Volcanic ash in ancient Maya ceramics of the limestone lowlands: implications for prehistoric volcanic activity in the Guatemala highlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Anabel; Rose, William I.

1995-07-01

In the spirit of collaborative research, Glicken and Ford embarked on the problem of identifying the source of volcanic ash used as temper in prehistoric Maya ceramics. Verification of the presence of glass shards and associated volcanic mineralogy in thin sections of Maya ceramics was straightforward and pointed to the Guatemala Highland volcanic chain. Considering seasonal wind rose patterns, target volcanoes include those from the area west of and including Guatemala City. Joint field research conducted in 1983 by Glicken and Ford in the limestone lowlands of Belize and neighboring Guatemala, 300 km north of the volcanic zone and 150 km from the nearest identified ash deposits, was unsuccessful in discovering local volcanic ash deposits. The abundance of the ash in common Maya ceramic vessels coupled with the difficulties of long-distance procurement without draft animals lead Glicken to suggest that ashfall into the lowlands would most parsimoniously explain prehistoric procurement; it literally dropped into their hands. A major archaeological problem with this explanation is that the use of volcanic ash occurring over several centuries of the Late Classic Period (ca. 600-900 AD). To accept the ashfall hypothesis for ancient Maya volcanic ash procurement, one would have to demonstrate a long span of consistent volcanic activity in the Guatemala Highlands for the last half of the first millennium AD. Should this be documented through careful petrographic, microprobe and tephrachronological studies, a number of related archaeological phenomena would be explained. In addition, the proposed model of volcanic activity has implications for understanding volcanism and potential volcanic hazards in Central America over a significantly longer time span than the historic period. These avenues are explored and a call for further collaborative research of this interdisciplinary problem is extended in this paper.

Volcanic Gases and Hot Spring Water to Evaluate the Volcanic Activity of the Mt. Baekdusan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, S. H.; Lee, S.; Chang, C.

2017-12-01

This study performed the analysis on the volcanic gases and hot spring waters from the Julong hot spring at Mt. Baekdu, also known as Changbaishan on the North Korea(DPRK)-China border, during the period from July 2015 to August 2016. Also, we confirmed the errors that HCO3- concentrations of hot spring waters in the previous study (Lee et al. 2014) and tried to improve the problem. Dissolved CO2 in hot spring waters was analyzed using gas chromatograph in Lee et al.(2014). Improving this, from 2015, we used TOC-IC to analysis dissolved CO2. Also, we analyzed the Na2CO3 standard solutions of different concentrations using GC, and confirmed the correlation between the analytical concentrations and the real concentrations. However, because the analytical results of the Julong hot spring water were in discord with the estimated values based on this correlation, we can't estimate the HCO3-concentrations of 2014 samples. During the period of study, CO2/CH4 ratios in volcanic gases are gradually decreased, and this can be interpreted in two different ways. The first interpretation is that the conditions inside the volcanic edifice are changing into more reduction condition, and carbon in volcanic gases become more favorable to distribute into CH4 or CO than CO2. The second interpretation is that the interaction between volcanic gases and water becomes greater than past, and the concentrations of CO2which have much higher solubility in water decreased, relatively. In general, the effect of scrubbing of volcanic gas is strengthened during the quiet periods of volcanic activity rather than active periods. Meanwhile, the analysis of hot spring waters was done on the anion of acidic gases species, the major cations, and some trace elements (As, Cd, Re).This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant KMIPA 2015-3060.

Catastrophic volcanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lipman, Peter W.

1988-01-01

Since primitive times, catastrophes due to volcanic activity have been vivid in the mind of man, who knew that his activities in many parts of the world were threatened by lava flows, mudflows, and ash falls. Within the present century, increasingly complex interactions between volcanism and the environment, on scales not previously experienced historically, have been detected or suspected from geologic observations. These include enormous hot pyroclastic flows associated with collapse at source calderas and fed by eruption columns that reached the stratosphere, relations between huge flood basalt eruptions at hotspots and the rifting of continents, devastating laterally-directed volcanic blasts and pyroclastic surges, great volcanic-generated tsunamis, climate modification from volcanic release of ash and sulfur aerosols into the upper atmosphere, modification of ocean circulation by volcanic constructs and attendent climatic implications, global pulsations in intensity of volcanic activity, and perhaps triggering of some intense terrestrial volcanism by planetary impacts. Complex feedback between volcanic activity and additional seemingly unrelated terrestrial processes likely remains unrecognized. Only recently has it become possible to begin to evaluate the degree to which such large-scale volcanic processes may have been important in triggering or modulating the tempo of faunal extinctions and other evolutionary events. In this overview, such processes are examined from the viewpoint of a field volcanologist, rather than as a previous participant in controversies concerning the interrelations between extinctions, impacts, and volcanism.

Tectonic, volcanic, and climatic geomorphology study of the Sierras Pampeanas Andes, northwestern Argentina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, A. L.; Strecker, M. R.; Fielding, E. J.

1984-01-01

A proposed analysis of Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) data extends current research in the Sierras Pampeanas and the Puna of northwestern Argentina to the determination - by the digital analysis of mountain-front sinuousity - of the relative age and amount of fault movement along mountain fronts of the late-Cenozoic Sierras Pampeanas basement blocks; the determination of the age and history of the boundary across the Andes at about 27 S latitude between continuing volcanism to the north and inactive volcanism to the south; and the determination of the age and extent of Pleistocene glaciation in the High Sierras, as well as the comparative importance of climatic change and tectonic movements in shaping the landscape. The integration of these studies into other ongoing geology projects contributes to the understanding of landform development in this active tectonic environment and helps distinguish between climatic and tectonic effects on landforms.

Sensor web enables rapid response to volcanic activity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davies, Ashley G.; Chien, Steve; Wright, Robert; Miklius, Asta; Kyle, Philip R.; Welsh, Matt; Johnson, Jeffrey B.; Tran, Daniel; Schaffer, Steven R.; Sherwood, Robert

2006-01-01

Rapid response to the onset of volcanic activity allows for the early assessment of hazard and risk [Tilling, 1989]. Data from remote volcanoes and volcanoes in countries with poor communication infrastructure can only be obtained via remote sensing [Harris et al., 2000]. By linking notifications of activity from ground-based and spacebased systems, these volcanoes can be monitored when they erupt.Over the last 18 months, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has implemented a Volcano Sensor Web (VSW) in which data from ground-based and space-based sensors that detect current volcanic activity are used to automatically trigger the NASA Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) spacecraft to make highspatial-resolution observations of these volcanoes.

Rapid response of a hydrologic system to volcanic activity: Masaya volcano, Nicaragua

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, S.C.P.; Connor, C.B.; Sanford, W.E.

2008-01-01

Hydrologic systems change in response to volcanic activity, and in turn may be sensitive indicators of volcanic activity. Here we investigate the coupled nature of magmatic and hydrologic systems using continuous multichannel time series of soil temperature collected on the flanks of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, one of the most active volcanoes in Central America. The soil temperatures were measured in a low-temperature fumarole field located 3.5 km down the flanks of the volcano. Analysis of these time series reveals that they respond extremely rapidly, on a time scale of minutes, to changes in volcanic activity also manifested at the summit vent. These rapid temperature changes are caused by increased flow of water vapor through flank fumaroles during volcanism. The soil temperature response, ~5 °C, is repetitive and complex, with as many as 13 pulses during a single volcanic episode. Analysis of the frequency spectrum of these temperature time series shows that these anomalies are characterized by broad frequency content during volcanic activity. They are thus easily distinguished from seasonal trends, diurnal variations, or individual rainfall events, which triggered rapid transient increases in temperature during 5% of events. We suggest that the mechanism responsible for the distinctive temperature signals is rapid change in pore pressure in response to magmatism, a response that can be enhanced by meteoric water infiltration. Monitoring of distal fumaroles can therefore provide insight into coupled volcanic-hydrologic-meteorologic systems, and has potential as an inexpensive monitoring tool.

Rear-arc vs. arc-front volcanoes in the Katmai reach of the Alaska Peninsula: A critical appraisal of across-arc compositional variation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, W.; Fierstein, J.; Siems, D.F.; Budahn, J.R.; Ruiz, J.

2004-01-01

Physical and compositional data and K-Ar ages are reported for 14 rear-arc volcanoes that lic 11-22 km behind the narrowly linear volcanic front defined by the Mount Katmai-to-Devils Desk chain on the Alaska Peninsula. One is a 30-km3 stratocone (Mount Griggs; 51-63% SiO2) active intermittently from 292 ka to Holocene. The others are monogenetic cones, domes, lava flows, plugs, and maars, of which 12 were previously unnamed and unstudied; they include seven basalts (48-52% SiO2), four mafic andesites (53-55% SiO2), and three andesite-dacite units. Six erupted in the interval 500-88 ka, one historically in 1977, and five in the interval 3-2 Ma. No migration of the volcanic front is discernible since the late Miocene, so even the older units erupted well behind the front. Discussion explores the significance of the volcanic front and the processes that influence compositional overlaps and differences among mafic products of the rear-arc volcanoes and of the several arc-front edifices nearby. The latter have together erupted a magma volume of about 200 km3, at least four times that of all rear-arc products combined. Correlation of Sr-isotope ratios with indices of fractionation indicates crustal contributions in volcanic-front magmas (0.7033-0.7038), but lack of such trends among the rear-arc units (0.70298-0.70356) suggests weaker and less systematic crustal influence. Slab contributions and mantle partial-melt fractions both appear to decline behind the front, but neither trend is crisp and unambiguous. No intraplate mantle contribution is recognized nor is any systematic across-arc difference in intrinsic mantle-wedge source fertility discerned. Both rear-arc and arc-front basalts apparently issued from fluxing of typically fertile NMORB-source mantle beneath the Peninsular terrane, which docked here in the Mesozoic. ?? Springer-Verlag 2004.

Modern volcanic activity on the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidmachenko, A. P.

2018-05-01

Volcanic activity on the Moon began when its surface cooled, and the nucleus and mantle were clearly separated inside. Fragments of volcanic eruptions were discovered in the lunar soil, which was delivered to the Earth by "Apollo" spacecrafts. As shown by the analysis of some lunar meteorites, the first eruptions occurred 4.35 billion years ago. This is evidenced by the unique composition of the oxygen atoms for the Moon and on the radiocarbon analysis data. Well-visible on its surface, the dark "seas", which emerged shortly after the formation of the Moon, when the lowlands and large old craters were filled by liquid basaltic magma, rich in iron. The lunar "seas" are mostly on the visible side of the Moon, and cover almost a third of it; on the reverse side-the seas occupy less than 2%. Smooth surfaces of the seas mean that the lunar lava was very liquid. Therefore, at low gravity, it easily spread over a large area, almost without creating large cone-shaped peaks, but forming many small cone volcanic systems with an age of 3-4 billion years ago. On the images of the visible side of the Moon obtained with the help of the LRO, evidence is provided that volcanic eruptions on its surface were possible even a few million years ago.

Frequency Based Volcanic Activity Detection through Remotely Sensed Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worden, A. K.; Dehn, J.; Webley, P. W.

2015-12-01

Satellite remote sensing has proved to offer a useful and relatively inexpensive method for monitoring large areas where field work is logistically unrealistic, and potentially dangerous. Current sensors are able to detect the majority of explosive volcanic activity; those that tend to effect and represent larger scale changes in the volcanic systems, eventually relating to ash producing periods of extended eruptive activity, and effusive activity. As new spaceborne sensors are developed, the ability to detect activity improves so that a system to gauge the frequency of volcanic activity can be used as a useful monitoring tool. Four volcanoes were chosen for development and testing of a method to monitor explosive activity: Stromboli (Italy); Shishaldin and Cleveland (Alaska, USA); and Karymsky (Kamchatka, Russia). Each volcano studied had similar but unique signatures of pre-cursory and eruptive activity. This study has shown that this monitoring tool could be applied to a wide range of volcanoes and still produce useful and robust data. Our method deals specifically with the detection of small scale explosive activity. The method described here could be useful in an operational setting, especially at remote volcanoes that have the potential to impact populations, infrastructure, and the aviation community. A number of important factors will affect the validity of application of this method. They are: (1) the availability of a continuous and continually populated dataset; (2) appropriate and reasonable sensor resolutions; (3) a recorded history of the volcano's previous activity; and, if available, (4) some ground-based monitoring system. We aim to develop the method further to be able to capture and evaluate the frequency of other volcanic processes such as lava flows, phreatomagmatic eruptions and dome growth and collapse. The work shown here has served to illustrate the capability of this method and monitoring tool for use at remote, un-instrumented volcanoes.

Evidence of recent deep magmatic activity at Cerro Bravo-Cerro Machín volcanic complex, central Colombia. Implications for future volcanic activity at Nevado del Ruiz, Cerro Machín and other volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Londono, John Makario

2016-09-01

In the last nine years (2007-2015), the Cerro Bravo-Cerro Machín volcanic complex (CBCMVC), located in central Colombia, has experienced many changes in volcanic activity. In particular at Nevado del Ruiz volcano (NRV), Cerro Machin volcano (CMV) and Cerro Bravo (CBV) volcano. The recent activity of NRV, as well as increasing seismic activity at other volcanic centers of the CBCMVC, were preceded by notable changes in various geophysical and geochemical parameters, that suggests renewed magmatic activity is occurring at the volcanic complex. The onset of this activity started with seismicity located west of the volcanic complex, followed by seismicity at CBV and CMV. Later in 2010, strong seismicity was observed at NRV, with two small eruptions in 2012. After that, seismicity has been observed intermittently at other volcanic centers such as Santa Isabel, Cerro España, Paramillo de Santa Rosa, Quindío and Tolima volcanoes, which persists until today. Local deformation was observed from 2007 at NRV, followed by possible regional deformation at various volcanic centers between 2011 and 2013. In 2008, an increase in CO2 and Radon in soil was observed at CBV, followed by a change in helium isotopes at CMV between 2009 and 2011. Moreover, SO2 showed an increase from 2010 at NRV, with values remaining high until the present. These observations suggest that renewed magmatic activity is currently occurring at CBCMVC. NRV shows changes in its activity that may be related to this new magmatic activity. NRV is currently exhibiting the most activity of any volcano in the CBCMVC, which may be due to it being the only open volcanic system at this time. This suggests that over the coming years, there is a high probability of new unrest or an increase in volcanic activity of other volcanoes of the CBCMVC.

Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morgan Morzel, Lisa Ann; Shanks, W. C. Pat; Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Farrell, Jamie M.; Robinson, Joel E.

2017-11-20

Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an undulating landscape shaped by forces of late Cenozoic explosive and effusive volcanism, on-going tectonism, glaciation, and hydrothermal activity. The Yellowstone Caldera is the centerpiece of the Yellowstone Plateau. The Yellowstone Plateau lies at the most northeastern front of the 17-Ma Yellowstone hot spot track, one of the few places on Earth where time-transgressive processes on continental crust can be observed in the volcanic and tectonic (faulting and uplift) record at the rate and direction predicted by plate motion. Over six days, this field trip presents an intensive overview into volcanism, tectonism, and hydrothermal activity on the Yellowstone Plateau (fig. 1). Field stops are linked directly to conceptual models related to monitoring of the various volcanic, geochemical, hydrothermal, and tectonic aspects of the greater Yellowstone system. Recent interest in young and possible future volcanism at Yellowstone as well as new discoveries and synthesis of previous studies, (for example, tomographic, deformation, gas, aeromagnetic, bathymetric, and seismic surveys), provide a framework in which to discuss volcanic, hydrothermal, and seismic activity in this dynamic region.

Classifying Volcanic Activity Using an Empirical Decision Making Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junek, W. N.; Jones, W. L.; Woods, M. T.

2012-12-01

Detection and classification of developing volcanic activity is vital to eruption forecasting. Timely information regarding an impending eruption would aid civil authorities in determining the proper response to a developing crisis. In this presentation, volcanic activity is characterized using an event tree classifier and a suite of empirical statistical models derived through logistic regression. Forecasts are reported in terms of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcano alert level system. The algorithm employs multidisciplinary data (e.g., seismic, GPS, InSAR) acquired by various volcano monitoring systems and source modeling information to forecast the likelihood that an eruption, with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) > 1, will occur within a quantitatively constrained area. Logistic models are constructed from a sparse and geographically diverse dataset assembled from a collection of historic volcanic unrest episodes. Bootstrapping techniques are applied to the training data to allow for the estimation of robust logistic model coefficients. Cross validation produced a series of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with areas ranging between 0.78-0.81, which indicates the algorithm has good predictive capabilities. The ROC curves also allowed for the determination of a false positive rate and optimum detection for each stage of the algorithm. Forecasts for historic volcanic unrest episodes in North America and Iceland were computed and are consistent with the actual outcome of the events.

Volcanic Hazards Survey in the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrams, Michael; Siebe, Claus; Macias, Jose Luis

1996-01-01

We have assembled a digital mosaic of 11 Landsat Thematic images to serve as a mapping base for reconnaissance activities within the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt. This will aid us in interpretation and in the evaluation of potential activity of all the volcanic centers there. One result is a volcanic hazards map of the area.

Volcanic hazard management in dispersed volcanism areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrero, Jose Manuel; Garcia, Alicia; Ortiz, Ramon

2014-05-01

Traditional volcanic hazard methodologies were developed mainly to deal with the big stratovolcanoes. In such type of volcanoes, the hazard map is an important tool for decision-makers not only during a volcanic crisis but also for territorial planning. According to the past and recent eruptions of a volcano, all possible volcanic hazards are modelled and included in the hazard map. Combining the hazard map with the Event Tree the impact area can be zoned and defining the likely eruptive scenarios that will be used during a real volcanic crisis. But in areas of disperse volcanism is very complex to apply the same volcanic hazard methodologies. The event tree do not take into account unknown vents, because the spatial concepts included in it are only related with the distance reached by volcanic hazards. The volcanic hazard simulation is also difficult because the vent scatter modifies the results. The volcanic susceptibility try to solve this problem, calculating the most likely areas to have an eruption, but the differences between low and large values obtained are often very small. In these conditions the traditional hazard map effectiveness could be questioned, making necessary a change in the concept of hazard map. Instead to delimit the potential impact areas, the hazard map should show the expected behaviour of the volcanic activity and how the differences in the landscape and internal geo-structures could condition such behaviour. This approach has been carried out in La Palma (Canary Islands), combining the concept of long-term hazard map with the short-term volcanic scenario to show the expected volcanic activity behaviour. The objective is the decision-makers understand how a volcanic crisis could be and what kind of mitigation measurement and strategy could be used.

Volcanic Ash Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Murine and Human Macrophages.

PubMed

Damby, David E; Horwell, Claire J; Baxter, Peter J; Kueppers, Ulrich; Schnurr, Max; Dingwell, Donald B; Duewell, Peter

2017-01-01

Volcanic ash is a heterogeneous mineral dust that is typically composed of a mixture of amorphous (glass) and crystalline (mineral) fragments. It commonly contains an abundance of the crystalline silica (SiO 2 ) polymorph cristobalite. Inhalation of crystalline silica can induce inflammation by stimulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, a cytosolic receptor complex that plays a critical role in driving inflammatory immune responses. Ingested material results in the assembly of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 with subsequent secretion of the interleukin-1 family cytokine IL-1β. Previous toxicology work suggests that cristobalite-bearing volcanic ash is minimally reactive, calling into question the reactivity of volcanically derived crystalline silica, in general. In this study, we target the NLRP3 inflammasome as a crystalline silica responsive element to clarify volcanic cristobalite reactivity. We expose immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages of genetically engineered mice and primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ash from the Soufrière Hills volcano as well as representative, pure-phase samples of its primary componentry (volcanic glass, feldspar, cristobalite) and measure NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We demonstrate that respirable Soufrière Hills volcanic ash induces the activation of caspase-1 with subsequent release of mature IL-1β in a NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent manner. Macrophages deficient in NLRP3 inflammasome components are incapable of secreting IL-1β in response to volcanic ash ingestion. Cellular uptake induces lysosomal destabilization involving cysteine proteases. Furthermore, the response involves activation of mitochondrial stress pathways leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species. Considering ash componentry, cristobalite is the most reactive pure-phase with other components inducing only low-level IL-1β secretion. Inflammasome activation mediated by inhaled ash and its potential relevance in chronic pulmonary

Volcanic ash activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in murine and human macrophages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Damby, David; Horwell, Claire J.; Baxter, Peter J.; Kueppers, Ulrich; Schnurr, Max; Dingwell, Donald B.; Duewell, Peter

2018-01-01

Volcanic ash is a heterogeneous mineral dust that is typically composed of a mixture of amorphous (glass) and crystalline (mineral) fragments. It commonly contains an abundance of the crystalline silica (SiO2) polymorph cristobalite. Inhalation of crystalline silica can induce inflammation by stimulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, a cytosolic receptor complex that plays a critical role in driving inflammatory immune responses. Ingested material results in the assembly of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 with subsequent secretion of the interleukin-1 family cytokine IL-1β. Previous toxicology work suggests that cristobalite-bearing volcanic ash is minimally reactive, calling into question the reactivity of volcanically derived crystalline silica, in general. In this study, we target the NLRP3 inflammasome as a crystalline silica responsive element to clarify volcanic cristobalite reactivity. We expose immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages of genetically engineered mice and primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ash from the Soufrière Hills volcano as well as representative, pure-phase samples of its primary componentry (volcanic glass, feldspar, cristobalite) and measure NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We demonstrate that respirable Soufrière Hills volcanic ash induces the activation of caspase-1 with subsequent release of mature IL-1β in a NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent manner. Macrophages deficient in NLRP3 inflammasome components are incapable of secreting IL-1β in response to volcanic ash ingestion. Cellular uptake induces lysosomal destabilization involving cysteine proteases. Furthermore, the response involves activation of mitochondrial stress pathways leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species. Considering ash componentry, cristobalite is the most reactive pure-phase with other components inducing only low-level IL-1β secretion. Inflammasome activation mediated by inhaled ash and its potential relevance in chronic pulmonary

Volcanic Ash Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Murine and Human Macrophages

PubMed Central

Damby, David E.; Horwell, Claire J.; Baxter, Peter J.; Kueppers, Ulrich; Schnurr, Max; Dingwell, Donald B.; Duewell, Peter

2018-01-01

Volcanic ash is a heterogeneous mineral dust that is typically composed of a mixture of amorphous (glass) and crystalline (mineral) fragments. It commonly contains an abundance of the crystalline silica (SiO2) polymorph cristobalite. Inhalation of crystalline silica can induce inflammation by stimulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, a cytosolic receptor complex that plays a critical role in driving inflammatory immune responses. Ingested material results in the assembly of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 with subsequent secretion of the interleukin-1 family cytokine IL-1β. Previous toxicology work suggests that cristobalite-bearing volcanic ash is minimally reactive, calling into question the reactivity of volcanically derived crystalline silica, in general. In this study, we target the NLRP3 inflammasome as a crystalline silica responsive element to clarify volcanic cristobalite reactivity. We expose immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages of genetically engineered mice and primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ash from the Soufrière Hills volcano as well as representative, pure-phase samples of its primary componentry (volcanic glass, feldspar, cristobalite) and measure NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We demonstrate that respirable Soufrière Hills volcanic ash induces the activation of caspase-1 with subsequent release of mature IL-1β in a NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent manner. Macrophages deficient in NLRP3 inflammasome components are incapable of secreting IL-1β in response to volcanic ash ingestion. Cellular uptake induces lysosomal destabilization involving cysteine proteases. Furthermore, the response involves activation of mitochondrial stress pathways leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species. Considering ash componentry, cristobalite is the most reactive pure-phase with other components inducing only low-level IL-1β secretion. Inflammasome activation mediated by inhaled ash and its potential relevance in chronic pulmonary

U.S. Geological Survey's Alert Notification System for Volcanic Activity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gardner, Cynthia A.; Guffanti, Marianne C.

2006-01-01

The United States and its territories have about 170 volcanoes that have been active during the past 10,000 years, and most could erupt again in the future. In the past 500 years, 80 U.S. volcanoes have erupted one or more times. About 50 of these recently active volcanoes are monitored, although not all to the same degree. Through its five volcano observatories, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issues information and warnings to the public about volcanic activity. For clarity of warnings during volcanic crises, the USGS has now standardized the alert-notification system used at its observatories.

Active Volcanic Plumes on Io

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-26

This color image, acquired during NASA Galileo ninth orbit around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon, erupting over a caldera volcanic depression named Pillan Patera.

Multidimensional analysis and probabilistic model of volcanic and seismic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, V.

2009-04-01

A search for space and time regularities in volcanic and seismic events for the purpose of forecast method development seems to be of current concern, both scientifically and practically. The seismic and volcanic processes take place in the Earth's field of gravity which in turn is closely related to gravitational fields of the Moon, the Sun, and the planets of the Solar System. It is mostly gravity and tidal forces that exercise control over the Earth's configuration and relief. Dynamic gravitational interaction between the Earth and other celestial bodies makes itself evident in tidal phenomena and other effects in the geospheres (including the Earth's crust). Dynamics of the tidal and attractive forces is responsible for periodical changes in gravity force, both in value and direction [Darwin, 1965], in the rate of rotation and orbital speed; that implies related changes in the endogenic activity of the Earth. The Earth's rotation in the alternating gravitational field accounts to a considerable extent for regular pattern of crustal deformations and dislocations; it is among principal factors that control the Earth's form and structure, distribution of oceans and continents and, probably, continental drift [Peive, 1969; Khain, 1973; Kosygin, 1983]. The energy of gravitational interaction is transmitted through the tidal energy to planetary spheres and feeds various processes there, including volcanic and seismic ones. To determine degree, character and special features of tidal force contribution to the volcanic and seismic processes is of primary importance for understanding of genetic and dynamic aspects of volcanism and seismicity. Both volcanic and seismic processes are involved in evolution of celestial bodies; they are operative on the planets of the Earth group and many satellites [Essays…, 1981; Lukashov, 1996]. From this standpoint, studies of those processes are essential with a view to development of scenarios of the Earth's evolution as a celestial

The Lanzarote Geodynamic Laboratory: new capabilities for monitoring of volcanic activity at Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnoso, J.; Vélez, E. J.; Soler, V.; Montesinos, F. G.; Benavent, M.

2012-04-01

The volcanic island of Lanzarote is located at the northeastern end of the Canary Islands. Together with Fuerteventura Island, Lanzarote constitutes the emergent part of the East Canary Ridge, which presents a NNE-SSW volcanic alignment. Last eruptive events took place in 1824 and during the period 1730-1736, which is the largest to occur in the archipelago and throw out about 1.3 km3 of volcanic materials. The Lanzarote Geodynamic Laboratory (LGL) was created in 1986 with the idea of making Lanzarote as a natural laboratory to carry out studies in order to acquire more knowledge about its origin, present status and evolution (Vieira et al., 1991; 2006). The LGL has a multidisciplinary scientific purpose and, among others, various objectives are devoted to investigate mass distribution in the Earth system and surface displacements associated to volcanic and/or seismic activity in the island. The influence of LGL is extended throughout the whole geographical area of Lanzarote, including small islands located at the north. The laboratory has 3 observing modules distributed along the island according to its infrastructure and scientific objectives, where more than 70 sensors are recording continuously gravity variations, ground deformations, sea level, seismic activity, meteorological parameters, etc. All these observations are supplemented by periodic measurement of geodetic and geophysical networks that allow us to make studies at local, insular and regional scales. The application of geodetic and geophysical techniques to identify geodynamic signals related to volcanic processes is then a permanent research activity of the laboratory. Nowadays, this fact becomes more interesting due to the ongoing volcanic eruption that is taking place in other island of the Canary Archipelago, El Hierro, since past July 2011. That is, the multidisciplinary research carry on up to now at the LGL allow us to apply multiparameter observations of different kinds of volcanic

Stable isotopes evidence of recycled subduction fluids in the hydrothermal/volcanic activity across Nicaragua and Costa Rica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez-Leiva, A.; Sánchez-Murillo, R.; Martínez-Cruz, M.; Calderón, H.; Esquivel-Hernández, G.; Delgado, V.; Birkel, C.; Gazel, E.; Alvarado, G. E.; Soulsby, C.

2017-10-01

The Central America volcanic front provides a unique opportunity to study hydrothermal inputs and their interaction and mixing with modern meteoric waters. The objectives of this study were to: a) characterize the isotopic composition (δ18O, δ2H, d-excess, and lc-excess) of hydrothermal/volcanic systems, b) analyze the influence of kinetic fractionation and meteoric water inputs in the isotopic composition of hydrothermal waters, and c) estimate the 'andesitic water' contribution (recycled subduction fluids) within the volcanic front of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Hydrothermal evaporation lines are described as: δ2H = 4.7·δ18O - 13.0 (Costa Rica) and δ2H = 2.7·δ18O - 31.6 (Nicaragua). These regressions are significantly (p < 0.001) deviated from their respective meteoric water lines: δ2H = 7.6·δ18O + 7.4 (Costa Rica) and δ2H = 7.4·δ18O + 5.2 (Nicaragua). The greater rainfall inputs in Costa Rica with respect to Nicaragua, resulted in the attenuation of the evaporative effect as observed in the strong bimodal distribution of the hydrothermal waters, which can be divided in fluids: a) isotopically-close to meteoric conditions and b) isotopically-altered by the interaction with recycled subduction fluids and kinetic fractionation. The latter is clearly depicted in the significantly (p < 0.001) low d-excess and lc-excess median values between Costa Rica (+ 5.10‰, - 5.25‰) and Nicaragua (- 2.42‰, - 10.65‰), respectively. Poor correlations between δ18O/δ2H and the elevation gradient emphasize that the contribution of recycled subduction fluids and subsequent surface kinetic fractionation are the main drivers of the isotopic departure from the orographic distillation trend captured in the rainfall isoscapes. End-member mixing calculations resulted in a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the mean 'andesitic water' contribution to the hydrothermal systems of 15.3 ± 10.8 (%, ± 1σ) (Nicaragua) and 19.7 ± 10.3 (%, ± 1σ) (Costa Rica). The

Jupiter - Io In Front of Jupiter Turbulent Clouds

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-11-13

This photograph of the southern hemisphere of Jupiter was obtained by Voyager 2 on June 25, 1979, at a distance of 12 million kilometers (8 million miles). The Voyager spacecraft is rapidly nearing the giant planet, with closest approach to occur at 4:23 pm PDT on July 9. Seen in front of the turbulent clouds of the planet is Io, the innermost of the large Galilean satellites of Jupiter. Io is the size of our moon. Voyager discovered in early March that Io is the most volcanically active planetary body known in the solar system, with continuous eruptions much larger than any that take place on the Earth. The red, orange, and yellow colors of Io are thought to be deposits of sulfur and sulfur compounds produced in these eruptions. The smallest features in either Jupiter or Io that can be distinguished in this picture are about 200 kilometers (125 miles) across; this resolution, it is not yet possible to identify individual volcanic eruptions. Monitoring of the erupture activity of Io by Voyager 2 will begin about July 5 and will extend past the encounter July 9. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00371

Explosive Volcanic Activity at Extreme Depths: Evidence from the Charles Darwin Volcanic Field, Cape Verdes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwasnitschka, T.; Devey, C. W.; Hansteen, T. H.; Freundt, A.; Kutterolf, S.

2013-12-01

Volcanic eruptions on the deep sea floor have traditionally been assumed to be non-explosive as the high-pressure environment should greatly inhibit steam-driven explosions. Nevertheless, occasional evidence both from (generally slow-) spreading axes and intraplate seamounts has hinted at explosive activity at large water depths. Here we present evidence from a submarine field of volcanic cones and pit craters called Charles Darwin Volcanic Field located at about 3600 m depth on the lower southwestern slope of the Cape Verdean Island of Santo Antão. We examined two of these submarine volcanic edifices (Tambor and Kolá), each featuring a pit crater of 1 km diameter, using photogrammetric reconstructions derived from ROV-based imaging followed by 3D quantification using a novel remote sensing workflow, aided by sampling. The measured and calculated parameters of physical volcanology derived from the 3D model allow us, for the first time, to make quantitative statements about volcanic processes on the deep seafloor similar to those generated from land-based field observations. Tambor cone, which is 2500 m wide and 250 m high, consists of dense, probably monogenetic medium to coarse-grained volcaniclastic and pyroclastic rocks that are highly fragmented, probably as a result of thermal and viscous granulation upon contact with seawater during several consecutive cycles of activity. Tangential joints in the outcrops indicate subsidence of the crater floor after primary emplacement. Kolá crater, which is 1000 m wide and 160 m deep, appears to have been excavated in the surrounding seafloor and shows stepwise sagging features interpreted as ring fractures on the inner flanks. Lithologically, it is made up of a complicated succession of highly fragmented deposits, including spheroidal juvenile lapilli, likely formed by spray granulation. It resembles a maar-type deposit found on land. The eruption apparently entrained blocks of MORB-type gabbroic country rocks with

Experimental study on the effect of calcination on the volcanic ash activity of diatomite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Liguang; Pang, Bo

2017-09-01

The volcanic ash activity of diatomite was studied under the conditions of aerobic calcination and vacuum calcination by the combined water rate method, it was characterized by XRD, BET and SEM. The results showed that the volcanic ash activity of diatomite under vacuum conditions was higher than that of aerobic calcination, 600°C vacuum calcination 2h, the combined water rate of diatomite-Ca(OH)2-H2O system was increased from 6.24% to 71.43%, the volcanic ash activity reached the maximum value, the specific surface

Volcanic Activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milazzo, M. P.; Keszthelyi, L. P.; Radebaugh, J.; Davies, A. G.; McEwen, A. S.

