Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research最新文献

Long lava flows exceeding 50 km in length are usually produced during large-volume flood basalt eruptions (>100 to 10,000 km³) but can also occur from small to moderate-volume (<30 km³) basaltic eruptions in continental intraplate monogenetic volcanic fields. Eruptive volume, therefore, is not an a priori barrier to producing long lava flows. Key factors that promote long lava flows include efficient lava transport systems that minimise heat loss, long-lived and sustained effusion rates to maintain flow advancement, and lava flow across low topographic gradients (<1°-10°) with minimal topographic barriers.

Here, we focus on an anomalously young and poorly studied basaltic monogenetic volcanic field in southeast Queensland, Australia, that formed part of the broader intraplate volcanism in eastern Australia since the Late Cretaceous. The Coalstoun Lakes Volcanic Field (CLVF) comprises three lava fields: the Barambah Basalt Flow Field, the Deep Creek Flow Field and the Hunters Hill Flow Field. Basalt from the Barambah Basalt Flow Field has been redated here by Ar⁴⁰/Ar³⁹ analysis of groundmass material, yielding a weighted mean age of 0.520 ± 0.016 Ma. The Barambah Basalt Flow Field contains most of the eruptive volume and has advanced up to 165 km from the vent. The Hunters Hill and the Deep Creek flow fields are comparatively smaller in volume and have advanced ∼30 and ∼ 20 km from the vent, respectively. Lava tubes are only known from proximal regions and do not appear to be a significant factor in promoting long run-out in the CLVF. Flow confinement and utilisation of existing drainage networks are features of both lava flow fields, and advancement down the sand-based and ephemeral Burnett River significantly promoted long run-out despite low topographic gradients.

New whole-rock geochemical data on our CLVF samples indicates that all lavas are hawaiites, a common feature of other Quaternary long lava flows globally. Overall, there is some compositional variation, but a cryptic zonation is readily apparent in trace element abundances, which helps to further distinguish the flow fields as the products of separate but closely spaced eruptions. The combination of field and geochemical data indicates that the long lava flow of the Barambah Basalt Flow Field resulted from a sustained and relatively low effusion eruption, creating a pāhoehoe flow field that continuously advanced across the landscape, utilising a drainage system that guided lava flow and helped to circumvent any topographic barriers.

The coexistence of monogenetic and polygenetic volcanoes is a common phenomenon in volcanic areas. However, the genetic relationship between monogenetic and polygenetic systems and the factors controlling their distinct eruptive styles are not well understood. In active volcanic areas, analysing the clustering and vent alignment of monogenetic volcanoes, as well as examining the geomorphology and relative ages of scoria cones, offers quantitative insights into magma supply rates, volcano type distribution, and volcanic development trends. Our study presents geomorphological and spatio-temporal analyses of the co-existing monogenetic volcanoes in the Longgang Volcanic Field (LVF) and those associated with a polygenetic volcano (Tianchi) in the Changbaishan Volcanic Area, China. The distance between the two volcanic areas is around 150 km. Monogenetic vents in the LVF exhibit greater density compared to the dispersed system associated with Tianchi. The LVF vents also show better alignment, particularly in the direction of pre-existing basement faults (NE-SW, NW-SE and EW). By using scoria cone morphometric parameters and features, we estimated the relative ages and erupted volumes of monogenetic volcanoes in the LVF and the Tianchi area. We classified the cones of the two volcanic systems into five eruptive periods and found that, despite similar magma sources and output rates over approximately 870 kyr, differing numbers of scoria cones across age classes suggest that Tianchi's magma system influences its associated monogenetic volcanic plumbing. Furthermore, the continuous rise in output rates of monogenetic volcanoes in the Tianchi area highlights the increasing magma supply sustaining Tianchi volcano. Together, these interpretations are consistent with the two systems being controlled by different factors: the Tianchi monogenetic volcanic system is more controlled by magmatism, whereas the LVF is more strongly controlled by local tectonic structures, alongside an increasing magma supply causing the formation of progressively larger individual volcanoes. In volcanic areas, analysing monogenetic volcanoes' spatial-temporal distribution, volumes and recurrence rate provides a framework to evaluate magma supply rates and tectonic associations, which are key to the development of different volcano types.

