ecosystems. We measured wind erosion of the freshly deposited Eyjafjallajökull ash at a field site the first summer after the 2010 eruption. Over 30 wind erosion events occurred (June-October) at wind speeds > 10 m s(-1) in each storm with gusts up to 38.7 m s(-1). Surface transport over one m wide transect (surface to 150 cm height) reached > 11,800 kg m(-1) during the most intense storm event with a rate of 1,440 kg m(-1) hr(-1) for about 6½ hrs. This storm is among the most extreme wind erosion events recorded on Earth. The Eyjafjallajökull wind erosion storms caused dust emissions extending several hundred km from the volcano affecting both air quality and ecosystems showing how wind erosion of freshly deposited ash prolongs impacts of volcanic eruptions.

Multi-disciplinary Monitoring of the 2014 Eruption of Fogo Volcano, Cape Verde

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, R. M. S.; Faria, B. V. E.

2015-12-01

The Fogo volcano, located in the Cape Verde Archipelago (offshore Western Africa), is a complete stratovolcano system. It is the most recent expression of the Cape Verde hotspot, that has formed the archipelago. The summit reaches ~2830m above sea level, and raises 1100m above Chã das Caldeiras, an almost flat circular area. The last eruption of Fogo started on November 23, 2014 (~10:00UTC), after 19 years of inactivity. C4G, a distributed research infrastructure created in 2014 in the framework of the Portuguese Roadmap for Strategic Research Infrastructures, collaborated immediately with INMG, the Cape Verdean Meteorological and Geophysical Institut with the goal of complementing the permanent geophysical monitoring network in operation on Fogo island. The INMG permanent network is composed of seven seismographic stations and three tiltmeter stations, with real-time data transmitted. On the basis of increased pre-event activity (which started in October 2014), INMG issued a formal alert of an impending eruption to the Civil Protection Agency, about 24 hours before the onset of the eruption. Although the eruption caused no casualties or personal injuries due to the warnings issued, the lava expelled by the eruption (which last until the end of January) destroyed the two main villages in the caldera (~1000 inhabitants) and covered vast areas of agricultural land, causing very large economic losses and an uncertain future of the local populations. The C4G team installed a network of seven GNSS receivers and nine seismometers, distributed by the entire island. The data collection started on 28th November 2014, and continued until the end of January 2015. The mission also included a new detailed gravimetric survey of the island, the acquisition of geological samples, and the analysis of the air quality during the eruption. We present here a detailed description of the monitoring efforts carried out during the eruption as well as initial results of the analysis of the

Eruption dynamics and explosive-effusive transitions during the 1400 cal BP eruption of Opala volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Benjamin J.; Dufek, Josef; Ponomareva, Vera

2018-05-01

Deposits and pumice from the 1400 cal BP eruption of Opala volcano record activity that occurred at the explosive-effusive transition, resulting in intermittent, or stop-start, behavior, where explosive activity resumed following a pause. The eruption deposited distinctive, biotite-bearing rhyolite tephra across much of Kamchatka, and its stratigraphy consists of a lithic-rich pumice fall, overlain by pumice falls and pyroclastic density deposits, with the proportion of the latter increasing with height. This sequence repeats such that the middle of the total deposit is marked by a lithic-rich fall with abundant obsidian clasts. Notably, the eruptive pumice are poorly vesiculated, with vesicle textures that record fragmentation of a partially collapsed magmatic foam. The eruption vent, Baranii Amphitheater is filled with obsidian lavas of the same composition as the rhyolite tephra. Based upon the stratigraphic and compositional relations, we divide the eruption into four phases. Phase I initiated with eruption of a lithic-rich pumice fall, followed by eruption of Plinian falls and pyroclastic density currents. During Phase II, the eruption paused for at least 5-6 h; in this time, microlites nucleated and began to grow in the magma. Phase III essentially repeated the Phase I sequence. Obsidian lavas were emplaced during Phase IV. The pumice textures suggest that the magma ascended very near the threshold decompression rate for the transition between explosive (fast) and effusive (slow) behavior. The pause during Phase II likely occurred as decompression slowed enough for the magma to develop sufficient permeability for gas to escape resulting in collapse of the magmatic foam, stopping the eruption and temporarily sealing the conduit. After about 5-6 h, eruption resumed with, once again, magma decompressing very near the explosive-effusive transition. Phase III ended when the decompression rate slowed and lava dome emplacement began. Distributions of pumice and

Volcanic eruptions are cooling the earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groenaas, Sigbjoern

2005-01-01

The article discusses how volcanic eruptions may influence the climate. The environmental impacts both on the earth surface and the atmosphere are surveyed. Some major eruptions in modern times are mentioned

An Estimation of the Likelihood of Significant Eruptions During 2000-2009 Using Poisson Statistics on Two-Point Moving Averages of the Volcanic Time Series

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Robert M.

2001-01-01

Since 1750, the number of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions (volcanic explosivity index (VEI)>=4) per decade spans 2-11, with 96 percent located in the tropics and extra-tropical Northern Hemisphere. A two-point moving average of the volcanic time series has higher values since the 1860's than before, being 8.00 in the 1910's (the highest value) and 6.50 in the 1980's, the highest since the 1910's peak. Because of the usual behavior of the first difference of the two-point moving averages, one infers that its value for the 1990's will measure approximately 6.50 +/- 1, implying that approximately 7 +/- 4 cataclysmic volcanic eruptions should be expected during the present decade (2000-2009). Because cataclysmic volcanic eruptions (especially those having VEI>=5) nearly always have been associated with short-term episodes of global cooling, the occurrence of even one might confuse our ability to assess the effects of global warming. Poisson probability distributions reveal that the probability of one or more events with a VEI>=4 within the next ten years is >99 percent. It is approximately 49 percent for an event with a VEI>=5, and 18 percent for an event with a VEI>=6. Hence, the likelihood that a climatically significant volcanic eruption will occur within the next ten years appears reasonably high.

Joint 3-D tomographic imaging of Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs and hypocenter relocation at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia from November to December 2013

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Nugraha, Andri Dian; Indrastuti, Novianti; Kusnandar, Ridwan; Gunawan, Hendra; McCausland, Wendy A.; Aulia, Atin Nur; Harlianti, Ulvienin

2018-01-01

We conducted travel time tomography using P- and S-wave arrival times of volcanic-tectonic (VT) events that occurred between November and December 2013 to determine the three-dimensional (3D) seismic velocity structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs) beneath Sinabung volcano, Indonesia in order to delineate geological subsurface structure and to enhance our understanding of the volcanism itself. This was a time period when phreatic explosions became phreatomagmatic and then magma migrated to the surface forming a summit lava dome. We used 4846 VT events with 16,138 P- and 16,138 S-wave arrival time phases recorded by 6 stations for the tomographic inversion. The relocated VTs collapse into three clusters at depths from the surface to sea level, from 2 to 4 km below sea level, and from 5 to 8.5 km below sea level. The tomographic inversion results show three prominent regions of high Vp/Vs (~ 1.8) beneath Sinabung volcano at depths consistent with the relocated earthquake clusters. We interpret these anomalies as intrusives associated with previous eruptions and possibly surrounding the magma conduit, which we cannot resolve with this study. One anomalous region might contain partial melt, at sea level and below the eventual eruption site at the summit. Our results are important for the interpretation of a conceptual model of the “plumbing system” of this hazardous volcano.

AN IMAGING STUDY OF A COMPLEX SOLAR CORONAL RADIO ERUPTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, S. W.; Chen, Y.; Song, H. Q.; Wang, B.; Kong, X. L., E-mail: yaochen@sdu.edu.cn [Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, and Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University, Weihai, Shandong 264209 (China)

2016-08-10

Solar coronal radio bursts are enhanced radio emission excited by energetic electrons accelerated during solar eruptions. Studying these bursts is important for investigating the origin and physical mechanism of energetic particles and further diagnosing coronal parameters. Earlier studies suffered from a lack of simultaneous high-quality imaging data of the radio burst and the eruptive structure in the inner corona. Here we present a study on a complex solar radio eruption consisting of a type II burst and three reversely drifting type III bursts, using simultaneous EUV and radio imaging data. It is found that the type II burst is closely associated with a propagating and evolving CME-driven EUV shock structure, originated initially at the northern shock flank and later transferred to the top part of the shock. This source transfer is coincident with the presence of shock decay and enhancing signatures observed at the corresponding side of the EUV front. The electron energy accelerated by the shock at the flank is estimated to be ∼0.3 c by examining the imaging data of the fast-drifting herringbone structure of the type II burst. The reverse-drifting type III sources are found to be within the ejecta and correlated with a likely reconnection event therein. The implications for further observational studies and relevant space weather forecasting techniques are discussed.