2004-01-01

Tvashtar Catena (63 N, 120 W) is one of the most interesting features on Io. This chain of large paterae (caldera-like depressions) has exhibited highly variable volcanic activity in a series of observations. Tvashtar is the type example of a style of volcanism seen only at high latitudes, with short-lived Pele-type plumes and short-lived by intense thermal events. Evidence for a hot spot at Tvashtar was first detected in an eclipse observation in April 1997 (orbit G7) by the Solid State Imager (SSI) on the Galileo Spacecraft. Tvashtar was originally targeted for observation at higher resolution in the close flyby in November 1999 (I25) because of its interesting large-scale topography. There are relatively few but generally larger paterae at high latitudes on Io. I25 images revealed a 25 km long, 1-2 km high lava curtain via a pattern of saturation and bleeding in the CCD image, which requires very high temperatures.

Volcanic eruptions and solar activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stothers, Richard B.

1989-01-01

The historical record of large volcanic eruptions from 1500 to 1980 is subjected to detailed time series analysis. In two weak but probably statistically significant periodicities of about 11 and 80 yr, the frequency of volcanic eruptions increases (decreases) slightly around the times of solar minimum (maximum). Time series analysis of the volcanogenic acidities in a deep ice core from Greenland reveals several very long periods ranging from about 80 to about 350 yr which are similar to the very slow solar cycles previously detected in auroral and C-14 records. Solar flares may cause changes in atmospheric circulation patterns that abruptly alter the earth's spin. The resulting jolt probably triggers small earthquakes which affect volcanism.

Characterizing volcanic activity: Application of freely-available webcams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehn, J.; Harrild, M.; Webley, P. W.

2017-12-01

In recent years, freely-available web-based cameras, or webcams, have become more readily available allowing an increased level of monitoring at active volcanoes across the globe. While these cameras have been extensively used as qualitative tools, they provide a unique dataset to perform quantitative analyzes of the changing behavior of the particular volcano within the cameras field of view. We focus on the multitude of these freely-available webcams and present a new algorithm to detect changes in volcanic activity using nighttime webcam data. Our approach uses a quick, efficient, and fully automated algorithm to identify changes in webcam data in near real-time, including techniques such as edge detection, Gaussian mixture models, and temporal/spatial statistical tests, which are applied to each target image. Often the image metadata (exposure, gain settings, aperture, focal length, etc.) are unknown, meaning we developed our algorithm to identify the quantity of volcanically incandescent pixels as well as the number of specific algorithm tests needed to detect thermal activity, instead of directly correlating brightness in the webcam to eruption temperatures. We compared our algorithm results to a manual analysis of webcam data for several volcanoes and determined a false detection rate of less than 3% for the automated approach. In our presentation, we describe the different tests integrated into our algorithm, lessons learned, and how we applied our method to several volcanoes across the North Pacific during its development and implementation. We will finish with a discussion on the global applicability of our approach and how to build a 24/7, 365 day a year tool that can be used as an additional data source for real-time analysis of volcanic activity.

Episodes of fluvial and volcanic activity in Mangala Valles, Mars

PubMed Central

Keske, Amber L.; Hamilton, Christopher W.; McEwen, Alfred S.; Daubar, Ingrid J.

2017-01-01

A new mapping-based study of the 900-km-long Mangala Valles outflow system was motivated by the availability of new high-resolution images and continued debates about the roles of water and lava in outflow channels on Mars. This study uses photogeologic analysis, geomorphic surface mapping, cratering statistics, and relative stratigraphy. Results show that Mangala Valles underwent at least two episodes of fluvial activity and at least three episodes of volcanic activity during the Late Amazonian. The occurrence of scoured bedrock at the base of the mapped stratigraphy, in addition to evidence provided by crater retention ages, suggests that fluvial activity preceded the deposition of two of the volcanic units. Crater counts performed at 30 locations throughout the area have allowed us to construct the following timeline: (1) formation of Noachian Highlands and possible initial flooding event(s) before ~1 Ga, (2) emplacement of Tharsis lava flows in the valley from ~700 to 1000 Ma, (3) a megaflooding event at ~700–800 Ma sourced from Mangala Fossa, (4) valley fill by a sequence of lava flows sourced from Mangala Fossa ~400–500 Ma, (5) another megaflooding event from ~400 Ma, (6) a final phase of volcanism sourced from Mangala Fossa ~300–350 Ma, and (7) emplacement of eolian sedimentary deposits in the northern portion of the valley ~300 Ma. These results are consistent with alternating episodes of aqueous flooding and volcanism in the valles. This pattern of geologic activity is similar to that of other outflow systems, such as Kasei Valles, suggesting that there is a recurring, and perhaps coupled, nature of these processes on Mars. PMID:29176911

Episodes of fluvial and volcanic activity in Mangala Valles, Mars.

PubMed

Keske, Amber L; Hamilton, Christopher W; McEwen, Alfred S; Daubar, Ingrid J

2015-01-01

A new mapping-based study of the 900-km-long Mangala Valles outflow system was motivated by the availability of new high-resolution images and continued debates about the roles of water and lava in outflow channels on Mars. This study uses photogeologic analysis, geomorphic surface mapping, cratering statistics, and relative stratigraphy. Results show that Mangala Valles underwent at least two episodes of fluvial activity and at least three episodes of volcanic activity during the Late Amazonian. The occurrence of scoured bedrock at the base of the mapped stratigraphy, in addition to evidence provided by crater retention ages, suggests that fluvial activity preceded the deposition of two of the volcanic units. Crater counts performed at 30 locations throughout the area have allowed us to construct the following timeline: (1) formation of Noachian Highlands and possible initial flooding event(s) before ~1 Ga, (2) emplacement of Tharsis lava flows in the valley from ~700 to 1000 Ma, (3) a megaflooding event at ~700-800 Ma sourced from Mangala Fossa, (4) valley fill by a sequence of lava flows sourced from Mangala Fossa ~400-500 Ma, (5) another megaflooding event from ~400 Ma, (6) a final phase of volcanism sourced from Mangala Fossa ~300-350 Ma, and (7) emplacement of eolian sedimentary deposits in the northern portion of the valley ~300 Ma. These results are consistent with alternating episodes of aqueous flooding and volcanism in the valles. This pattern of geologic activity is similar to that of other outflow systems, such as Kasei Valles, suggesting that there is a recurring, and perhaps coupled, nature of these processes on Mars.

Soil radon measurements as a potential tracer of tectonic and volcanic activity.

PubMed

Neri, Marco; Ferrera, Elisabetta; Giammanco, Salvatore; Currenti, Gilda; Cirrincione, Rosolino; Patanè, Giuseppe; Zanon, Vittorio

2016-04-15

In Earth Sciences there is a growing interest in studies concerning soil-radon activity, due to its potential as a tracer of numerous natural phenomena. Our work marks an advance in the comprehension of the interplay between tectonic activity, volcanic eruptions and gas release through faults. Soil-radon measurements, acquired on Mt. Etna volcano in 2009-2011, were analyzed. Our radon probe is sensitive to changes in both volcanic and seismic activity. Radon data were reviewed in light of the meteorological parameters. Soil samples were analyzed to characterize their uranium content. All data have been summarized in a physical model which identifies the radon sources, highlights the mechanism of radon transport and envisages how such a mechanism may change as a consequence of seismicity and volcanic events. In the NE of Etna, radon is released mainly from a depth of <1400 m, with an ascent speed of >50 m/day. Three periods of anomalous gas release were found (February 2010, January and February 2011). The trigger of the first anomaly was tectonic, while the second and third had a volcanic origin. These results mark a significant step towards a better understanding of the endogenous mechanisms that cause changes in soil-radon emission at active volcanoes.

Soil radon measurements as a potential tracer of tectonic and volcanic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neri, Marco; Ferrera, Elisabetta; Giammanco, Salvatore; Currenti, Gilda; Cirrincione, Rosolino; Patanè, Giuseppe; Zanon, Vittorio

2016-04-01

In Earth Sciences there is a growing interest in studies concerning soil-radon activity, due to its potential as a tracer of numerous natural phenomena. Our work marks an advance in the comprehension of the interplay between tectonic activity, volcanic eruptions and gas release through faults. Soil-radon measurements, acquired on Mt. Etna volcano in 2009-2011, were analyzed. Our radon probe is sensitive to changes in both volcanic and seismic activity. Radon data were reviewed in light of the meteorological parameters. Soil samples were analyzed to characterize their uranium content. All data have been summarized in a physical model which identifies the radon sources, highlights the mechanism of radon transport and envisages how such a mechanism may change as a consequence of seismicity and volcanic events. In the NE of Etna, radon is released mainly from a depth of <1400 m, with an ascent speed of >50 m/day. Three periods of anomalous gas release were found (February 2010, January and February 2011). The trigger of the first anomaly was tectonic, while the second and third had a volcanic origin. These results mark a significant step towards a better understanding of the endogenous mechanisms that cause changes in soil-radon emission at active volcanoes.

Soil radon measurements as a potential tracer of tectonic and volcanic activity

PubMed Central

Neri, Marco; Ferrera, Elisabetta; Giammanco, Salvatore; Currenti, Gilda; Cirrincione, Rosolino; Patanè, Giuseppe; Zanon, Vittorio

2016-01-01

In Earth Sciences there is a growing interest in studies concerning soil-radon activity, due to its potential as a tracer of numerous natural phenomena. Our work marks an advance in the comprehension of the interplay between tectonic activity, volcanic eruptions and gas release through faults. Soil-radon measurements, acquired on Mt. Etna volcano in 2009–2011, were analyzed. Our radon probe is sensitive to changes in both volcanic and seismic activity. Radon data were reviewed in light of the meteorological parameters. Soil samples were analyzed to characterize their uranium content. All data have been summarized in a physical model which identifies the radon sources, highlights the mechanism of radon transport and envisages how such a mechanism may change as a consequence of seismicity and volcanic events. In the NE of Etna, radon is released mainly from a depth of <1400 m, with an ascent speed of >50 m/day. Three periods of anomalous gas release were found (February 2010, January and February 2011). The trigger of the first anomaly was tectonic, while the second and third had a volcanic origin. These results mark a significant step towards a better understanding of the endogenous mechanisms that cause changes in soil-radon emission at active volcanoes. PMID:27079264

Late Cenozoic Samtskhe-Javakheti Volcanic Highland, Georgia:The Result of Mantle Plumes Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okrostsvaridze, Avtandil

2017-04-01

Late Cenozoic Samtskhe-Javakheti continental volcanic highland (1500-2500 m a.s.l) is located in the SW part of the Lesser Caucasus. In Georgia the highland occupies more than 4500 km2, however its large part spreads towards the South over the territories of Turkey and Armenia. One can point out three stages of magmatic activity in this volcanic highland: 1. Early Pliocene activity (5.2-2.8 Ma; zircons U-Pb age) - when a large part of the highland was built up. It is formed from volcanic lava-breccias of andesite-dacitic composition, pyroclastic rocks and andesite-basalt lava flow. The evidences of this structure are: a large volume of volcanic material (>1500 km3); big thickness (700-1100 m in average), large-scale of lava flows (length 35 km, width 2.5-3.5 km, thickness 30-80 m), big thickness of volcanic ash horizons (300 cm at some places) and big size of volcanic breccias (diameter >1 m). Based on this data we assume that a source of this structure was a supervolcano (Okrostsvaridze et al., 2016); 2. Early Pleistocene activity (2.4 -1.6 Ma; zircons U-Pb age) - when continental flood basalts of 100-300 m thickness were formed. The flow is fully crystalline, coarse-grained, which mainly consist of olivine and basic labradorite. There 143Nd/144Nd parameter varies in the range of +0.41703 - +0.52304, and 87Sr/88Sr - from 0.7034 to 0.7039; 3. Late Pleistocene activity (0.35-0.021 Ma; zircons U-Pb age) - when intraplate Abul-Samsari linear volcanic ridge of andesite composition was formed stretching to the S-N direction for 40 km with the 8-12 km width and contains more than 20 volcanic edifices. To the South of the Abul-Samsari ridge the oldest (0.35-0.30 Ma; zircons U-Pb age) volcano Didi Abuli (3305 m a.s.l.) is located. To the North ages of volcano edifices gradually increase. Farther North the youngest volcano Tavkvetili (0.021-0. 030 Ma) is located (2583 m a.s.l.). One can see from this description that the Abul-Samsari ridge has all signs characterizing

Climatic impact of volcanic eruptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rampino, Michael R.

1991-01-01

Studies have attempted to 'isolate' the volcanic signal in noisy temperature data. This assumes that it is possible to isolate a distinct volcanic signal in a record that may have a combination of forcings (ENSO, solar variability, random fluctuations, volcanism) that all interact. The key to discovering the greatest effects of volcanoes on short-term climate may be to concentrate on temperatures in regions where the effects of aerosol clouds may be amplified by perturbed atmospheric circulation patterns. This is especially true in subpolar and midlatitude areas affected by changes in the position of the polar front. Such climatic perturbation can be detected in proxy evidence such as decrease in tree-ring widths and frost rings, changes in the treeline, weather anomalies, severity of sea-ice in polar and subpolar regions, and poor grain yields and crop failures. In low latitudes, sudden temperature drops were correlated with the passage overhead of the volcanic dust cloud (Stothers, 1984). For some eruptions, such as Tambora, 1815, these kinds of proxy and anectdotal information were summarized in great detail in a number of papers and books (e.g., Post, 1978; Stothers, 1984; Stommel and Stommel, 1986; C. R. Harrington, in press). These studies lead to the general conclusion that regional effects on climate, sometimes quite severe, may be the major impact of large historical volcanic aerosol clouds.

Imaging of volcanic activity on Jupiter's moon Io by Galileo during the Galileo Europa Mission and the Galileo Millennium Mission

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keszthelyi, L.; McEwen, A.S.; Phillips, C.B.; Milazzo, M.; Geissler, P.; Turtle, E.P.; Radebaugh, J.; Williams, D.A.; Simonelli, D.P.; Breneman, H.H.; Klaasen, K.P.; Levanas, G.; Denk, T.; Alexander, D.D.A.; Capraro, K.; Chang, S.-H.; Chen, A.C.; Clark, J.; Conner, D.L.; Culver, A.; Handley, T.H.; Jensen, D.N.; Knight, D.D.; LaVoie, S.K.; McAuley, M.; Mego, V.; Montoya, O.; Mortensen, H.B.; Noland, S.J.; Patel, R.R.; Pauro, T.M.; Stanley, C.L.; Steinwand, D.J.; Thaller, T.F.; Woncik, P.J.; Yagi, G.M.; Yoshimizu, J.R.; Alvarez, Del; Castillo, E.M.; Belton, M.J.S.; Beyer, R.; Branston, D.; Fishburn, M.B.; Mueller, B.; Ragan, R.; Samarasinha, N.; Anger, C.D.; Cunningham, C.; Little, B.; Arriola, S.; Carr, M.H.; Asphaug, E.; Moore, J.; Morrison, D.; Rages, K.; Banfield, D.; Bell, M.; Burns, J.A.; Carcich, B.; Clark, B.; Currier, N.; Dauber, I.; Gierasch, P.J.; Helfenstein, P.; Mann, M.; Othman, O.; Rossier, L.; Solomon, N.; Sullivan, R.; Thomas, P.C.; Veverka, J.; Becker, T.; Edwards, K.; Gaddis, L.; Kirk, R.; Lee, E.; Rosanova, T.; Sucharski, R.M.; Beebe, R.F.; Simon, A.; Bender, K.; Chuang, F.; Fagents, S.; Figueredo, P.; Greeley, R.; Homan, K.; Kadel, S.; Kerr, J.; Klemaszewski, J.; Lo, E.; Schwarz, W.; Williams, K.; Bierhaus, E.; Brooks, S.; Chapman, C.R.; Merline, B.; Keller, J.; Schenk, P.; Tamblyn, P.; Bouchez, A.; Dyundian, U.; Ingersoll, A.P.; Showman, A.; Spitale, J.; Stewart, S.; Vasavada, A.; Cunningham, W.F.; Johnson, T.V.; Jones, T.J.; Kaufman, J.M.; Magee, K.P.; Meredith, M.K.; Orton, G.S.; Senske, D.A.; West, A.; Winther, D.; Collins, G.; Fripp, W.J.; Head, J. W.; Pappalardo, R.; Pratt, S.; Procter, L.; Spaun, N.; Colvin, T.; Davies, M.; DeJong, E.M.; Hall, J.; Suzuki, S.; Gorjian, Z.; Giese, B.; Koehler, U.; Neukum, G.; Oberst, J.; Roatsch, T.; Tost, W.; Schuster, P.; Wagner, R.; Dieter, N.; Durda, D.; Greenberg, R.J.; Hoppa, G.; Jaeger, W.; Plassman, J.; Tufts, R.; Fanale, F.P.; Gran,

2001-01-01

The Solid-State Imaging (SSI) instrument provided the first high- and medium-resolution views of Io as the Galileo spacecraft closed in on the volcanic body in late 1999 and early 2000. While each volcanic center has many unique features, the majority can be placed into one of two broad categories. The "Promethean" eruptions, typified by the volcanic center Prometheus, are characterized by long-lived steady eruptions producing a compound flow field emplaced in an insulating manner over a period of years to decades. In contrast, "Pillanian" eruptions are characterized by large pyroclastic deposits and short-lived but high effusion rate eruptions from fissures feeding open-channel or open-sheet flows. Both types of eruptions commonly have ???100-km-tall, bright, SO2-rich plumes forming near the flow fronts and smaller deposits of red material that mark the vent for the silicate lavas. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.

SO2 on Venus: IUE, HST and ground-based measurements, and the active volcanism connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Na, C. Y.; Barker, E. S.; Stern, S. A.; Esposito, L. W.

1993-01-01

Magellan images have shown that the volcanic features are widespread over the surface of Venus. The question of whether there is active volcanism is important for understanding both the atmospheric and the geological processes on Venus. The thick cloud cover of Venus precludes any direct observation of active volcanoes even if they exist. The only means of monitoring the active volcanism on Venus at present seems to be remote sensing from Earth. Continuous monitoring of SO2 is important to establish the long term trend of SO2 abundance and to understand the physical mechanism responsible for the change.

Impact of Volcanic Activity on AMC Channel Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

active volcanic settings in the world. The location and behavior of volcanoes are a direct result of tectonic plate boundaries and the dynamic nature...Figure 2: Ash Detected Outside Iceland within 40°–70°N and 40°W–30°E (Scientific Reports, 2014) The potential for tectonic plate movement

Multi-Source Autonomous Response for Targeting and Monitoring of Volcanic Activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Ashley G.; Doubleday, Joshua R.; Tran, Daniel Q.

2014-01-01

The study of volcanoes is important for both purely scientific and human survival reasons. From a scientific standpoint, volcanic gas and ash emissions contribute significantly to the terrestrial atmosphere. Ash depositions and lava flows can also greatly affect local environments. From a human survival standpoint, many people live within the reach of active volcanoes, and therefore can be endangered by both atmospheric (ash, debris) toxicity and lava flow. There are many potential information sources that can be used to determine how to best monitor volcanic activity worldwide. These are of varying temporal frequency, spatial regard, method of access, and reliability. The problem is how to incorporate all of these inputs in a general framework to assign/task/reconfigure assets to monitor events in a timely fashion. In situ sensing can provide a valuable range of complementary information such as seismographic, discharge, acoustic, and other data. However, many volcanoes are not instrumented with in situ sensors, and those that have sensor networks are restricted to a relatively small numbers of point sensors. Consequently, ideal volcanic study synergistically combines space and in situ measurements. This work demonstrates an effort to integrate spaceborne sensing from MODIS (Terra and Aqua), ALI (EO-1), Worldview-2, and in situ sensing in an automated scheme to improve global volcano monitoring. Specifically, it is a "sensor web" concept in which a number of volcano monitoring systems are linked together to monitor volcanic activity more accurately, and this activity measurement automatically tasks space assets to acquire further satellite imagery of ongoing volcanic activity. A general framework was developed for evidence combination that accounts for multiple information sources in a scientist-directed fashion to weigh inputs and allocate observations based on the confidence of an events occurrence, rarity of the event at that location, and other scientists

Unusual Volcanic Products From the 2008 Eruption at Volcan Llaima, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweeney, D. C.; Hughes, M.; Calder, E. S.; Cortes, J.; Valentine, G.; Whelley, P.; Lara, L.

2009-05-01

Volcan Llaima, a snow-covered basaltic andesite stratocone in southern Chile (38 41' S, 71 44' W, 3179 m a.s.l.), erupted on 1 January 2008 with a fire fountain display lasting 14 hours. Elevated activity continues to date with mild to moderate strombolian activity occurring from two nested scoria cones in the summit crater and with occasional lava flows from crater overflow. The eruption displayed contrasting styles of activity emanating from different parts of the edifice that may provide some unique insight into the upper level plumbing system. Furthermore, the activity has provided an excellent chance to study the transition of a normally passive degassing system into a violent eruptive cycle. A field study of the eruptive products from this eruption was completed in January 2009, where sampling was carried out from the tephra fall, lava flows, lahar deposits and even small pyroclastic flow deposits. The scoria samples collected suggest a mixture of two magmas involved in the initial violent, fire fountaining activity from the summit. Additionally, they exhibit a variety of unusual textures, including rapidly-quenched, dense lava 'balls' - generated at the front of the lava flows traveling through ice, as well as cauliflower-textured tephra from explosive eruptions though ice. This presentation comprises our observations and preliminary interpretations concerning the processes that occurred during this unique eruption.

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

USGS Publications Warehouse

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.

Beyond Colorado's Front Range - A new look at Laramide basin subsidence, sedimentation, and deformation in north-central Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, James C.; Trexler, James H.; Cashman, Patricia H.; Miller, Ian M.; Shroba, Ralph R.; Cosca, Michael A.; Workman, Jeremiah B.

2010-01-01

This field trip highlights recent research into the Laramide uplift, erosion, and sedimentation on the western side of the northern Colorado Front Range. The Laramide history of the North Park?Middle Park basin (designated the Colorado Headwaters Basin in this paper) is distinctly different from that of the Denver basin on the eastern flank of the range. The Denver basin stratigraphy records the transition from Late Cretaceous marine shale to recessional shoreline sandstones to continental, fluvial, marsh, and coal mires environments, followed by orogenic sediments that span the K-T boundary. Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene strata in the Denver basin consist of two mega-fan complexes that are separated by a 9 million-year interval of erosion/non-deposition between about 63 and 54 Ma. In contrast, the marine shale unit on the western flank of the Front Range was deeply eroded over most of the area of the Colorado Headwaters Basin (approximately one km removed) prior to any orogenic sediment accumulation. New 40Ar-39Ar ages indicate the oldest sediments on the western flank of the Front Range were as young as about 61 Ma. They comprise the Windy Gap Volcanic Member of the Middle Park Formation, which consists of coarse, immature volcanic conglomerates derived from nearby alkalic-mafic volcanic edifices that were forming at about 65?61 Ma. Clasts of Proterozoic granite, pegmatite, and gneiss (eroded from the uplifted core of the Front Range) seem to arrive in the Colorado Headwaters Basin at different times in different places, but they become dominant in arkosic sandstones and conglomerates about one km above the base of the Colorado Headwaters Basin section. Paleocurrent trends suggest the southern end of the Colorado Headwaters Basin was structurally closed because all fluvial deposits show a northward component of transport. Lacustrine depositional environments are indicated by various sedimentological features in several sections within the >3 km of sediment

The eastern front of the Sierra Nevada; prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruption

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rinehart, C.D.; Smith, W.C.

1981-01-01

On Sunday morning, May 25, 1980, the weather at Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was sunny and brisk. Suddenly, just before 9:33 a.m, the world became a jarring, lurching, unstable place. Along the front of the Sierra Nevada, the muffled thunder of rockfalls and avalanches prolonged the confusion of sound and motion and added the spectacle of large, rising dust clouds. Three geysers, one 30 ft high, suddenly roared into the air at Hot Creek, although none survived more than a few hours. Some new boiling pools appeared, while many existing hot springs and pools became hotter and more active. 

Volcanic hazards to airports

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guffanti, M.; Mayberry, G.C.; Casadevall, T.J.; Wunderman, R.

2009-01-01

Volcanic activity has caused significant hazards to numerous airports worldwide, with local to far-ranging effects on travelers and commerce. Analysis of a new compilation of incidents of airports impacted by volcanic activity from 1944 through 2006 reveals that, at a minimum, 101 airports in 28 countries were affected on 171 occasions by eruptions at 46 volcanoes. Since 1980, five airports per year on average have been affected by volcanic activity, which indicates that volcanic hazards to airports are not rare on a worldwide basis. The main hazard to airports is ashfall, with accumulations of only a few millimeters sufficient to force temporary closures of some airports. A substantial portion of incidents has been caused by ash in airspace in the vicinity of airports, without accumulation of ash on the ground. On a few occasions, airports have been impacted by hazards other than ash (pyroclastic flow, lava flow, gas emission, and phreatic explosion). Several airports have been affected repeatedly by volcanic hazards. Four airports have been affected the most often and likely will continue to be among the most vulnerable owing to continued nearby volcanic activity: Fontanarossa International Airport in Catania, Italy; Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, USA; Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador; and Tokua Airport in Kokopo, Papua New Guinea. The USA has the most airports affected by volcanic activity (17) on the most occasions (33) and hosts the second highest number of volcanoes that have caused the disruptions (5, after Indonesia with 7). One-fifth of the affected airports are within 30 km of the source volcanoes, approximately half are located within 150 km of the source volcanoes, and about three-quarters are within 300 km; nearly one-fifth are located more than 500 km away from the source volcanoes. The volcanoes that have caused the most impacts are Soufriere Hills on the island of Montserrat in the British West Indies

Volcanic Alert System (VAS) developed during the (2011-2013) El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, Ramon; Berrocoso, Manuel; Marrero, Jose Manuel; Fernandez-Ros, Alberto; Prates, Gonçalo; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Garcia, Alicia

2014-05-01

In volcanic areas with long repose periods (as El Hierro), recently installed monitoring networks offer no instrumental record of past eruptions nor experience in handling a volcanic crisis. Both conditions, uncertainty and inexperience, contribute to make the communication of hazard more difficult. In fact, in the initial phases of the unrest at El Hierro, the perception of volcanic risk was somewhat distorted, as even relatively low volcanic hazards caused a high political impact. The need of a Volcanic Alert System became then evident. In general, the Volcanic Alert System is comprised of the monitoring network, the software tools for the analysis of the observables, the management of the Volcanic Activity Level, and the assessment of the threat. The Volcanic Alert System presented here places special emphasis on phenomena associated to moderate eruptions, as well as on volcano-tectonic earthquakes and landslides, which in some cases, as in El Hierro, may be more destructive than an eruption itself. As part of the Volcanic Alert System, we introduce here the Volcanic Activity Level which continuously applies a routine analysis of monitoring data (particularly seismic and deformation data) to detect data trend changes or monitoring network failures. The data trend changes are quantified according to the Failure Forecast Method (FFM). When data changes and/or malfunctions are detected, by an automated watchdog, warnings are automatically issued to the Monitoring Scientific Team. Changes in the data patterns are then translated by the Monitoring Scientific Team into a simple Volcanic Activity Level, that is easy to use and understand by the scientists and technicians in charge for the technical management of the unrest. The main feature of the Volcanic Activity Level is its objectivity, as it does not depend on expert opinions, which are left to the Scientific Committee, and its capabilities for early detection of precursors. As a consequence of the El Hierro

Jovian dust streams: A monitor of Io's volcanic plume activity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kruger, H.; Geissler, P.; Horanyi, M.; Graps, A.L.; Kempf, S.; Srama, R.; Moragas-Klostermeyer, G.; Moissl, R.; Johnson, T.V.; Grun, E.

2003-01-01

Streams of high speed dust particles originate from Jupiter's moon Io. After release from Io, the particles collect electric charges in the Io plasma torus, gain energy from the co-rotating electric field of Jupiter's magnetosphere, and leave the Jovian system into interplanetary space with escape speeds over 200 km s-1. The Galileo spacecraft has continuously monitored the dust streams during 34 revolutions about Jupiter between 1996 and 2002. The observed dust fluxes exhibit large orbit-to-orbit variability due to systematic and stochastic changes. After removal of the systematic variations, the total dust emission rate of Io has been calculated. It varies between 10-3 and 10 kg s-1, and is typically in the range of 0.1 to 1 kg s-1. We compare the dust emission rate with other markers of volcanic activity on Io like large-area surface changes caused by volcanic deposits and sightings of volcanic plumes. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

Planetary Volcanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antonenko, I.; Head, J. W.; Pieters, C. W.

1998-01-01

The final report consists of 10 journal articles concerning Planetary Volcanism. The articles discuss the following topics: (1) lunar stratigraphy; (2) cryptomare thickness measurements; (3) spherical harmonic spectra; (4) late stage activity of volcanoes on Venus; (5) stresses and calderas on Mars; (6) magma reservoir failure; (7) lunar mare basalt volcanism; (8) impact and volcanic glasses in the 79001/2 Core; (9) geology of the lunar regional dark mantle deposits; and (10) factors controlling the depths and sizes of magma reservoirs in Martian volcanoes.

1997 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, Robert G.; Wallace, Kristi L.

1999-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors over 40 historically active volcanoes along the Aleutian Arc. Twenty are seismically monitored and for the rest, the AVO monitoring program relies mainly on pilot reports, observations of local residents and ship crews, and daily analysis of satellite images. In 1997, AVO responded to eruptive activity or suspect volcanic activity at 11 volcanic centers: Wrangell, Sanford, Shrub mud volcano, Iliamna, the Katmai group (Martin, Mageik, Snowy, and Kukak volcanoes), Chiginagak, Pavlof, Shishaldin, Okmok, Cleveland, and Amukta. Of these, AVO has real-time, continuously recording seismic networks at Iliamna, the Katmai group, and Pavlof. The phrase “suspect volcanic activity” (SVA), used to characterize several responses, is an eruption report or report of unusual activity that is subsequently determined to be normal or enhanced fumarolic activity, weather-related phenomena, or a non-volcanic event. In addition to responding to eruptive activity at Alaska volcanoes, AVO also disseminated information for the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) about the 1997 activity of 5 Russian volcanoes--Sheveluch, Klyuchevskoy, Bezymianny, Karymsky, and Alaid (SVA). This report summarizes volcanic activity and SVA in Alaska during 1997 and the AVO response, as well as information on the reported activity at the Russian volcanoes. Only those reports or inquiries that resulted in a “significant” investment of staff time and energy (here defined as several hours or more for reaction, tracking, and follow-up) are included. AVO typically receives dozens of reports throughout the year of steaming, unusual cloud sightings, or eruption rumors. Most of these are resolved quickly and are not tabulated here as part of the 1997 response record.

Characterization of the Etna volcanic emissions through an active biomonitoring technique (moss-bags): part 2--morphological and mineralogical features.