Volcanism at Mt. Etna (Italy) started with an early tholeiitic stage dating back to 542 ka during which subaqueous to subaerial magmas were emitted chiefly through fissure-type eruptions on widespread areas located on the southern flank of the modern volcano edifice. Volcanic products belonging to the earlier Aci Trezza Synthem (542–496 ka) and those of the later Adrano Synthem (332–320 ka) are basalts within a narrow range of variation. Despite the rather homogeneous geochemical characteristics, zoning patterns and FeMg diffusion chronometry on olivine crystals from lavas of both the Synthemic Units have evidenced different dynamics and kinetics of storage and transfer before eruptions. Specifically, one dominant, normally-zoned, Fo_83–86 olivine population makes peculiar lavas of the Aci Trezza Synthem, whose patterns can be interpreted as due to simple upward migration from deep storage reservoirs directly to the surface with timescales of 109–200 days. Volcanic rocks of the Adrano Synthem have at least three additional olivine populations (i.e., Fo_78-81, Fo_73-74, Fo_64-70) bearing more complex normal and reverse zoning patterns, features revealing that magmas ascended from the deeper storage zones and then intruded and stalled in shallower reservoirs before being erupted. Transfers throughout these magma reservoirs record both short (<46 days) and long timescales (>106 days), suggesting that tectonics could have accelerated or inhibited magma supply during this later stage of volcanic activity. This new dataset points out that the embryonic plumbing system of Mt. Etna developed a more complex architecture throughout the first ~200 ka of volcanism as a consequence of a declining effect of transtensional tectonics over time.

Several powerful explosive eruptions have taken place in the populated lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea within the past ∼750 years. These have created distinctive landforms, including a tephra rim enclosing Puʻulena Crater immediately south of the Puna Geothermal Venture power station, a tuff cone at Kapoho Crater near the eastern cape of the Island of Hawaiʻi, and a set of littoral cones, the Sand Hill in Nānāwale, where the 1840 lava flow poured into the ocean. Kapoho Crater tuff cone is the largest of these recent pyroclastic features. Mineral, glass, and melt inclusion analyses of tuff cone ash and later fissure-related scoriaceous materials also found within the crater indicate slightly evolved basaltic magmas (1120–1130 °C) that are compositionally similar to parts of the effusive lower East Rift Zone eruptions in 1955 and 2018. Tuff cone magmas were stored at depths of ∼2.5–3.5 km and had pre-eruptive volatile contents (0.5–0.8 wt% H₂O, 280–340 ppm CO₂, 1400–1800 ppm S) similar to other Kīlauea eruptions (e.g., 1959, 1960), suggesting that internal magma properties were unlikely to account for the unusual explosiveness of this eruption. Tephra componentry, grain-size analyses, and field observations confirm that the cone grew during a phreatomagmatic eruption mostly of vitric ash, probably where a fissure opened across the coastline or shallow ocean floor nearby. Supporting this hypothesis is the identification of at least two genera of marine diatoms within tuff cone strata. Sand Hill littoral cone ash is also vitric like that of Kapoho Crater, but distinctly coarser with abundant fluidal ejecta represented. In contrast, the Puʻulena Crater eruption deposited lithic ash and related blocks with minor juvenile magmatic contribution; a phreatomagmatic eruption that was dominantly phreatic. Differences in eruption styles are related to unique mechanics that tephra analyses help us interpret. While powerful explosive eruptions in the lower East Rift Zone are rare, they present a definite future hazard for inhabitants in this part of Hawaii.

Understanding the mechanisms of magma intrusion underpins our ability to interpret geophysical monitoring signals at volcanoes and thus issue reliable forecasts of future activity. The basaltic caldera volcanoes of the western Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, exhibit exceptionally high rates of deformation driven by shallow magma accumulation and migration. However, the nature and evolution of magma storage at these volcanoes is poorly constrained by earthquake hypocentre locations or geodetic inversions. Here we show that transient variations in seismic velocity before, during, and after the 2018 eruption of the Sierra Negra volcano track the accumulation of magma in a shallow sill complex and the emplacement of a lateral flank intrusion. A four-dimensional tomographic technique applied to the P-wave arrivals of local earthquakes provides high spatiotemporal resolution of changes in the physical properties of the shallow volcanic system. In the month before the eruption, the expansion of a low-velocity zone above the sub-caldera sill complex coincides with caldera uplift and near-surface fracturing, driven by persistent shallow magma accumulation. A new low-velocity anomaly appeared progressively in the western flank of the volcano in the days after the onset of the eruption, coinciding with the opening of a curved sill that supplied magma to secondary eruptive fissures. The anomaly disappeared as the curved sill deflated after the initial opening, despite it remaining the conduit for magma from the caldera complex to the flank fissures. Low velocities across the shallow caldera after the end of the eruption likely result from rapid inflation due to recharge with fresh magma from depth. These results indicate a previously unknown complexity to the magmatic plumbing system at Sierra Negra and suggest velocity changes resulting from an interplay of thermal and stress perturbations.