Disruptive Event Biosphere Doser Conversion Factor Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M. Wasiolek

2000-12-28

The purpose of this report was to document the process leading to, and the results of, development of radionuclide-, exposure scenario-, and ash thickness-specific Biosphere Dose Conversion Factors (BDCFs) for the postulated postclosure extrusive igneous event (volcanic eruption) at Yucca Mountain. BDCF calculations were done for seventeen radionuclides. The selection of radionuclides included those that may be significant dose contributors during the compliance period of up to 10,000 years, as well as radionuclides of importance for up to 1 million years postclosure. The approach documented in this report takes into account human exposure during three different phases at the time of, and after, volcanic eruption. Calculations of disruptive event BDCFs used the GENII-S computer code in a series of probabilistic realizations to propagate the uncertainties of input parameters into the output. The pathway analysis included consideration of different exposure pathway's contribution to the BDCFs. BDCFs for volcanic eruption, when combined with the concentration of radioactivity deposited by eruption on the soil surface, allow calculation of potential radiation doses to the receptor of interest. Calculation of radioactivity deposition is outside the scope of this report and so is the transport of contaminated ash from the volcano to the location of the receptor. The integration of the biosphere modeling results (BDCFs) with the outcomes of the other component models is accomplished in the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA), in which doses are calculated to the receptor of interest from radionuclides postulated to be released to the environment from the potential repository at Yucca Mountain.

Understanding the eruption mechanisms of the explosive Bellecombe Eruptions on Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, K.; Ort, M. H.; Di Muro, A.; Parnell, R. A.; Huff, W. D.

2017-12-01

Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) is an active basaltic volcano on La Réunion island. The Bellecombe Tephra was deposited from at least three unusually explosive eruptions between 3000-5000 ka. The Bellecombe eruptions were interpreted recently to have been due to rapid depressurization of the hydrothermal system when a deep fracture opened after lateral, seaward-directed sliding of the eastern flank, late in a large effusive eruption. This project tests this hypothesis by physically, mineralogically, and chemically characterizing the Bellecombe Tephra to look for evidence of the involvement of the PdF hydrothermal system in the eruptions and understand where the eruptions initiated. The Bellecombe tephra consists of three units separated by incipient soils. Both the Upper and Lower Bellecombe deposits are mostly medium to very fine ash. Lower Bellecombe deposits, from the first two eruptions, are mostly beds of glassy ash containing minor lithic grains and olivine crystals. Hydrothermal minerals, mostly smectite, are present in a few Lower Bellecombe beds. Since these minerals are only present in some beds, the smectite formed before deposition rather than as a product of surficial alteration. The Upper Bellecombe deposits record a third eruption and vary between clast-supported crystal- and lithic-rich lapilli beds and ash beds with abundant ash pellets. The crystals are mostly olivine, with lesser pyroxene and plagioclase and sparse hydrothermal quartz. Gabbro and oceanite clasts are abundant and trachytic pumice rare in these deposits. Hydrothermal minerals are common in most Upper Bellecombe beds. The presence of smectite in some of the Lower Bellecombe beds suggests these deposits came from a system below 200 ºC. Clays in the Upper Bellecombe beds - smectite and mixed layer R0 illite/smectite - imply a system at 40-140 ºC. The hydrothermal system was involved, but might not have been the primary impetus for these eruptions, since hydrothermal minerals are not

The frequency of explosive volcanic eruptions in Southeast Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Whelley, Patrick L; Newhall, Christopher G; Bradley, Kyle E

There are ~750 active and potentially active volcanoes in Southeast Asia. Ash from eruptions of volcanic explosivity index 3 (VEI 3) and smaller pose mostly local hazards while eruptions of VEI ≥ 4 could disrupt trade, travel, and daily life in large parts of the region. We classify Southeast Asian volcanoes into five groups, using their morphology and, where known, their eruptive history and degassing style. Because the eruptive histories of most volcanoes in Southeast Asia are poorly constrained, we assume that volcanoes with similar morphologies have had similar eruption histories. Eruption histories of well-studied examples of each morphologic class serve as proxy histories for understudied volcanoes in the class. From known and proxy eruptive histories, we estimate that decadal probabilities of VEI 4-8 eruptions in Southeast Asia are nearly 1.0, ~0.6, ~0.15, ~0.012, and ~0.001, respectively.

Impacts of a Pinatubo-size volcanic eruption on ENSO

KAUST Repository

Predybaylo, Evgeniya

2017-01-16

Observations and model simulations of the climate responses to strong explosive low-latitude volcanic eruptions suggest a significant increase in the likelihood of El Niño during the eruption and posteruption years, though model results have been inconclusive and have varied in magnitude and even sign. In this study, we test how this spread of responses depends on the initial phase of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the eruption year and on the eruption\\'s seasonal timing. We employ the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory CM2.1 global coupled general circulation model to investigate the impact of the Pinatubo 1991 eruption, assuming that in 1991 ENSO would otherwise be in central or eastern Pacific El Niño, La Niña, or neutral phases. We obtain statistically significant El Niño responses in a year after the eruption for all cases except La Niña, which shows no response in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The eruption has a weaker impact on eastern Pacific El Niños than on central Pacific El Niños. We find that the ocean dynamical thermostat and (to a lesser extent) wind changes due to land-ocean temperature gradients are the main feedbacks affecting El Niño development after the eruption. The El Niño responses to eruptions occurring in summer are more pronounced than for winter and spring eruptions. That the climate response depends on eruption season and initial ENSO phase may help to reconcile apparent inconsistencies among previous studies.

FOGO-2014: Monitoring the Fogo 2014 Eruption, Cape Verde

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Fernandes, Rui; Faria, Bruno

2015-04-01

Fogo volcano, located in the Cape Verde Archipelago offshore Western Africa, is a complete stratovolcano system that was created by the Cape Verde hotspot, forming the island of Fogo. The top (Pico do Fogo) reaches ~2830m above sea level, and raises ~1100m above Chã das Caldeiras, an almost flat circular area with approximately 10 kilometres in the north-south direction and 7 kilometres in the east-west direction. Chã das Caldeiras, surrounded towards the West by the ~1000m high Bordeira rampart, has been inhabited since the early 20th Century, because it is one of the most productive agricultural areas in this semi-arid country. Fogo volcano erupted on November 23, 2014 (~10:00UTC) on a subsidiary vent of the main cone, after 19 years of inactivity. C4G (Collaboratory for Geosciences), a distributed research infrastructure created in 2014 in the framework of the Portuguese Roadmap for Strategic Research Infrastructures, immediately offered support to the Cape Verdean authorities, with the goal of complementing the permanent geophysical monitoring network operated in Fogo island by INMG, the Cape Verdean Meteorological and Geophysical Institute. This permanent network is composed of seven seismographic stations and three tiltmeter stations, and the data is transmitted in real time to the INMG geophysical laboratory in São Vicente Island, where it is analysed on a routine basis. Pre-eruptive activity started to be detected by the permanent monitoring network on October 2014, with earthquakes occurring at depths larger than 15 km. These events led to a first volcanic warning to the Cape Verdean Civil Protection Agency. On November 22 several volcano-tectonic earthquakes were recorded at shallow depths, indicating shallow fracturing. On the basis of this activity, INMG issued a formal alert of an impending eruption to the Civil Protection Agency, ~24 hours before the onset of the eruption. Volcanic tremor and clear tiltmeter signals were recorded about one hour

Characterization of juvenile pyroclasts from the Kos Plateau Tuff (Aegean Arc): insights into the eruptive dynamics of a large rhyolitic eruption

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Bouvet de Maisonneuve, Caroline; Bachmann, Olivier; Burgisser, Alain