PubMed

Calabrese, S; D'Alessandro, W

2015-01-01

Volcanic emissions were studied at Mount Etna (Italy) by using moss-bags technique. Mosses were exposed around the volcano at different distances from the active vents to evaluate the impact of volcanic emissions in the atmosphere. Morphology and mineralogy of volcanic particulate intercepted by mosses were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Particles emitted during passive degassing activity from the two active vents, Bocca Nuova and North East Crater (BNC and NEC), were identified as silicates, sulfates and halide compounds. In addition to volcanic particles, we found evidences also of geogenic, anthropogenic and marine spray input. The study has shown the robustness of this active biomonitoring technique to collect particles, very useful in active volcanic areas characterized by continuous degassing and often not easily accessible to apply conventional sampling techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2005 Volcanic Activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of Events and Response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, R.G.; Neal, C.A.; Dixon, J.P.; Ushakov, Sergey

2008-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptive activity or suspected volcanic activity at or near 16 volcanoes in Alaska during 2005, including the high profile precursory activity associated with the 2005?06 eruption of Augustine Volcano. AVO continues to participate in distributing information about eruptive activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and in the Kurile Islands of the Russian Far East, in conjunction with the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) and the Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT), respectively. In 2005, AVO helped broadcast alerts about activity at 8 Russian volcanoes. The most serious hazard posed from volcanic eruptions in Alaska, Kamchatka, or the Kurile Islands is the placement of ash into the atmosphere at altitudes traversed by jet aircraft along the North Pacific and Russian Trans East air routes. AVO, KVERT, and SVERT work collaboratively with the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers to provide timely warnings of volcanic eruptions and the production and movement of ash clouds.

(abstract) Survey of Volcanic Hazards in the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrams, M.; Siebe, C.; Macias, J.

1997-01-01

A substantial percentage of the world's population lives in areas vulnerable to the negative effects of future volcanic activity. This is especially true in Mexico, where within the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) one half of the country's 90 million inhabitants live. The TMVB is a 1 000 by 200 km area, dotted with hundreds of volcanoes and volcanic centers. Most of the area has been poorly studied, and the volcanic history is largely unknown. Our approach is to combine interpretations of satellite images, field work and mapping, laboratory analysis, and age dating to elucidate the volcanic history and evaluate the potential eruptive hazards. Hazards evaluations are done in the form of risk maps.

The response of tropical cyclone activity to tropospheric aerosols, greenhouse gases and volcanic eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camargo, S. J.; Sobel, A. H.; Polvani, L. M.; Emanuel, K.; Previdi, M. J.

2017-12-01

Previous work has shown that aerosol cooling reduces tropical cyclone (TC) potential intensity (PI) more strongly than greenhouse gas warming increases it. This has the consequence that PI shows only small increases in simulations of the historical period despite considerable global warming over that period. We use CMIP5 models, as well as offline radiative kernels, to better understand this result. The outsize effect of aerosol forcing is a consequence of the fact that tropospheric aerosols act in the shortwave while greenhouse gases act in the longwave. Shortwave forcing has a greater impact on PI than does longwave, because of the differences in the response of the surface energy budget to the direct, temperature-independent component of the forcing. Shortwave forcing mainly drives the climate system in the surface, while greenhouse gases do so at the top of the atmosphere, so that net longwave flux associated with a temperature change can be small, especially at high temperature. Our kernel results also indicate that the temperature-dependent longwave feedback component is also greater by approximately a factor of two for the shortwave than the longwave forcing. Recent papers using observations and proxy reconstructions suggested a reduction of frequency, duration and intensity of Atlantic TCs in the years following volcanic eruptions. Observations show no significant reduction of TC activity in the first season after three large volcanic eruptions in the 20th Century, with the exception of the North Atlantic. The response to these volcanic eruptions cannot be separated from the coinciding El Niño events either in observations or in reanalysis. Both the NCAR Large Ensemble and CMIP5 models show a strong reduction in the PI following large volcanic eruptions. But, given that the models response to volcanic aerosols is known to be too strong, when a bias correction is considered, the PI signal after the volcanic eruptions becomes much smaller. Furthermore, there

Search for possible relationship between volcanic ash particles and thunderstorm lightning activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Várai, A.; Vincze, M.; Lichtenberger, J.; Jánosi, I. M.

2011-12-01

Explosive volcanic eruptions that eject columns of ash from the crater often generate lightning discharges strong enough to be remotely located by very low frequency radio waves. A fraction of volcanic ash particles can stay and disperse long enough to have an effect on weather phenomena days later such as thunderstorms and lightnings. In this work we report on lightning activity analysis over Europe following two recent series of volcanic eruptions in order to identify possible correlations between ash release and subsequent thunderstorm flash frequency. Our attempts gave negative results which can be related to the fact that we have limited information on local atmospheric variables of high enough resolution, however lightning frequency is apparently determined by very local circumstances.

1995 volcanic activity in Alaska and Kamchatka: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, Robert G.; Neal, Christina A.

1996-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptive activity or suspected volcanic activity (SVA) at 6 volcanic centers in 1995: Mount Martin (Katmai Group), Mount Veniaminof, Shishaldin, Makushin, Kliuchef/Korovin, and Kanaga. In addition to responding to eruptive activity at Alaska volcanoes, AVO also disseminated information for the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) on the 1995 eruptions of 2 Russian volcanoes: Bezymianny and Karymsky. This report summarizes volcanic activity in Alaska during 1995 and the AVO response, as well as information on the 2 Kamchatkan eruptions. Only those reports or inquiries that resulted in a "significant" investment of staff time and energy (here defined as several hours or more for reaction, tracking, and follow-up) are included. AVO typically receives dozens of phone calls throughout the year reporting steaming, unusual cloud sightings, or eruption rumors. Most of these are resolved quickly and are not tabulated here as part of the 1995 response record.

Geochronology of the late Pliocene to recent volcanic activity in the Payenia back-arc volcanic province, Mendoza Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gudnason, Jónas; Holm, Paul Martin; Søager, Nina; Llambías, Eduardo J.

2012-08-01

Eighteen samples originating from monogenetic cones and larger complexes in the back-arc Payenia volcanic province, in Mendoza Argentina, have been dated by the 40Ar/39Ar method. Groundmass and plagioclase separates give plateau ages, ranging from 20.7 ± 0.5 to 0.06 ± 0.02 Ma. Payenia has been divided into six subfields based on the new and literature radiometric ages: Payún Matrú, Río Colorado, Llancanelo, and Nevado volcanic fields, the Northern segment and the Andes retro-arc group. Fifteen samples are younger than 2.83 Ma and show correlation between geographic position and age. Eruption centres younger than 0.5 Ma are concentrated to the west of 69° W with few exceptions among new and literature data. This westward shift of activity supports the rollback theory for the subducting Nazca plate since the late Pliocene. Furthermore, a northward progression of volcanism on the San Rafael block from 2.8 Ma to around 0.5 Ma is recognized. We conclude that rollback was initiated in the southern part of Payenia in the early Pliocene and progressed >200 km northwards during the Pliocene-Pleistocene period creating conditions for hydrous magma generation beneath the eastern part of Payenia. The long lived activity of the Payún Matrú complex is ascribed to the presence of a thermal anomaly in the underlying asthenosphere which could be plume-like.

2013 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Cameron, Cheryl; McGimsey, Robert G.; Neal, Christina A.; Waythomas, Chris

2015-08-14

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 18 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2013. Beginning with the 2013 AVO Summary of Events, the annual description of the AVO seismograph network and activity, once a stand-alone publication, is now part of this report. Because of this change, the annual summary now contains an expanded description of seismic activity at Alaskan volcanoes. Eruptions occurred at three volcanic centers in 2013: Pavlof Volcano in May and June, Mount Veniaminof Volcano in June through December, and Cleveland Volcano throughout the year. None of these three eruptive events resulted in 24-hour staffing at AVO facilities in Anchorage or Fairbanks.

Sensitivity to volcanic field boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runge, Melody; Bebbington, Mark; Cronin, Shane; Lindsay, Jan; Rashad Moufti, Mohammed

2016-04-01

Volcanic hazard analyses are desirable where there is potential for future volcanic activity to affect a proximal population. This is frequently the case for volcanic fields (regions of distributed volcanism) where low eruption rates, fertile soil, and attractive landscapes draw populations to live close by. Forecasting future activity in volcanic fields almost invariably uses spatial or spatio-temporal point processes with model selection and development based on exploratory analyses of previous eruption data. For identifiability reasons, spatio-temporal processes, and practically also spatial processes, the definition of a spatial region is required to which volcanism is confined. However, due to the complex and predominantly unknown sub-surface processes driving volcanic eruptions, definition of a region based solely on geological information is currently impossible. Thus, the current approach is to fit a shape to the known previous eruption sites. The class of boundary shape is an unavoidable subjective decision taken by the forecaster that is often overlooked during subsequent analysis of results. This study shows the substantial effect that this choice may have on even the simplest exploratory methods for hazard forecasting, illustrated using four commonly used exploratory statistical methods and two very different regions: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, and Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For Harrat Rahat, sensitivity of results to boundary definition is substantial. For the Auckland Volcanic Field, the range of options resulted in similar shapes, nevertheless, some of the statistical tests still showed substantial variation in results. This work highlights the fact that when carrying out any hazard analysis on volcanic fields, it is vital to specify how the volcanic field boundary has been defined, assess the sensitivity of boundary choice, and to carry these assumptions and related uncertainties through to estimates of future activity and

2010 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, Christina A.; Herrick, Julie; Girina, O.A.; Chibisova, Marina; Rybin, Alexander; McGimsey, Robert G.; Dixon, Jim

2014-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest at 12 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2010. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of intermittent ash emissions from long-active Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Islands. AVO staff also participated in hazard communication regarding eruptions or unrest at seven volcanoes in Russia as part of an ongoing collaborative role in the Kamchatka and Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Teams.

Volcanism in Eastern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cauthen, Clay; Coombs, Cassandra R.

1996-01-01

In 1891, the Virunga Mountains of Eastern Zaire were first acknowledged as volcanoes, and since then, the Virunga Mountain chain has demonstrated its potentially violent volcanic nature. The Virunga Mountains lie across the Eastern African Rift in an E-W direction located north of Lake Kivu. Mt. Nyamuragira and Mt. Nyiragongo present the most hazard of the eight mountains making up Virunga volcanic field, with the most recent activity during the 1970-90's. In 1977, after almost eighty years of moderate activity and periods of quiescence, Mt. Nyamuragira became highly active with lava flows that extruded from fissures on flanks circumscribing the volcano. The flows destroyed vast areas of vegetation and Zairian National Park areas, but no casualties were reported. Mt. Nyiragongo exhibited the same type volcanic activity, in association with regional tectonics that effected Mt. Nyamuragira, with variations of lava lake levels, lava fountains, and lava flows that resided in Lake Kivu. Mt. Nyiragongo, recently named a Decade volcano, presents both a direct and an indirect hazard to the inhabitants and properties located near the volcano. The Virunga volcanoes pose four major threats: volcanic eruptions, lava flows, toxic gas emission (CH4 and CO2), and earthquakes. Thus, the volcanoes of the Eastern African volcanic field emanate harm to the surrounding area by the forecast of volcanic eruptions. During the JSC Summer Fellowship program, we will acquire and collate remote sensing, photographic (Space Shuttle images), topographic and field data. In addition, maps of the extent and morphology(ies) of the features will be constructed using digital image information. The database generated will serve to create a Geographic Information System for easy access of information of the Eastem African volcanic field. The analysis of volcanism in Eastern Africa will permit a comparison for those areas from which we have field data. Results from this summer's work will permit

Elemental characterization of Mt. Sinabung volcanic ash, Indonesia by Neutron Activation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmartini, I.; Syahfitri, W. Y. N.; Kurniawati, S.; Lestiani, D. D.; Santoso, M.

2017-06-01

Mount Sinabung is a volcano located in North Sumatera, Indonesia which has been recorded not erupted since 1600. However in 2013 it has been erupted and cause of black thick smog, rain sand and volcanic ash. Volcanic ash containing trace elements material that can be utilized in various applications but still has potential danger of heavy metals. In order to obtain an elemental composition data of volcanic ash, the characterization of volcanic ash were carried out using Neutron Activation Analysis. The volcanic ash was taken from Mt. Sinabung eruption. Samples were irradiated at the rabbit system in the reactor G.A Siwabessy facilities with neutron flux ˜ 1013 n.cm-2.s-1 and then counted using HPGe detector. Method validation was carried out by SRM NIST Coal Fly Ash 1633b and NIST 2711a Montana II Soil with recovery values were in the range of 96-108% and 95-106% respectively. The results showed that major elements; Al, Na, Ca and Fe, concentrations were 8.7, 1.05, 2.98 and 7.44 %, respectively, minor elements K, Mg, Mn, Ti, V and Zn were 0.87%, 0.78%, 0.18%, 0.62%, 197.13 ppm and 109.35 ppm, respectively, heavy metals; As, Cr, Co and Sb, contents were 4.48, 11.75, 17.13 and 0.35 ppm, respectively while rare earth elements such as Ce, Eu, La, Nd, Sm, Yb were 45.33, 1.22, 19.63, 20.34, 3.86, and 2.57 ppm respectively. The results of the elemental contents of volcanic ash that has been obtained can be used as the scientific based data for volcanic material utilization by considering the economic potential of elements contained and also the danger of the heavy metals content.

Dinasour extinction and volcanic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gledhill, J. A.

There is at present some controversy about the reason for the mass extinction of dinosaurs and other forms of life at the end of the Cretaceous. A suggestion by Alvarez et al. [1980] that this was due to the collision of the earth with a meteorite 10 km or so in diameter has excited considerable interest [Silver and Schultz, 1982] and also some criticism [Stanley, 1984]. A recent publication [Wood, 1984] describing the catastrophic effects of a relatively minor lava flow in Iceland suggests that intense volcanic activity could have played a large part in the extinctions. In this letter it is pointed out that the Deccan lava flows in India took place in the appropriate time and may well have been of sufficient magnitude to be a major factor in the Cretaceous-Tertiary (C-T) boundary catastrophe.

Cenozoic volcanic rocks of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, R.G.; Gregory, R.T.; Brown, G.F.

2016-01-01

The historical record of volcanic activity in Saudi Arabia suggests that volcanism is dormant. The harrats should be evaluated for their potential as volcanic hazards and as sources of geothermal energy. The volcanic rocks are natural traps for groundwater; thus water resources for agriculture may be significant and should be investigated.

Time analysis of volcanic activity on Io by means of plasma observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mekler, Y.; Eviatar, A.

1980-01-01

A model of Io volcanism in which the probability of activity obeys a binomial distribution is presented. Observed values of the electron density obtained over a 3-year period by ground-based spectroscopy are fitted to such a distribution. The best fit is found for a total number of 15 volcanoes with a probability of individual activity at any time of 0.143. The Pioneer 10 ultraviolet observations are reinterpreted as emissions of sulfur and oxygen ions and are found to be consistent with a plasma much less dense than that observed by the Voyager spacecraft. Late 1978 and the first half of 1979 are shown to be periods of anomalous volcanicity. Rapid variations in electron density are related to enhanced radial diffusion.

2011 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, Robert G.; Maharrey, J. Zebulon; Neal, Christina A.

2014-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near three separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2011. The year was highlighted by the unrest and eruption of Cleveland Volcano in the central Aleutian Islands. AVO annual summaries no longer report on activity at Russian volcanoes.

Statistical Analysis of Time-Series from Monitoring of Active Volcanic Vents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachowycz, S.; Cosma, I.; Pyle, D. M.; Mather, T. A.; Rodgers, M.; Varley, N. R.

2016-12-01

Despite recent advances in the collection and analysis of time-series from volcano monitoring, and the resulting insights into volcanic processes, challenges remain in forecasting and interpreting activity from near real-time analysis of monitoring data. Statistical methods have potential to characterise the underlying structure and facilitate intercomparison of these time-series, and so inform interpretation of volcanic activity. We explore the utility of multiple statistical techniques that could be widely applicable to monitoring data, including Shannon entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis, by their application to various data streams from volcanic vents during periods of temporally variable activity. Each technique reveals changes through time in the structure of some of the data that were not apparent from conventional analysis. For example, we calculate the Shannon entropy (a measure of the randomness of a signal) of time-series from the recent dome-forming eruptions of Volcán de Colima (Mexico) and Soufrière Hills (Montserrat). The entropy of real-time seismic measurements and the count rate of certain volcano-seismic event types from both volcanoes is found to be temporally variable, with these data generally having higher entropy during periods of lava effusion and/or larger explosions. In some instances, the entropy shifts prior to or coincident with changes in seismic or eruptive activity, some of which were not clearly recognised by real-time monitoring. Comparison with other statistics demonstrates the sensitivity of the entropy to the data distribution, but that it is distinct from conventional statistical measures such as coefficient of variation. We conclude that each analysis technique examined could provide valuable insights for interpretation of diverse monitoring time-series.

2015 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dixon, James P.; Cameron, Cheryl E.; Iezzi, Alexandra M.; Wallace, Kristi

2017-09-28

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 14 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2015. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of continuing intermittent ash eruptions from Cleveland and Shishaldin volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. Two eruptive episodes, at Veniaminof and Pavlof, on the Alaska Peninsula ended in 2015. During 2015, AVO re-established the seismograph network at Aniakchak, installed six new broadband seismometers throughout the Aleutian Islands, and added a Multiple component Gas Analyzer System (MultiGAS) station on Augustine.

Observing Active Volcanism on Earth and Beyond With an Autonomous Science Investigation Capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, A. G.; Mjolsness, E. D.; Fink, W.; Castano, R.; Park, H. G.; Zak, M.; Burl, M. C.

2001-12-01

Operational constraints imposed by restricted downlink and long communication delays make autonomous systems a necessity for exploring dynamic processes in the Solar System and beyond. Our objective is to develop an onboard, modular, automated science analysis tool that will autonomously detect unexpected events, identify rare events at predicted sites, quantify the processes under study, and prioritize the science data and analyses as they are collected. A primary target for this capability is terrestrial active volcanism. Our integrated, science-driven command and control package represents the next stage of the automatic monitoring of volcanic activity pioneered by GOES. The resulting system will maximize science return from day-to-day instrument use and provide immediate reaction to capture the fullest information from infrequent events. For example, a sensor suite consisting of a Galileo-like multi-filter visible wavelength camera and an infrared spectrometer, can acquire high-spatial resolution data of eruptions of lava and volcanic plumes and identify large concentrations of volcanic SO2. After image/spectrum formation, software is applied to the data which is capable of change detection (in the visible and infrared), feature identification (both in imagery and spectra), and novelty detection. In this particular case, the latter module detects change in the parameter space of an advanced multi-component black-body volcanic thermal emission model by means of a novel technique called the "Grey-Box" method which analyzes time series data through a combination of deterministic and stochastic models. This approach can be demonstrated using data obtained by the Galileo spacecraft of ionian volcanism. The system autonomously identifies the most scientifically important targets and prioritizes data and analyses for return. All of these techniques have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory experiments, and are ready to be tested in an operational environment

Relation of compositions of deep fluids in geothermal activity of Pleistocene-Holocene volcanic fields of Lesser Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meliksetian, Khachatur; Lavrushin, Vassily; Shahinyan, Hrach; Aidarkozhina, Altin; Navasardyan, Gevorg; Ermakov, Alexander; Zakaryan, Shushan; Prasolov, Edward; Manucharyan, Davit; Gyulnazaryan, Shushan; Grigoryan, Edmond

2017-04-01

It is widely accepted, that geothermal activity in the conductive heat flow processes, such as volcanism and hydrothermal activity, is manifestation of the thermal mass transfer process in the Earth's crust, where geothermal and geochemical processes are closely connected. Therefore, geochemistry and isotope compositions of thermal mineral waters within and on periphery of volcanic clusters may represent key indicators for better understanding of geothermal activity in geodynamically active zones. Geochemical features of heat and mass transport in hydrothermal systems related to active volcanic and fault systems in continental collision related orogenic elevated plateaus such as Anatolian-Armenian-Iranian highlands are still poorly understood. In this contribution we attempt to fill these gaps in our knowledge of relations of geochemical and geothermal processes in collision zones. We present new data on chemical compositions, trace element geochemistry of thermal waters of Lesser Caucasus, (Armenia) as well as isotope analysis of free gases such as {}3He/{}4He, {}40Ar/{}36Ar, δ{}13?(CO{}2), nitrogen δ{}15N(N{}2) and oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in water phases (δD, δ{}18O). To reveal some specific features of formation of fluid systems related to thermal activity in the areas of collision related active volcanism and active geodynamics a complex geochemical (SiO{}2, K-Na, Na-Li, Li-Mg) and isotope geothermometers (δ{}18O(CaCO{}3) - δ{}18O(H{}2O)) were applied. The distribution of δ{}13?(??{}2) values in free gases of mineral waters of Armenia demonstrates that gases related to Quaternary volcanic fields are characterized by relatively light δ{}13?(CO{}2) values close to mantle derived gases, while on periphery of volcanic systems relatively heavy values of δ{}13?(CO{}2) indicate strong influence of metamorphic and sedimentary derived carbon dioxide. Distribution of nitrogen isotopes δ{}15N(N{}2) demonstrate an inverse correlation with δ{}13?(CO{}2

Hawaiian oral tradition describes 400 years of volcanic activity at Kīlauea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Donald A.

2008-01-01

Culturally significant oral tradition involving Pele, the Hawaiian volcano deity, and her youngest sister Hi'iaka may involve the two largest volcanic events to have taken place in Hawai'i since human settlement: the roughly 60-year-long ‘Ailā’au eruption during the 15th century and the following development of Kīlauea's caldera. In 1823, Rev. William Ellis and three others became the first Europeans to visit Kīlauea's summit and were told stories about Kīlauea's activity that are consistent with the Pele–Hi'iaka account and extend the oral tradition through the 18th century. Recent geologic studies confirm the essence of the oral traditions and illustrate the potential value of examining other Hawaiian chants and stories for more information about past volcanic activity in Hawai‘i.

Connecting Io's volcanic activity to the Io plasma torus: comparison of Galileo/NIMS volcanic and ground-based torus observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magalhaes, F. P.; Lopes, R. M. C.; Rathbun, J. A.; Gonzalez, W. D.; Morgenthaler, J. P.; Echer, E.; Echer, M. P. D. S.

2015-12-01

Io, the innermost of the Jupiter's four Galilean moons, is a remarkable object in the Solar System, due to its intense and energetic volcanic activity. The volcanic sulfur and oxygen in Io's tenuous atmosphere escapes forming an extended neutral cloud around Io and Jupiter. Subsequently, by ionization and pickup ions, a ring of charged particles encircling Jupiter is created, forming the Io plasma torus. Considering this scenario, it is reasonable to expect that the Io plasma torus should be affected by changes in Io's volcanism. Interactions between Io and the Jovian environment is unique and yet not very well understood. Here we present two sets of observations. One from the Galileo Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrograph (NIMS) instrument, which obtained spectral image cubes between 0.7 and 5.2 microns. The other dataset is from ground-based observations of the [SII] 6731 Å emission lines from the Io plasma torus, obtained at McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, at Kitt Peak. Our dataset from the [SII] 6731 Å emission lines cover more years than the one from the NIMS data. The years presented in this work for a comparative study are from 1998 through 2001. Using the NIMS instrument we were able to identify which volcanoes were active and measure their level of activity. From the [SII] 6731 Å emission lines we were able to trace the densest part of the torus and also the brightness of both ansa. By comparing the results from the Galileo instrument and the ground-based observations, we are exploring how the Io plasma torus responds to large eruptions from Io. We aim with this study to help improve our understanding of this complex coupled system, Jupiter-Io.

Volcanic Activity at Shiveluch and Plosky Tolbachik

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On March 7, 2013 the Terra satellite passed over eastern Russia, allowing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying aboard to capture volcanic activity at Shiveluch and Plosky Tolbachik, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in eastern Russia. This image was captured at 0050 UTC. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Compilation of Disruptions to Airports by Volcanic Activity (Version 1.0, 1944-2006)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guffanti, Marianne; Mayberry, Gari C.; Casadevall, Thomas J.; Wunderman, Richard

2008-01-01

Volcanic activity has caused significant hazards to numerous airports worldwide, with local to far-ranging effects on travelers and commerce. To more fully characterize the nature and scope of volcanic hazards to airports, we collected data on incidents of airports throughout the world that have been affected by volcanic activity, beginning in 1944 with the first documented instance of damage to modern aircraft and facilities in Naples, Italy, and extending through 2006. Information was gleaned from various sources, including news outlets, volcanological reports (particularly the Smithsonian Institution's Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network), and previous publications on the topic. This report presents the full compilation of the data collected. For each incident, information about the affected airport and the volcanic source has been compiled as a record in a Microsoft Access database. The database is incomplete in so far as incidents may not have not been reported or documented, but it does present a good sample from diverse parts of the world. Not included are en-route diversions to avoid airborne ash clouds at cruise altitudes. The database has been converted to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. To make the PDF version of table 1 in this open-file report resemble the spreadsheet, order the PDF pages as 12, 17, 22; 13, 18, 23; 14, 19, 24; 15, 20, 25; and 16, 21, 26. Analysis of the database reveals that, at a minimum, 101 airports in 28 countries were impacted on 171 occasions from 1944 through 2006 by eruptions at 46 volcanoes. The number of affected airports (101) probably is better constrained than the number of incidents (171) because recurring disruptions at a given airport may have been lumped together or not reported by news agencies, whereas the initial disruption likely is noticed and reported and thus the airport correctly counted.

Modelling ground deformation patterns associated with volcanic processes at the Okataina Volcanic Centre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holden, L.; Cas, R.; Fournier, N.; Ailleres, L.

2017-09-01

The Okataina Volcanic Centre (OVC) is one of two large active rhyolite centres in the modern Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located in a complex section of the Taupo rift, a tectonically active section of the TVZ. The most recent volcanic unrest at the OVC includes the 1315 CE Kaharoa and 1886 Tarawera eruptions. Current monitoring activity at the OVC includes the use of continuous GPS receivers (cGPS), lake levelling and seismographs. The ground deformation patterns preceding volcanic activity the OVC are poorly constrained and restricted to predictions from basic modelling and comparison to other volcanoes worldwide. A better understanding of the deformation patterns preceding renewed volcanic activity is essential to determine if observed deformation is related to volcanic, tectonic or hydrothermal processes. Such an understanding also means that the ability of the present day cGPS network to detect these deformation patterns can also be assessed. The research presented here uses the finite element (FE) modelling technique to investigate ground deformation patterns associated with magma accumulation and diking processes at the OVC in greater detail. A number of FE models are produced and tested using Pylith software and incorporate characteristics of the 1315 CE Kaharoa and 1886 Tarawera eruptions, summarised from the existing body of research literature. The influence of a simple ring fault structure at the OVC on the modelled deformation is evaluated. The ability of the present-day continuous GPS (cGPS) GeoNet monitoring network to detect or observe the modelled deformation is also considered. The results show the modelled horizontal and vertical displacement fields have a number of key features, which include prominent lobe based regions extending northwest and southeast of the OVC. The results also show that the ring fault structure increases the magnitude of the displacements inside the caldera, in particular in the

Integrating science and education during an international, multi-parametric investigation of volcanic activity at Santiaguito volcano, Guatemala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavallée, Yan; Johnson, Jeffrey; Andrews, Benjamin; Wolf, Rudiger; Rose, William; Chigna, Gustavo; Pineda, Armand

2016-04-01

In January 2016, we held the first scientific/educational Workshops on Volcanoes (WoV). The workshop took place at Santiaguito volcano - the most active volcano in Guatemala. 69 international scientists of all ages participated in this intensive, multi-parametric investigation of the volcanic activity, which included the deployment of seismometers, tiltmeters, infrasound microphones and mini-DOAS as well as optical, thermographic, UV and FTIR cameras around the active vent. These instruments recorded volcanic activity in concert over a period of 3 to 9 days. Here we review the research activities and present some of the spectacular observations made through this interdisciplinary efforts. Observations range from high-resolution drone and IR footage of explosions, monitoring of rock falls and quantification of the erupted mass of different gases and ash, as well as morphological changes in the dome caused by recurring explosions (amongst many other volcanic processes). We will discuss the success of such integrative ventures in furthering science frontiers and developing the next generation of geoscientists.

Volcanic sulfur dioxide index and volcanic explosivity index inferred from eruptive volume of volcanoes in Jeju Island, Korea: application to volcanic hazard mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Bokyun; Yun, Sung-Hyo

2016-04-01

Jeju Island located in the southwestern part of Korea Peninsula is a volcanic island composed of lavaflows, pyroclasts, and around 450 monogenetic volcanoes. The volcanic activity of the island commenced with phreatomagmatic eruptions under subaqueous condition ca. 1.8-2.0 Ma and lasted until ca. 1,000 year BP. For evaluating volcanic activity of the most recently erupted volcanoes with reported age, volcanic explosivity index (VEI) and volcanic sulfur dioxide index (VSI) of three volcanoes (Ilchulbong tuff cone, Songaksan tuff ring, and Biyangdo scoria cone) are inferred from their eruptive volumes. The quantity of eruptive materials such as tuff, lavaflow, scoria, and so on, is calculated using a model developed in Auckland Volcanic Field which has similar volcanic setting to the island. The eruptive volumes of them are 11,911,534 m3, 24,987,557 m3, and 9,652,025 m3, which correspond to VEI of 3, 3, and 2, respectively. According to the correlation between VEI and VSI, the average quantity of SO2 emission during an eruption with VEI of 3 is 2-8 × 103 kiloton considering that the island was formed under intraplate tectonic setting. Jeju Island was regarded as an extinct volcano, however, several studies have recently reported some volcanic eruption ages within 10,000 year BP owing to the development in age dating technique. Thus, the island is a dormant volcano potentially implying high probability to erupt again in the future. The volcanoes might have explosive eruptions (vulcanian to plinian) with the possibility that SO2 emitted by the eruption reaches stratosphere causing climate change due to backscattering incoming solar radiation, increase in cloud reflectivity, etc. Consequently, recommencement of volcanic eruption in the island is able to result in serious volcanic hazard and this study provides fundamental and important data for volcanic hazard mitigation of East Asia as well as the island. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This research was supported by a grant [MPSS

Monitoring volcanic activity using correlation patterns between infrasound and ground motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichihara, M.; Takeo, M.; Yokoo, A.; Oikawa, J.; Ohminato, T.

2012-02-01

This paper presents a simple method to distinguish infrasonic signals from wind noise using a cross-correlation function of signals from a microphone and a collocated seismometer. The method makes use of a particular feature of the cross-correlation function of vertical ground motion generated by infrasound, and the infrasound itself. Contribution of wind noise to the correlation function is effectively suppressed by separating the microphone and the seismometer by several meters because the correlation length of wind noise is much shorter than wavelengths of infrasound. The method is applied to data from two recent eruptions of Asama and Shinmoe-dake volcanoes, Japan, and demonstrates that the method effectively detects not only the main eruptions, but also minor activity generating weak infrasound hardly visible in the wave traces. In addition, the correlation function gives more information about volcanic activity than infrasound alone, because it reflects both features of incident infrasonic and seismic waves. Therefore, a graphical presentation of temporal variation in the cross-correlation function enables one to see qualitative changes of eruptive activity at a glance. This method is particularly useful when available sensors are limited, and will extend the utility of a single microphone and seismometer in monitoring volcanic activity.

Short-lived and discontinuous intraplate volcanism in the South Pacific: Hot spots or extensional volcanism?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koppers, Anthony A. P.; Staudigel, Hubert; Pringle, Malcolm S.; Wijbrans, Jan R.

2003-10-01

South Pacific intraplate volcanoes have been active since the Early Cretaceous. Their HIMU-EMI-EMII mantle sources can be traced back into the West Pacific Seamount Province (WPSP) using plate tectonic reconstructions, implying that these distinctive components are enduring features within the Earth's mantle for, at least, the last 120 Myr. These correlations are eminent on the scale of the WPSP and the South Pacific Thermal and Isotopic Anomaly (SOPITA), but the evolution of single hot spots emerges notably more complicated. Hot spots in the WPSP and SOPITA mantle regions typically display intermittent volcanic activity, longevities shorter than 40 Myr, superposition of hot spot volcanism, and motion relative to other hot spots. In this review, we use 40Ar/39Ar seamount ages and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic signatures to map out Cretaceous volcanism in the WPSP and to characterize its evolution with respect to the currently active hot spots in the SOPITA region. Our plate tectonic reconstructions indicate cessation of volcanism during the Cretaceous for the Typhoon and Japanese hot spots; whereas the currently active Samoan, Society, Pitcairn and Marquesas hot spots lack long-lived counterparts in the WPSP. These hot spots may have become active during the last 20 Myr only. The other WPSP seamount trails can be only "indirectly" reconciled with hot spots in the SOPITA region. Complex age distributions in the Magellan, Anewetak, Ralik and Ratak seamount trails would necessitate the superposition of multiple volcanic trails generated by the Macdonald, Rurutu and Rarotonga hot spots during the Cretaceous; whereas HIMU-type seamounts in the Southern Wake seamount trail would require 350-500 km of hot spot motion over the last 100 Myr following its origination along the Mangaia-Rurutu "hotline" in the Cook-Austral Islands. These observations, however, violate all assumptions of the classical Wilson-Morgan hot spot hypothesis, indicating that long-lived, deep and fixed mantle

ASI-Volcanic Risk System (SRV): a pilot project to develop EO data processing modules and products for volcanic activity monitoring, first results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silvestri, M.; Musacchio, M.; Buongiorno, M. F.; Dini, L.