The Paricutin-Tancítaro region (PTR) within the Michoacán-Guanajuato monogenetic Volcanic Field (MGVF) is characterized by a large stratovolcano, Tancítaro enclosed in a dense distribution of monogenetic volcanoes, mainly scoria cones, that includes the well-known Paricutin. The succession of seismic swarms beginning 54 years after the birth of Paricutin in 1943 represents a challenge for apprising the region's volcanic and seismic hazards. In this work, we introduce a novel methodology to assess the spatiotemporal evolution of the monogenetic scoria cones and the distributed volcanic hazards. We first performed a morpho-chronometric analysis of 171 scoria cones to estimate their relative ages, which revealed an increasing trend in the rate of monogenetic eruptions over the last 120 kyr, especially in the last 20 kyr, with a current mean waiting interval between monogenetic eruptions of only 120 yr. In a second step, we estimate the spatiotemporal evolution of monogenetic volcanic activity in PTR using a Voronoi tessellation to represent the spatial density distribution of scoria cone emplacement through time to detect dynamic shifts in volcanic activity locations in the region. This approach thus reveals spatial dynamic patterns in the rates of monogenetic eruptions over time. Subsequently, a Poisson process is assumed to estimate the spatially distributed cone-forming eruption probabilities based on the morpho-chronometrically analyzed cones. Remarkably, a high spatial correlation was found between the areas with the highest probabilities and the location of the recent seismic swarms recorded in the PTR.

The Late Pleistocene-Holocene Laoguipo volcano in the Tengchong Volcanic Field (TVF), southwestern China, displays significant geochemical and geophysical anomalies characteristics. Here we present petrographic observations, mineral chemistry, bulk rock geochemistry, thermobarometry, and thermodynamic simulation to evaluate the crystallization conditions and pre-eruptive magmatic processes occurring within the magma plumbing system. This study reveals the existence of two magma reservoirs beneath the Laoguipo volcano. The deep magma reservoir is composed of basaltic trachyandesite (SiO₂ = 54–57 wt%), which is located at 15–19 km depths with 1087–1160 °C, 1.5–2 wt% H₂O content, oxygen fugacity of ΔNNO+1 (Ni-NiO buffer), melt viscosity of 10^1.7–10^2.6 Pa·s, and density of 2.5–2.6 g/cm³. The formation of the deep magma reservoir is attributed to the 31% mass fractional crystallization of primitive basalt in the TVF. The shallow magma reservoir is composed of trachyte (SiO₂ = 63–64 wt%), which is located at 6–11 km depths with 780–825 °C, 5.9–6.5 wt% H₂O content, oxygen fugacity of ΔNNO+1 (Ni–NiO buffer), melt viscosity of 10^3.9–10^4.8 Pa·s, and density of 2.2–2.3 g/cm³. The shallow magma reservoir formed after the basaltic trachyandesite had assimilated 19% mass of the upper crustal material and fractionated 41% mass of the crystals. This study suggests that the shallow trachyte magma reservoir is being heated by the ascending deep basaltic trachyandesite magma, resulting in crystal dissolution, remobilization of crystal mush, and magma convection, which may be the main factors responsible for the geochemical and geophysical anomalies characteristics. The Laoguipo volcano is forming a mature magma plumbing system, which is of significance for forecasting future volcanic eruptions.

Gas emissions from hydrothermal systems can serve as indicators of subsurface activity. In addition to gas sources, hydrothermal gas geochemistry is strongly influenced by secondary processes that occur during/after hydrothermal circulation. Here, we observed statistically significant differences in the geochemical characteristics (except for helium isotopes) of bubbling gases discharged from two adjacent vents in the Northern Luzon Arc. Helium (³He/⁴He = 4.25–7.09 R_a) in both vents was controlled by mixing between mantle and crustal components, where about 74% of helium was contributed by the mantle. Differences in N₂/Ar ratios (∼ 300–330) of the two neighboring springs are attributed to subducted materials and seawater mixing (contributing ∼2.5% N₂ and Ar), rather than phase separation in the reaction zone. Specifically, Ar was mainly supplied by atmospheric components that dissolved in the percolated seawater with only 8%–9% contributed by the excess radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar. Excess N₂ relative to Ar was mainly supplied by the decomposition of subducted materials (83%–92%) of the South China Sea plate beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. The Lutao gases showed low CO₂ concentrations (0.07–22.2 mmol/mol), despite the high ³He/⁴He ratios indicating a significant contribution of magmatic components. Magmatic CO₂ may have been largely consumed by the high Ca Lutao vent fluids via carbonate precipitation in the reaction zone. Alternatively, stable carbon isotope compositions (δ¹³C) indicate that Lutao CO₂ may be supplied by microbial oxidation of alkanes (e.g., CH₄ with concentrations of 14.6–173 mmol/mol in the samples), with fractionation factor ΔCO₂–CH₄ ranging from −15‰ to −25‰ and conversion rates of <10%. Up to 65% of the CO₂ in the 2016 samples experienced secondary calcite precipitation in the discharge zone. Our results indicate that recycled subducted materials could potentially affect the geochemical characteristics of gases discharged from arc-volcanic systems. In addition, the influence of secondary processes needs to be considered before tracing the sources of hydrothermal fluids and/or gases, especially in shallow-water hydrothermal systems.