2009-08-01

Silicic pumices formed during explosive volcanic eruptions are faithful recorders of the state of the magma in the conduit, close to or at the fragmentation level. We have characterized four types of pumices from the non-welded rhyolitic Kos Plateau Tuff, which erupted 161,000 years ago in the East Aegean Arc, Greece. The dominant type of pumice (>90 vol.%) shows highly elongated tubular vesicles. These tube pumices occur throughout the eruption. Less common pumice types include: (1) “frothy” pumice (highly porous with large, sub-rounded vesicles), which form 5-10 vol.% of the coarsest pyroclastic flow deposits, (2) dominantly “microvesicular” and systematically crystal-poor pumices, which are found in early erupted, fine-grained pyroclastic flow units, and are characterized by many small (<50 μm in diameter) vesicles and few mm-sized, irregular voids, (3) grey or banded pumices, indicating the interaction between the rhyolite and a more mafic magma, which are found throughout the eruption sequence and display highly irregular bubble shapes. Except for the grey-banded pumices, all three other types are compositionally identical and were generated synchronously as they are found in the same pyroclastic units. They, therefore, record different conditions in the volcanic conduit leading to variable bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence. A total of 74 pumice samples have been characterized using thin section observation, SEM imagery, porosimetry, and permeametry. We show that the four pumice types have distinct total and connected porosity, tortuosity and permeability. Grey-banded pumices show large variations in petrophysical characteristics as a response to mingling of two different magmas. The microvesicular, crystal-poor, pumices have a bimodal bubble size distribution, interpreted as reflecting an early heterogeneous bubble nucleation event followed by homogeneous bubble nucleation close to fragmentation. Finally, the significant differences in

Accelerated tooth eruption in children with diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lal, Shantanu; Cheng, Bin; Kaplan, Selma; Softness, Barney; Greenberg, Ellen; Goland, Robin S; Lalla, Evanthia; Lamster, Ira B

2008-05-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate tooth eruption in 6- to 14-year-old children with diabetes mellitus. Tooth eruption status was assessed for 270 children with diabetes and 320 control children without diabetes. Data on important diabetes-related variables were collected. Analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Children with diabetes exhibited accelerated tooth eruption in the late mixed dentition period (10-14 years of age) compared to healthy children. For both case patients and control subjects the odds of a tooth being in an advanced eruptive stage were significantly higher among girls than boys. There was also a trend associating gingival inflammation with expedited tooth eruption in both groups. No association was found between the odds of a tooth being in an advanced stage of eruption and hemoglobin A(1c) or duration of diabetes. Patients with higher body mass index percentile demonstrated statistically higher odds for accelerated tooth eruption, but the association was not clinically significant. Children with diabetes exhibit accelerated tooth eruption. Future studies need to ascertain the role of such aberrations in dental development and complications such as malocclusion, impaired oral hygiene, and periodontal disease. The standards of care for children with diabetes should include screening and referral programs aimed at oral health promotion and disease prevention.

Distribution and mass of tephra-fall deposits from volcanic eruptions of Sakurajima Volcano based on posteruption surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Oishi, Masayuki; Nishiki, Kuniaki; Geshi, Nobuo; Furukawa, Ryuta; Ishizuka, Yoshihiro; Oikawa, Teruki; Yamamoto, Takahiro; Nanayama, Futoshi; Tanaka, Akiko; Hirota, Akinari; Miwa, Takahiro; Miyabuchi, Yasuo

2018-04-01

We estimate the total mass of ash fall deposits for individual eruptions of Sakurajima Volcano, southwest Japan based on distribution maps of the tephra fallout. Five ash-sampling campaigns were performed between 2011 and 2015, during which time Sakurajima continued to emit ash from frequent Vulcanian explosions. During each survey, between 29 and 53 ash samplers were installed in a zone 2.2-43 km downwind of the source crater. Total masses of erupted tephra were estimated using several empirical methods based on the relationship between the area surrounded by a given isopleth and the thickness of ash fall within each isopleth. We obtained 70-40,520 t (4.7 × 10-8-2.7 × 10-5-km3 DRE) as the minimum estimated mass of erupted materials for each eruption period. The minimum erupted mass of tephra produced during the recorded events was calculated as being 890-5140 t (5.9 × 10-7-3.6 × 10-6-km3 DRE). This calculation was based on the total mass of tephra collected during any one eruptive period and the number of eruptions during that period. These values may thus also include the contribution of continuous weak ash emissions before and after prominent eruptions. We analyzed the meteorological effects on ash fall distribution patterns and concluded that the width of distribution area of an ash fall is strongly controlled by the near-ground wind speed. The direction of the isopleth axis for larger masses is affected by the local wind direction at ground level. Furthermore, the wind direction influences the direction of the isopleth axes more at higher altitude. While a second maximum of ash fall can appear, the influence of rain might only affect the finer particles in distal areas.

EIT and SXT Observations of a Quiet Region Filament Ejection: First Eruption, Then Reconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Thompson, Barbara J.; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We observe a slow-onset quiet-region filament eruption with the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on SOHO, and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. This event occurred on 1999 April 18, and was likely the origin of a coronal mass ejection (CME) detected by SOHO at 08:30 UT on that day. In EIT, one-half of the filament shows two stages of evolution: Stage I is a slow, roughly constant upward movement at approx. 1 km per second lasting approximately 6.5 hours, and Stage 2 is a rapid upward eruption at approximately 16 kilometers per second occurring just before the filament disappears into interplanetary space. The other half of the filament shows little motion along the line-of-sight during the time of Stage 1, but erupts along with the rest of the filament during Stage 2. There is no obvious emission from the filament in SXT until Stage 2; at that time an arcade of EUV and soft X-ray loops forms first at the central location of the filament, and then expands outward along the length of the filament channel. A plot of EUV intensity versus time of the central portion of the filament (where the postflare loops initially form) shows a flat profile during Stage 1, and a rapid upturn after the start of Stage 2. This lightcurve is delayed from what would be expected if "tether-cutting" reconnection in the core of the erupting region were responsible for the initiation of the eruption. Rather, these observations suggest that a loss of stability of the magnetic field holding the filament initiates the eruption, with reconnection in the core region occurring only as a byproduct.

EIT And SXT Observations of a Quiet-Region Filament Ejection: First Eruption, Then Reconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Alphonse C.; Moore, Ronald L.; Thompson, Barbara J.

2001-01-01

We observe a slow-onset quiet-region filament eruption with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. This event occurred on 1999 April 18 and was likely the origin of a coronal mass ejection detected by SOHO at 08:30 UT on that day. In the EIT observation, one-half of the filament shows two stages of evolution: stage 1 is a slow, roughly constant upward movement at approximately 1 km/s lasting approximately 0.5 hr, and stage 2 is a rapid upward eruption at approximately 16 km/s occurring just before the filament disappears into interplanetary space. The other half of the filament shows little motion along the line of sight during the time of stage 1 but erupts along with the rest of the filament during stage 2. There is no obvious emission from the filament in the SXT observation until stage 2; at that time, an arcade of EUV and soft X-ray loops forms first at the central location of the filament and then expands outward along the length of the filament channel. A plot of EUV intensity versus time of the central portion of the filament (where the postflare loops initially form) shows a flat profile during stage 1 and a rapid upturn after the start of stage 2. This light curve is delayed from what would be expected if 'tether-cutting' reconnection in the core of the erupting region were responsible for the initiation of the eruption. Rather, these observations suggest that a loss of stability of the magnetic field holding the filament initiates the eruption, with reconnection in the core region occurring only as a by-product.

Ocean Observing at Axial Seamount: Details of the Current OOI-RSN Design Within the Context of the April 2011 Eruption

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Proskurowski, G.; Kelley, D. S.; Fundis, A. T.; Kawka, O.; Denny, G. F.; Delaney, J. R.

2011-12-01

In 2013, the NSF's Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) will deploy 22 instrument suites within the caldera of Axial Seamount as part of the cabled observatory component implemented by the Regional Scale Nodes (RSN) at the University of Washington. The cabled infrastructure will initially provide Axial caldera with a total of 8kW of power and 11Gbps of data bandwidth. Only an approximate 20% fraction will be used by "core instrumentation"-instrumentation supported and maintained by OOI-RSN. Thus, the OOI provided infrastructure is highly, and readily, expandable to include community-generated instrumention once the system is commissioned and begins operations in early 2015. Here we present the details of the current design of the cabled observatory at Axial Seamount, including locations of instruments, data products, and sampling rates placed in the context of meter scale resolution bathymetry and down-looking photomosaics of the experimental sites. The April 2011 Axial eruption is a demonstration of the importance of transmitting seismic, video, and vent fluid chemistry information in real-time. The eruptive event, or series of events, in April 2011 went undetected until a series of ROV/AUV cruises, planned separately and years in advance, made observations to discover, confirm, and detail the transformation to Axial (see Chadwick et al., this session). What transpired during, and shortly after, the eruption will remain largely unknown, as the initial extraordinary fluxes of heat, chemistry and biology will have decayed in the intervening three and a half months. Here we detail the response capabilities of the OOI-RSN cabled observatory to a future eruptive event under two scenarios-as built, and an expanded version using existing technology.