2009-04-01

The Project called Sistema Rischio Vulcanico (SRV) is funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in the frame of the National Space Plan 2003-2005 under the Earth Observations section for natural risks management. The SRV Project is coordinated by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) which is responsible at national level for the volcanic monitoring. The project philosophy is to implement, by incremental versions, specific modules which allow to process, store and visualize through Web GIS tools geophysical parameters suitable for volcanic risk management. The ASI-SRV is devoted to the development of an integrated system based on Earth Observation (EO) data to respond to specific needs of the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) and improve the monitoring of Italian active volcanoes during all the risk phases (Pre Crisis, Crisis and Post Crisis). The ASI-SRV system provides support to risk managers during the different volcanic activity phases and its results are addressed to the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC). SRV provides the capability to manage the import many different EO data into the system, it maintains a repository where the acquired data have to be stored and generates selected volcanic products. The processing modules for EO Optical sensors data are based on procedures jointly developed by INGV and University of Modena. This procedures allow to estimate a number of parameters such as: surface thermal proprieties, gas, aerosol and ash emissions and to characterize the volcanic products in terms of composition and geometry. For the analysis of the surface thermal characteristics, the available algorithms allow to extract information during the prevention phase and during the Warning and Crisis phase. In the prevention phase the thermal analysis is directed to the identification of temperature variation on volcanic structure which may indicate a change in the volcanic activity state. At the moment the only sensor that

Galileo SSI Observations of Volcanic Activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milazzo, M. P.; Keszthely, L. P.; Radebaugh, J.; Davies, A. G.; Turtle, E. P.; Geissler, P.; Klaasen, K. P.; McEwen, A. S.

2005-01-01

Introduction: We report on the analysis of the Galileo SSI's observations of the volcanic activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io as discussed by Milazzo et al. Galileo's Solid State Imager (SSI) observed Tvashtar Catena (63 deg N, 120 deg W) four times between November 1999 and October 2001, providing a unique look at the distinctive high latitude volcanism on Io. The November 1999 observation spatially resolved, for the first time, an active extraterrestrial fissure eruption. The brightness temperature of the lavas at the November 1999 fissure eruption was 1300 K. The second observation (orbit I27, February 2000) showed a large (approx. 500 sq km) region with many, small spots of hot, active lava. The third observation was taken in conjunction with a Cassini observation in December 2000 and showed a Pele-like plume deposition ring, while the Cassini images revealed a 400 km high Pele-type plume above the Catena. The final Galileo SSI observation of Tvashtar was acquired in October 2001, and all obvious (to SSI) activity had ceased, although data from Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) indicated that there was still significant thermal emission from the Tvashtar region. We have concentrated on analyzing the style of eruption during orbit I27 (February 2000). Comparison with a lava flow cooling model indicates that the behavior of the Tvashtar eruption during I27 does not match that of "simple" advancing lava flows. Instead, it may be an active lava lake or a complex set of lava flows with episodic, overlapping (in time and space) eruptions.

Mars - A large highland volcanic province revealed by Viking images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, D. H.; Tanaka, K. L.

1982-01-01

Many of the mountains in the rugged highland terrain of the Phaethontis and Thaumasia quadrangles are believed to be of volcanic origin. Those provisionally mapped as volcanoes have diagnostic characteristics such as lobate flow fronts around their bases, depressed central areas, or have massive, bulbous accumulations of material of no determinable origin other than volcanic. Most of the volcanoes are younger than materials forming the highlands but are older than early lava flows from Arsia Mons. Many are aligned along older fault and ridge systems that are transverse to the more recent and prominent faults transecting the region. The older faults are generally buried by plains lava flows but their traces are visible in several places in the highlands. These faults are relatively short in length.

International Collaboration on Building Local Technical Capacities for Monitoring Volcanic Activity at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escobar-Wolf, R. P.; Chigna, G.; Morales, H.; Waite, G. P.; Oommen, T.; Lechner, H. N.

2015-12-01

Pacaya volcano is a frequently active and potentially dangerous volcano situated in the Guatemalan volcanic arc. It is also a National Park and a major touristic attraction, constituting an important economic resource for local municipality and the nearby communities. Recent eruptions have caused fatalities and extensive damage to nearby communities, highlighting the need for risk management and loss reduction from the volcanic activity. Volcanic monitoring at Pacaya is done by the Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH), instrumentally through one short period seismic station, and visually by the Parque Nacional Volcan de Pacaya y Laguna de Calderas (PNVPLC) personnel. We carry out a project to increase the local technical capacities for monitoring volcanic activity at Pacaya. Funding for the project comes from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists through the Geoscientists Without Borders program. Three seismic and continuous GPS stations will be installed at locations within 5 km from the main vent at Pacaya, and one webcam will aid in the visual monitoring tasks. Local educational and outreach components of the project include technical workshops on data monitoring use, and short thesis projects with the San Carlos University in Guatemala. A small permanent exhibit at the PNVPLC museum or visitor center, focusing on the volcano's history, hazards and resources, will also be established as part of the project. The strategy to involve a diverse group of local collaborators in Guatemala aims to increase the chances for long term sustainability of the project, and relies not only on transferring technology but also the "know-how" to make that technology useful. Although not a primary research project, it builds on a relationship of years of joint research projects at Pacaya between the participants, and could be a model of how to increase the broader impacts of such long term collaboration partnerships.

Exploring for Volcanic and Hydrothermal Activity Above Off-axis Melt Lenses near the East Pacific Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, S. M.; Lee, A. J.; Rubin, K. H.

2015-12-01

Two Alvin dives (AL 4771 and 4774) transected the seafloor directly above the two largest Off-Axis Melt Lenses (O-AML) east of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis at 9 39'N and 9 54'N. In 2008, a 3D high-resolution seismic reflection survey (MGL-0812) discovered O-AMLs 3-7 km from the EPR at 2-3 km below the seafloor. Several other O-AML in the crust have been subsequently detected in several locations up to 20 km from the spreading axis at fast and intermediate spreading ridges; understanding their impacts is increasingly important. During the dives, no currently active hydrothermal venting or fresh lava was seen, suggesting that these features do not constantly power off-axis geological activity. However, the seafloor appears much younger at small volcanic seamounts in the 9 39'N than at the 9 54'N site. At 9 39'N, we used Alvin to explore the off-axis volcanic mound complex, reaching the summit of the three largest mounds. Although no evidence for on-going hydrothermal or volcanic activity was detected, the seafloor wore a thin sediment layer of ~10cm and thin Mn-coatings on 9 rock samples, suggesting volcanism more recently than would be expected based on the spreading-rate age of the crust. At 9 54'N, the Alvin trackline started south of a prominent abyssal hill, which has an unusual D-shape over 1 km wide in the center, crossed the abyssal hill, visited two local hummocks on top, and then attempted to find volcanic activity on the near slope of EPR axis by going as far west was possible during the dive. Heavy sediment everywhere on the abyssal hill, to the depth of push cores (~30 cm) and probably much deeper in many areas and 4 rock samples from the abyssal hill were quite weathered with little glass intact, suggest that this site is unaffected by the underlying O-AML. Upslope toward the EPR west of the abyssal hill, 4 rocks collected appear somewhat younger, and sediment became thinner. In addition, 3 CTD tow-yos over each O-AML found no evidence of active

Exploring for Volcanic and Hydrothermal Activity Above Off-axis Melt Lenses near the East Pacific Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, A. J.; Torres, M. A.; Nealson, K. H.

2014-12-01

Two Alvin dives (AL 4771 and 4774) transected the seafloor directly above the two largest Off-Axis Melt Lenses (O-AML) east of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis at 9 39'N and 9 54'N. In 2008, a 3D high-resolution seismic reflection survey (MGL-0812) discovered O-AMLs 3-7 km from the EPR at 2-3 km below the seafloor. Several other O-AML in the crust have been subsequently detected in several locations up to 20 km from the spreading axis at fast and intermediate spreading ridges; understanding their impacts is increasingly important. During the dives, no currently active hydrothermal venting or fresh lava was seen, suggesting that these features do not constantly power off-axis geological activity. However, the seafloor appears much younger at small volcanic seamounts in the 9 39'N than at the 9 54'N site. At 9 39'N, we used Alvin to explore the off-axis volcanic mound complex, reaching the summit of the three largest mounds. Although no evidence for on-going hydrothermal or volcanic activity was detected, the seafloor wore a thin sediment layer of ~10cm and thin Mn-coatings on 9 rock samples, suggesting volcanism more recently than would be expected based on the spreading-rate age of the crust. At 9 54'N, the Alvin trackline started south of a prominent abyssal hill, which has an unusual D-shape over 1 km wide in the center, crossed the abyssal hill, visited two local hummocks on top, and then attempted to find volcanic activity on the near slope of EPR axis by going as far west was possible during the dive. Heavy sediment everywhere on the abyssal hill, to the depth of push cores (~30 cm) and probably much deeper in many areas and 4 rock samples from the abyssal hill were quite weathered with little glass intact, suggest that this site is unaffected by the underlying O-AML. Upslope toward the EPR west of the abyssal hill, 4 rocks collected appear somewhat younger, and sediment became thinner. In addition, 3 CTD tow-yos over each O-AML found no evidence of active

Study of the structure changes caused by volcanic activity in Mexico applying the lineament analysis to the Aster (Terra) satellite data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arellano-Baeza, A. A.; Garcia, R. V.; Trejo-Soto, M.; Molina-Sauceda, E.

Mexico is one of the most volcanically active regions in North America Volcanic activity in central Mexico is associated with the subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates beneath the North American plate Periods of enhanced microseismic activity associated with the volcanic activity of the Colima and Popocapetl volcanoes are compared to some periods of low microseismic activity We detected changes in the number and orientation of lineaments associated with the microseismic activity due to lineament analysis of a temporal sequence of high resolution satellite images of both volcanoes 15 m resolution multispectral images provided by the ASTER VNIR instrument were used The Lineament Extraction and Stripes Statistic Analysis LESSA software package was employed for the lineament extraction

The He-CO 2 isotope and relative abundance characteristics of geothermal fluids in El Salvador and Honduras: New constraints on volatile mass balance of the Central American Volcanic Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Leeuw, G. A. M.; Hilton, D. R.; Fischer, T. P.; Walker, J. A.

2007-06-01

We report helium and carbon isotope and relative abundance data of fumaroles, hot springs, water springs, mud-pots and geothermal wells from El Salvador and Honduras to investigate both along and across-arc controls on the release of CO 2 from the subducted slab. El Salvador localities show typical volcanic front volcanic gas signatures, with 3He/ 4He ratios of 5.2-7.6 RA, δ13C values of - 3.6‰ to - 1.3‰ and CO 2/ 3He ratios of 8-25 × 10 9. In Honduras, we find similar values only for volatiles collected in the Sula Graben region located ˜ 200 km behind the volcanic front. All other areas in Honduras show significantly lower 3He/ 4He ratios (0.7-3.5 RA), lower δ13C values (< - 7.3‰) and more variable CO 2/ 3He ratios (6.2 × 10 7-2.0 × 10 11): characteristics consistent with degassing-induced fractionation of CO 2 and He and/or interaction with crustal rocks. The provenance of CO 2 released along the volcanic front is dominated by subducted marine carbonates (L = 76 ± 4%) and organic sediments (S = 14 ± 3%), with the mantle wedge (M) contributing 10 ± 3% to the total carbon flux. The L/S ratio of the El Salvador volatiles (average = 5.6) is comparable to volcanic front localities in Costa Rica and Nicaragua [A.M. Shaw, D.R. Hilton, T.P. Fischer, L.A. Walker, G.E. Alvarado, Contrasting He-C relationships in Nicaragua and Costa Rica: insights into C cycling through subduction zones. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 214 (2003) 499-513] but is approximately one-half the input value of sediments at the trench (L. Li, G.E. Bebout, Carbon and nitrogen geochemistry of sediments in the Central American convergent margin: Insights regarding subduction input fluxes, diagenesis, and paleoproductivity, J. Geophys. Res. 110 (2005), doi: 10.1029/2004JB003276). We use the L/S ratio of El Salvador geothermal fluids, together with estimates of the CO 2 output flux from the arc, to constrain the amount and composition of subducted sediments involved in the supply of CO 2 to the

Crustal deformation and volcanism at active plate boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geirsson, Halldor

Most of Earth's volcanoes are located near active tectonic plate boundaries, where the tectonic plates move relative to each other resulting in deformation. Likewise, subsurface magma movement and pressure changes in magmatic systems can cause measurable deformation of the Earth's surface. The study of the shape of Earth and therefore studies of surface deformation is called geodesy. Modern geodetic techniques allow precise measurements (˜1 mm accuracy) of deformation of tectonic and magmatic systems. Because of the spatial correlation between tectonic boundaries and volcanism, the tectonic and volcanic deformation signals can become intertwined. Thus it is often important to study both tectonic and volcanic deformation processes simultaneously, when one is trying to study one of the systems individually. In this thesis, I present research on crustal deformation and magmatic processes at active plate boundaries. The study areas cover divergent and transform plate boundaries in south Iceland and convergent and transform plate boundaries in Central America, specifically Nicaragua and El Salvador. The study is composed of four main chapters: two of the chapters focus on the magma plumbing system of Hekla volcano, Iceland and the plate boundary in south Iceland; one chapter focuses on shallow controls of explosive volcanism at Telica volcano, Nicaragua; and the fourth chapter focuses on co- and post-seismic deformation from a Mw = 7.3 earthquake which occurred offshore El Salvador in 2012. Hekla volcano is located at the intersection of a transform zone and a rift zone in Iceland and thus is affected by a combination of shear and extensional strains, in addition to co-seismic and co-rifting deformation. The inter-eruptive deformation signal from Hekla is subtle, as observed by a decade (2000-2010) of GPS data in south Iceland. A simultaneous inversion of this data for parameters describing the geometry and source characteristics of the magma chamber at Hekla, and

Hazards in volcanic arcs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, S. R.

2008-12-01

Volcanic eruptions in arcs are complex natural phenomena, involving the movement of magma to the Earth's surface and interactions with the surrounding crust during ascent and with the surface environment during eruption, resulting in secondary hazards. Magma changes its properties profoundly during ascent and eruption and many of the underlying processes of heat and mass transfer and physical property changes that govern volcanic flows and magmatic interactions with the environment are highly non-linear. Major direct hazards include tephra fall, pyroclastic flows from explosions and dome collapse, volcanic blasts, lahars, debris avalanches and tsunamis. There are also health hazards related to emissions of gases and very fine volcanic ash. These hazards and progress in their assessment are illustrated mainly from the ongoing eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Montserrat. There are both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties in the assessment of volcanic hazards, which can be large, making precise prediction a formidable objective. Indeed in certain respects volcanic systems and hazardous phenomena may be intrinsically unpredictable. As with other natural phenomena, predictions and hazards inevitably have to be expressed in probabilistic terms that take account of these uncertainties. Despite these limitations significant progress is being made in the ability to anticipate volcanic activity in volcanic arcs and, in favourable circumstances, make robust hazards assessments and predictions. Improvements in monitoring ground deformation, gas emissions and seismicity are being combined with more advanced models of volcanic flows and their interactions with the environment. In addition more structured and systematic methods for assessing hazards and risk are emerging that allow impartial advice to be given to authorities during volcanic crises. There remain significant issues of how scientific advice and associated uncertainties are communicated to provide effective

Aeromagnetic Study of the Nortern Acambay Graben and Amealco Caldera, Central Mexican Volcanic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, T.

2011-12-01

The Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB) is characterized by E-W striking faults which form a series of en echelon graben along its length. In the central region of the MVB is located the Acambay graben an intra-arc tectonic depression structure, of apparent Quaternary age, which gives rise to pronounced scarps over a distance of about 80 Km. and 15 to 35 Km wide. The general arrangement of the faults that constitute the Acambay graben shows E-W trend which defines the fronts of the graben exhibits a major fault discontinuity. The graben is limited of the north by the Acambay- Tixmadeje and Epitafio Huerta faults and in the south by the Pastores and Venta de Bravo faults.. In the northern wall in the graben is located the Amealco caldera. This volcanic center (approximately 10 km in diameter) was formed by several discrete volcanic events, which produced an ignimbrite which covers the area. It is partially cut by a regional fault and the southern portion of the Amealco Caldera was displaced by a normal faulting along a segment of the Epitafio Huerta system. Continued tectonic activity in the Acambay area is confirmed by recent seismic episodes The Amealco tuff is the most important volcanic unit because of its volume and distribution. Aeromagnetic data was obtained and analyzed the anomalies. The anomaly map was compared with the surface geology and larger anomalies were correlated with major volcanic features. Since our main interest was in mapping the subsurface intrusive and volcanic bodies, the total field magnetic anomalies were reduced to the pole by using the double integral Fourier method. The reduced to the pole anomaly map results in a simplified pattern of isolated positive and negative anomalies, which show an improved correlation with all major volcanic structures. For the analysis and interpretation of the anomalies, the reduced to the pole anomalies were continued upward at various reference levels. These operations result in smoothing of the anomaly field by

Volcanic processes in the solar system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, M.H.

1987-01-01

Eruptions of ammonia, water, and sulfur. These have become some of the concerns of planetary volcanologists as they try to understand volcanic processes on other planetary bodies. As exploration of the Solar System has continues, we have been confronted with more and more exotic forms of volcanism and have come to realize that the types of volcanic activity observed on Earth represent only a fraction of the array of volcanic phenomena that are possible. Some volcanic features of other planets have close terrestrial counterparts and appear to have been formed by similar mechanisms and from similar magmas to those on the Earth. but other features are totally different and appear to have been formed from materials that are not normally associated with volcanism on Earth.

Gravimetric control of active volcanic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saltogianni, Vasso; Stiros, Stathis

2017-04-01

Volcanic activity includes phases of magma chamber inflation and deflation, produced by movement of magma and/or hydrothermal processes. Such effects usually leave their imprint as deformation of the ground surfaces which can be recorded by GNSS and other methods, on one hand, and on the other hand they can be modeled as elastic deformation processes, with deformation produced by volcanic masses of finite dimensions such as spheres, ellipsoids and parallelograms. Such volumes are modeled on the basis of inversion (non-linear, numerical solution) of systems of equations relating the unknown dimensions and location of magma sources with observations, currently mostly GNSS and INSAR data. Inversion techniques depend on the misfit between model predictions and observations, but because systems of equations are highly non-linear, and because adopted models for the geometry of magma sources is simple, non-unique solutions can be derived, constrained by local extrema. Assessment of derived magma models can be provided by independent observations and models, such as micro-seismicity distribution and changes in geophysical parameters. In the simplest case magmatic intrusions can be modeled as spheres with diameters of at least a few tens of meters at a depth of a few kilometers; hence they are expected to have a gravimetric signature in permanent recording stations on the ground surface, while larger intrusions may also have an imprint in sensors in orbit around the earth or along precisely defined air paths. Identification of such gravimetric signals and separation of the "true" signal from the measurement and ambient noise requires fine forward modeling of the wider areas based on realistic simulation of the ambient gravimetric field, and then modeling of its possible distortion because of magmatic anomalies. Such results are useful to remove ambiguities in inverse modeling of ground deformation, and also to detect magmatic anomalies offshore.

Volcanic signature of Basin and Range extension on the shrinking Cascade arc, Klamath Falls-Keno area, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priest, George R.; Hladky, Frank R.; Mertzman, Stanley A.; Murray, Robert B.; Wiley, Thomas J.

2013-08-01

geologic mapping of the Klamath Falls-Keno area revealed the complex relationship between subduction, crustal extension, and magmatic composition of the southern Oregon Cascade volcanic arc. Volcanism in the study area at 7-4 Ma consisted of calc-alkaline basaltic andesite and andesite lava flowing over a relatively flat landscape. Local angular unconformities are evidence that Basin and Range extension began at by at least 4 Ma and continues today with fault blocks tilting at a long-term rate of 2°/Ma to 3°/Ma. Minimum NW-SE extension is 1.5 km over 28 km ( 5%). High-alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT) or low-K, low-Ti transitional high-alumina olivine tholeiite (LKLT) erupted within and adjacent to the back edge of the calc-alkaline arc as the edge receded westward at a rate of 10 km/Ma at 2.7-0.45 Ma. The volcanic front migrated east much slower than the back arc migrated west: 0 km/Ma for 6-0.4 Ma calc-alkaline rocks; 0.7 km/Ma, if 6 Ma HAOT-LKLT is included; and 1 km/Ma, if highly differentiated 17-30 Ma volcanic rocks of the early Western Cascades are included. Declining convergence probably decreased asthenospheric corner flow, decreasing width of calc-alkaline and HAOT-LKLT volcanism and the associated heat flow anomaly, the margins of which focused on Basin and Range extension and leakage of HAOT-LKLT magma to the surface. This declining corner flow combined with steepening slab dip shifted the back arc west. Compensation of extension by volcanic intrusion and extrusion allowed growth of imposing range-front fault scarps only behind the trailing edge of the shrinking arc.

Short-term volcanic hazard assessment through Bayesian inference: retrospective application to the Pinatubo 1991 volcanic crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobradelo, Rosa; Martí, Joan

2015-01-01

One of the most challenging aspects of managing a volcanic crisis is the interpretation of the monitoring data, so as to anticipate to the evolution of the unrest and implement timely mitigation actions. An unrest episode may include different stages or time intervals of increasing activity that may or may not precede a volcanic eruption, depending on the causes of the unrest (magmatic, geothermal or tectonic). Therefore, one of the main goals in monitoring volcanic unrest is to forecast whether or not such increase of activity will end up with an eruption, and if this is the case, how, when, and where this eruption will take place. As an alternative method to expert elicitation for assessing and merging monitoring data and relevant past information, we present a probabilistic method to transform precursory activity into the probability of experiencing a significant variation by the next time interval (i.e. the next step in the unrest), given its preceding evolution, and by further estimating the probability of the occurrence of a particular eruptive scenario combining monitoring and past data. With the 1991 Pinatubo volcanic crisis as a reference, we have developed such a method to assess short-term volcanic hazard using Bayesian inference.

Characterization of the Etna volcanic emissions through an active biomonitoring technique (moss-bags): part 1--major and trace element composition.

PubMed

Calabrese, S; D'Alessandro, W; Bellomo, S; Brusca, L; Martin, R S; Saiano, F; Parello, F

2015-01-01

Active biomonitoring using moss-bags was applied to an active volcanic environment for the first time. Bioaccumulation originating from atmospheric deposition was evaluated by exposing mixtures of washed and air-dried mosses (Sphagnum species) at 24 sites on Mt. Etna volcano (Italy). Concentrations of major and a large suite of trace elements were analysed by inductively coupled mass and optical spectrometry (ICP-MS and ICP-OES) after total acid digestion. Of the 49 elements analysed those which closely reflect summit volcanic emissions were S, Tl, Bi, Se, Cd, As, Cu, B, Na, Fe, Al. Enrichment factors and cluster analysis allowed clear distinction between volcanogenic, geogenic and anthropogenic inputs that affect the local atmospheric deposition. This study demonstrates that active biomonitoring with moss-bags is a suitable and robust technique for implementing inexpensive monitoring in scarcely accessible and harsh volcanic environments, giving time-averaged quantitative results of the local exposure to volcanic emissions. This task is especially important in the study area because the summit area of Mt. Etna is visited by nearly one hundred thousand tourists each year who are exposed to potentially harmful volcanic emissions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanical interaction between volcanic systems in Libya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elshaafi, Abdelsalam; Gudmundsson, Agust

2018-01-01

The spatial distributions of monogenetic volcanoes, primarily volcanic craters, within the four principal volcanic provinces of Libya are examined and presented on a volcano-density map. Six main volcanic clusters have been identified, referred to as volcanic systems. Remarkably, the Al Haruj (AHVP) and Nuqay (NVP) volcanic provinces have double-peak volcano-density distributions, while the Gharyan (GVP) and As Sawda (SVP) volcanic provinces have single-peak volcano-density distributions. We interpret each volcano-density peak as corresponding to a separate volcanic system, so that there is a total of six systems in these four provinces. There was an overlap in volcanic activity in these provinces with at least three simultaneously active. We propose that each of the 6 volcanic systems was/is supplied with magma from a large sill-like reservoir - similar in lateral dimensions to the systems/clusters themselves. Numerical results show zones of high tensile and shear stresses between the reservoirs that coincide roughly with the main swarms of extension (dykes and volcanic fissures) and shear (faults) fractures in the areas. The most recent volcanic eruptions in Libya fall within the modelled high-stress concentration zones, primarily eruptions in the volcano Waw an Namus and the Holocene Al Mashaqaq lava flow. There are no known eruptions in Libya in historical time, but some or all the volcanic systems may have had one or more arrested historical dyke injections. In particular, part of the recurrent seismic events in the Hun Graben in the northwest Libya may be related to dyke propagation and arrest. If some of the inferred magma reservoirs are still fluid, as is likely, they pose earthquake and volcanic hazards to parts of Libya, particularly to the city of Gharyan and Zallah town, as well as to many oil-field operations.

Reviewed approach to defining the Active Interlock Envelope for Front End ray tracing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seletskiy, S.; Shaftan, T.

To protect the NSLS-II Storage Ring (SR) components from damage from synchrotron radiation produced by insertion devices (IDs) the Active Interlock (AI) keeps electron beam within some safe envelope (a.k.a Active Interlock Envelope or AIE) in the transverse phase space. The beamline Front Ends (FEs) are designed under assumption that above certain beam current (typically 2 mA) the ID synchrotron radiation (IDSR) fan is produced by the interlocked e-beam. These assumptions also define how the ray tracing for FE is done. To simplify the FE ray tracing for typical uncanted ID it was decided to provide the Mechanical Engineering groupmore » with a single set of numbers (x,x’,y,y’) for the AIE at the center of the long (or short) ID straight section. Such unified approach to the design of the beamline Front Ends will accelerate the design process and save valuable human resources. In this paper we describe our new approach to defining the AI envelope and provide the resulting numbers required for design of the typical Front End.« less

Quantitative Studies in Planetary Volcanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baloga, Stephen M.

2004-01-01

Proxemy Research has a research grant to perform scientific investigations of volcanism and volcanic-related process on other planets. Part of this research involves mathematical modeling of specific volcanic transport processes and the use of terrestrial analogs. This report contains a summary of activities conducted over the time period indicated. In addition, a synopsis of science research conducted during the period is given. A complete listing of publications and scientific abstracts that were presented at scientific conferences is contained in the report.

Relationship between the latest activity of mare volcanism and topographic features of the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Shinsuke; Morota, Tomokatsu; Yamaguchi, Yasushi; Watanabe, Sei-ichiro; Otake, Hisashi; Ohtake, Makiko

2016-04-01

Lunar mare basalts provide insights into compositions and thermal history of lunar mantle. According to crater counting analysis with remote sensing data, the model ages of mare basalt units indicate a second peak of magma activity at the end of mare volcanism (~2 Ga), and the latest eruptions were limited in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), which has high abundances of heat-producing elements. In order to understand the mechanism for causing the second peak and its magma source, we examined the correlation between the titanium contents and eruption ages of mare basalt units using compositional and chronological data updated by SELENE/Kaguya. Although no systematic relationship is observed globally, a rapid increase in mean titanium (Ti) content occurred at 2.3 Ga in the PKT, suggesting that the magma source of mare basalts changed at that time. The high-Ti basaltic eruption, which occurred at the late stage of mare volcanism, can be correlated with the second peak of volcanic activity at ~2 Ga. The latest volcanic activity can be explained by a high-Ti hot plume originated from the core-mantle boundary. If the hot plume was occurred, the topographic features formed by the hot plume may be remained. We calculated the difference between topography and selenoid and found the circular feature like a plateau in the center of the PKT, which scale is ~1000 km horizontal and ~500 m vertical. We investigated the timing of ridge formation in the PKT by using stratigraphic relationship between mare basalts and ridges. The ridges were formed before and after the high-Ti basaltic eruptions and seem to be along with the plateau. These results suggest that the plateau formation is connected with the high-Ti basaltic eruptions.

A Holocene Lake Record from Laguna Del Maule (LdM) in the Chilean Andes: Climatic and Volcanic Controls on Lake Depositional Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valero-Garces, B. L.; Frugone Alvarez, M.; Barreiro-Lostres, F.; Carrevedo, M. L.; Latorre Hidalgo, C.; Giralt, S.; Maldonado, A.; Bernárdez, P.; Prego, R.; Moreno-Caballud, A.

2014-12-01

Central Chile is a tectonically active, drought-prone region sensitive to latitudinal variations in large-scale cold fronts associated with fluctuations of the Pacific subtropical high. Holocene high-resolution records of climate and volcanic events could help inform more on the frequency of extensive droughts as well as volcanic and seismic hazards. LdM is a high altitude, volcanic lake located in the Transition Southern Volcanic Zone (~36°S, 2200 m.a.s.l). The LdM volcanic field is a very seismically and volcanically active zone in the Andes, with several caldera-forming eruptions over the last 1.5 Ma, and intense postglacial activity. In 2013, we recovered over 40 m of sediment cores at four sites of LdM and collected > 20 km of seismic lines. The cores were imaged, their physical and geochemical properties analysed with a Geotek MSCL and XRF scanner respectively, and sampled for TOC, TIC, TS, TN, BioSi, and bulk mineralogy. The chronology was constructed with a Bayesian age-depth model including 210Pb-137Cs, the Quizapú volcanic ash (1932 AD) and 17 AMS 14C dates. The 4.8 m long composite sequence spans the Late glacial and Holocene.Sediments are massive to banded, quartz and plagioclase-rich silts with variable diatom (BioSi, 15- 30 %) and organic matter content (TOC, 1-5 %). Four main units have been defined based on sedimentological and geochemical composition. The transition from Unit 4 to 3 is ascribed to the onset of the Holocene; Unit 2 spans the mid Holocene, and Unit 1 the last 4 ka. Higher (lower) TOC, Br/Ti and Fe/Mn ratios in units 1 and 3 (2 and 4) suggest higher (lower) organic productivity in the lake and dominant oxic (anoxic) conditions at the bottom of the lake. Up to 17 ash and lapilli layers mark volcanic events, mostly grouped in units 1 and 3. Periods of higher lake productivity (units 1 and 3) are synchronous to higher frequency of volcanic events. Some climate transitions (LIA, 4ka, 8ka and 11ka) are evident in the LdM sequence

Toward a pro-active scientific advice on global volcanic activity within the multi-hazard framework of the EU Aristotle project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barsotti, Sara; Duncan, Melanie; Loughlin, Susan; Gísladóttir, Bryndis; Roberts, Matthew; Karlsdóttir, Sigrún; Scollo, Simona; Salerno, Giuseppe; Corsaro, Rosa Anna; Charalampakis, Marinos; Papadopoulos, Gerassimos

2017-04-01

The demand for timely analysis and advice on global volcanic activity from scientists is growing. At the same time, decision-makers require more than an understanding of hazards; they need to know what impacts to expect from ongoing and future events. ARISTOTLE (All Risk Integrated System TOwards Trans-boundary hoListic Early-warning) is a two-year EC funded pilot project designed to do just that. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) works to support and coordinate response to disasters both inside and outside Europe using resources from the countries participating in the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Led by INGV and ZAMG, the ARISTOTLE consortium comprises 15 institutions across Europe and aims to deliver multi-hazard advice on natural events, including their potential interactions and impact, both inside and outside of Europe to the ERCC. Where possible, the ERCC would like a pro-active provision of scientific advice by the scientific group. Iceland Met Office leads the volcanic hazards work, with BGS, INGV and NOA comprising the volcano observatory team. At this stage, the volcanology component of the project comprises mainly volcanic ash and gas dispersal and potential impact on population and ground-based critical infrastructures. We approach it by relying upon available and official volcano monitoring institutions' reporting of activity, existing assessments and global databases of past events, modelling tools, remote-sensing observational systems and official VAAC advisories. We also make use of global assessments of volcanic hazards, country profiles, exposure and proxy indicators of threat to livelihoods, infrastructure and economic assets (e.g. Global Volcano Model outputs). Volcanic ash fall remains the only hazard modelled at the global scale. Volcanic risk assessments remain in their infancy, owing to challenges related to the multitude of hazards, data availability and model representation. We therefore face a number of

Developing International Guidelines on Volcanic Hazard Assessments for Nuclear Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connor, Charles

2014-05-01

Worldwide, tremendous progress has been made in recent decades in forecasting volcanic events, such as episodes of volcanic unrest, eruptions, and the potential impacts of eruptions. Generally these forecasts are divided into two categories. Short-term forecasts are prepared in response to unrest at volcanoes, rely on geophysical monitoring and related observations, and have the goal of forecasting events on timescales of hours to weeks to provide time for evacuation of people, shutdown of facilities, and implementation of related safety measures. Long-term forecasts are prepared to better understand the potential impacts of volcanism in the future and to plan for potential volcanic activity. Long-term forecasts are particularly useful to better understand and communicate the potential consequences of volcanic events for populated areas around volcanoes and for siting critical infrastructure, such as nuclear facilities. Recent work by an international team, through the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has focused on developing guidelines for long-term volcanic hazard assessments. These guidelines have now been implemented for hazard assessment for nuclear facilities in nations including Indonesia, the Philippines, Armenia, Chile, and the United States. One any time scale, all volcanic hazard assessments rely on a geologically reasonable conceptual model of volcanism. Such conceptual models are usually built upon years or decades of geological studies of specific volcanic systems, analogous systems, and development of a process-level understanding of volcanic activity. Conceptual models are used to bound potential rates of volcanic activity, potential magnitudes of eruptions, and to understand temporal and spatial trends in volcanic activity. It is these conceptual models that provide essential justification for assumptions made in statistical model development and the application of numerical models to generate quantitative forecasts. It is a

Soil gas radon and volcanic activity at El Hierro (Canary Islands) before and after the 2011-2012 submarine eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrancos, J.; Padilla, G.; Hernandez Perez, P. A.; Padron, E.; Perez, N.; Melian Rodriguez, G.; Nolasco, D.; Dionis, S.; Rodriguez, F.; Calvo, D.; Hernandez, I.