Surtsey, a young basaltic island off the south coast of Iceland, was built by volcanic activity in 1963–1967 from a pre-eruption oceanic seafloor depth of 130 m. An aeromagnetic survey was carried out in October 2021 over a 60 km² area covering Surtsey and its surroundings. It aimed to explore the internal structure and the possible existence of basaltic intrusions associated with the five vents active at different times over the 3.5 years of eruptive activity. The survey line spacing was 200 m and the flying altitude was generally 90 m a.s.l. The strongest anomalies (amplitude ∼700 nT) are caused by the 30–100 m thick subaerially erupted lava field on the southern part of Surtsey, formed in two episodes of effusive activity:1964–1965 and 1966–1967. 2D spectral analysis and Euler deconvolution indicate that the causative bodies of anomalies outside the island of Surtsey are located within the uppermost 300 m of the seafloor and their horizontal dimensions are similar to or smaller than their depth. 3D forward modeling of the island and its surroundings, constrained by observations during the formation of the island and drill cores extracted in 1979 and 2017, is consistent with an absence, at all vents, of pillow lava and therefore effusive activity in their opening phases. However, the data support the existence of a 10–20 m thick pillow lava field on the seafloor, 2.5–3 km² in area, extending about ∼1 km to the south of Surtsey. The field is considered to have been fed by magma reaching the seafloor via channelized intrusive flow through the foreset breccia constituting the submarine part of an emerging lava delta during the early stage of effusive eruption in May–July 1964. The general scarcity of significant magnetic bodies within the edifices is consistent with magma fragmentation dominating the submarine eruptions from the onset of activity. A small magnetic anomaly is observed over the submarine edifice of Surtla, built during short-lived activity over ∼10 days in 1963–1964. This anomaly is consistent with observed subaqueous weak or moderate explosive activity that may have allowed a dyke to be preserved within the submarine tephra mound. More violent Surtseyan activity was observed at other vents, however, and may have destroyed any initial dykes that, if preserved, might have been resolved magnetically. Indications of magnetized volcanic rocks of unknown age predating the Surtsey eruption are found beneath the flank of the ephemeral island of Jólnir, the southernmost of the Surtsey vents.

Detailed stratigraphic reconstructions and quantitative deposit characterisations of moderate to large-scale rhyolitic eruptions are limited. This hinders our ability to model the multiple eruptive phenomena and hazards associated with rhyolitic volcanism. To gain new perspectives on the patterns and behaviours of rhyolitic eruptions, we present a study on the explosive phases of the 1314 ± 12 CE Kaharoa eruption of Tarawera, New Zealand. The eruption occurred from multiple aligned vents within the Okataina Caldera and is the youngest rhyolitic eruption of the frequently active Taupō Volcanic Zone. We systematically quantify the deposit characteristics of the Kaharoa pyroclastic succession to provide new insights into the type of eruption sequence and eruptive style changes. Based on field evidence, stratigraphic correlations, grain size and componentry analyses, we subdivide the Kaharoa deposit into 24 units and identify 7 main deposit types, which are linked to different eruptive and depositional processes. The explosive activity was discontinuous, characterised by repeated discrete episodes of sustained magma discharge separated by short time breaks. The activity consisted mainly of repeated subplinian-type columns that gave way to fallout deposition and emplacement of numerous lapilli beds. This activity transitioned to a pyroclastic density current (PDC) dominated phase in response to lateral vent migration. Ash emission activity occurred within and towards the end of the explosive sequence, indicating declines in the eruptive intensity. Six main intra-eruption phases (A to F) of dominant eruptive styles are established to describe the temporal evolution of the eruption. Phases A, B and D are associated with the repeated subplinian-type activity. Phase C comprises the major PDC activity, while the final two Phases E and F are associated with ash emission during initiation of lava dome extrusion and to the final dome-building sequence. This study highlights the complex nature of episodic, multi-phase, and multi-vent, explosive to dome-forming rhyolitic eruptions, depicting a scenario of great relevance for future volcanic hazard studies at active rhyolitic volcanoes worldwide.