An Unusual Case Report of Erupted Odontoma

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Dhaval Mehta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Odontomas are the most common of the odontogenic tumors of the jaws, which are benign, slow growing, and nonaggressive. They are usually asymptomatic and found in routine dental radiographic examination. Odontomas are usually associated with tooth eruption disturbances. Eruption of odontoma in oral cavity is rare entity. Here we report a case of an unusual erupted compound odontoma.

Failed magmatic eruptions: Late-stage cessation of magma ascent

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Moran, S.C.; Newhall, C.; Roman, D.C.

2011-01-01

When a volcano becomes restless, a primary question is whether the unrest will lead to an eruption. Here we recognize four possible outcomes of a magmatic intrusion: "deep intrusion", "shallow intrusion", "sluggish/viscous magmatic eruption", and "rapid, often explosive magmatic eruption". We define "failed eruptions" as instances in which magma reaches but does not pass the "shallow intrusion" stage, i. e., when magma gets close to, but does not reach, the surface. Competing factors act to promote or hinder the eventual eruption of a magma intrusion. Fresh intrusion from depth, high magma gas content, rapid ascent rates that leave little time for enroute degassing, opening of pathways, and sudden decompression near the surface all act to promote eruption, whereas decreased magma supply from depth, slow ascent, significant enroute degassing and associated increases in viscosity, and impingement on structural barriers all act to hinder eruption. All of these factors interact in complex ways with variable results, but often cause magma to stall at some depth before reaching the surface. Although certain precursory phenomena, such as rapidly escalating seismic swarms or rates of degassing or deformation, are good indicators that an eruption is likely, such phenomena have also been observed in association with intrusions that have ultimately failed to erupt. A perpetual difficulty with quantifying the probability of eruption is a lack of data, particularly on instances of failed eruptions. This difficulty is being addressed in part through the WOVOdat database. Papers in this volume will be an additional resource for scientists grappling with the issue of whether or not an episode of unrest will lead to a magmatic eruption.

Active Submarine Volcanoes and Electro-Optical Sensor Networks: The Potential of Capturing and Quantifying an Entire Eruptive Sequence at Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge

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Delaney, J. R.; Kelley, D. S.; Proskurowski, G.; Fundis, A. T.; Kawka, O.

2011-12-01

The NE Pacific Regional Scale Nodes (RSN) component of the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative is designed to provide unprecedented electrical power and bandwidth to the base and summit of Axial Seamount. The scientific community is engaged in identifying a host of existing and innovative observation and measurement techniques that utilize the high-power and bandwidth infrastructure and its real-time transmission capabilities. The cable, mooring, and sensor arrays will enable the first quantitative documentation of myriad processes leading up to, during, and following a submarine volcanic event. Currently planned RSN instrument arrays will provide important and concurrent spatial and temporal constraints on earthquake activity, melt migration, hydrothermal venting behavior and chemistry, ambient currents, microbial community structure, high-definition (HD) still images and HD video streaming from the vents, and water-column chemistry in the overlying ocean. Anticipated, but not yet funded, additions will include AUVs and gliders that continually document the spatial-temporal variations in the water column above the volcano and the distal zones. When an eruption appears imminent the frequency of sampling will be increased remotely, and the potential of repurposing the tracking capabilities of the mobile sensing platforms will be adapted to the spatial indicators of likely eruption activity. As the eruption begins mobile platforms will fully define the geometry, temperature, and chemical-microbial character of the volcanic plume as it rises into the thoroughly documented control volume above the volcano. Via the Internet the scientific community will be able to witness and direct adaptive sampling in response to changing conditions of plume formation. A major goal will be to document the eruptive volume and link the eruption duration to the volume of erupted magma. For the first time, it will be possible to begin to quantify the time-integrated output of an underwater

High-resolution Observations of Sympathetic Filament Eruptions by NVST

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Li, Shangwei; Su, Yingna; Zhou, Tuanhui; Ji, Haisheng [Key Laboratory for Dark Matter and Space Science, Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing 210008 (China); Van Ballegooijen, Adriaan [5001 Riverwood Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34231 (United States); Sun, Xudong, E-mail: ynsu@pmo.ac.cn [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2017-07-20

We investigate two sympathetic filament eruptions observed by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope on 2015 October 15. The full picture of the eruptions is obtained from the corresponding Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO )/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) observations. The two filaments start from active region NOAA 12434 in the north and end in one large quiescent filament channel in the south. The left filament erupts first, followed by the right filament eruption about 10 minutes later. Clear twist structure and rotating motion are observed in both filaments during the eruption. Both eruptions failed, since the filaments first rise up, then flow toward the south and merge into the southern large quiescent filament. We also observe repeated activations of mini filaments below the right filament after its eruption. Using magnetic field models constructed based on SDO /HMI magnetograms via the flux rope insertion method, we find that the left filament eruption is likely to be triggered by kink instability, while the weakening of overlying magnetic fields due to magnetic reconnection at an X-point between the two filament systems might play an important role in the onset of the right filament eruption.

Study of Three-dimensional Magnetic Structure and the Successive Eruptive Nature of Active Region 12371

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Vemareddy, P.; Demóulin, P.

2018-04-01

We study the magnetic structure of a successively erupting sigmoid in active region 12371 by modeling the quasi-static coronal field evolution with nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) equilibria. Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager/Solar Dynamic Observatory vector magnetograms are used as input to the NLFFF model. In all eruption events, the modeled structure resembles the observed pre-eruptive coronal sigmoid and the NLFFF core field is a combination of double inverse-J-shaped and inverse-S field lines with dips touching the photosphere. Such field lines are formed by the flux cancellation reconnection of opposite-J field lines at bald-patch locations, which in turn implies the formation of a weakly twisted flux-rope (FR) from large-scale sheared arcade field lines. Later on, this FR undergoes coronal tether-cutting reconnection until a coronal mass ejection is triggered. The modeled structure captured these major features of sigmoid-to-arcade-to-sigmoid transformation, which is reoccuring under continuous photospheric flux motions. Calculations of the field line twist reveal a fractional increase followed by a decrease of the number of pixels having a range of twist. This traces the buildup process of a twisted core field by slow photospheric motions and the relaxation after eruption, respectively. Our study infers that the large eruptivity of this AR is due to a steep decrease of the background coronal field meeting the torus instability criteria at a low height (≈40 Mm) in contrast to noneruptive ARs.

Contrasting styles of deep-marine pyroclastic eruptions revealed from Axial Seamount push core records

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Portner, Ryan A.; Clague, David A.; Helo, Christoph; Dreyer, Brian M.; Paduan, Jennifer B.

2015-08-01

A comprehensive understanding of explosive basaltic eruption processes in the deep-sea relies upon detailed analysis and comparison of the variety of volcaniclastic lithologies on the seafloor, which has been challenged by insufficient sample recovery. A dedicated ROV-based sampling approach using long push cores offers an unparalleled opportunity to fully characterize the diversity of unconsolidated volcaniclastic lithofacies on a recently active seamount. Lithofacies from Axial Seamount record two styles of pyroclastic eruptions, strombolian and phreatomagmatic, at 1.5 km water depth. Strombolian eruptions are represented by abundant fluidal and highly vesicular (up to 50%) vitriclasts within limu o Pele lapilli tuff and tuffaceous mud lithofacies. Lapilli-ash grain size, normal grading, good sorting, rip-up clasts and homogeneous glass geochemistry characterize individual limu o Pele lapilli tuff beds, and imply proximal deposition from a turbidity flow associated with a single eruption (i.e. event bed). Limu o Pele lapilli tuff beds are interbedded with poorly sorted, chemically heterogeneous and bioturbated tuffaceous mud units that preserve reworking and biologic habitation of more distal pyroclastic fallout and dilute turbidity flows. The phreatomagmatic eruption style is preserved by hydrothermal mineral-bearing muddy tuff that exhibits characteristics distinct from lapilli ash and tuffaceous mud lithofacies. Hydrothermal muddy tuff lithofacies are well-sorted and fine-grained with notable components of non-fluidal basaltic ash (∼45%), fluidal ash (∼30%) and accessory lithics (∼25%). Heterogeneous geochemistry of ash shards implies that juvenile components are minimal. The abundance, mineralogy and texture of lithic components (Fe-Mg clays, pyrite, epidote, actinolite, altered glass, basalt/diabase, hydrothermal breccia and agglutinate), and very fine-grain size of basaltic ash, are consistent with phreatomagmatic eruption deposits. A lack of

A Challenging Solar Eruptive Event of 18 November 2003 and the Causes of the 20 November Geomagnetic Superstorm. II. CMEs, Shock Waves, and Drifting Radio Bursts

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Grechnev, V. V.; Uralov, A. M.; Chertok, I. M.; Slemzin, V. A.; Filippov, B. P.; Egorov, Y. I.; Fainshtein, V. G.; Afanasyev, A. N.; Prestage, N. P.; Temmer, M.