2012-12-01

El Hierro is the youngest and southernmost island of the Canarian archipelago and represents the summit of a volcanic shield elevating from the surrounding seafloor at depth of 4000 m to up to 1501 m above sea level. The island is believed to be near the present hotspot location in the Canaries with the oldest subaerial rocks dated at 1.12 Ma. The subaerial parts of the El Hierro rift zones (NE, NW and S Ridges) are characterized by tightly aligned dyke complexes with clusters of cinder cones as their surface expressions. Since July 16, 2011, an anomalous seismicity at El Hierro Island was recorded by IGN seismic network. Volcanic tremor started at 05:15 hours on October 10, followed on the afternoon of October 12 by a green discolouration of seawater, strong bubbling and degassing indicating the initial stage of submarine volcanic eruption at approximately 2 km off the coast of La Restinga, El Hierro. Soil gas 222Rn and 220Rn activities were continuously measured during the period of the recent volcanic unrest occurred at El Hierro, at two different geochemical stations, HIE02 and HIE03. Significant increases in soil 222Rn activity and 222Rn/220Rn ratio from the soil were observed at both stations prior the submarine eruption off the coast of El Hierro, showing the highest increases before the eruption onset and the occurrence of the strongest seismic event (M=4.6). A statistical analysis showed that the long-term trend of the filtered data corresponded closely to the seismic energy released during the volcanic unrest. The observed increases of 222Rn are related to the rock fracturing processes (seismic activity) and the magmatic CO2 outflow increase, as observed in HIE03 station. Under these results, we find that continuous soil radon studies are important for evaluating the volcanic activity of El Hierro and they demonstrate the potential of applying continuous monitoring of soil radon to improve and optimize the detection of early warning signals of future

Volcanic emissions from soils at the base of La Fossa volcano, Vulcano island, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obenholzner, J. H.; Parks, J. L.

2006-12-01

A top-sealed plastic tube with a diameter of ca. 15 cm had been buried vertically at the base of La Fossa volcano, Volcano island, Italy, next to the front of the obsidian flow. The tube had been filled with quartz wool to condense vapors emanating from the soil. At ca. 75 cm below the surface the sample had been exposed to vapors from Sept. 2005 to April 2006. The leached sample had not been in touch with the ground. Another glass wool cushion (ca. 3 cm thick) had been underneath to minimize capillary effects. Leaching of the quartz wool and ICP-MS analysis documented positive values for: Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Pb. Leaching with nitric acid documented also V and Fe. Acid leaching produced higher values for all elements, except K and Sn, than leaching with deionized water. Negative values had been obtained for As, Se, Mo. Influence from soil breathing can be excluded as the active fumaroles contain As and Se. This experiment documents for the first time an unknown element transport by vapors/gases through a volcanic edifice interacting with hydrothermal and magmatic gases. It remains unknown if elements detected are entering the atmosphere or are getting adsorbed onto the volcanic ash soil particles derived from reworked surge beds. This question is very important as soils might be an unknown filter medium to filter volcanically polluted air in case of major volcanic crises. Data can be obtained from the authors.

Laboratory simulations of volcanic ash charging and conditions for volcanic lightning on Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Airey, Martin; Warriner-Bacon, Elliot; Aplin, Karen

2017-04-01

Lightning may be important in the emergence of life on Earth and elsewhere, as significant chemical reactions occur in the superheated region around the lightning channel. This, combined with the availability of phosphates in volcanic clouds, suggests that volcanic lightning could have been the catalyst for the formation of biological compounds on the early Earth [1]. In addition to meteorological lightning, volcanic activity also generates electrical discharges within charged ash plumes, which can be a significant contributor to atmospheric electricity on geologically active planets. The physical properties of other planetary atmospheres, such as that of Venus, have an effect on the processes that lead to the generation of volcanic lightning. Volcanism is known to have occurred on Venus in the past, and recent observations made by ESA's Venus Express satellite have provided evidence for currently active volcanism [2-4], and lightning discharges [e.g. 5]. Venusian lightning could potentially be volcanic in origin, since no meteorological mechanisms are known to separate charge effectively in its clouds [6]. The hunt for further evidence for lightning at Venus is ongoing, for example by means of the Lightning and Airglow Camera (LAC) [7] on Akatsuki, the current JAXA mission at Venus. Our laboratory experiments simulate ash generation and measure electrical charging of the ash under typical atmospheric conditions on Earth and Venus. The study uses a 1 litre chamber, which, when pressurised and heated, can simulate the high-pressure, high-temperature, carbon dioxide-dominated atmosphere of Venus at 10 km altitude ( 5 MPa, 650 K). A key finding of previous work [8] is that ash plume-forming eruptions are more likely to occur at higher altitudes such as these on Venus. The chamber contains temperature/pressure monitoring and logging equipment, a rock collision apparatus (based on [9]) to generate the charged rock fragments, and charge measurement electrodes connected

Long Valley caldera and the UCERF depiction of Sierra Nevada range-front faults

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, David P.; Montgomery-Brown, Emily K.

2015-01-01

Long Valley caldera lies within a left-stepping offset in the north-northwest-striking Sierra Nevada range-front normal faults with the Hilton Creek fault to the south and Hartley Springs fault to the north. Both Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF) 2 and its update, UCERF3, depict slip on these major range-front normal faults as extending well into the caldera, with significant normal slip on overlapping, subparallel segments separated by ∼10  km. This depiction is countered by (1) geologic evidence that normal faulting within the caldera consists of a series of graben structures associated with postcaldera magmatism (intrusion and tumescence) and not systematic down-to-the-east displacements consistent with distributed range-front faulting and (2) the lack of kinematic evidence for an evolving, postcaldera relay ramp structure between overlapping strands of the two range-front normal faults. The modifications to the UCERF depiction described here reduce the predicted shaking intensity within the caldera, and they are in accord with the tectonic influence that underlapped offset range-front faults have on seismicity patterns within the caldera associated with ongoing volcanic unrest.

Long-term global temperature variations under total solar irradiance, cosmic rays, and volcanic activity.

PubMed

Biktash, Lilia

2017-07-01

The effects of total solar irradiance (TSI) and volcanic activity on long-term global temperature variations during solar cycles 19-23 were studied. It was shown that a large proportion of climate variations can be explained by the mechanism of action of TSI and cosmic rays (CRs) on the state of the lower atmosphere and other meteorological parameters. The role of volcanic signals in the 11-year variations of the Earth's climate can be expressed as several years of global temperature drop. Conversely, it was shown that the effects of solar, geophysical, and human activity on climate change interact. It was concluded that more detailed investigations of these very complicated relationships are required, in order to be able to understand issues that affect ecosystems on a global scale.

Volcanic eruptions on Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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.

The Volcanic History of Mars and Influences on Carbon Outgassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bleacher, J. E.; Whelley, P.

2015-12-01

Exploration of Mars has revealed some of the most impressive volcanic landforms found throughout the solar system. Volatiles outgassed from volcanoes were likely to have strongly influenced atmospheric chemistry and affected the martian climate. On Earth the role of carbon involved in volcanic outgassing is strongly influenced by tectonic setting, with the greatest weight percent contributions coming from partial mantle melts associated with hot spot volcanism. Most martian volcanic centers appear to represent this style of volcanism. Thus, one important factor in understanding the martian carbon cycle through time is understanding this volatile's link to the planet's volcanic history. The identified volcanic constructs on Mars are not unlike those of the Earth suggesting similar magmatic and eruptive processes. However, the dimensions of many martian volcanic features are significantly larger. The distribution of volcanoes and volcanic deposits on Mars are not spatially or temporally uniform. Large volcanoes (> 100 km diameter) are spatially concentrated in volcanic provinces that likely represent focused upwellings or zones of crustal weakness that enabled magma ascension. Smaller (10s km diameters) volcanoes such as cones, low shields and fissures are often grouped into fields and their lava flows coalesce to produce low slope plains. In some cases plains lava fields are quite extensive with little to no evidence for the volcanic constructs. Although martian volcanism appears to have been dominated by effusive eruptions with likely contributions from passive degassing from the interior, explosive volcanic centers and deposits are known to exist. After the development of a martian crust the planet's volcanic style appears to have evolved from early explosive activity to effusive activity centered at major volcanoes to effusive distributed activity in fields. However, questions remain as to whether or not these styles significantly overlapped in time and if so

Active Volcanic Plumes on Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This color image, acquired during Galileo's ninth orbit around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon (see inset at upper right), erupting over a caldera (volcanic depression) named Pillan Patera after a South American god of thunder, fire and volcanoes. The plume seen by Galileo is 140 kilometers (86 miles) high and was also detected by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Galileo spacecraft will pass almost directly over Pillan Patera in 1999 at a range of only 600 kilometers (373 miles).

The second plume, seen near the terminator (boundary between day and night), is called Prometheus after the Greek fire god (see inset at lower right). The shadow of the 75-kilometer (45- mile) high airborne plume can be seen extending to the right of the eruption vent. The vent is near the center of the bright and dark rings. Plumes on Io have a blue color, so the plume shadow is reddish. The Prometheus plume can be seen in every Galileo image with the appropriate geometry, as well as every such Voyager image acquired in 1979. It is possible that this plume has been continuously active for more than 18 years. In contrast, a plume has never been seen at Pillan Patera prior to the recent Galileo and Hubble Space Telescope images.

North is toward the top of the picture. The resolution is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) per picture element. This composite uses images taken with the green, violet and near infrared filters of the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The images were obtained on June 28, 1997, at a range of more than 600,000 kilometers (372,000 miles).

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page

Analysis of radar images of the active volcanic zone at Krafla, Iceland: The effects of look azimuth biasing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garvin, J. B.; Williams, R. S., Jr.

1989-01-01

The geomorphic expression of Mid-Ocean-Ridge (MOR) volcanism in a subaerial setting occurs uniquely on Earth in Iceland, and the most recent MOR eruptive activity has been concentrated in the Northeastern Volcanic Zone in an area known as Krafla. Within the Krafla region are many of the key morphologic elements of MOR-related basaltic volcanism, as well as volcanic explosion craters, subglacial lava shields, tectonic fissure swarms known as gjar, and basaltic-andesite flows with well developed ogives (pressure-ridges). The objective was to quantify the degree to which the basic volcanic and structural features can be mapped from directional SAR imagery as a function of the look azimuth. To accomplish this, the current expression of volcanic and tectonic constructs was independently mapped within the Krafla region on the E, W, and N-looking SAR images, as well as from SPOT Panchromatic imagery acquired in 1987. The initial observations of the E, W, and N images indicates that fresh a'a lava surfaces are extremely radar bright (rough at 3 cm to meter scales) independent of look direction; this suggests that these flows do not have strong flow direction related structures at meter and cm scales, which is consistent with typical Icelandic a'a lava surfaces in general. The basic impression from a preliminary analysis of the effects of look azimuth biasing on interpretation of the geology of an active MOR volcanic zone is that up to 30 percent of the diagnostic features can be missed at any given look direction, but that having two orthogonal look direction images is probably sufficient to prevent gross misinterpretation.

Late Holocene volcanic activity and environmental change in Highland Guatemala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohse, Jon C.; Hamilton, W. Derek; Brenner, Mark; Curtis, Jason; Inomata, Takeshi; Morgan, Molly; Cardona, Karla; Aoyama, Kazuo; Yonenobu, Hitoshi

2018-07-01

We present a record of late Holocene volcanic eruptions with elemental data for a sequence of sampled tephras from Lake Amatitlan in Highland Guatemala. Our tephrochronology is anchored by a Bayesian P_Sequence age-depth model based on multiple AMS radiocarbon dates. We compare our record against a previously published study from the same area to understand the record of volcanism and environmental changes. This work has implications for understanding the effects of climate and other environmental changes that may be related to the emission of volcanic aerosols at local, regional and global scales.

Geochemical and geophysical monitoring activities in Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Field (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luengo-Oroz, Natividad; Villasante-Marcos, Víctor; López-Díaz, Rubén; Calvo, Marta; Albert, Helena; Domínguez Cerdeña, Itahiza

2017-04-01

The Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Field (CCVF) or Spanish Central Volcanic Zone is located in central continental Spain (Ciudad Real province) and covers about 5000 km2. It includes around 240 eruptive centers, mainly monogenetic basaltic cones but also explosive maar structures. According to K-Ar geochronology, its main activity phase occurred during Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (between 5 and 1.7 Ma) and involved alkaline to ultraalkaline magmas, although an older ultrapotassic phase is dated around 8.7-6.4 Ma. However, some recent works have proposed Holocene ages for some of the volcanic products, opening the possibility of considering the CCVF "active" according to international standards. Responding to this situation, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) has initiated geochemical and geophysical monitoring activities in the CCVF. Here, we describe these ongoing efforts and we report results about groundwater geochemistry at several natural highly-gaseous springs in the area (hervideros), as well as soil temperature, CO2 diffuse flux from the soil and electrical self-potential data mapped on a small degassing structure called La Sima. In order to analyze microseismicity or any seismic anomaly in the CCVF, a seismic station has also been installed close to this degassing structure. Physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, Eh and electric conductivity) were measured in situ in four springs and samples were taken in order to analyze major ions and trace elements. Total composition of dissolved gases and helium isotopic ratios were also determined. To complete soil temperature, self-potential and gas prospections performed in La Sima, soil gases were sampled at the bottom of the structure at a depth of 20 cm. Analysis of the total gas composition found 957400 ppm of CO2. Low values of O2 and N2 were also detected (5600 and 24800 ppm respectively).

Review of the Cambrian volcanic activity in Morocco: geochemical fingerprints and geotectonic implications for the rifting of West Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouclet, André; El Hadi, Hassan; Álvaro, J. Javier; Bardintzeff, Jacques-Marie; Benharref, Mohammed; Fekkak, Abdelilah

2018-03-01

Volcanic activities related to the opening of a Cambrian rift in Morocco were widespread from the Fortunian to the Cambrian Epoch 3. Numerous data are available from northwestern volcanic sites, particularly in the western High Atlas, but they are scarce from the southeastern sites. New data are documented here from the volcanic formations exposed in the Jbel Tazoult n'Ouzina of the Tafilalt Province, eastern Anti-Atlas and dated to Cambrian Epoch 2-3. The Cambrian volcanic activities recorded in the High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and Coastal Meseta are synthesized to refine their stratigraphic setting and to characterize their magmatic affinities and fingerprints. Six volcanic pulses are determined as tholeiitic, transitional, and alkaline suites. The tholeiitic and transitional magmas originated from primitive mantle and E-MORB-type sources with a spinel- and garnet-bearing lherzolite composition. Some of them were modified by assimilation-fractional crystallisation processes during crust-mantle interactions. The alkaline magmas fit with an OIB-type and a garnet-bearing lherzolite source. The palaeogeographic distribution of the magmatic suites was controlled by the lithospheric thinning of the Cambrian Atlas Rift and lithospheric constraints of the Pan-African metacraton and West African craton.

Monitoring the Sumatra volcanic arc with InSAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaussard, E.; Hong, S.; Amelung, F.

2009-12-01

The Sumatra volcanic arc is the result of the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate under the Sunda plate. The arc consists of 35 known volcanic centers, subaerials on the west coast of the Sumatra and Andaman Islands and submarines between these islands. Six active centers are known in the Sumatra volcanic arc. Surface deformation in volcanic areas usually indicates movement of magma or hydrothermal fluids at depth. Here we present a satellite-based Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) survey of the Sumatra volcanic arc using ALOS data. Spanning the years 2007 to beginning of 2009, our survey reveals the background level of activity of the 35 volcanoes. We processed data from 40 tracks (24 in descending orbit and 16 in ascending orbit) to cover the whole Sumatra arc. In the first results five of these six known active centers show no sign of activity: Dempo, Kaba, Marapi, Talang and Peuet. The remaining active volcano, Mount Kerinci, has an ambiguous signal. We used pair-wise logic and InSAR time series of the available ALOS data to determine if the observed InSAR signal is caused by ground deformation or by atmospheric delays.

Stable isotope geochemistry of fumaroles: an insight into volcanic surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panichi, C.; La Ruffa, G.

2001-12-01

In active volcanic environments magmatic water may accumulate in the volcanic-hosted geothermal systems, or, more rarely may reach the surface along deep fractures inside the volcano crater. Knowledge of magmatic contribution to emerging fluids in volcanic active areas is critical to understanding the chemical evolution of the magma, the conditions in which it exists in the crust, and the mechanisms by which it erupts in the crust. The source of volatiles (especially water) is also of interest when eruptions are driven by the expansion of hydrothermal fluids against atmospheric pressure, without the involvement of fresh magma ('hydrothermal' or 'phreatomagmatic' eruptions). In both cases the occurrence of volcanic and/or phreatic activities is likely to be preceded by substantial isotopic and chemical changes in the crater fumarolic systems. H and O isotopic composition of condensed water from crater fumaroles appear to be able to give strong evidence for the existence of magmatic waters in the high-temperature manifestations of the volcanic systems. Isotopic data and specific hydrological models from seven different volcanic systems (Galeras Volcano, Colombia, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, Kudryvy Volcano, Kuril volcanic arc, Mt St Helens, USA; Guagua Pichincha, Ecuador; Vulcano island, Italy; the Aegean Volcanic Arc, Greece) are discussed in order to highlight the possibility to use those isotopic parameters in the assessment of the environmental risks of an active volcanic area.

Mainshock-aftershock clustering in volcanic regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giron, Ricardo Garza; Brodsky, Emily E.; Prejean, Stephanie

2018-01-01

swarms and mainshock-aftershock sequences. The former is commonly thought to dominate in volcanic and geothermal regions, but aftershock production, including within swarms, is not well studied in volcanic regions. Here we compare mainshock-aftershock clustering in active volcanic regions in Japan to nearby nonvolcanic regions. We find that aftershock production is similar in both areas by two separate metrics: (1) Both volcanic and nonvolcanic regions have similar proportions of areas that cluster into mainshock-aftershock sequences. (2) Volcanic areas with mainshock-aftershock sequences have aftershock productivity at least as high as nonvolcanic regions. We also find that volcano-tectonic events that are precursors to an eruption are more common at volcanoes without mainshock-aftershock clusters than at volcanoes with well-defined mainshock-aftershock clusters. This last finding hints at a strategy to identify volcanic systems where cataloged earthquakes are good predictors of behavior.

2009 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, Robert G.; Neal, Christina A.; Girina, Olga A.; Chibisova, Marina; Rybin, Alexander

2014-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest, and reports of unusual activity at or near eight separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2009. The year was highlighted by the eruption of Redoubt Volcano, one of three active volcanoes on the western side of Cook Inlet and near south-central Alaska's population and commerce centers, which comprise about 62 percent of the State's population of 710,213 (2010 census). AVO staff also participated in hazard communication and monitoring of multiple eruptions at ten volcanoes in Russia as part of its collaborative role in the Kamchatka and Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Teams.

Volcanic activity at Tvashtar Catena, Io

USGS Publications Warehouse

Milazzo, M.P.; Keszthelyi, L.P.; Radebaugh, J.; Davies, A.G.; Turtle, E.P.; Geissler, P.; Klaasen, K.P.; Rathbun, J.A.; McEwen, A.S.

2005-01-01

Galileo's Solid State Imager (SSI) observed Tvashtar Catena four times between November 1999 and October 2001, providing a unique look at a distinctive high latitude volcanic complex on Io. The first observation (orbit I25, November 1999) resolved, for the first time, an active extraterrestrial fissure eruption; the brightness temperature was at least 1300 K. The second observation (orbit I27, February 2000) showed a large (??? 500 km 2) region with many, small, hot, regions of active lava. The third observation was taken in conjunction with Cassini imaging in December 2000 and showed a Pele-like, annular plume deposit. The Cassini images revealed an ???400 km high Pele-type plume above Tvashtar Catena. The final Galileo SSI observation of Tvashtar (orbit I32, October 2001), revealed that obvious (to SSI) activity had ceased, although data from Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) indicated that there was still significant thermal emission from the Tvashtar region. In this paper, we primarily analyze the style of eruption during orbit I27 (February 2000). Comparison with a lava flow cooling model indicates that the behavior of the Tvashtar eruption during I27 does not match that of simple advancing lava flows. Instead, it may be an active lava lake or a complex set of lava flows with episodic, overlapping eruptions. The highest reliable color temperature is ???1300 K. Although higher temperatures cannot be ruled out, they do not need to be invoked to fit the observed data. The total power output from the active lavas in February 2000 was at least 1011 W. ?? 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acoustic waves in the atmosphere and ground generated by volcanic activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ichihara, Mie; Lyons, John; Oikawa, Jun

2012-09-04

This paper reports an interesting sequence of harmonic tremor observed in the 2011 eruption of Shinmoe-dake volcano, southern Japan. The main eruptive activity started with ashcloud forming explosive eruptions, followed by lava effusion. Harmonic tremor was transmitted into the ground and observed as seismic waves at the last stage of the effusive eruption. The tremor observed at this stage had unclear and fluctuating harmonic modes. In the atmosphere, on the other hand, many impulsive acoustic waves indicating small surface explosions were observed. When the effusion stopped and the erupted lava began explosive degassing, harmonic tremor started to be transmitted alsomore » to the atmosphere and observed as acoustic waves. Then the harmonic modes became clearer and more stable. This sequence of harmonic tremor is interpreted as a process in which volcanic degassing generates an open connection between the volcanic conduit and the atmosphere. In order to test this hypothesis, a laboratory experiment was performed and the essential features were successfully reproduced.« less

The Cenozoic volcanism in the Kivu rift: Assessment of the tectonic setting, geochemistry, and geochronology of the volcanic activity in the South-Kivu and Virunga regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouclet, A.; Bellon, H.; Bram, K.

2016-09-01

The Kivu rift is part of the western branch of the East African Rift system. From Lake Tanganyika to Lake Albert, the Kivu rift is set in a succession of Precambrian zones of weakness trending NW-SE, NNE-SSW and NE-SW. At the NW to NNE turn of the rift direction in the Lake Kivu area, the inherited faults are crosscut by newly born N-S fractures which developed during the late Cenozoic rifting and controlled the volcanic activity. From Lake Kivu to Lake Edward, the N-S faults show a right-lateral en echelon pattern. Development of tension gashes in the Virunga area indicates a clockwise rotation of the constraint linked to dextral oblique motion of crustal blocks. The extensional direction was W-E in the Mio-Pliocene and ENE-WSW in the Pleistocene to present time. The volcanic rocks are assigned to three groups: (1) tholeiites and sodic alkali basalts in the South-Kivu, (2) sodic basalts and nephelinites in the northern Lake Kivu and western Virunga, and (3) potassic basanites and potassic nephelinites in the Virunga area. South-Kivu magmas were generated by melting of spinel + garnet lherzolite from two sources: an enriched lithospheric source and a less enriched mixed lithospheric and asthenospheric source. The latter source was implied in the genesis of the tholeiitic lavas at the beginning of the South-Kivu tectono-volcanic activity, in relationships with asthenosphere upwelling. The ensuing outpouring of alkaline basaltic lavas from the lithospheric source attests for the abortion of the asthenospheric contribution and a change of the rifting process. The sodic nephelinites of the northern Lake Kivu originated from low partial melting of garnet peridotite of the sub-continental mantle due to pressure release during swell initiation. The Virunga potassic magmas resulted from the melting of garnet peridotite with an increasing degree of melting from nephelinite to basanite. They originated from a lithospheric source enriched in both K and Rb, suggesting the

Mainshock-Aftershock Clustering in Volcanic Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garza-Giron, Ricardo; Brodsky, Emily E.; Prejean, Stephanie G.

2018-02-01

Earthquakes break their general Poissonean behavior through two types of seismic bursts: swarms and mainshock-aftershock sequences. The former is commonly thought to dominate in volcanic and geothermal regions, but aftershock production, including within swarms, is not well studied in volcanic regions. Here we compare mainshock-aftershock clustering in active volcanic regions in Japan to nearby nonvolcanic regions. We find that aftershock production is similar in both areas by two separate metrics: (1) Both volcanic and nonvolcanic regions have similar proportions of areas that cluster into mainshock-aftershock sequences. (2) Volcanic areas with mainshock-aftershock sequences have aftershock productivity at least as high as nonvolcanic regions. We also find that volcano-tectonic events that are precursors to an eruption are more common at volcanoes without mainshock-aftershock clusters than at volcanoes with well-defined mainshock-aftershock clusters. This last finding hints at a strategy to identify volcanic systems where cataloged earthquakes are good predictors of behavior.

Volcanic processes in the Solar System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carr, M.H.

1987-01-01

This article stresses that terrestrial volcanism represents only part of the range of volcanism in the solar system. Earth processes of volcanicity are dominated by plate tectonics, which does not seem to operate on other planets, except possibly on Venus. Lunar volcanicity is dominated by lava effusion at enormous rates. Mars is similar, with the addition to huge shield volcanoes developed over fixed hotspots. Io, the moon closest to Jupiter, is the most active body in the Solar System and, for example, much sulphur and silicates are emitted. The eruptions of Io are generated by heating caused by tides induced by Jupiter. Europa nearby seems to emit water from fractures and Ganymede is similar. The satellites of Saturn and Uranus are also marked by volcanic craters, but they are of very low temperature melts, possibly of ammonia and water. The volcanism of the solar system is generally more exotic, the greater the distance from Earth. -A.Scarth

Structural control of monogenetic volcanism in the Garrotxa volcanic field (Northeastern Spain) from gravity and self-potential measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barde-Cabusson, S.; Gottsmann, J.; Martí, J.; Bolós, X.; Camacho, A. G.; Geyer, A.; Planagumà, Ll.; Ronchin, E.; Sánchez, A.

2014-01-01

We report new geophysical observations on the distribution of subsurface structures associated with monogenetic volcanism in the Garrotxa volcanic field (Northern Spain). As part of the Catalan Volcanic Zone, this Quaternary volcanic field is associated with the European rifts system. It contains the most recent and best preserved volcanic edifices of the Catalan Volcanic Zone with 38 monogenetic volcanoes identified in the Garrotxa Natural Park. We conducted new gravimetric and self-potential surveys to enhance our understanding of the relationship between the local geology and the spatial distribution of the monogenetic volcanoes. The main finding of this study is that the central part of the volcanic field is dominated by a broad negative Bouguer anomaly of around -0.5 mGal, within which a series of gravity minima are found with amplitudes of up to -2.3 mGal. Inverse modelling of the Bouguer data suggests that surficial low-density material dominates the volcanic field, most likely associated with effusive and explosive surface deposits. In contrast, an arcuate cluster of gravity minima to the NW of the Croscat volcano, the youngest volcano of this zone, is modelled by vertically extended low-density bodies, which we interpret as a complex ensemble of fault damage zones and the roots of young scoria cones. A ground-water infiltration zone identified by a self-potential anomaly is associated with a steep horizontal Bouguer gravity gradient and interpreted as a fault zone and/or magmatic fissure, which fed the most recent volcanic activity in the Garrotxa. Gravimetric and self-potential data are well correlated and indicate a control on the locations of scoria cones by NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE striking tectonic features, which intersect the main structural boundaries of the study area to the north and south. Our interpretation of the data is that faults facilitated magma ascent to the surface. Our findings have major implications for understanding the relationship

Volcanic gas

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGee, Kenneth A.; Gerlach, Terrance M.

1995-01-01

In Roman mythology, Vulcan, the god of fire, was said to have made tools and weapons for the other gods in his workshop at Olympus. Throughout history, volcanoes have frequently been identified with Vulcan and other mythological figures. Scientists now know that the “smoke" from volcanoes, once attributed by poets to be from Vulcan’s forge, is actually volcanic gas naturally released from both active and many inactive volcanoes. The molten rock, or magma, that lies beneath volcanoes and fuels eruptions, contains abundant gases that are released to the surface before, during, and after eruptions. These gases range from relatively benign low-temperature steam to thick hot clouds of choking sulfurous fume jetting from the earth. Water vapor is typically the most abundant volcanic gas, followed by carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Other volcanic gases are hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrofluoric acid, and other trace gases and volatile metals. The concentrations of these gas species can vary considerably from one volcano to the next.

Igneous activity and related ore deposits in the western and southern Tushar Mountains, Marysvale volcanic field, west-central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steven, Thomas A.

1984-01-01

PART A: Igneous activity in the Marysvale volcanic field of western Utah can be separated into many episodes of extrusion, intrusion, and hydrothermal activity. The rocks of the western Tushar Mountains, near the western part of the volcanic field, include intermediate-composition, calc-alkalic volcanic rocks erupted from scattered volcanoes in Oligocene through earliest Miocene time and related monzonitic intrusions emplaced 24-23 m.y. ago. Beginning 22-21 m.y. ago and extending through much of the later Cenozoic, a bimodal basalt-rhyolite assemblage was erupted widely throughout the volcanic field. Only volcanic and intrusive rocks belonging to the rhyolitic end member of this bimodal assemblage are present in the western Tushar Mountains; most of these rocks either fill the Mount Belknap caldera (19 m.y. old) or are part of the rhyolite of Gillies Hill (9---8 m.y. old). Episodic hydrothermal activity altered and mineralized rocks at many places in the western Tushar Mountains during Miocene time. The earliest activity took place in and adjacent to monzonitic calcalkalic intrusions emplaced in the vicinity of Indian Creek and Cork Ridge. These rocks were widely propylitized, and gold-bearing quartz-pyrite-carbonate veins formed in local fractures. Hydrothermal activity associated with the Mount Belknap caldera mobilized and redeposited uranium contained in the caldera-fill rocks and formed primary concentrations of lithophile elements (including molybdenum and uranium) in the vicinity of intrusive bodies. Hydrothermal activity associated with the rhyolite of Gillies Hill altered and mineralized rocks at several places along the fault zone that marks the western margin of the Tushar Mountains; the zoned alunite and gold deposits at Sheep Rock, the gold deposit at the Sunday Mine, and an alunite deposit near Indian Creek were thus produced. Resetting of isotopic ages suggests that another center of hydrothermally altered rocks associated with a buried pluton about

Infrasound Monitoring of the Volcanic Activities of Japanese Volcanoes in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H. I.; Che, I. Y.; Shin, J. S.