2014-04-01

We continue our study (Grechnev et al., 2013, doi:10.1007/s11207-013-0316-6; Paper I) on the 18 November 2003 geoffective event. To understand possible impact on geospace of coronal transients observed on that day, we investigated their properties from solar near-surface manifestations in extreme ultraviolet, LASCO white-light images, and dynamic radio spectra. We reconcile near-surface activity with the expansion of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and determine their orientation relative to the earthward direction. The kinematic measurements, dynamic radio spectra, and microwave and X-ray light curves all contribute to the overall picture of the complex event and confirm an additional eruption at 08:07 - 08:20 UT close to the solar disk center presumed in Paper I. Unusual characteristics of the ejection appear to match those expected for a source of the 20 November superstorm but make its detection in LASCO images hopeless. On the other hand, none of the CMEs observed by LASCO seem to be a promising candidate for a source of the superstorm being able to produce, at most, a glancing blow on the Earth's magnetosphere. Our analysis confirms free propagation of shock waves revealed in the event and reconciles their kinematics with "EUV waves" and dynamic radio spectra up to decameters.

Eruptions at Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA, part 1: energetics and eruption dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Karlstrom, Leif; Hurwitz, Shaul; Sohn, Robert; Vandemeulebrouck, Jean; Murphy, Fred; Rudolph, Maxwell L.; Johnston, Malcolm J.S.; Manga, Michael; McCleskey, R. Blaine

2013-01-01

Geysers provide a natural laboratory to study multiphase eruptive processes. We present results from a four–day experiment at Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, USA. We simultaneously measured water discharge, acoustic emissions, infraredintensity, and visible and infrared video to quantify the energetics and dynamics of eruptions, occurring approximately every three hours. We define four phases in the eruption cycle: 1) a 28 ± 3 minute phase with liquid and steam fountaining, with maximum jet velocities of 16–28 m s− 1, steam mass fraction of less than ∼ 0.01. Intermittently choked flow and flow oscillations with periods increasing from 20 to 40 s are coincident with a decrease in jet velocity and an increase of steam fraction; 2) a 26 ± 8 minute post–eruption relaxation phase with no discharge from the vent, infrared (IR) and acoustic power oscillations gliding between 30 and 40 s; 3) a 59 ± 13 minute recharge period during which the geyser is quiescent and progressively refills, and 4) a 69 ± 14 minute pre–play period characterized by a series of 5–10 minute–long pulses of steam, small volumes of liquid water discharge and 50–70 s flow oscillations. The erupted waters ascend froma 160 − 170° C reservoir and the volume discharged during the entire eruptive cycle is 20.8 ± 4.1 m3. Assuming isentropic expansion, we calculate a heat output from the geyser of 1.4–1.5 MW, which is < 0.1% of the total heat output from Yellowstone Caldera.

Elastic energy release in great earthquakes and eruptions

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Agust eGudmundsson

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The sizes of earthquakes are measured using well-defined, measurable quantities such as seismic moment and released (transformed elastic energy. No similar measures exist for the sizes of volcanic eruptions, making it difficult to compare the energies released in earthquakes and eruptions. Here I provide a new measure of the elastic energy (the potential mechanical energy associated with magma chamber rupture and contraction (shrinkage during an eruption. For earthquakes and eruptions, elastic energy derives from two sources: (1 the strain energy stored in the volcano/fault zone before rupture, and (2 the external applied load (force, pressure, stress, displacement on the volcano/fault zone. From thermodynamic considerations it follows that the elastic energy released or transformed (dU during an eruption is directly proportional to the excess pressure (pe in the magma chamber at the time of rupture multiplied by the volume decrease (-dVc of the chamber, so that . This formula can be used as a basis for a new eruption magnitude scale, based on elastic energy released, which can be related to the moment-magnitude scale for earthquakes. For very large eruptions (>100 km3, the volume of the feeder-dike is negligible, so that the decrease in chamber volume during an eruption corresponds roughly to the associated volume of erupted materials , so that the elastic energy is . Using a typical excess pressures of 5 MPa, it is shown that the largest known eruptions on Earth, such as the explosive La Garita Caldera eruption (27-28 million years ago and largest single (effusive Colombia River basalt lava flows (15-16 million years ago, both of which have estimated volumes of about 5000 km3, released elastic energy of the order of 10EJ. For comparison, the seismic moment of the largest earthquake ever recorded, the M9.5 1960 Chile earthquake, is estimated at 100 ZJ and the associated elastic energy release at 10EJ.

Phreatomagmatic eruptive and depositional processes during the 1949 eruption on La Palma (Canary Islands)

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White, James D. L.; Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich

1999-12-01

In 1949, a 5-week-long magmatic and phreatomagmatic eruption took place along the active volcanic ridge of La Palma (Canary Islands). Two vents, Duraznero and Hoyo Negro, produced significant pyroclastic deposits. The eruption began from Duraznero vent, which produced a series of deposits with an upward decrease in accidental fragments and increase in fluidal ash and spatter, together inferred to indicate decreasing phreatomagmatic interaction. Hoyo Negro erupted over a 2-week period, producing a variety of pyroclastic density currents and ballistic blocks and bombs. Hoyo Negro erupted within and modified an older crater having high walls on the northern to southeastern edges. Southwestern to western margins of the crater lay 50 to 100 m lower. Strongly contrasting deposits in the different sectors (N-SE vs. SW-W) were formed as a result of interaction between topography, weak eruptive columns and stratified pyroclastic density currents. Tephra ring deposits are thicker and coarser-grained than upper rim deposits formed along the higher edges of the crater, and beyond the crater margin, valley-confined deposits are thicker than more thinly bedded mantling deposits on higher topography. These differences indicate that the impact zone for the bulk of the collapsing, tephra-laden column lay within the crater and that the high crater walls inhibited escape of pyroclastic density currents to the north and east. The impact zone lay outside the low SW-W rims, however, thus allowing stratified pyroclastic density currents to move freely away from the crater in those directions, depositing thin sections (<30 cm) of well-bedded ash (mantling deposits) on ridges and thicker sections (1-3 m) of structureless ash beds in valleys and small basins. Such segregation of dense pyroclastic currents from more dilute ones at the crater wall is likely to be common for small eruptions from pre-existing craters and is an important factor to be taken into account in volcanic hazards

An independently dated 2000-yr volcanic record from Law Dome, East Antarctica, including a new perspective on the dating of the 1450s CE eruption of Kuwae, Vanuatu

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C. T. Plummer

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Volcanic eruptions are an important cause of natural climate variability. In order to improve the accuracy of climate models, precise dating and magnitude of the climatic effects of past volcanism are necessary. Here we present a 2000-yr record of Southern Hemisphere volcanism recorded in ice cores from the high accumulation Law Dome site, East Antarctica. The ice cores were analysed for a suite of chemistry signals and are independently dated via annual layer counting, with 11 ambiguous years at 23 BCE, which has presently the lowest error of all published long Antarctic ice cores. Independently dated records are important to avoid circular dating where volcanic signatures are assigned a date from some external information rather than using the date it is found in the ice core. Forty-five volcanic events have been identified using the sulphate chemistry of the Law Dome record. The low dating error and comparison with the NGRIP (North Greenland Ice Core Project volcanic records (on the GICC05 timescale suggest Law Dome is the most accurately dated Antarctic volcanic dataset, which will improve the dating of individual volcanic events and potentially allow better correlation between ice core records, leading to improvements in global volcanic forcing datasets. One of the most important volcanic events of the last two millennia is the large 1450s CE event, usually assigned to the eruption of Kuwae, Vanuatu. In this study, we review the evidence surrounding the presently accepted date for this event, and make the case that two separate eruptions have caused confusion in the assignment of this event. Volcanic sulphate deposition estimates are important for modelling the climatic response to eruptions. The largest volcanic sulphate events in our record are dated at 1458 CE (Kuwae?, Vanuatu, 1257 and 422 CE (unidentified.