2015-12-01

Since 1999 when our first infrasound array station(CHNAR) has been installed at Cheolwon, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources(KIGAM) is continuously observing infrasound signals with an infrasound array network, named KIN(Korean Infrasound Network). This network is comprised of eight seismo-acoustic array stations(BRDAR, YPDAR, KMPAR, CHNAR, YAGAR, KSGAR, ULDAR, TJIAR). The aperture size of the smallest array is 300m and the largest is about 1.4km. The number of infrasound sensors are between 4(TJIAR) and 18(YAGAR), and 1~5 seismometers are collocated with infrasound sensors. Many interesting infrasound signals associated with different type of sources, such as blasting, large earthquake, bolide, volcanic explosion are detected by KIN in the past 15 years. We have analyzed the infrasound signals possibly associated with the japanese volcanic explosions with reference to volcanic activity report published by Japanese Meteorological Agency. Analysis results of many events, for example, Asama volcano explosion in 2004 and Shinmoe volcano in 2011, are well matched with the official report. In some cases, however, corresponding infrasound signals are not identified. By comparison of the infrasound signals from different volcanoes, we also found that the characteristics of signals are distinguishing. It may imply that the specific volcano has its own unique fingerprint in terms of infrasound signal. It might be investigated by long-term infrasound monitoring for a specific volcano as a ground truth generating repetitive infrasound signal.

A spaceborne inventory of volcanic activity in Antarctica and southern oceans, 2000-10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patrick, Matthew R.; Smellie, John L.

2015-01-01

Of the more than twenty historically active volcanoes in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic region only two, to our knowledge, host any ground-based monitoring instruments. Moreover, because of their remoteness, most of the volcanoes are seldom visited, thus relegating the monitoring of volcanism in this region almost entirely to satellites. In this study, high temporal resolution satellite data from the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology's MODVOLC system using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) are complemented with high spatial resolution data (ASTER, or Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and similar sensors) to document volcanic activity throughout the region during the period 2000–10. Five volcanoes were observed in eruption (Mount Erebus, Mount Belinda, Mount Michael, Heard Island and McDonald Island), which were predominantly low-level and effusive in nature. Mount Belinda produced tephra, building a cinder cone in addition to an extensive lava field. Five volcanoes exhibited detectable thermal, and presumed fumarolic, activity (Deception, Zavodovski, Candlemas, Bristol, and Bellingshausen islands). A minor eruption reported at Marion Island was not detected in our survey due to its small size. This study also discovered a new active vent on Mount Michael, tracked dramatic vent enlargement on Heard Island, and provides an improved picture of the morphology of some of the volcanoes.

Mare basalts on the Apennine Front and the mare stratigraphy of the Apollo 15 landing site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryder, Graham

1989-01-01

Olivine-normative mare basalts are present on the Apennine Front as crystalline particles and shocked or shock-melted fragments. Picritic basalts, which may be related to the olivine-normative basalts by olivine accumulation, not only occur on the Front but such samples so far recognized are confined to it. Mare volcanic and impact glasses also occur on the Front; all are olivine-normative, though none are quite the equivalent of the typical olivine-normative mare group. The quartz-normative mare basalts are not present (or are extremely rare) on the Front either as crystalline basalts or shocked or glass equivalents. These observations are consistent with the olivine-normative mare basalts being both local and the youngest flows at the site, and the fragments being emplaced on the Front by impacts. The picritic basalts raise the distinct possibility that the olivine-normative basalts also ponded on the Front. An influx of olivine-normative basalts from exotic sources (e.g., a ray from Aristillus) is inconsistent with their abundance, their dominance in the mare soil chemistry, and their age, isotopic, and trace element similarities with the quartz-normative basalts. However, the thermal histories of the olivine-normative basalts require elucidation.

Can we detect, monitor, and characterize volcanic activity using 'off the shelf' webcams and low-light cameras?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrild, M.; Webley, P. W.; Dehn, J.

2015-12-01

The ability to detect and monitor precursory events, thermal signatures, and ongoing volcanic activity in near-realtime is an invaluable tool. Volcanic hazards often range from low level lava effusion to large explosive eruptions, easily capable of ejecting ash to aircraft cruise altitudes. Using ground based remote sensing to detect and monitor this activity is essential, but the required equipment is often expensive and difficult to maintain, which increases the risk to public safety and the likelihood of financial impact. Our investigation explores the use of 'off the shelf' cameras, ranging from computer webcams to low-light security cameras, to monitor volcanic incandescent activity in near-realtime. These cameras are ideal as they operate in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, are relatively cheap to purchase, consume little power, are easily replaced, and can provide telemetered, near-realtime data. We focus on the early detection of volcanic activity, using automated scripts that capture streaming online webcam imagery and evaluate each image according to pixel brightness, in order to automatically detect and identify increases in potentially hazardous activity. The cameras used here range in price from 0 to 1,000 and the script is written in Python, an open source programming language, to reduce the overall cost to potential users and increase the accessibility of these tools, particularly in developing nations. In addition, by performing laboratory tests to determine the spectral response of these cameras, a direct comparison of collocated low-light and thermal infrared cameras has allowed approximate eruption temperatures to be correlated to pixel brightness. Data collected from several volcanoes; (1) Stromboli, Italy (2) Shiveluch, Russia (3) Fuego, Guatemala (4) Popcatépetl, México, along with campaign data from Stromboli (June, 2013), and laboratory tests are presented here.

First volcanic CO2 budget estimate for three actively degassing volcanoes in the Central American Volcanic Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robidoux, Philippe; Aiuppa, Alessandro; Conde, Vladimir; Galle, Bo; Giudice, Gaetano; Avard, Geoffroy; Muñoz, Angélica

2014-05-01

CO2 is a key chemical tracer for exploring volcanic degassing mechanisms of basaltic magmatic systems (1). The rate of CO2 release from sub-aerial volcanism is monitored via studies on volcanic plumes and fumaroles, but information is still sparse and incomplete for many regions of the globe, including the majority of the volcanoes in the Central American Volcanic Arc (2). Here, we use a combination of remote sensing techniques and in-situ measurements of volcanic gas plumes to provide a first estimate of the CO2 output from three degassing volcanoes in Central America: Turrialba, in Costa Rica, and Telica and San Cristobal, in Nicaragua. During a field campaign in March-April 2013, we obtained (for the three volcanoes) a simultaneous record of SO2 fluxes (from the NOVAC network (3)) and CO2 vs. SO2 concentrations in the near-vent plumes (obtained via a temporary installed fully-automated Multi-GAS instrument (4)). The Multi-GAS time-series allowed to calculate the plume CO2/SO2 ratios for different intervals of time, showing relatively stable gas compositions. Distinct CO2 - SO2 - H2O proportions were observed at the three volcanoes, but still within the range of volcanic arc gas (5). The CO2/SO2 ratios were then multiplied by the SO2 flux in order to derive the CO2 output. At Turrialba, CO2/SO2 ratios fluctuated, between March 12 and 19, between 1.1 and 5.7, and the CO2flux was evaluated at ~1000-1350 t/d (6). At Telica, between March 23 and April 8, a somewhat higher CO2/SO2 ratio was observed (3.3 ± 1.0), although the CO2 flux was evaluated at only ~100-500 t/d (6). At San Cristobal, where observations were taken between April 11 and 15, the CO2/SO2 ratio ranged between 1.8 and 7.4, with a mean CO2 flux of 753 t/d. These measurements contribute refining the current estimates of the total CO2 output from the Central American Volcanic Arc (7). Symonds, R.B. et al., (2001). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 108, 303-341 Burton, M. R. et al. (2013). Reviews in

Trace element geochemistry of volcanic gases and particles from 1983--1984 eruptive episodes of Kilauea volcano

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crowe, B.M.; Finnegan, D.L.; Zoller, W.H.

1987-12-10

Compositional data have been obtained for volcanic gases and particles collected from fume emitted at the Pu'u O'o vent on the east rift zone of Kilauea volcano. The samples were collected by pumping fume through a filter pack system consisting of a front stage particulate filter followed by four base-treated filters (/sup 7/LiOH). Particles and condensed phases are trapped on the particulate filter, and acidic gases are collected on the treated filters. The filters are analyzed for 30 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Fume samples were collected from the Pu'u O'o vent for two eruptive episodes: (1) 7 daysmore » after episode 11 (cooling vent samples) and (2) the stage of episode 13 (active vent samples).« less

The Initial Development of Transient Volcanic Plumes as a Function of Source Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tournigand, Pierre-Yves; Taddeucci, Jacopo; Gaudin, Damien; Peña Fernández, Juan José; Del Bello, Elisabetta; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Kueppers, Ulrich; Sesterhenn, Jörn; Yokoo, Akihiko

2017-12-01

Transient volcanic plumes, having similar eruption duration and rise timescales, characterize many unsteady Strombolian to Vulcanian eruptions. Despite being more common, such plumes are less studied than their steady state counterpart from stronger eruptions. Here we investigate the initial dynamics of transient volcanic plumes using high-speed (visible light and thermal) and high-resolution (visible light) videos from Strombolian to Vulcanian eruptions of Stromboli (Italy), Fuego (Guatemala), and Sakurajima (Japan) volcanoes. Physical parameterization of the plumes has been performed by defining their front velocity, velocity field, volume, and apparent surface temperature. We also characterized the ejection of the gas-pyroclast mixture at the vent, in terms of number, location, duration, and frequency of individual ejection pulses and of time-resolved mass eruption rate of the ejecta's ash fraction. Front velocity evolves along two distinct trends related to the initial gas-thrust phase and later buoyant phase. Plumes' velocity field, obtained via optical flow analysis, highlights different features, including initial jets and the formation and/or merging of ring vortexes at different scales. Plume volume increases over time following a power law trend common to all volcanoes and affected by discharge history at the vent. Time-resolved ash eruption rates range between 102 and 107 kg/s and may vary up to 2 orders of magnitude within the first seconds of eruption. Our results help detailing how the number, location, angle, duration, velocity, and time interval between ejection pulses at the vents crucially control the initial (first tens of second), and possibly later, evolution of transient volcanic plumes.

Volcanism on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Head, J. W.

1981-11-01

Characterization of volcanic activity on Mars is reviewed and comparisons are made with knowledge of terrestrial volcanic history. The high frequency of calderas on earth and low abundance on Mars is taken to indicate a lack of plate tectonic subduction zones and silicic volcanism on Mars. Further characterization is noted to depend on remote sensing from Viking orbital and earth-based spectral and albedo data. Theoretical models of causative mechanisms of terrestrial morphology will be used to establish models of similar processes on Mars, including deposits identification, eruptive conditions, and theories of magma ascent, as well as the role of volatiles from both deep and shallow sources. The importance of returning to Mars with appropriately instrumented spacecraft to test the new theories is stressed. The topics were discussed in papers presented at the Mars colloquium at the California Institute of Technology in August, 1981.

Volcanic complexes in the eastern ridge of the Canary Islands: the Miocene activity of the island of Fuerteventura

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ancochea, E.; Brändle, J. L.; Cubas, C. R.; Hernán, F.; Huertas, M. J.

1996-03-01

Fuerteventura has been since early stages of its growth the result of three different adjacent large volcanic complexes: Southern, Central and Northern. The definition of these volcanic complexes and their respective growing episodes is based on volcano-stratigraphic, morphological and structural criteria, particularly radial dyke swarms. Each complex has its own prolonged history that might be longer than 10 m.y. During that time, several periods of activity alternating with gaps accompanied by important erosion took place. The evolution of each volcanic complex has been partially independent but all the three are affected by at least three Miocene tectonic phases that controlled considerably their activity. The volcanic complexes are deeply eroded and partially submerged. In the core of the Northern and the Central volcanic complexes there is a set of submarine and plutonic rocks intensely traversed by a dyke swarm, known as the Basal Complex. The Basal Complex has been interpreted in different ways but all previous authors have considered it to be prior to the subaerial shield stage of the island. Here we advance the idea that the Basal Complex represent the submarine growing stage of the volcanic complexes and the hypabyssal roots (plutons and dykes) of their successive subaerial growing episodes. Two seamounts situated nearby, southwest of the island, might be interpreted as remains of two other major volcanoes. These two volcanoes, together with those forming the present emerged island of Fuerteventura, and finally those of Famara and Los Ajaches situated further north on Lanzarote constitute a chain of volcanoes located along a lineation which is subparallel to the northwestern African coastline and which may relate to early Atlantic spreading trends in the area.

Venus - Volcanic features in Atla Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This Magellan image from the Atla region of Venus shows several types of volcanic features and superimposed surface fractures. The area in the image is approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) across, centered at 9 degrees south latitude, 199 degrees east longitude. Lava flows emanating from circular pits or linear fissures form flower-shaped patterns in several areas. A collapse depression approximately 20 kilometers by 10 kilometers (12 by 6 miles) near the center of the image is drained by a lava channel approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) long. Numerous surface fractures and graben (linear valleys) criss-cross the volcanic deposits in north to northeast trends. The fractures are not buried by the lavas, indicating that the tectonic activity post-dates most of the volcanic activity.

Design and construction of a testbed for the application of real volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajökull and Grimsvötn eruptions to microgas turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Konradin; Fischer, Christian; Lange, Martin; Schulz, Uwe; Naraparaju, Ravisankar; Kramer, Dietmar

2017-04-01

It is well known that volcanic ash clouds emitted from erupting volcanoes pose a considerable threat to the aviation. The volcanic ash particles can damage the turbine blades and their thermal barrier coatings as well as the bearings of the turbine. For a detailed investigation of this damaging effect a testbed was designed and constructed, which allowed to study the damaging effects of real volcanic ash to an especially for these investigations modified microgas turbine. The use of this microgas turbine had the advantage that it delivers near reality conditions, using kerosene and operating at similar temperatures as big turbines, but at a very cost effective level. The testbed consisted out of a disperser for the real volcanic ash and all the equipment needed to control the micro gas turbine. Moreover, in front and behind the microgas turbine the concentration and the distribution of the volcanic ash were measured online by optical particle counters (OPCs). The particle concentration and size distribution of the volcanic ash particles in the intake in front of the microgas turbine was measured by an optical particle counter (OPC) combined with an isokinetic intake. Behind the microgas turbine in the exhaust gas additionally to the measurement with a second OPC ash particles were caught with an impactor, in order to enable the later analysis with an electron microscope concerning the morphology to verify possible melting processes of the ash particles. This testbed is of high importance as it allows detailed investigations of the impact of volcanic ash to jet turbines and appropriate countermeasures.

The Volcanism Ontology (VO): a model of the volcanic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myer, J.; Babaie, H. A.

2017-12-01

We have modeled a part of the complex material and process entities and properties of the volcanic system in the Volcanism Ontology (VO) applying several top-level ontologies such as Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), SWEET, and Ontology of Physics for Biology (OPB) within a single framework. The continuant concepts in BFO describe features with instances that persist as wholes through time and have qualities (attributes) that may change (e.g., state, composition, and location). In VO, the continuants include lava, volcanic rock, and volcano. The occurrent concepts in BFO include processes, their temporal boundaries, and the spatio-temporal regions within which they occur. In VO, these include eruption (process), the onset of pyroclastic flow (temporal boundary), and the space and time span of the crystallization of lava in a lava tube (spatio-temporal region). These processes can be of physical (e.g., debris flow, crystallization, injection), atmospheric (e.g., vapor emission, ash particles blocking solar radiation), hydrological (e.g., diffusion of water vapor, hot spring), thermal (e.g., cooling of lava) and other types. The properties (predicates) relate continuants to other continuants, occurrents to continuants, and occurrents to occurrents. The ontology also models other concepts such as laboratory and field procedures by volcanologists, sampling by sensors, and the type of instruments applied in monitoring volcanic activity. When deployed on the web, VO will be used to explicitly and formally annotate data and information collected by volcanologists based on domain knowledge. This will enable the integration of global volcanic data and improve the interoperability of software that deal with such data.

Diffuse CO_{2} degassing monitoring of the oceanic active volcanic island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Pedro A.; Norrie, Janice; Withoos, Yannick; García-Merino, Marta; Melián, Gladys; Padrón, Eleazar; Barrancos, José; Padilla, Germán; Rodríguez, Fátima; Pérez, Nemesio M.

2017-04-01

Even during repose periods, volcanoes release large amounts of gases from both visible (fumaroles, solfataras, plumes) and non-visible emanations (diffuse degassing). In the last 20 years, there has been considerable interest in the study of diffuse degassing as a powerful tool in volcano monitoring programs, particularly in those volcanic areas where there are no visible volcanic-hydrothermal gas emissions. Historically, soil gas and diffuse degassing surveys in volcanic environments have focused mainly on CO2 because it is, after water vapor, the most abundant gas dissolved in magma. As CO2 travels upward by advective-diffusive transport mechanisms and manifests itself at the surface, changes in its flux pattern over time provide important information for monitoring volcanic and seismic activity. Since 1998, diffuse CO2 emission has been monitored at El Hierro Island, the smallest and south westernmost island of the Canarian archipelago with an area of 278 km2. As no visible emanations occur at the surface environment of El Hierro, diffuse degassing studies have become the most useful geochemical tool to monitor the volcanic activity in this volcanic island. The island experienced a volcano-seismic unrest that began in July 2011, characterized by the location of a large number of relatively small earthquakes (M<2.5) beneath El Hierro at depths between 8 and 15 km. On October 12, 2011, a submarine eruption was confirmed during the afternoon of October 12, 2011 by visual observations off the coast of El Hierro, about 2 km south of the small village of La Restinga in the southernmost part of the island. During the pre-eruptive and eruptive periods, the time series of the diffuse CO2 emission released by the whole island experienced two significant increases. The first started almost 2 weeks before the onset of the submarine eruption, reflecting a clear geochemical anomaly in CO2 emission, most likely due to increasing release of deep seated magmatic gases to the

Catastrophic volcanic collapse: relation to hydrothermal processes.

PubMed

López, D L; Williams, S N

1993-06-18

Catastrophic volcanic collapse, without precursory magmatic activity, is characteristic of many volcanic disasters. The extent and locations of hydrothermal discharges at Nevado del Ruiz volcano, Colombia, suggest that at many volcanoes collapse may result from the interactions between hydrothermal fluids and the volcanic edifice. Rock dissolution and hydrothermal mineral alteration, combined with physical triggers such as earth-quakes, can produce volcanic collapse. Hot spring water compositions, residence times, and flow paths through faults were used to model potential collapse at Ruiz. Caldera dimensions, deposits, and alteration mineral volumes are consistent with parameters observed at other volcanoes.

Resident Front Office Experience: A Systems-Based Practice Activity

PubMed Central

Sutkin, Gary; Aronoff, Christine K.

2008-01-01

Purpose: We set out to create and evaluate a systems-based practice experience designed to introduce residents to front office responsibilities and stimulate suggestions for front office improvements. Methods: On two occasions in 2002 and 2006, each resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department was trained by a front office staff member for one day. The residents completed pre- and post-experience surveys, answered open-ended questions about their experience, and volunteered suggestions for improving the front office staff, and were evaluated by their precepting staff member. Results: All but two of 23 particpating residents participated enthusiastically. These residents perceived experiencing the staff as vital to the success of the practice, reported an increased sense of appreciation for the training of staff personnel, and were evaluated favorably. Conclusion: This program gave our residents an appreciation for the training and responsibilities of pivotal office staff and an opportunity to suggest improvements. This program also satisfied ACGME resident education requirements regarding systems-based practice. PMID:20165536

2008 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, Christina A.; McGimsey, Robert G.; Dixon, James P.; Cameron, Cheryl E.; Nuzhdaev, Anton A.; Chibisova, Marina

2011-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest or suspected unrest at seven separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2008. Significant explosive eruptions at Okmok and Kasatochi Volcanoes in July and August dominated Observatory operations in the summer and autumn. AVO maintained 24-hour staffing at the Anchorage facility from July 12 through August 28. Minor eruptive activity continued at Veniaminof and Cleveland Volcanoes. Observed volcanic unrest at Cook Inlet's Redoubt Volcano presaged a significant eruption in the spring of 2009. AVO staff also participated in hazard communication regarding eruptions or unrest at nine volcanoes in Russia as part of a collaborative role in the Kamchatka and Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Teams.

Episodic Cenozoic volcanism and tectonism in the Andes of Peru

USGS Publications Warehouse

Noble, D.C.; McKee, E.H.; Farrar, E.; Petersen, U.

1974-01-01

Radiometric and geologic information indicate a complex history of Cenozoic volcanism and tectonism in the central Andes. K-Ar ages on silicic pyroclastic rocks demonstrate major volcanic activity in central and southern Peru, northern Chile, and adjacent areas during the Early and Middle Miocene, and provide additional evidence for volcanism during the Late Eocene. A provisional outline of tectonic and volcanic events in the Peruvian Andes during the Cenozoic includes: one or more pulses of igneous activity and intense deformation during the Paleocene and Eocene; a period of quiescence, lasting most of Oligocene time; reinception of tectonism and volcanism at the beginning of the Miocene; and a major pulse of deformation in the Middle Miocene accompanied and followed through the Pliocene by intense volcanism and plutonism. Reinception of igneous activity and tectonism at about the Oligocene-Miocene boundary, a feature recognized in other circum-Pacific regions, may reflect an increase in the rate of rotation of the Pacific plate relative to fixed or quasifixed mantle coordinates. Middle Miocene tectonism and latest Tertiary volcanism correlates with and probably is genetically related to the beginning of very rapid spreading at the East Pacific Rise. ?? 1974.

Volcanic alert system (VAS) developed during the 2011-2014 El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Alicia; Berrocoso, Manuel; Marrero, José M.; Fernández-Ros, Alberto; Prates, Gonçalo; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Ortiz, Ramón

2014-06-01

The 2011 volcanic unrest at El Hierro Island illustrated the need for a Volcanic Alert System (VAS) specifically designed for the management of volcanic crises developing after long repose periods. The VAS comprises the monitoring network, the software tools for analysis of the monitoring parameters, the Volcanic Activity Level (VAL) management, and the assessment of hazard. The VAS presented here focuses on phenomena related to moderate eruptions, and on potentially destructive volcano-tectonic earthquakes and landslides. We introduce a set of new data analysis tools, aimed to detect data trend changes, as well as spurious signals related to instrumental failure. When data-trend changes and/or malfunctions are detected, a watchdog is triggered, issuing a watch-out warning (WOW) to the Monitoring Scientific Team (MST). The changes in data patterns are then translated by the MST into a VAL that is easy to use and understand by scientists, technicians, and decision-makers. Although the VAS was designed specifically for the unrest episodes at El Hierro, the methodologies may prove useful at other volcanic systems.

Global volcanic aerosol properties derived from emissions, 1990-2014, using CESM1(WACCM): VOLCANIC AEROSOLS DERIVED FROM EMISSIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mills, Michael J.; Schmidt, Anja; Easter, Richard

Accurate representation of global stratospheric aerosol properties from volcanic and non-volcanic sulfur emissions is key to understanding the cooling effects and ozone-loss enhancements of recent volcanic activity. Attribution of climate and ozone variability to volcanic activity is of particular interest in relation to the post-2000 slowing in the apparent rate of global average temperature increases, and variable recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. We have developed a climatology of global aerosol properties from 1990 to 2014 calculated based on volcanic and non-volcanic emissions of sulfur sources. We have complied a database of volcanic SO2 emissions and plume altitudes for eruptionsmore » between 1990 and 2014, and a new prognostic capability for simulating stratospheric sulfate aerosols in version 5 of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, a component of the Community Earth System Model. Our climatology shows remarkable agreement with ground-based lidar observations of stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD), and with in situ measurements of aerosol surface area density (SAD). These properties are key parameters in calculating the radiative and chemical effects of stratospheric aerosols. Our SAOD climatology represents a significant improvement over satellite-based analyses, which ignore aerosol extinction below 15 km, a region that can contain the vast majority of stratospheric aerosol extinction at mid- and high-latitudes. Our SAD climatology significantly improves on that provided for the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, which misses 60% of the SAD measured in situ. Our climatology of aerosol properties is publicly available on the Earth System Grid.« less

Mapping Cryo-volcanic Activity from Enceladus’ South Polar Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tigges, Mattie; Spitale, Joseph N.

2017-10-01

Using Cassini images taken of Enceladus’ south polar plumes at various times and orbital locations, we are producing maps of eruptive activity at various times. The purpose of this experiment is to understand the mechanism that controls the cryo-volcanic eruptions.The current hypothesis is that Tiger Stripe activity is modulated by tidal forcing, which would predict a correlation between orbital phase and the amount and distribution of eruptive activity. The precise nature of those correlations depends on how the crust is failing and how the plumbing system is organized.We use simulated curtains of ejected material that are superimposed over Cassini images, obtained during thirteen different flybys, taken between mid-2009 and mid-2012. Each set represents a different time and location in Enceladus’ orbit about Saturn, and contains images of the plumes from various angles. Shadows cast onto the backlit ejected material by the terminator of the moon are used to determine which fractures were active at that point in the orbit.Maps of the spatial distribution of eruptive activity at various orbital phases can be used to evaluate various hypotheses about the failure modes that produce the eruptions.

Sustained effects of volcanic ash on biofilm stoichiometry, enzyme activity and community composition in North- Patagonia streams.

PubMed

Carrillo, Uara; Díaz-Villanueva, Verónica; Modenutti, Beatriz

2018-04-15

Volcanic eruptions are extreme perturbations that affect ecosystems. These events can also produce persistent effects in the environment for several years after the eruption, with increased concentrations of suspended particles and the introduction of elements in the water column. On 4th June 2011, the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex (40.59°S-72.11°W, 2200m.a.s.l.) erupted explosively in southern Chile. The area affected by the volcano was devastated; a thick layer of volcanic ash (up to 30cm) was deposited in areas 50 km east of the volcano towards Argentina. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of volcanic ash deposits on stream ecosystems four years after the eruption, comparing biofilm stoichiometry, alkaline phosphatase activity, and primary producer's assemblage in streams which were severely affected by the volcano with unaffected streams. We confirmed in the laboratory that ash deposited in the catchment of affected streams still leach phosphorus (P) into the water four years after eruption. Results indicate that affected streams still receive volcanic particles and that these particles release P, thus stream water exhibits high P concentration. Biofilm P content was higher and the C:P ratio lower in affected streams compared to unaffected streams. As a consequence of less P in unaffected streams, the alkaline phosphatase activity was higher compared to affected streams. Cyanobacteria increased their abundances (99.9% of total algal biovolume) in the affected streams suggesting that the increase in P may positively affect this group. On the contrary, unaffected streams contained a diatom dominant biofilm. In this way, local heterogeneity was created between sub-catchments located within 30 km of each other. These types of events should be seen as opportunities to gather valuable ecological information about how severe disturbances, like volcanic eruptions, shape landscapes and lotic systems for several years after the event

Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Monogenetic Volcanic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyosugi, Koji

Achieving an understanding of the nature of monogenetic volcanic fields depends on identification of the spatial and temporal patterns of volcanism in these fields, and their relationships to structures mapped in the shallow crust and inferred in the deep crust and mantle through interpretation of geochemical, radiometric and geophysical data. We investigate the spatial and temporal distributions of volcanism in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group, Southwest Japan. E-W elongated volcano distribution, which is identified by a nonparametric kernel method, is found to be consistent with the spatial extent of P-wave velocity anomalies in the lower crust and upper mantle, supporting the idea that the spatial density map of volcanic vents reflects the geometry of a mantle diapir. Estimated basalt supply to the lower crust is constant. This observation and the spatial distribution of volcanic vents suggest stability of magma productivity and essentially constant two-dimensional size of the source mantle diapir. We mapped conduits, dike segments, and sills in the San Rafael sub-volcanic field, Utah, where the shallowest part of a Pliocene magmatic system is exceptionally well exposed. The distribution of conduits matches the major features of dike distribution, including development of clusters and distribution of outliers. The comparison of San Rafael conduit distribution and the distributions of volcanoes in several recently active volcanic fields supports the use of statistical models, such as nonparametric kernel methods, in probabilistic hazard assessment for distributed volcanism. We developed a new recurrence rate calculation method that uses a Monte Carlo procedure to better reflect and understand the impact of uncertainties of radiometric age determinations on uncertainty of recurrence rate estimates for volcanic activity in the Abu, Yucca Mountain Region, and Izu-Tobu volcanic fields. Results suggest that the recurrence rates of volcanic fields can change by more

Constraining Silicate Weathering Processes in an Active Volcanic Complex: Implications for the Long-term Carbon Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington, K.; West, A. J.; Hartmann, J.; Amann, T.; Hosono, T.; Ide, K.

2017-12-01

While analyzing geochemical archives and carbon cycle modelling can further our understanding of the role of silicate weathering as a sink in the long-term carbon cycle, it is necessary to study modern weathering processes to inform these efforts. A recent compilation of data from rivers draining basaltic catchments estimates that rock weathering in active volcanic fields (AVFs) consumes atmospheric CO2 approximately three times faster than in inactive volcanic fields (IVFs), suggesting that the eruption and subsequent weathering of large igneous provinces likely played a major role in the carbon cycle in the geologic past [1]. The study demonstrates a significant correlation between catchment mean annual temperature (MAT) and atmospheric CO2 consumption rate for IVFs. However CO2 consumption due to weathering of AVFs is not correlated with MAT as the relationship is complicated by variability in hydrothermal fluxes, reactive surface area, and groundwater flow paths. To investigate the controls on weathering processes in AVFs, we present data for dissolved and solid weathering products from Mount Aso Caldera, Japan. Aso Caldera is an ideal site for studying the how the chemistry of rivers draining an AVF is impacted by high-temperature water/rock interactions, volcanic ash weathering, and varied groundwater flow paths and residence times. Samples were collected over five field seasons from two rivers and their tributaries, cold groundwater springs, and thermal springs. These samples capture the region's temperature and precipitation seasonality. Solid samples of unaltered volcanic rocks, hydrothermally-altered materials, volcanic ash, a soil profile, and suspended and bedload river sediments were also collected. The hydrochemistry of dissolved phases were analyzed at the University of Hamburg, while the mineralogy and geochemical compositions of solid phases were analyzed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. This work will be discussed in the context of

A new model for the development of the active Afar volcanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pik, Raphaël; Stab, Martin; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Leroy, Sylvie

2016-04-01

Volcanic passive margins, that represent more than the three quarters of continental margins worldwide, are privileged witnesses of the lithospheric extension processes thatform new oceanic basins. They are characterized by voluminous amounts of underplated, intruded and extruded magmas, under the form of massive lavas prisms (seaward-dipping reflectors, or SDR) during the course of thinning and stretching of the lithosphere, that eventually form the ocean-continent transition. The origin and mechanisms of formation of these objects are still largely debated today. We have focussed our attention in the last few years on the Afar volcanic province which represents an active analogue of such volcanic margins. We explored the structural and temporal relationships that exist between the development of the major thinning and stretching structures and the magmatic production in Central Afar. Conjugate precise fieldwork analysis along with lavas geochronology allowed us to revisit the timing and style of the rift formation, since the early syn-rift period of time in the W-Afar marginal area to present days. Extension is primarily accommodated over a wide area at the surface since the very initial periods of extension (~ 25 Ma) following the emplacement of Oligocene CFBs. We propose in our reconstruction of central Afar margin history that extension has been associated with important volumes of underplated mafic material that compensate crustal thinning. This has been facilitated by major crustal-scale detachments that help localize the thinning and underplating at depth. In line with this 'magmatic wide-rift' mode of extension, we demonstrate that episodic extension steps alternate with more protracted magmatic phases. The production of syn-rift massive flood basalts (~ 4 Ma) occurs after early thinning of both the crust and the lithosphere, which suggests that SDR formation, is controlled by previous tectonic event. We determined how the melting regime evolved in

2007 Volcanic activity in Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kurile Islands: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGimsey, Robert G.; Neal, Christina A.; Dixon, James P.; Malik, Nataliya; Chibisova, Marina

2011-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, and volcanic unrest at or near nine separate volcanic centers in Alaska during 2007. The year was highlighted by the eruption of Pavlof, one of Alaska's most frequently active volcanoes. Glaciated Fourpeaked Mountain, a volcano thought to have been inactive in the Holocene, produced a phreatic eruption in the autumn of 2006 and continued to emit copious amounts of steam and volcanic gas into 2007. Redoubt Volcano showed the first signs of the unrest that would unfold in 2008-09. AVO staff also participated in hazard communication and monitoring of multiple eruptions at seven volcanoes in Russia as part of its collaborative role in the Kamchatka and Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Teams.