Multi-model comparison of the volcanic sulfate deposition from the 1815 eruption of Mt. Tambora

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L. Marshall

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The eruption of Mt. Tambora in 1815 was the largest volcanic eruption of the past 500 years. The eruption had significant climatic impacts, leading to the 1816 year without a summer, and remains a valuable event from which to understand the climatic effects of large stratospheric volcanic sulfur dioxide injections. The eruption also resulted in one of the strongest and most easily identifiable volcanic sulfate signals in polar ice cores, which are widely used to reconstruct the timing and atmospheric sulfate loading of past eruptions. As part of the Model Intercomparison Project on the climatic response to Volcanic forcing (VolMIP, five state-of-the-art global aerosol models simulated this eruption. We analyse both simulated background (no Tambora and volcanic (with Tambora sulfate deposition to polar regions and compare to ice core records. The models simulate overall similar patterns of background sulfate deposition, although there are differences in regional details and magnitude. However, the volcanic sulfate deposition varies considerably between the models with differences in timing, spatial pattern and magnitude. Mean simulated deposited sulfate on Antarctica ranges from 19 to 264 kg km−2 and on Greenland from 31 to 194 kg km−2, as compared to the mean ice-core-derived estimates of roughly 50 kg km−2 for both Greenland and Antarctica. The ratio of the hemispheric atmospheric sulfate aerosol burden after the eruption to the average ice sheet deposited sulfate varies between models by up to a factor of 15. Sources of this inter-model variability include differences in both the formation and the transport of sulfate aerosol. Our results suggest that deriving relationships between sulfate deposited on ice sheets and atmospheric sulfate burdens from model simulations may be associated with greater uncertainties than previously thought.

Quantifying Sulphur Emissions and Atmospheric Aerosol Loading From the 1730-36 Lanzarote Eruption

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Sharma, K.; Blake, S.; Self, S.

2005-12-01

The AD 1730-36 eruption of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) is the third largest basaltic fissure eruption known to have occurred in the last 1000 years, after the Icelandic events of Laki (AD 1783-84) and Eldgja (AD 934). Our new volume estimates suggest that the Lanzarote eruption produced ~6 km3 of alkali basalt magma along a 15-km long, E-W trending fissure. Eruptive activity occurred in five distinct phases. Each phase began with Strombolian fire fountain activity, building large spatter and scoria cones. This was accompanied and followed by effusive aa and pahoehoe lava flow emplacement. As studies in Iceland have shown, this type of sustained fissure eruption can release large amounts of SO2 to the upper atmosphere, leading to the formation of sulphate aerosol clouds and causing widespread environmental damage and human suffering. Matrix glasses in scoria and surface lava samples have 80-300 ppm S (EMPA) and 300-600 ppm H2O (FTIR), whereas glass inclusions in olivine have 420-2650 ppm S and 1000-5000 ppm H2O. Low sulphur inclusions are believed to be partially degassed, representing melt that was trapped during degassing-induced crystallization that occurred as a result of shallow decompression. The inclusions with the highest sulphur contents trap the original un-degassed melt, as indicated by their consistent S/K2O ratio (0.22). The high sulphur contents are also consistent with our finding, from olivine-spinel equilibria, that the magma was relatively oxidized (log fO2 -4.8) therefore favouring the formation of sulphate species and preventing sulphide saturation. Our glass analyses indicate that 40 Mt of SO2 was injected into the upper troposphere - lower stratosphere via 12-16-km-high eruption plumes and that over half this amount was released during the first year of activity. This figure correlates with published Greenland ice-core (GISP-2) data that shows an acidity spike in 1731, suggesting stratospheric transport of sulphate aerosol to the North during

Diverse Eruptive Activity Revealed by Acoustic and Electromagnetic Observations of the 14 July 2013 Intense Vulcanian Eruption of Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador

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Anderson, J. F.; Johnson, J. B.; Steele, A. L.; Ruiz, M. C.; Brand, B. D.

2018-04-01

During the powerful July 2013 eruption of Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador, we recorded exceptionally high amplitude, long-period infrasound (1,600-Pa peak-to-peak amplitude, 5.5-s period) on sensors within 2 km of the vent alongside electromagnetic signals from volcanic lightning serendipitously captured as interference. This explosion was one of Tungurahua's most powerful vulcanian eruptions since recent activity began in 1999, and its acoustic wave is among the most powerful volcanic infrasound ever recorded anywhere. We use these data to quantify erupted volume from the main explosion and to classify postexplosive degassing into distinct emission styles. Additionally, we demonstrate a highly effective method of recording lightning-related electromagnetic signals alongside infrasound. Detailed chronologies of powerful vulcanian eruptions are rare; this study demonstrates that diverse eruptive processes can occur in such eruptions and that near-vent infrasound and electromagnetic data can elucidate them.

1600 AD Huaynaputina Eruption (Peru, Abrupt Cooling, and Epidemics in China and Korea

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Jie Fei

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The 1600 AD Huaynaputina eruption in Peru was one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history over the past 2000 years. This study operated on the hypothesis that this event dramatically affected the weather and environment in China and the Korean Peninsula. Over the course of this research the Chinese and Korean historical literatures as well as dendrochronology records were examined. The historical evidence points to the conclusion that the eruption was followed by an abrupt cooling period and epidemic outbreaks in 1601 AD within both China and the Korean Peninsula. These records manifested themselves in unseasonably cold weather resulting in severe killing frosts in northern China in the summer and autumn of 1601 AD. In southern China (Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces and Shanghai Municipality, July was abnormally cold with snow, with an autumn that saw anomalously hot weather. In addition, there was unseasonable snowfall that autumn within Yunnan Province. Widespread disease outbreaks occurred in August, September, and October in northern and southern China. In Korea, the spring and early summer of 1601 AD were unusually cold, and conditions led to further widespread epidemics occurring in August.

Pre-eruptive volatile and erupted gas phase characterization of the 2014 basalt of Bárðarbunga volcanic system, Iceland.

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Haddadi, Baptiste; Moune, Séverine; Sigmarsson, Olgeir; Gauthier, Pierre-Jean; Gouhier, Mathieu

2015-04-01

The 2014 Holuhraun eruption on the Bárðarbunga Volcanic System is the largest fissure eruption in Iceland since the 1783 Laki eruption. The eruption started end of August 2014 and has been characterized by large emission of SO2 into the atmosphere. It provides a rare opportunity to study in details magmatic and degassing processes during a large-volume fissure eruption. In order to characterize the pre-eruptive magmatic composition and to assess the plume chemistry at the eruption site, lava and tephra were sampled together with the eruption plume. The basalt composition is olivine tholeiite with MgO close to 7 wt%. It is phenocryst-poor with plagioclase as the dominant mineral phase but olivine and clinopyroxene are also present together with sulphide globules composed principally of pyrite and chalcopyrite. The volatile (S, Cl and F) and major element concentrations were measured by the electron microprobe in melt inclusions (MIs) trapped in plagioclase and clinopyroxene and groundmass glass. The MIs composition ranges from fairly primitive basaltic compositions (MgO: 9.03 wt%) down to evolved qz-tholeiites (MgO: 5.57 wt%), with estimated pre-eruptive S concentrations of 1500 ppm. Tephra groundmass glass contains 400 ppm S, whereas Cl and F concentrations are respectively slightly lower and indistinguishable from those in the MIs. This implies limited exsolution of halogens but 75% of the initial sulphur content. Relatively to their total iron content, MIs are sulphur saturated, and their oxygen fugacity close to the FMQ buffer. The difference between the estimated initial volatile concentrations measured in the MIs and in the tephra groundmass (i.e. the so-called petrological method) yields 7.2 Mt SO2, limited HCl and no HF atmospheric mass loading from the Holuhraun 2014 eruption. The SO2/HCl molar ratio of the gas phase, calculated from the MIs, is 13 and 14, respectively, using average and estimated pre-eruptive S and Cl concentrations in the MIs. Filter

The Summer 1997 Eruption at Pillan Patera on Io: Implications for Ultrabasic Lava Flow Emplacement

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Williams, David A.; Davies, Ashley G.; Keszthelyi, Laszlo P.; Greeley, Ronald