Constraints on the Locations of Volcanic Arcs (August Love Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

England, Philip

2010-05-01

Partial melting of the mantle in subduction zones is a leading mechanism of chemical differentiation of the Earth. Whereas the broad outlines of Earth's other major system of partial melting - the oceanic ridges - seem clear, the greater dynamic and thermodynamic complexities of subduction zones obscure fundamental aspects of the system, in particular the conditions under which melting initiates and the pathways by which the melt travels towards the Earth's surface. The vast majority of studies of these problems rest on interrogation of petrological and/or geochemical data on rocks erupted at the volcanic arcs, but this approach has resulted in the co-existence of mutually incompatible explanations for the locations of the volcanic arcs. An alternative to the complexity of petrological and geochemical argument is to focus on the geometrical simplicity of volcanic arcs. The observations (i) that the fronts to volcanic arcs fit small circles to within about 10 km and (ii) that the depth to the slab beneath the arc fronts correlates negatively with the descent speed of the slab provide a strong clue to the melting processes occurring at depth. Localized release of fluids by reactions taking place near the top of the slab are incapable of explaining this correlation. However, scaling analysis based on the physics of heat transfer in the wedge shows that such a correlation is predicted if the location of the arcs is controlled by a temperature-critical process taking place in the mantle wedge above the slab. Numerical experiments using realistic physical properties for the mantle in subduction zones support the scaling analysis and, when combined with the observed positions of the arcs, strongly imply that the arcs are localized above the places where the mantle wedge reaches a critical temperature of ~1250o-1300oC. Therefore, despite the importance of hydrous fluids for the overall magmatic budget in subduction zones, it is melting in the region above the anhydrous

Development of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vita, Fabio; Kern, Christoph; Inguaggiato, Salvatore

2014-01-01

Active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) has been an effective tool for measuring atmospheric trace gases for several decades. However, instruments were large, heavy and power-inefficient, making their application to remote environments extremely challenging. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDS) have now allowed us to design and construct a lightweight, portable, low-power LP-DOAS instrument for use at remote locations and specifically for measuring degassing from active volcanic systems. The LP-DOAS was used to measure sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Italy, where column densities of up to 1.2 × 1018 molec cm−2 (~ 500 ppmm) were detected along open paths of up to 400 m in total length. The instrument's SO2 detection limit was determined to be 2 × 1016 molec cm−2 (~ 8 ppmm), thereby making quantitative detection of even trace amounts of SO2 possible. The instrument is capable of measuring other volcanic volatile species as well. Though the spectral evaluation of the recorded data showed that chlorine monoxide (ClO) and carbon disulfide (CS2) were both below the instrument's detection limits during the experiment, the upper limits for the X / SO2 ratio (X = ClO, CS2) could be derived, and yielded 2 × 10−3 and 0.1, respectively. The robust design and versatility of the instrument make it a promising tool for monitoring of volcanic degassing and understanding processes in a range of volcanic systems.

Assessment of volcanic hazards, vulnerability, risk and uncertainty (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, R. S.

2009-12-01

A volcanic hazard is any phenomenon that threatens communities . These hazards include volcanic events like pyroclastic flows, explosions, ash fall and lavas, and secondary effects such as lahars and landslides. Volcanic hazards are described by the physical characteristics of the phenomena, by the assessment of the areas that they are likely to affect and by the magnitude-dependent return period of events. Volcanic hazard maps are generated by mapping past volcanic events and by modelling the hazardous processes. Both these methods have their strengths and limitations and a robust map should use both approaches in combination. Past records, studied through stratigraphy, the distribution of deposits and age dating, are typically incomplete and may be biased. Very significant volcanic hazards, such as surge clouds and volcanic blasts, are not well-preserved in the geological record for example. Models of volcanic processes are very useful to help identify hazardous areas that do not have any geological evidence. They are, however, limited by simplifications and incomplete understanding of the physics. Many practical volcanic hazards mapping tools are also very empirical. Hazards maps are typically abstracted into hazards zones maps, which are some times called threat or risk maps. Their aim is to identify areas at high levels of threat and the boundaries between zones may take account of other factors such as roads, escape routes during evacuation, infrastructure. These boundaries may change with time due to new knowledge on the hazards or changes in volcanic activity levels. Alternatively they may remain static but implications of the zones may change as volcanic activity changes. Zone maps are used for planning purposes and for management of volcanic crises. Volcanic hazards maps are depictions of the likelihood of future volcanic phenomena affecting places and people. Volcanic phenomena are naturally variable, often complex and not fully understood. There are

Slab dehydration in Cascadia and its relationship to volcanism, seismicity, and non-volcanic tremor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delph, J. R.; Levander, A.; Niu, F.

2017-12-01

. Siletzia also contains most of the young arc volcanoes in the Cascades, indicating that water is retained in the slab to depths where it can feed arc volcanism. Thus, the along strike variations in volcanic activity and seismic activity in Cascadia appear to be related to variations in depth of dewatering of the downgoing oceanic lithosphere.

New Approach for Monitoring Seismic and Volcanic Activities Using Microwave Radiometer Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Takashi; Takano, Tadashi

Interferograms formed from the data of satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) enable us to detect slight land-surface deformations related to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Currently, however, we cannot determine when land-surface deformations occurred with high time resolution since the time lag between two scenes of SAR used to form interferograms is longer than the recurrent period of the satellite carrying it (several tens of days). In order to solve this problem, we are investigating new approach to monitor seismic and vol-canic activities with higher time resolution from satellite-borne sensor data, and now focusing on a satellite-borne microwave radiometer. It is less subject to clouds and rainfalls over the ground than an infrared spectrometer, so more suitable to observe an emission from land sur-faces. With this advantage, we can expect that thermal microwave energy by increasing land surface temperatures is detected before a volcanic eruption. Additionally, laboratory experi-ments recently confirmed that rocks emit microwave energy when fractured. This microwave energy may result from micro discharges in the destruction of materials, or fragment motions with charged surfaces of materials. We first extrapolated the microwave signal power gener-ated by rock failures in an earthquake from the experimental results and concluded that the microwave signals generated by rock failures near the land surface are strong enough to be detected by a satellite-borne radiometer. Accordingly, microwave energy generated by rock failures associated with a seismic activity is likely to be detected as well. However, a satellite-borne microwave radiometer has a serious problem that its spatial res-olution is too coarse compared to SAR or an infrared spectrometer. In order to raise the possibility of detection, a new methodology to compensate the coarse spatial resolution is es-sential. Therefore, we investigated and developed an analysis method to detect local

New inferences from spectral seismic energy measurement of a link between regional seismicity and volcanic activity at Mt. Etna, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, R.; Falsaperla, S.; Marrero, J. M.; Messina, A.

2009-04-01

The existence of a relationship between regional seismicity and changes in volcanic activity has been the subject of several studies in the last years. Generally, activity in basaltic volcanoes such as Villarica (Chile) and Tungurahua (Ecuador) shows very little changes after the occurrence of regional earthquakes. In a few cases volcanic activity has changed before the occurrence of regional earthquakes, such as observed at Teide, Tenerife, in 2004 and 2005 (Tárraga et al., 2006). In this paper we explore the possible link between regional seismicity and changes in volcanic activity at Mt. Etna in 2006 and 2007. On 24 November, 2006 at 4:37:40 GMT an earthquake of magnitude 4.7 stroke the eastern coast of Sicily. The epicenter was localized 50 km SE of the south coast of the island, and at about 160 km from the summit craters of Mt. Etna. The SSEM (Spectral Seismic Energy Measurement) of the seismic signal at stations at 1 km and 6 km from the craters highlights that four hours before this earthquake the energy associated with volcanic tremor increased, reached a maximum, and finally became steady when the earthquake occurred. Conversely, neither before nor after the earthquake, the SSEM of stations located between 80 km and 120 km from the epicentre and outside the volcano edifice showed changes. On 5 September, 2007 at 21:24:13 GMT an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 and 7.9 km depth stroke the Lipari Island, at the north of Sicily. About 38 hours before the earthquake occurrence, there was an episode of lava fountain lasting 20 hours at Etna volcano. The SSEM of the seismic signal recorded during the lava fountain at a station located at 6 km from the craters highlights changes heralding this earthquake ten hours before its occurrence using the FFM method (e.g., Voight, 1988; Ortiz et al., 2003). A change in volcanic activity - with the onset of ash emission and Strombolian explosions - was observed a couple of hours before the occurrence of the regional

CASOAR - An infrared active wave front sensor for atmospheric turbulence analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cariou, Jean-Pierre; Dolfi, Agnes

1992-12-01

Knowledge of deformation of every point of a wave front over time allows statistical turbulence parameters to be analyzed, and the definition of real time adaptive optics to be designed. An optical instrumentation was built to meet this need. Integrated in a compact enclosure for experiments on outdoor sites, the CASOAR allows the deformations of a wave front to be measured rapidly (100 Hz) and with accuracy (1 deg). The CASOAR is an active system: it includes its own light source (CW CO2 laser), making it self-contained, self-aligned and insensitive to spurious light rays. After being reflected off a mirror located beyond the atmospheric layer to be analyzed (range of several kilometers), the beam is received and detected by coherent mixing. Electronic phase is converted in optical phase and recorded or displayed in real time on a monitor. Experimental results are shown, pointing out the capabilities of this device.

Io - Volcanic Eruption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

This photo of a volcanic eruption on Jupiter's satellite Io (dark fountain-like feature near the limb) was taken March 4, 1979, about 12 hours before Voyager 1's closest approach to Jupiter. This and the accompanying photo present the evidence for the first active volcanic eruption ever observed on another body in the solar system. This photo taken from a distance of 310,000 miles (499,000 kilometers), shows a plume-like structure rising more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the surface, a cloud of material being produced by an active eruption. At least four eruptions have been identified on Voyager 1 pictures and many more may yet be discovered on closer analysis. On a nearly airless body like Io, particulate material thrown out of a volcano follows a ballistic trajectory, accounting for the dome-like shape of the top of the cloud, formed as particles reach the top of their flight path and begin to fall back. Spherical expansion of outflowing gas forms an even larger cloud surrounding the dust. Several regions have been identified by the infrared instrument on Voyager 1 as being several hundred degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding terrain, and correlated with the eruptions. The fact that several eruptions appear to be going on simultaneously makes Io the most active surface in the solar system and suggests to scientists that Io is undergoing continuous volcanism, revising downward the age of Io's surface once again. JPL manages and controls the Voyager Project for NASA's Office of Space Science.

Barberton greenstone belt volcanism: Succession, style and petrogenesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byerly, G. R.; Lowe, D. R.

1986-01-01

The Barberton Mountain Land is an early Archean greenstone belt along the eastern margin of the Kaapvaal Craton of southern Africa. Detailed mapping in the southern portion of the belt leads to the conclusion that a substantial thickness is due to original deposition of volcanics and sediments. In the area mapped, a minimum thickness of 12km of predominantly mafic and ultramafic volcanics comprise the Komati, Hooggenoeg, and Kromberg Formations of the Onverwacht Group, and at least one km of predominantly pyroclastic and epiclastic sediments derived from dacitic volcanics comprise the Fig Tree Group. The Barberton greenstone belt formed primarily by ultramafic to mafic volcanism on a shallow marine platform which underwent little or no concurrent extension. Vents for this igneous activity were probably of the non-constructional fissure type. Dacitic volcanism occurred throughout the sequence in minor amounts. Large, constructional vent complexes were formed, and explosive eruptions widely dispersed pyroclastic debris. Only in the final stages of evolution of the belt did significant thrust-faulting occur, generally after, though perhaps overlapping with, the final stage of dacitic igneous activity. A discussion follows.

Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Russia: preventing the danger of volcanic eruptions to aviation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girina, O.; Neal, Ch.

2012-04-01

The Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) has been a collaborative project of scientists from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Surveys, and the Alaska Volcano Observatory (IVS, KB GS and AVO). The purpose of KVERT is to reduce the risk of costly, damaging, and possibly deadly encounters of aircraft with volcanic ash clouds. To reduce this risk, KVERT collects all possible volcanic information and issues eruption alerts to aviation and other emergency officials. KVERT was founded by Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry FED RAS in 1993 (in 2004, IVGG merged with the Institute of Volcanology to become IVS). KVERT analyzes volcano monitoring data (seismic, satellite, visual and video, and pilot reports), assigns the Aviation Color Code, and issues reports on eruptive activity and unrest at Kamchatkan (since 1993) and Northern Kurile (since 2003) volcanoes. KVERT receives seismic monitoring data from KB GS (the Laboratory for Seismic and Volcanic Activity). KB GS maintains telemetered seismic stations to investigate 11 of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka. Data are received around the clock and analysts evaluate data each day for every monitored volcano. Satellite data are provided from several sources to KVERT. AVO conducts satellite analysis of the Kuriles, Kamchatka, and Alaska as part of it daily monitoring and sends the interpretation to KVERT staff. KVERT interprets MODIS and MTSAT images and processes AVHRR data to look for evidence of volcanic ash and thermal anomalies. KVERT obtains visual volcanic information from volcanologist's field trips, web-cameras that monitor Klyuchevskoy (established in 2000), Sheveluch (2002), Bezymianny (2003), Koryaksky (2009), Avachinsky (2009), Kizimen (2011), and Gorely (2011) volcanoes, and pilots. KVERT staff work closely with staff of AVO, AMC (Airport Meteorological Center) at Yelizovo Airport and the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), the

Time variability of Io's volcanic activity from near-IR adaptive optics observations on 100 nights in 2013-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Kleer, Katherine; de Pater, Imke

2016-12-01

Jupiter's moon Io is a dynamic target, exhibiting extreme and time-variable volcanic activity powered by tidal forcing from Jupiter. We have conducted a campaign of high-cadence observations of Io with the goal of characterizing its volcanic activity. Between Aug 2013 and the end of 2015, we imaged Io on 100 nights in the near-infrared with adaptive optics on the Keck and Gemini N telescopes, which resolve emission from individual volcanic hot spots. During our program, we made over 400 detections of 48 distinct hot spots, some of which were detected 30+ times. We use these observations to derive a timeline of global volcanic activity on Io, which exhibits wide variability from month to month. The timelines of thermal activity at individual volcanic centers have geophysical implications, and will permit future characterization by others. We evaluate hot spot detection limits and give a simple parameterization of the minimum detectable intensity as a function of emission angle, which can be applied to other analyses. We detected three outburst eruptions in August 2013, but no other outburst-scale events were observed in the subsequent ∼90 observations. Either the cluster of events in August 2013 was a rare occurrence, or there is a mechanism causing large events to occur closely-spaced in time. We also detected large eruptions (though not of outburst scale) within days of one another at Kurdalagon Patera and Sethlaus/Gabija Paterae in 2015. As was also seen in the Galileo dataset, the hot spots we detected can be separated into two categories based on their thermal emission: those that are persistently active for 1 year or more at moderate intensity, and those that are only briefly active, are time-variable, and often reach large intensities. A small number of hot spots in the latter category appear and subside in a matter of days, reaching particularly high intensities; although these are not bright enough to qualify as outbursts, their thermal signatures follow

Volcanic hazards and aviation safety

USGS Publications Warehouse

Casadevall, Thomas J.; Thompson, Theodore B.; Ewert, John W.; ,

1996-01-01

An aeronautical chart was developed to determine the relative proximity of volcanoes or ash clouds to the airports and flight corridors that may be affected by volcanic debris. The map aims to inform and increase awareness about the close spatial relationship between volcanoes and aviation operations. It shows the locations of the active volcanoes together with selected aeronautical navigation aids and great-circle routes. The map mitigates the threat that volcanic hazards pose to aircraft and improves aviation safety.

The roar of Yasur: Handheld audio recorder monitoring of Vanuatu volcanic vent activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph D.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Howell, Robert; Radebaugh, Jani; Lopes, Rosaly M. C.

2016-08-01

We describe how near-field audio recording using a pocket digital sound recorder can usefully document volcanic activity, demonstrating the approach at Yasur, Vanuatu in May 2014. Prominent emissions peak at 263 Hz, interpreted as an organ-pipe mode. High-pass filtering was found to usefully discriminate volcano vent noise from wind noise, and autocorrelation of the high pass acoustic power reveals a prominent peak in exhalation intervals of 2.5, 4 and 8 s, with a number of larger explosive events at 200 s intervals. We suggest that this compact and inexpensive audio instrumentation can usefully supplement other field monitoring such as seismic or infrasound. A simple estimate of acoustic power interpreted with a dipole jet noise model yielded vent velocities too low to be compatible with pyroclast emission, suggesting difficulties with this approach at audio frequencies (perhaps due to acoustic absorption by volcanic gases).

Exploring Hawaiian Volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poland, Michael P.; Okubo, Paul G.; Hon, Ken

2013-02-01

In 1912 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was established by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Thomas A. Jaggar Jr. on the island of Hawaii. Driven by the devastation he observed while investigating the volcanic disasters of 1902 at Montagne Pelée in the Caribbean, Jaggar conducted a worldwide search and decided that Hawai`i provided an excellent natural laboratory for systematic study of earthquake and volcano processes toward better understanding of seismic and volcanic hazards. In the 100 years since HVO's founding, surveillance and investigation of Hawaiian volcanoes have spurred advances in volcano and seismic monitoring techniques, extended scientists' understanding of eruptive activity and processes, and contributed to development of global theories about hot spots and mantle plumes.

Tuffaceous Mud is a Volumetrically Important Volcaniclastic Facies of Submarine Arc Volcanism and Record of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, J. B.; Bongiolo, E. M.; Miyazaki, T.; Hamelin, C.; Jutzeler, M.; DeBari, S.; Jonas, A.-S.; Vaglarov, B. S.; Nascimento, L. S.; Yakavonis, M.

2018-04-01

The inorganic portion of tuffaceous mud and mudstone in an oceanic island arc can be mostly volcanic in origin. Consequently, a large volume of submarine volcaniclastic material is as extremely fine-grained as products of subaerial eruptions (<100 µm). Using results of IODP Expedition 350 in the Izu rear arc, we show that such material can accumulate at high rates (12-20 cm/k.y.) within 13 km of the nearest seamount summit and scores of km behind the volcanic front. The geochemistry of bulk, acid-leached mud, and its discrete vitriclasts, shows that >75% of the mud is volcanic, and that most of it was derived from proximal rear arc volcanic sources. It faithfully preserves integrated igneous geochemical information about arc evolution in much the same way that terrigenous shales track the evolution of continental crust. In addition, their high sedimentation rate enables high resolution study of climate cycles, including the effects of Pleistocene glaciation on the behavior of the Kuroshio Current in the Shikoku Basin south of Japan.

How will melting of ice affect volcanic hazards in the twenty-first century?

PubMed

Tuffen, Hugh

2010-05-28

Glaciers and ice sheets on many active volcanoes are rapidly receding. There is compelling evidence that melting of ice during the last deglaciation triggered a dramatic acceleration in volcanic activity. Will melting of ice this century, which is associated with climate change, similarly affect volcanic activity and associated hazards? This paper provides a critical overview of the evidence that current melting of ice will increase the frequency or size of hazardous volcanic eruptions. Many aspects of the link between ice recession and accelerated volcanic activity remain poorly understood. Key questions include how rapidly volcanic systems react to melting of ice, whether volcanoes are sensitive to small changes in ice thickness and how recession of ice affects the generation, storage and eruption of magma at stratovolcanoes. A greater frequency of collapse events at glaciated stratovolcanoes can be expected in the near future, and there is strong potential for positive feedbacks between melting of ice and enhanced volcanism. Nonetheless, much further research is required to remove current uncertainties about the implications of climate change for volcanic hazards in the twenty-first century.

Probabilistic constraints from existing and future radar imaging on volcanic activity on Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Ralph D.

2015-11-01

We explore the quantitative limits that may be placed on Venus' present-day volcanic activity by radar imaging of surface landforms. The apparent nondetection of new lava flows in the areas observed twice by Magellan suggests that there is a ~60% chance that the eruption rate is ~1 km3/yr or less, using the eruption history and area/volume flow geometry of terrestrial volcanoes (Etna, Mauna Loa and Merapi) as a guide. However, if the detection probability of an individual flow is low (e.g. ~10%) due to poor resolution or quality and unmodeled viewing geometry effects, the constraint (<10 km3/yr) is not useful. Imaging at Magellan resolution or better of only ~10% of the surface area of Venus on a new mission (30 years after Magellan) would yield better than 99% chance of detecting a new lava flow, even if the volcanic activity is at the low end of predictions (~0.01 km3/yr) and is expressed through a single volcano with a stochastic eruption history. Closer re-examination of Magellan data may be worthwhile, both to search for new features, and to establish formal (location-dependent) limits on activity against which data from future missions can be tested. While Magellan-future and future-future comparisons should offer much lower detection thresholds for erupted volumes, a probabilistic approach will be required to properly understand the implications.

Monitoring Io's Volcanic Activity in the Visible and Infrared from JUICE - It's All About (Eruption) Style

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, A. G.; Matson, D.; McEwen, A. S.; Keszthelyi, L. P.

2012-12-01

The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide many opportunities for long-range monitoring of Io's extraordinary silicate, high-temperature volcanic activity [1, 2]. A considerable amount of valuable work can be performed even with relatively low-spatial-resolution observations [2]. Techniques developed from the examination and analysis of Galileo Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) data, as well as observations of terrestrial silicate volcanic activity, allows the identification of likely eruption style [2] at many locations where the entire eruption is sub-pixel. Good temporal coverage, especially for episodic eruptions (including high-energy "outburst" eruptions), is important for modelling purposes. With opportunities to observe Io on a regular basis (hours-days) during cruise/orbital reduction phases, a visible-to-near-infrared mapping spectrometer (covering ~0.4-5.5 μm) is the best instrument to chart the magnitude and variability of Io's volcanic activity, allowing comparison with an existing and constantly expanding set of Io observations [e.g. 1, 3]. The eruption temperature of Io's dominant silicate lava, a constraint on interior composition and conditions, is a major unanswered question in the wake of the Galileo mission [1]. A careful approach to instrument design is needed to ensure that observations by both imager and IR spectrometer on JUICE are capable of determining lava eruption temperature [e.g., 4] in low spatial resolution data. With an ideal thermal target (e.g., an outburst eruption, or the proposed lava lake at Pele) the imager should obtain multi-spectral data in a rapid sequence to allow stability of the thermal source to be quantified. Observations by imager and spectrometer have to be contemporaneous and unsaturated. References: [1] Davies, A. (2007) "Volcanism on Io", Cam. Univ. Press. [2] Davies, A. et al. (2010) JVGR, 194, 75-99. [3] Veeder, G. et al. (2012) Icarus, 219, 701-722. [4] Davies, A. et

Volcanic hazards at Mount Shasta, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crandell, Dwight R.; Nichols, Donald R.

1989-01-01

The eruptions of Mount St. Helens, Washington, in 1980 served as a reminder that long-dormant volcanoes can come to life again. Those eruptions, and their effects on people and property, also showed the value of having information about volcanic hazards well in advance of possible volcanic activity. This pamphlet about Mount Shasta provides such information for the public, even though the next eruption may still be far in the future.

Oxygen Isotopes in Intra-Back Arc Basalts from the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parks, B. H.; Wang, Z.; Saal, A. E.; Frey, F. A.; Blusztajn, J.

2013-12-01

The chemical compositions of volcanic rocks from the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) reflect complex and dynamic interactions among the subducting oceanic lithosphere, the mantle wedge, and the overlying continental crust. Oxygen isotope ratios of olivine phenocrysts can be a useful means to identifying their relative contributions to the arc magmatism. In this study, we report high-precision oxygen-isotope ratios of olivine phenocrysts in a set of intra-back arc basalts from the SVZ. The samples were collected from monogenetic cinder cones east of the volcanic front (35-39 degrees S), and have been geochemically well-characterized with major and trace element contents, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions. Compared to lavas from the volcanic front, these intra-back arc lavas have similar radiogenic isotope, and a more alkalic and primitive (higher MgO content) chemical composition. We determined the oxygen-isotope ratios using the CO2-laser-fluorination method set up at the Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University following the techniques reported in Wang et al (2011). The samples were analyzed with standards of Gore Mountain Garnet (5.77×0.12‰ 1σ; Valley et al., 1995) and Kilbourne Hole Olivine (5.23×0.07‰ 1σ; Sharp, 1990) in order to account for minor changes in the vacuum line during analyses. The obtained δ18OSMOW values of olivine phenocrysts from the intra-back arc basalts vary from 4.98×0.01 to 5.34×0.01‰. This range, surprisingly, is similar to the δ18O values of olivines from mantle peridotites (5.2×0.2‰). Preliminary results indicate significant correlations of 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd and trace element ratios of the basaltic matrix with the δ18O values of olivine phenocrysts, indicating at least three components involved in the formation of the arc volcanism. By comparing the δ18O with the variations of major and trace element contents (e.g., MgO, TiO2 and Ni), and trace element ratios (e.g. Ba/Nb), we evaluate the effects

Volcanic features of Hawaii. A basis for comparison with Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, M. H.; Greeley, R.

1980-01-01

Despite the difference in size Martian and Hawaiian volcanoes have numerous characteristics in common. Specific features such as lava channels, collapsed lava tubes, levees and flow fronts, all very common in Hawaii, are also abundant on the flanks of some of the Martian volcanoes. Striking differences also exist, such as the apparent lack of radial rift zones on some Martian volcanoes and the paucity of cinder and spatter cones. Some of the best photographs of Martian and Hawaiian volcanic features are presented. Descriptive legends are provided for each picture. An overview of the geological processes and structures depicted is included.

Volcanic Supersites as cross-disciplinary laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provenzale, Antonello; Beierkuhnlein, Carl; Giamberini, Mariasilvia; Pennisi, Maddalena; Puglisi, Giuseppe

2017-04-01

Volcanic Supersites, defined in the frame of the GEO-GSNL Initiative, are usually considered mainly for their geohazard and geological characteristics. However, volcanoes are extremely challenging areas from many other points of view, including environmental and climatic properties, ecosystems, hydrology, soil properties and biogeochemical cycling. Possibly, volcanoes are closer to early Earth conditions than most other types of environment. During FP7, EC effectively fostered the implementation of the European volcano Supersites (Mt. Etna, Campi Flegrei/Vesuvius and Iceland) through the MED-SUV and FUTUREVOLC projects. Currently, the large H2020 project ECOPOTENTIAL (2015-2019, 47 partners, http://www.ecopotential-project.eu/) contributes to GEO/GEOSS and to the GEO ECO Initiative, and it is devoted to making best use of remote sensing and in situ data to improve future ecosystem benefits, focusing on a network of Protected Areas of international relevance. In ECOPOTENTIAL, remote sensing and in situ data are collected, processed and used for a better understanding of the ecosystem dynamics, analysing and modelling the effects of global changes on ecosystem functions and services, over an array of different ecosystem types, including mountain, marine, coastal, arid and semi-arid ecosystems, and also areas of volcanic origin such as the Canary and La Reunion Islands. Here, we propose to extend the network of the ECOPOTENTIAL project to include active Volcanic Supersites, such as Mount Etna and other volcanic Protected Areas, and we discuss how they can be included in the framework of the ECOPOTENTIAL workflow. A coordinated and cross-disciplinary set of studies at these sites should include geological, biological, ecological, biogeochemical, climatic and biogeographical aspects, as well as their relationship with the antropogenic impact on the environment, and aim at the global analysis of the volcanic Earth Critical Zone - namely, the upper layer of the Earth

Numeric and Relative Luminescence Dating of Volcanic Eruptions in the West Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, C.; Schaarschmidt, M.; Kolb, T.; Richter, D.; Zöller, L.

2016-12-01

Accurate and precise dating of Holocene and Late Pleistocene volcanic eruptions is important for hazard analysis but still poses a major challenge using existing methods such as the 40Ar/39Ar or 14C techniques. Although luminescence methods are principally suitable for dating the last heating event of quartz and feldspar, working with volcanogenic materials (e.g., basalt or basanite) encounters methodological difficulties, of which anomalous fading is the most serious one. Here, we report on luminescence ages of quartz and polymineral fine grains extracted from volcanically heated native rock in contact with lava and from xenoliths embedded in basanitic scoria from the West Eifel Volcanic Field (WEVF). Combined luminescence methods (red thermoluminescence, optically stimulated and post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence) provide significantly refined age estimates for the two investigated eruption sites, compared to independent age control. While the last volcanic activity at the Wartgesberg cinder cones took place 33.6 ± 0.4 ka ago, the Facher Höhe scoria cone is substantially younger than previously assumed (15.5 ± 0.5 ka) and represents a formerly undetected phase of young volcanism. Although not appropriate for numeric dating, the luminescence sensitivity of basalt appears to increase with eruptional age. This observation could be employed as a tool to establish a relative eruption chronology of a particular volcanic area. The WEVF, featuring a comparatively homogenous MgO-rich lava composition with many dated eruptions, represents a favorable natural laboratory to test this approach. First results of this attempt to complete the Eifel volcanic record and to chronologically assess previously undated eruptions will be presented in this contribution.

Impact of volcanic ash on anammox communities in deep sea sediments.

PubMed

Song, Bongkeun; Buckner, Caroline T; Hembury, Deborah J; Mills, Rachel A; Palmer, Martin R

2014-04-01

Subaerial explosive volcanism contributes substantial amounts of material to the oceans, but little is known about the impact of volcanic ash on sedimentary microbial activity. We have studied anammox communities in deep sea sediments near the volcanically active island of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles. The rates of anammox and denitrification in the sediments were measured using (15)N isotope pairing incubation experiments, while 16S rRNA genes were used to examine anammox community structures. The higher anammox rates were measured in sediment containing the lower accumulation of volcanic ash in the surface sediments, while the lowest activities were found in sediments with the highest ash deposit. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed the presence of 'Candidatus Scalindua spp.' in the sediments. The lowest diversity of anammox bacteria was observed in the sediments with the highest ash deposit. Overall, this study demonstrates that the deposition of volcanic material in deep sea sediments has negative impacts on activity and diversity of the anammox community. Since anammox may account for up to 79% of N2 production in marine ecosystems, periods of extensive explosive volcanism in Earth history may have had a hitherto unrecognized negative impact on the sedimentary nitrogen removal processes. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploring Hawaiian volcanism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poland, Michael P.; Okubo, Paul G.; Hon, Ken

2013-01-01

In 1912 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was established by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Thomas A. Jaggar Jr. on the island of Hawaii. Driven by the devastation he observed while investigating the volcanic disasters of 1902 at Montagne Pelée in the Caribbean, Jaggar conducted a worldwide search and decided that Hawai‘i provided an excellent natural laboratory for systematic study of earthquake and volcano processes toward better understanding of seismic and volcanic hazards. In the 100 years since HVO’s founding, surveillance and investigation of Hawaiian volcanoes have spurred advances in volcano and seismic monitoring techniques, extended scientists’ understanding of eruptive activity and processes, and contributed to development of global theories about hot spots and mantle plumes.

Across-arc geochemical variations in the Southern Volcanic Zone, Chile (34.5-38.0°S): Constraints on mantle wedge and slab input compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacques, G.; Hoernle, K.; Gill, J.; Hauff, F.; Wehrmann, H.; Garbe-Schönberg, D.; van den Bogaard, P.; Bindeman, I.; Lara, L. E.

2013-12-01

Crustal assimilation (e.g. Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988) and/or subduction erosion (e.g. Stern, 1991; Kay et al., 2005) are believed to control the geochemical variations along the northern portion of the Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone. In order to evaluate these hypotheses, we present a comprehensive geochemical data set (major and trace elements and O-Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes) from Holocene primarily olivine-bearing volcanic rocks across the arc between 34.5°S and 38.0°S, including volcanic front centers from Tinguiririca to Callaqui, the rear arc centers of Infernillo Volcanic Field, Laguna del Maule and Copahue, and extending 300 km into the backarc. We also present an equivalent data set for Chile trench sediments outboard of this profile. The volcanic arc (including volcanic front and rear arc) samples primarily range from basalt to andesite/trachyandesite, whereas the backarc rocks are low-silica alkali basalts and trachybasalts. All samples show some characteristic subduction zone trace element enrichments and depletions, but the backarc samples show the least. Backarc basalts have higher Ce/Pb, Nb/U, Nb/Zr, and Ta/Hf, and lower Ba/Nb and Ba/La, consistent with less of a slab-derived component in the backarc and, consequently, lower degrees of mantle melting. The mantle-like δ18O in olivine and plagioclase phenocrysts (volcanic arc = 4.9-5.6‰ and backarc = 5.0-5.4‰) and lack of correlation between δ18O and indices of differentiation and other isotope ratios, argue against significant crustal assimilation. Volcanic arc and backarc samples almost completely overlap in Sr and Nd isotopic composition. High precision (double-spike) Pb isotope ratios are tightly correlated, precluding significant assimilation of older sialic crust but indicating mixing between a South Atlantic Mid Ocean-Ridge Basalt (MORB) source and a slab component derived from subducted sediments and altered oceanic crust. Hf-Nd isotope ratios define separate linear arrays for the volcanic

Active Volcanic Eruptions on Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Six views of the volcanic plume named Prometheus, as seen against Io's disk and near the bright limb (edge) of the satellite by the SSI camera on the Galileo spacecraft during its second (G2) orbit of Jupiter. North is to the top of each frame. To the south-southeast of Prometheus is another bright spot that appears to be an active plume erupting from a feature named Culann Patera. Prometheus was active 17 years ago during both Voyager flybys, but no activity was detected by Voyager at Culann. Both of these plumes were seen to glow in the dark in an eclipse image acquired by the imaging camera during Galileo's first (G1) orbit, and hot spots at these locations were detected by Galileo's Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer.