2001-01-01

Galileo data and numerical modeling were used to investigate the summer 1977 eruption at Pillan Patera on Io. This event, now defined as "Pillanian" eruption style, included a high-temperature (greater than 1600 C), possible ultrabasic , 140-km-high plume eruption that deposited dark, orthopyroxene-rich pyroclastic material over greater than 125,000 sq km, followed by emplacement of dark flow-like material over greater than 3100 sq km to the north of the caldera. We estimate that the high-temperature, energetic episode of this eruption had a duration of 52 - 167 days between May and September 1997, with peak eruption temperatures around June 28, 1997. Galileo 20 m/pixel images of part of the Pillan flow field show a wide-spread, rough, pitted surface that is unlike any flow surface we have seen before. We suggest that this surface may have resulted from: 1. A fractured lava crust formed during rapid, low-viscosity lava surging, perhaps including turbulent flow emplacement. 2. Disruption of the lava flow by explosive interaction with a volatile-rich substrate. or 3. A combination of 1 and 2 with or without accumulation of pyroclastic material on the surface. Well-developed flow lobes are observed, suggesting that this is a relatively distant part of the flow field.Shadow measurements at flow margins indicate a thickness of-8 - 10 m. We have modeled the emplacement of putative ultrabasic flow from the summer 1997 Pillan eruption using constraints from new Galileo data. Results suggest that either laminar sheet flows or turbulent channelized flows could have traveled 50 - 150 km on a flat, unobstructed surface, which is consistent with the estimated length of the Pillan flow field (approx. 60 km). Our modeling suggests low thermal erosion rates (less than 4.1 m/d), and that the formation of deep (greater than 20 m) erosion channels was unlikely, especially distal to the source. We calculate a volumetric flow rate of approx. 2 - 7 x 10(exp 3)cu m/s, which is greater

Stratospheric sulfate from the Gareloi eruption, 1980: Contribution to the ''ambient'' aerosol by a poorly documented volcanic eruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedlacek, W.A.; Mroz, E.J.; Heiken, G.

1981-01-01

While sampling stratospheric aerosols during July--August 1980 a plume of ''fresh'' volcanic debris was observed in the Northern hemisphere. The origin of this material seems to be a poorly documented explosive eruption of Gareloi valcano in the Aleutian Islands. The debris was sampled at an altitude of 19.2 km: almost twice the height of observed eruption clouds. Such remote, unobserved or poorly documented eruptions may be a source that helps maintain the ''ambient'' stratospheric aerosol background

A Comparative Study of the Eruptive and Non-eruptive Flares Produced by the Largest Active Region of Solar Cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Ranadeep; Srivastava, Nandita

2018-02-01

We investigate the morphological and magnetic characteristics of solar active region (AR) NOAA 12192. AR 12192 was the largest region of Solar Cycle 24; it underwent noticeable growth and produced 6 X-class flares, 22 M-class flares, and 53 C-class flares in the course of its disc passage. However, the most peculiar fact of this AR is that it was associated with only one CME in spite of producing several X-class flares. In this work, we carry out a comparative study between the eruptive and non-eruptive flares produced by AR 12192. We find that the magnitude of abrupt and permanent changes in the horizontal magnetic field and Lorentz force are significantly smaller in the case of the confined flares compared to the eruptive one. We present the areal evolution of AR 12192 during its disc passage. We find the flare-related morphological changes to be weaker during the confined flares, whereas the eruptive flare exhibits a rapid and permanent disappearance of penumbral area away from the magnetic neutral line after the flare. Furthermore, from the extrapolated non-linear force-free magnetic field, we examine the overlying coronal magnetic environment over the eruptive and non-eruptive zones of the AR. We find that the critical decay index for the onset of torus instability was achieved at a lower height over the eruptive flaring region, than for the non-eruptive core area. These results suggest that the decay rate of the gradient of overlying magnetic-field strength may play a decisive role to determine the CME productivity of the AR. In addition, the magnitude of changes in the flare-related magnetic characteristics are found to be well correlated with the nature of solar eruptions.

Repeated magmatic intrusions at El Hierro Island following the 2011-2012 submarine eruption

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Benito-Saz, Maria A.; Parks, Michelle M.; Sigmundsson, Freysteinn; Hooper, Andrew; García-Cañada, Laura

2017-09-01

After more than 200 years of quiescence, in July 2011 an intense seismic swarm was detected beneath the center of El Hierro Island (Canary Islands), culminating on 10 October 2011 in a submarine eruption, 2 km off the southern coast. Although the eruption officially ended on 5 March 2012, magmatic activity continued in the area. From June 2012 to March 2014, six earthquake swarms, indicative of magmatic intrusions, were detected underneath the island. We have studied these post-eruption intrusive events using GPS and InSAR techniques to characterize the ground surface deformation produced by each of these intrusions, and to determine the optimal source parameters (geometry, location, depth, volume change). Source inversions provide insight into the depth of the intrusions ( 11-16 km) and the volume change associated with each of them (between 0.02 and 0.13 km3). During this period, > 20 cm of uplift was detected in the central-western part of the island, corresponding to approximately 0.32-0.38 km3 of magma intruded beneath the volcano. We suggest that these intrusions result from deep magma migrating from the mantle, trapped at the mantle/lower crust discontinuity in the form of sill-like bodies. This study, using joint inversion of GPS and InSAR data in a post-eruption period, provides important insight into the characteristics of the magmatic plumbing system of El Hierro, an oceanic intraplate volcanic island.

High-Energy Solar Particle Events in Cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P.; Yashiro, S.; Xie, H.; Akiyama, S.; Thakur, N.

2015-01-01

The Sun is already in the declining phase of cycle 24, but the paucity of high-energy solar energetic particle (SEP) events continues with only two ground level enhancement (GLE) events as of March 31, 2015. In an attempt to understand this, we considered all the large SEP events of cycle 24 that occurred until the end of 2014. We compared the properties of the associated CMEs with those in cycle 23. We found that the CME speeds in the sky plane were similar, but almost all those cycle-24 CMEs were halos. A significant fraction of (16%) of the frontside SEP events were associated with eruptive prominence events. CMEs associated with filament eruption events accelerate slowly and attain peak speeds beyond the typical GLE release heights. When we considered only western hemispheric events that had good connectivity to the CME nose, there were only 8 events that could be considered as GLE candidates. One turned out to be the first GLE event of cycle 24 (2012 May 17). In two events, the CMEs were very fast (>2000 km/s) but they were launched into a tenuous medium (high Alfven speed). In the remaining five events, the speeds were well below the typical GLE CME speed (2000 km/s). Furthermore, the CMEs attained their peak speeds beyond the typical heights where GLE particles are released. We conclude that several factors contribute to the low rate of high-energy SEP events in cycle 24: (i) reduced efficiency of shock acceleration (weak heliospheric magnetic field), (ii) poor latitudinal and longitudinal connectivity), and (iii) variation in local ambient conditions (e.g., high Alfven speed).

A study of a long duration B9 flare-CME event and associated shock

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, R.; Chen, P. F.; Fulara, A.; Srivastava, A. K.; Uddin, W.

2018-01-01

We present and discuss here the observations of a small long duration GOES B-class flare associated with a quiescent filament eruption, a global EUV wave and a CME on 2011 May 11. The event was well observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), GONG H α , STEREO and Culgoora spectrograph. As the filament erupted, ahead of the filament we observed the propagation of EIT wave fronts, as well as two flare ribbons on both sides of the polarity inversion line (PIL) on the solar surface. The observations show the co-existence of two types of EUV waves, i.e., a fast and a slow one. A type II radio burst with up to the third harmonic component was also associated with this event. The evolution of photospheric magnetic field showed flux emergence and cancellation at the filament site before its eruption.

Severe hypertriglyceridemia presenting as eruptive xanthomatosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sameera S Vangara

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Eruptive xanthomatosis is described as the sudden eruption of erythematous yellow papules in the presence of hypertriglyceridemia, often associated with serum triglyceride levels above 2000 mg/dl. Severe hypertriglyceridemia can be caused by primary genetic mutations, secondary chronic diseases, or a combination of both. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is a known risk factor. It is imperative for physicians to be aware of eruptive xanthomatosis as a warning sign for severe hypertriglyceridemia due to the underlying risk for the potentially fatal complication of acute pancreatitis. Herein, we discuss a case of a 52-year-old man with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus who presented with eruptive xanthomata and a triglyceride level of 7157 mg/dl, the highest recorded value in the absence of acute pancreatitis, with a remarkable response to drug therapy. A review of the literature is included to discuss the clinical relevance and appropriate treatment of this disease entity.

Pulmonary epithelial response in the rat lung to instilled Montserrat respirable dusts and their major mineral components.

Science.gov (United States)

Housley, D G; Bérubé, K A; Jones, T P; Anderson, S; Pooley, F D; Richards, R J

2002-07-01

The Soufriere Hills, a stratovolcano on Montserrat, started erupting in July 1995, producing volcanic ash, both from dome collapse pyroclastic flows and phreatic explosions. The eruptions/ash resuspension result in high concentrations of suspended particulate matter in the atmosphere, which includes cristobalite, a mineral implicated in respiratory disorders. To conduct toxicological studies on characterised samples of ash, together with major components of the dust mixture (anorthite, cristobalite), and a bioreactive mineral control (DQ12 quartz). Rats were challenged with a single mass (1 mg) dose of particles via intratracheal instillation and groups sacrificed at one, three, and nine weeks. Acute bioreactivity of the particles was assessed by increases in lung permeability and inflammation, changes in epithelial cell markers, and increase in the size of bronchothoracic lymph nodes. Data indicated that respirable ash derived from pyroclastic flows (20.1% cristobalite) or phreatic explosion (8.6% cristobalite) had minimal bioreactivity in the lung. Anorthite showed low bioreactivity, in contrast to pure cristobalite, which showed progressive increases in lung damage. Results suggests that either the percentage mass of cristobalite particles present in Montserrat ash was not sufficient as a catalyst in the lung environment, or its surface reactivity was masked by the non-reactive volcanic glass components during the process of ash formation.

Volcano-hydrothermal system and activity of Sirung volcano (Pantar Island, Indonesia)

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Caudron, Corentin; Bernard, Alain; Murphy, Sam; Inguaggiato, Salvatore; Gunawan, Hendra

2018-05-01

Sirung is a frequently active volcano located in the remote parts of Western Timor (Indonesia). Sirung has a crater with several hydrothermal features including a crater lake. We present a timeseries of satellite images of the lake and chemical and isotope data from the hyperacid hydrothermal system. The fluids sampled in the crater present the typical features of hyperacidic systems with high TDS, low pH and δ34SHSO4-δ34SS0 among the highest for such lakes. The cations concentrations are predominantly controlled by the precipitation of alunite, jarosite, silica phases, native sulfur and pyrite which dominate the shallow portions of the hydrothermal system. These minerals may control shallow sealing processes thought to trigger phreatic eruptions elsewhere. Sparse Mg/Cl and SO4/Cl ratios and lake parameters derived from satellite images suggest gradual increase in heat and gas flux, most likely SO2-rich, prior to the 2012 phreatic eruption. An acidic river was sampled 8 km far from the crater and is genetically linked with the fluids rising toward the active crater. This river would therefore be a relevant target for future remote monitoring purposes. Finally, several wells and springs largely exceeded the World Health Organization toxicity limits in total arsenic and fluoride.

An Overview of the Dynamics of the Volcanic Paroxysmal Explosive Activity, and Related Seismicity, at Andesitic and Dacitic Volcanoes (1960–2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vyacheslav M. Zobin

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Understanding volcanic paroxysmal explosive activity requires the knowledge of many associated processes. An overview of the dynamics of paroxysmal explosive eruptions (PEEs at andesitic and dacitic volcanoes occurring between 1960 and 2010 is presented here. This overview is based mainly on a description of the pre-eruptive and eruptive events, as well as on the related seismic measurements. The selected eruptions are grouped according to their Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI. A first group includes three eruptions of VEI 5-6 (Mount St. Helens, 1980; El Chichón, 1982; Pinatubo, 1991 and a second group includes three eruptions of VEI 3 (Usu volcano, 1977; Soufriere Hills Volcano (SHV, 1996, and Volcán de Colima, 2005. The PEEs of the first group have similarity in their developments that allows to propose a 5-stage scheme of their dynamics process. Between these stages are: long (more than 120 years period of quiescence (stage 1, preliminary volcano-tectonic (VT earthquake swarm (stage 2, period of phreatic explosions (stage 3 and then, PEE appearance (stage 4. It was shown also that the PEEs of this group during their Plinian stage “triggered” the earthquake sequences beneath the volcanic structures with the maximum magnitude of earthquakes proportional to the volume of ejecta of PEEs (stage 5. Three discussed PEEs of the second group with lower VEI developed in more individual styles, not keeping within any general scheme. Among these, one PEE (SHV may be considered as partly following in development to the PEEs of the first group, having stages 1, 3, and 4. The PEEs of Usu volcano and of Volcán de Colima had no preliminary long-term stages of quiescence. The PEE at Usu volcano came just at the end of the preceding short swarm of VT earthquakes. At Volcán de Colima, no preceding swarm of VT occurred. This absence of any regularity in development of lower VEI eruptions may refer, among other reasons, to different conditions of opening

Long-term volcanic hazard forecasts based on Somma-Vesuvio past eruptive activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lirer, Lucio; Petrosino, Paola; Alberico, Ines; Postiglione, Immacolata

2001-02-01

Distributions of pyroclastic deposits from the main explosive events at Somma-Vesuvio during the 8,000-year B.P.-A.D. 1906 time-span have been analysed to provide maps of volcanic hazard for long-term eruption forecasting. In order to define hazard ratings, the spatial distributions and loads (kg/m2) exerted by the fall deposits on the roofs of buildings have been considered. A load higher than 300 kg/m2 is defined as destructive. The relationship load/frequency (the latter defined as the number of times that an area has been impacted by the deposition of fall deposits) is considered to be a suitable parameter for differentiating among areas according to hazard rating. Using past fall deposit distributions as the basis for future eruptive scenarios, the total area that could be affected by the products of a future Vesuvio explosive eruption is 1,500 km2. The perivolcanic area (274 km2) has the greatest hazard rating because it could be buried by pyroclastic flow deposits thicker than 0.5 m and up to several tens of metres in thickness. Currently, the perivolcanic area also has the highest risk because of the high exposed value, mainly arising from the high population density.

Black swans, power laws, and dragon-kings: Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, wildfires, floods, and SOC models

Science.gov (United States)

Sachs, M. K.; Yoder, M. R.; Turcotte, D. L.; Rundle, J. B.; Malamud, B. D.

2012-05-01

Extreme events that change global society have been characterized as black swans. The frequency-size distributions of many natural phenomena are often well approximated by power-law (fractal) distributions. An important question is whether the probability of extreme events can be estimated by extrapolating the power-law distributions. Events that exceed these extrapolations have been characterized as dragon-kings. In this paper we consider extreme events for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, landslides and floods. We also consider the extreme event behavior of three models that exhibit self-organized criticality (SOC): the slider-block, forest-fire, and sand-pile models. Since extrapolations using power-laws are widely used in probabilistic hazard assessment, the occurrence of dragon-king events have important practical implications.

DomeHaz, a Global Hazards Database: Understanding Cyclic Dome-forming Eruptions, Contributions to Hazard Assessments, and Potential for Future Use and Integration with Existing Cyberinfrastructure

Science.gov (United States)

Ogburn, S. E.; Calder, E.; Loughlin, S.

2013-12-01

Dome-forming eruptions can extend for significant periods of time and can be dangerous; nearly all dome-forming eruptions have been associated with some level of explosive activity. Large Plinian explosions with a VEI ≥ 4 sometimes occur in association with dome-forming eruptions. Many of the most significant volcanic events of recent history are in this category. The 1902-1905 eruption of Mt. Pelée, Martinique; the 1980-1986 eruption of Mount St. Helens, USA; and the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines all demonstrate the destructive power of VEI ≥ 4 dome-forming eruptions. Global historical analysis is a powerful tool for decision-making as well as for scientific discovery. In the absence of monitoring data or a knowledge of a volcano's eruptive history, global analysis can provide a method of understanding what might be expected based on similar eruptions. This study investigates the relationship between large explosive eruptions and lava dome growth and develops DomeHaz, a global database of dome-forming eruptions from 1000 AD to present. It is currently hosted on VHub (https://vhub.org/groups/domedatabase/), a community cyberinfrastructure for sharing data, collaborating, and modeling. DomeHaz contains information about 367 dome-forming episodes, including duration of dome growth, duration of pauses in extrusion, extrusion rates, and the timing and magnitude of associated explosions. Data sources include the The Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program (GVP), Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, and all relevant published review papers, research papers, and reports. This database builds upon previous work (e.g Newhall and Melson, 1983) in light of newly available data for lava dome eruptions. There have been 46 new dome-forming eruptions, 13 eruptions that continued past 1982, 151 new dome-growth episodes, and 8 VEI ≥ 4 events since Newhall and Melson's work in 1983. Analysis using DomeHaz provides useful information regarding the

CONNECTING FLARES AND TRANSIENT MASS-LOSS EVENTS IN MAGNETICALLY ACTIVE STARS

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