The plumes are thought to be driven by heating sulfur dioxide in Io's subsurface into an expanding fluid or 'geyser'. The long-lived nature of these eruptions requires that a substantial supply of sulfur dioxide must be available in Io's subsurface, similar to groundwater. Sulfur dioxide gas condenses into small particles of 'snow' in the expanding plume, and the small particles scatter light and appear bright at short wavelengths. The images shown here were acquired through the shortest-wavelength filter (violet) of the Galileo camera. Prometheus is about 300 km wide and 75 km high and Culann is about 150 km wide and less than 50 km high. The images were acquired on September 4, 1996 at a range of 2,000,000 km (20 km/pixel resolution). Prometheus is named after the Greek fire god and Culann is named after the Celtic smith god.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the

Volcanic Ash on Slopes of Karymsky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

A volcanic eruption can produce gases, lava, bombs of rock, volcanic ash, or any combination of these elements. Of the volcanic products that linger on the land, most of us think of hardened lava flows, but volcanic ash can also persist on the landscape. One example of that persistence appeared on Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula in spring 2007. On March 25, 2007, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of the area around the Karymsky Volcano. In this image, volcanic ash from earlier eruptions has settled onto the snowy landscape, leaving dark gray swaths. The ash stains are confined to the south of the volcano's summit, one large stain fanning out toward the southwest, and another toward the east. At first glance, the ash stain toward the east appears to form a semicircle north of the volcano and sweep back east. Only part of this dark shape, however, is actually volcanic ash. Near the coast, the darker color may result from thicker vegetation. Similar darker coloring appears to the south. Volcanic ash is not really ash at all, but tiny, jagged bits of rock and glass. These jagged particles pose serious health risks to humans and animals who might inhale them. Likewise, the ash poses hazards to animals eating plants that have been coated with ash. Because wind can carry volcanic ash thousands of kilometers, it poses a more far-reaching hazard than other volcanic ejecta. Substantial amounts of ash can even affect climate by blocking sunlight. Karymsky is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and volcanic rocks. It is one of many active volcanoes on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, which is part of the 'Ring of Fire' around the Pacific Rim. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

Gravity monitoring of Tatun Volcanic Group activities and inference for underground fluid circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouyen, Maxime; Chao, Benjamin Fong; Hwang, Cheinway; Hsieh, Wen-Chi

2016-12-01

The Tatun Volcano Group (TVG), located on the northern coast of Taiwan adjacent to the city of Taipei, experiences active hydrothermalism but has no historical record of volcanic eruption. Yet recent studies suggest that TVG is dormant-active rather than extinct. To monitor mass transfers and to gain further understanding of this volcanic area, gravity variations have been recorded continuously since 2012 using a superconducting gravimeter, and once every few months since 2005 using absolute gravimeters. We analyze the continuous gravity time series and propose a model that best explains the gravity variations due to local groundwater redistribution. By correcting these variations, we identify gravity changes as large as 35 μGal that occurred concomitantly to fluid pressure-induced earthquakes and changes in the gas composition at Dayoukeng, one of TVG's fumaroles, over 2005-2007. We examine several fluid movements that can match the gravity observations, yet too few additional constraints exist to favor any of them. In particular, no significant ground displacements are observed when these gravity variations occurred. On the other hand, the model of gravity changes due to local groundwater redistribution can be routinely computed and removed from the ongoing time gravity measurements in order to quickly identify any unusual mass transfer occurring beneath TVG.

Gravity monitoring of Tatun Volcanic Group activities and inference for underground fluid circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouyen, Maxime; Chao, Benjamin; Hwang, Cheinway; Hsieh, Wen-Chi

2017-04-01

The Tatun Volcano Group (TVG), located on the northern coast of Taiwan adjacent to the city of Taipei, experiences active hydrothermalism but has no historical record of volcanic eruption. Yet recent studies suggest that TVG is dormant-active rather than extinct. To monitor mass transfers and to gain further understanding of this volcanic area, gravity variations have been recorded continuously since 2012 using a superconducting gravimeter, and once every few months since 2005 using absolute gravimeters. We analyze the continuous gravity time series and propose a model that best explain the gravity variations due to local groundwater redistribution. By correcting these variations, we identify gravity changes as large as 35 µGal that occurred concomitantly to fluid pressure-induced earthquakes and changes in the gas composition at Dayoukeng, one of TVG's fumaroles, over 2005-2007. We examine several fluid movements that can match the gravity observations, yet too few additional constraints exist to favor any of them. In particular, no significant ground displacements are observed when these gravity variations occurred. On the other hand, the model of gravity changes due to local groundwater redistribution can be routinely computed and removed from the ongoing time gravity measurements in order to quickly identify any unusual mass transfer occurring beneath TVG.

Geochemical Interpretation of Collision Volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearce, Julian

2014-05-01

Collision volcanism can be defined as volcanism that takes place during an orogeny from the moment that continental subduction starts to the end of orogenic collapse. Its importance in the Geological Record is greatly underestimated as collision volcanics are easily misinterpreted as being of volcanic arc, extensional or mantle plume origin. There are many types of collision volcanic province: continent-island arc collision (e.g. Banda arc); continent-active margin collision (e.g. Tibet, Turkey-Iran); continent-rear-arc collision (e.g. Bolivia); continent-continent collision (e.g. Tuscany); and island arc-island arc collision (e.g. Taiwan). Superimposed on this variability is the fact that every orogeny is different in detail. Nonetheless, there is a general theme of cyclicity on different time scales. This starts with syn-collision volcanism resulting from the subduction of an ocean-continent transition and continental lithosphere, and continues through post-collision volcanism. The latter can be subdivided into orogenic volcanism, which is related to thickened crust, and post-orogenic, which is related to orogenic collapse. Typically, but not always, collision volcanism is preceded by normal arc volcanism and followed by normal intraplate volcanism. Identification and interpretation of collision volcanism in the Geologic Record is greatly facilitated if a dated stratigraphic sequence is present so that the petrogenic evolution can be traced. In any case, the basis of fingerprinting collision terranes is to use geochemical proxies for mantle and subduction fluxes, slab temperatures, and depths and degrees of melting. For example, syn-collision volcanism is characterized by a high subduction flux relative to mantle flux because of the high input flux of fusible sediment and crust coupled with limited mantle flow, and because of high slab temperatures resulting from the decrease in subduction rate. The resulting geochemical patterns are similar regardless of

Geoethics implications in volcanic hazards in Argentina: 24 years of uninterrupted ash-fall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovere, Elizabeth I.; Violante, Roberto A.; Uber, Silvia M.; Vázquez Herrera, Marcelo

2016-04-01

bricks, abrasive cleaning powders, raw material for cosmetics, glass, porcelain, etc. From a geoscientific deontology point of view, there are a wide range of parameters to be considered in terms of the interaction of human activities, the rapid own decisions, the roll in front of our colleagues, and the responsibility towards society and the environment. The ethical implications of geo communication and education must be supported under standards and strategic plans that address all socio-cultural aspects and include primarily, women heads of households and teachers who will have to make decisions for their children in times of emergency. After the eruption of 1932 there was a gap of 59 years without a significant eruption and ashfall in Argentina. Why the actions taken for the use of volcanic ash as a resource were not repeated during the eruptions occurred in 1991 and beyond? This contribution intends to answer this question which has multiple variables that turn around the economy, politics and socio-cultural traditions of European immigrants in Argentina.

Acute health effects associated with exposure to volcanic air pollution (vog) from increased activity at Kilauea Volcano in 2008.

PubMed

Longo, Bernadette M; Yang, Wei; Green, Joshua B; Crosby, Frederick L; Crosby, Vickie L

2010-01-01

In 2008, the Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawai'i increased eruption activity and emissions of sulfurous volcanic air pollution called vog. The purpose of this study was to promptly assess for a relative increase in cases of medically diagnosed acute illnesses in an exposed Hawaiian community. Using a within-clinic retrospective cohort design, comparisons were made for visits of acute illnesses during the 14 wk prior to the increased volcanic emissions (low exposure) to 14 wk of high vog exposure when ambient sulfur dioxide was threefold higher and averaged 75 parts per billion volume per day. Logistic regression analysis estimated effect measures between the low- and high-exposure cohorts for age, gender, race, and smoking status. There were statistically significant positive associations between high vog exposure and visits for medically diagnosed cough, headache, acute pharyngitis, and acute airway problems. More than a sixfold increase in odds was estimated for visits with acute airway problems, primarily experienced by young Pacific Islanders. These findings suggest that the elevated volcanic emissions in 2008 were associated with increased morbidity of acute illnesses in age and racial subgroups of the general Hawaiian population. Continued investigation is crucial to fully assess the health impact of this natural source of sulfurous air pollution. Culturally appropriate primary- and secondary-level health prevention initiatives are recommended for populations in Hawai'i and volcanically active areas worldwide.

GPS Signal Feature Analysis to Detect Volcanic Plume on Mount Etna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannavo', Flavio; Aranzulla, Massimo; Scollo, Simona; Puglisi, Giuseppe; Imme', Giuseppina

2014-05-01

Volcanic ash produced during explosive eruptions can cause disruptions to aviation operations and to population living around active volcanoes. Thus, detection of volcanic plume becomes a crucial issue to reduce troubles connected to its presence. Nowadays, the volcanic plume detection is carried out by using different approaches such as satellites, radars and lidars. Recently, the capability of GPS to retrieve volcanic plumes has been also investigated and some tests applied to explosive activity of Etna have demonstrated that also the GPS may give useful information. In this work, we use the permanent and continuous GPS network of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo (Italy) that consists of 35 stations located all around volcano flanks. Data are processed by the GAMIT package developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here we investigate the possibility to quantify the volcanic plume through the GPS signal features and to estimate its spatial distribution by means of a tomographic inversion algorithm. The method is tested on volcanic plumes produced during the lava fountain of 4-5 September 2007, already used to confirm if weak explosive activity may or may not affect the GPS signals.

The Boring Volcanic Field of the Portland-Vancouver area, Oregon and Washington: tectonically anomalous forearc volcanism in an urban setting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evarts, Russell C.; Conrey, Richard M.; Fleck, Robert J.; Hagstrum, Jonathan T.; O'Connor, Jim; Dorsey, Rebecca; Madin, Ian P.

2009-01-01

More than 80 small volcanoes are scattered throughout the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area of northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. These volcanoes constitute the Boring Volcanic Field, which is centered in the Neogene Portland Basin and merges to the east with coeval volcanic centers of the High Cascade volcanic arc. Although the character of volcanic activity is typical of many monogenetic volcanic fields, its tectonic setting is not, being located in the forearc of the Cascadia subduction system well trenchward of the volcanic-arc axis. The history and petrology of this anomalous volcanic field have been elucidated by a comprehensive program of geologic mapping, geochemistry, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and paleomag-netic studies. Volcanism began at 2.6 Ma with eruption of low-K tholeiite and related lavas in the southern part of the Portland Basin. At 1.6 Ma, following a hiatus of ~0.8 m.y., similar lavas erupted a few kilometers to the north, after which volcanism became widely dispersed, compositionally variable, and more or less continuous, with an average recurrence interval of 15,000 yr. The youngest centers, 50–130 ka, are found in the northern part of the field. Boring centers are generally monogenetic and mafic but a few larger edifices, ranging from basalt to low-SiO2 andesite, were also constructed. Low-K to high-K calc-alkaline compositions similar to those of the nearby volcanic arc dominate the field, but many centers erupted magmas that exhibit little influence of fluids derived from the subducting slab. The timing and compositional characteristics of Boring volcanism suggest a genetic relationship with late Neogene intra-arc rifting.

Precambrian Lunar Volcanic Protolife

PubMed Central

Green, Jack

2009-01-01

Five representative terrestrial analogs of lunar craters are detailed relevant to Precambrian fumarolic activity. Fumarolic fluids contain the ingredients for protolife. Energy sources to derive formaldehyde, amino acids and related compounds could be by flow charging, charge separation and volcanic shock. With no photodecomposition in shadow, most fumarolic fluids at 40 K would persist over geologically long time periods. Relatively abundant tungsten would permit creation of critical enzymes, Fischer-Tropsch reactions could form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soluble volcanic polyphosphates would enable assembly of nucleic acids. Fumarolic stimuli factors are described. Orbital and lander sensors specific to protolife exploration including combined Raman/laser-induced breakdown spectrocsopy are evaluated. PMID:19582224

Evidence for sub-lacustrine volcanic activity in Lake Bolsena (central Italy) revealed by high resolution seismic data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindhorst, Katja; Krastel, Sebastian; Wagner, Bernd; Schuerer, Anke

2017-06-01

The Bolsena caldera that formed between 0.6 and 0.2 Ma has a well preserved structural rim, which makes it an ideal site to study the tectonic and volcanic evolution of calderas. However, the main area is covered by a 150 m deep lake which makes it rather difficult to investigate the subsurface structure directly. To overcome this problem new high resolution hydro-acoustic surveys using a multichannel reflection seismic system and a sediment echo-sounder system were conducted in September 2012. As space was limited we used a rowing boat towed by a rubber boat to handle a 36 m long and 24 channel streamer to receive seismic reflections produced using a Mini GI-Gun (0.25 l). The subsurface structure of Lake Bolsena was imaged up to a sediment depth of 190 m, which is estimated to have filled over a period of 333 kyrs. However, massive pyroclastic flow deposits found in the deeper parts of the basin indicate an initial infill of volcanic deposits from two adjacent younger calderas, the Latera (W) and Montefiascone (SE) calderas. Our data suggest that the caldera has a long history of active volcanism, because the lacustrine sediments show post-sedimentary influences of geothermal fluids. We mapped several mound structures at various stratigraphic depths. Two volcanic structures outcrop at the modern lake surface implying recent activity. One of these structures is hardly covered by sediments and has a crater-like feature in its summit. The other structure shows a pockmark-like depression on top. Another observable feature is a partially sediment filled crater located in the western part of the lake which further implies the existence of a magma chamber located beneath the Bolsena caldera. Since the late Pleistocene and Holocene, the sedimentation was mainly hemipelagic evidenced by a sediment drape of up to 10 m thick sediment drape on the uppermost sediments. Beneath the drape we found evidence for a distal tephra layer likely related to an explosive eruption from

Multiteide Project: Multiparametric characterization of the activity of Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez Cerdeña, Itahiza; Villasante-Marcos, Victor; Meletlidis, Stavros; Sainz-Maza, Sergio; Abella, Rafael; Torres, Pedro A.; Sánchez, Nieves; Luengo-Oroz, Natividad; José Blanco, María; García-Cañada, Laura; Pereda de Pablo, Jorge; Lamolda, Héctor; Moure, David; Del Fresno, Carmen; Finizola, Anthony; Felepto, Alicia

2017-04-01

Teide-Pico Viejo complex stands for one of the major natural volcanic hazards in the Canary Islands, due to the expected types of eruptions in the area and the high number of inhabitants in Tenerife Island. Therefore, it is necessary to have a volcanic alert system able to afford a precise assessment of the current state of the complex. For this purpose, the knowledge of the expected signals at each volcanic activity level is required. Moreover, the external effects that can affect the measurements shall be distinguished, external influences as the atmosphere are qualitatively known but have not been quantified yet. The objective of the project is to collect, analyze and jointly and continuously evaluate over time geophysical, geodetic, geochemical and meteorological data from the Teide-Pico Viejo complex and its surroundings. A continuous multiparametric network have been deployed in the area, which, together with the data provided by the Volcano Monitoring Network of the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) and data from other institutions will provide a comprehensive set of data with high resolution in both space and time. This multiparametric network includes a seismic array, two self-potential lines for continuous measurements, five magnetometers and two weather stations. The network will be complemented with 8 CGPS stations, one tiltmeter, 10 seismic stations, and four thermometric stations on the fumaroles of Teide volcano that IGN already manage in Tenerife. The data will be completed with the results from different repeated surveys of self potential, soil temperature and CO2 diffuse flux in several pre-established areas on top of Teide throughout the entire duration of project. During the project, new computation tools will be developed to study the correlation between the different parameters analyzed. The results obtained will characterize the possible seasonal fluctuations of each parameter and the variations related to meteorological phenomena. In

Climatic and Chemical Effects of Punctuated Volcanism on Early Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halevy, I.; Head, J. W.

2012-12-01

The geological record of Mars shows a pronounced peak in volcanic activity during the transition between the late Noachian and early Hesperian epochs. This peak appears coeval with profound climatic and chemical changes in the surface environment, including the formation of the majority of known valley networks, open-basin lakes and the deposition of massive sulfate-bearing deposits of aqueous origin. It has been suggested that volcanism maintained a warmer climate and an active hydrological cycle through the radiative effect of volcanically emitted greenhouse gases, such as CO2, H2O and SO2. However, previous model attempts at explaining overland flow with CO2-H2O greenhouse atmospheres required several bars of CO2, even including the warming effect of infrared scattering by CO2 ice clouds. This amount of CO2 is in apparent disagreement with recent estimates of volcanic outgassing on Mars. The net climatic effect of volcanic SO2 emissions into the atmosphere of early Mars has been the topic of recent debate, because it is unclear whether strong greenhouse warming by SO2 or strong cooling by scattering sulfate aerosols should dominate. To address this problem, we considered two previously neglected phenomena: i) the punctuated, rather than continuous, nature of volcanic eruptions, and ii) the role of preexisting dust grains and volcanic ash as condensation nuclei for sulfuric acid. For this purpose we developed a coupled model of volcanic eruption and atmospheric response, including detailed aerosol microphysics. We find that while SO2 concentrations increase rapidly and dramatically with the initiation of a strong volcanic eruption, the dynamics of sulfate aerosol formation in the martian atmosphere results in a delay of aerosol-related cooling by several months to years. Moreover, the existence of dust in the atmosphere prior to the volcanic eruption, as well as the emission and global distribution of fine volcanic ash particles, results in the formation of H2SO4

Constructing event trees for volcanic crises

USGS Publications Warehouse

Newhall, C.; Hoblitt, R.

2002-01-01

Event trees are useful frameworks for discussing probabilities of possible outcomes of volcanic unrest. Each branch of the tree leads from a necessary prior event to a more specific outcome, e.g., from an eruption to a pyroclastic flow. Where volcanic processes are poorly understood, probability estimates might be purely empirical - utilizing observations of past and current activity and an assumption that the future will mimic the past or follow a present trend. If processes are better understood, probabilities might be estimated from a theoritical model, either subjectively or by numerical simulations. Use of Bayes' theorem aids in the estimation of how fresh unrest raises (or lowers) the probabilities of eruptions. Use of event trees during volcanic crises can help volcanologists to critically review their analysis of hazard, and help officials and individuals to compare volcanic risks with more familiar risks. Trees also emphasize the inherently probabilistic nature of volcano forecasts, with multiple possible outcomes.

Morphological Analysis of Apo Volcanic Complex in Southern Mindanao, Philippines: implications on volcano-tectonic evolution of different volcanic units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero, T. M. L.; van Wyk de Vries, B.; Lagmay, A. M. A.; Eco, R. C.

2015-12-01

The Apo Volcanic Complex (AVC) is one of the largest volcanic centers in the Philippines, located in the southern island of Mindanao. It is composed of four edifices and several smaller cones. The youngest volcanic unit, the Apo Dome, is the highest elevation in the Philippines. This unit is classified as potentially active, whereas other units, Talomo, Sibulan and Kitubod, are inactive. The study gives insight to the construction and deformation history of the volcanic units and imparts foresight to subsequent events that can affect populated areas. A morphological analysis integrating high-resolution digital terrain models and public domain satellite data and images was done to recognize and discriminate volcanic units and characterize volcano-tectonic features and processes. Morphological domains were defined based on surface textures, slope variation, degrees and controls of erosion, and lineament density and direction. This establishes the relative ages and extent of volcanic units as well as the volcano-tectonic evolution of the complex. Six edifice building events were recognized, two of which form the elevated base of Apo dome. The geodynamic setting of the region is imprinted in the volcanic units as five morphostructural lineaments. They reveal the changes in maximum regional stress through time such as the N-S extension found across the whole volcanic complex displaying the current stress regime. This has implications on the locality and propagation of geothermal activity, magma ascent, and edifice collapses. One main result of the compounded effects of inherited structures and current stress regime is the Sandawa Collapse Zone. This is a large valley formed by several collapses where NE-SW fractures propagate and the increasing lateral spreading by debuttressing continue to eat away the highest peak. The AVC is surrounded by the major metropolitan area of Davao City to the east and the cities of Kidapawan and Digos to the west and south, respectively

The Physical and Petrologic Evolution of a Multi-vent Volcanic Field Associated With Yellowstone-Newberry Volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brueseke, M. E.; Hart, W. K.

2004-12-01

The Santa Rosa-Calico volcanic field (SC) of northern Nevada is perhaps the most chemically and physically diverse of all volcanic fields associated with mid-Miocene northwestern USA volcanism. SC volcanism occurred from 16.5 to 14 Ma and was characterized by the eruption of a complete compositional spectrum from basalt through high-Si rhyolite. Locally derived tholeiitic lava flows and shallow intrusive bodies are chemically and isotopically identical to the Steens Basalt (87/86Sri=<0.7040), the Oregon Plateau-wide mid-Miocene flood basalt. Andesite-dacite lava flows are exposed as at least four geographically and chemically distinct packages representing products of multiple, discrete magmatic systems. The most voluminous of these is calc-alkaline and characterized by abundant granitoid and mafic xenoliths/xenocrysts and radiogenic Sr isotopic ratios. Subalkaline silicic lava flows, domes, and shallow intrusive bodies define three diffuse north-south trending zones. Textural, chemical, and isotopic variability within the silicic units is linked to their spatial and temporal distribution, again necessitating the existence of multiple magmatic systems. The youngest locally derived silicic units are ash flows exposed in the central portion of the SC that erupted in actively forming sedimentary basins at ˜15.4 Ma. Underlying the 400-1500m thick package of SC volcanic rocks are temporally ( ˜103 and ˜85 Ma), chemically, and isotopically (87/86Sr at 16 Ma= 0.7045 to 0.7058 and 0.7061 to >0.7070) heterogeneous granitoid plutons and a package of ˜20-23 Ma calc-alkaline, arc-related intermediate lava flows. The observed disequilibrium textures, xenoliths, and chemical/isotopic diversity suggests that upwelling Steens magma interacted with local crust, siliceous crustal melts, and the mafic plutonic roots of early Miocene arc volcanism in multiple magmatic systems characterized by heterogeneous open system processes. The formation of these systems is tectonically

Volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, Christina A.; McGimsey, Robert G.; Doukas, Michael P.

1996-01-01

During 1993, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to episodes of eruptive activity or false alarms at nine volcanic centers in the state of Alaska. Additionally, as part of a formal role in KVERT (the Kamchatkan Volcano Eruption Response Team), AVO staff also responded to eruptions on the Kamchatka Peninsula, details of which are summarized in Miller and Kurianov (1993). In 1993, AVO maintained seismic instrumentation networks on four volcanoes of the Cook Inlet region--Spurr, Redoubt, Iliamna, and Augustine--and two stations at Dutton Volcano near King Cove on the Alaska Peninsula. Other routine elements of AVO's volcano monitoring program in Alaska include periodic airborne measurement of volcanic SO2 and CO2 at Cook Inlet volcanoes (Doukas, 1995) and maintenance of a lightning detection system in Cook Inlet (Paskievitch and others, 1995).

Bayesian analysis of volcanic eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Chih-Hsiang

1990-10-01

The simple Poisson model generally gives a good fit to many volcanoes for volcanic eruption forecasting. Nonetheless, empirical evidence suggests that volcanic activity in successive equal time-periods tends to be more variable than a simple Poisson with constant eruptive rate. An alternative model is therefore examined in which eruptive rate(λ) for a given volcano or cluster(s) of volcanoes is described by a gamma distribution (prior) rather than treated as a constant value as in the assumptions of a simple Poisson model. Bayesian analysis is performed to link two distributions together to give the aggregate behavior of the volcanic activity. When the Poisson process is expanded to accomodate a gamma mixing distribution on λ, a consequence of this mixed (or compound) Poisson model is that the frequency distribution of eruptions in any given time-period of equal length follows the negative binomial distribution (NBD). Applications of the proposed model and comparisons between the generalized model and simple Poisson model are discussed based on the historical eruptive count data of volcanoes Mauna Loa (Hawaii) and Etna (Italy). Several relevant facts lead to the conclusion that the generalized model is preferable for practical use both in space and time.

Io - One of at Least Four Simultaneous Erupting Volcanic Eruptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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.

Volcanic Eruptions in Kamchatka

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-04-30

One of the most volcanically active regions of the world is the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia, Russia. It is not uncommon for several volcanoes to be erupting at the same time. NASA Terra satellite acquired this image on April 26, 2007

Easy Volcanic Aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toohey, Matthew; Stevens, Bjorn; Schmidt, Hauke; Timmreck, Claudia

2016-04-01

Radiative forcing by stratospheric sulfate aerosol of volcanic origin is one of the strongest drivers of natural climate variability. Transient model simulations attempting to match observed climate variability, such as the CMIP historical simulations, rely on volcanic forcing reconstructions based on observations of a small sample of recent eruptions and coarse proxy data for eruptions before the satellite era. Volcanic forcing data sets used in CMIP5 were provided either in terms of optical properties, or in terms of sulfate aerosol mass, leading to significant inter-model spread in the actual volcanic radiative forcing produced by models and in their resulting climate responses. It remains therefore unclear to what degree inter-model spread in response to volcanic forcing represents model differences or variations in the forcing. In order to isolate model differences, Easy Volcanic Aerosol (EVA) provides an analytic representation of volcanic stratospheric aerosol forcing, based on available observations and aerosol model results, prescribing the aerosol's radiative properties and primary modes of spatial and temporal variability. In contrast to regriddings of observational data, EVA allows for the production of physically consistent forcing for historic and hypothetical eruptions of varying magnitude, source latitude, and season. Within CMIP6, EVA will be used to reconstruct volcanic forcing over the past 2000 years for use in the Paleo-Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), and will provide forcing sets for VolMIP experiments aiming to quantify model uncertainty in the response to volcanic forcing. Here, the functional form of EVA will be introduced, along with illustrative examples including the EVA-based reconstruction of volcanic forcing over the historical period, and that of the 1815 Tambora eruption.

Role of Social Media and Networking in Volcanic Crises and Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sennert, S.; Klemetti, E. W.; Bird, D. K.

2016-12-01

The growth of social media as a primary and often preferred news source has led to the rapid dissemination of information about volcanic eruptions and potential volcanic crises as they begin, evolve, and end. This information comes from a variety of sources: news organisations, emergency management personnel, individuals (both members of the public and official representatives), and volcano monitoring agencies. Once posted, this information is easily shared, increasing the reach to a much broader population than more traditional forms of media, such as radio and newspapers. The onset and popularity of social media as a vehicle for dissemination of eruption information points toward the need to systematically incorporate social media into the official channels that volcano observatories use to distribute activity statements, forecasts, and images. We explore two examples of projects that collect/disseminate information regarding volcanic crises and eruptive activity via social media sources; the Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report (WVAR), which summarizes new and on-going volcanic activity globally and on a weekly basis, and Eruptions, a blog that discusses eruptions as well as other volcanic topics. Based on these experiences, recommendations are made to volcanic observatories in relation to the use of social media as a communication tool. These recommendations include: using social media as a two-way dialogue to communicate and receive information directly from the public and other sources; stating that the social media account is from an official source; and posting types of information that users want to see such as images, videos, and figures.

Matching conjugate volcanic rifted margins: 40Ar/ 39Ar chrono-stratigraphy of pre- and syn-rift bimodal flood volcanism in Ethiopia and Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ukstins, Ingrid A.; Renne, Paul R.; Wolfenden, Ellen; Baker, Joel; Ayalew, Dereje; Menzies, Martin

2002-05-01

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of mineral separates and whole-rock samples of rhyolitic ignimbrites and basaltic lavas from the pre- and syn-rift flood volcanic units of northern Ethiopia provides a temporal link between the Ethiopian and Yemen conjugate rifted volcanic margins. Sixteen new 40Ar/ 39Ar dates confirm that basaltic flood volcanism in Ethiopia was contemporaneous with flood volcanism on the conjugate margin in Yemen. The new data also establish that flood volcanism initiated prior to 30.9 Ma in Ethiopia and may predate initiation of similar magmatic activity in Yemen by ˜0.2-2.0 Myr. Rhyolitic volcanism in Ethiopia commenced at 30.2 Ma, contemporaneous with the first rhyolitic ignimbrite unit in Yemen at ˜30 Ma. Accurate and precise 40Ar/ 39Ar dates on initial rhyolitic ignimbrite eruptions suggest that silicic flood volcanism in Afro-Arabia post-dates the Oligocene Oi2 global cooling event, ruling out a causative link between these explosive silicic eruptions (with individual volumes ≥200 km 3) and climatic cooling which produced the first major expansion of the Antarctic ice sheets. Ethiopian volcanism shows a progressive and systematic younging from north to south along the escarpment and parallel to the rifted margin, from pre-rift flood volcanics in the north to syn-rift northern Main Ethiopian Rift volcanism in the south. A dramatic decrease in volcanic activity in Ethiopia between 25 and 20 Ma correlates with a prominent break-up unconformity in Yemen (26-19 Ma), both of which mark the transition from pre- to syn-rift volcanism (˜25-26 Ma) triggered by the separation of Africa and Arabia. The architecture of the Ethiopian margin is characterized by accumulation and preservation of syn-rift volcanism, while the Yemen margin was shaped by denudational unloading and magmatic starvation as the Arabian plate rifted away from the Afar plume. A second magmatic hiatus and angular unconformity in the northern Main Ethiopian Rift is evident at 10.6-3.2 Ma, and is

Volcanic Thunder From Explosive Eruptions at Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Matthew M.; Van Eaton, Alexa R.; Lyons, John J.; Kramer, Rebecca L.; Fee, David; Iezzi, Alexandra M.

2018-04-01

Lightning often occurs during ash-producing eruptive activity, and its detection is now being used in volcano monitoring for rapid alerts. We report on infrasonic and sonic recordings of the related, but previously undocumented, phenomenon of volcanic thunder. We observe volcanic thunder during the waning stages of two explosive eruptions at Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, on a microphone array located 60 km away. Thunder signals arrive from a different direction than coeruptive infrasound generated at the vent following an eruption on 10 June 2017, consistent with locations from lightning networks. For the 8 March 2017 eruption, arrival times and amplitudes of high-frequency thunder signals correlate well with the timing and strength of lightning detections. In both cases, the thunder is associated with lightning that continues after significant eruptive activity has ended. Infrasonic and sonic observations of volcanic thunder offer a new avenue for studying electrification processes in volcanic plumes.

Quaternary fault-controlled volcanic vents and crustal thinning: new insights from the magma-rich Tyrrhenian passive margin (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardello, Giovanni Luca; Conti, Alessia; Consorti, Lorenzo; Do Couto, Damien

2017-04-01

shallow depth suggesting recent (<10 kyr) and possibly local eruptions. Offshore, 25 km north of Ventotene, a middle Pleistocene 200 m-high truncated volcano was found partially covered by middle to recent deposits. It is delimited by well defined WNW-striking fault-controlled escarpment dissected by NE-striking faults. As on the Ponza-Zannone high, volcanic complex occur on a horst intersecting the two main regional trends, possibly associated with younger SE-stretching. Quaternary stretching rotation occurs as a response to Tyrrhenian back-arc opening and contemporaneous inarching of the Apennine front. In this frame, frontal to lateral slab tearing and retreat is tracked by E-rejuvenated volcanic activity along the Palmarola-Vesuvius lineament. In conclusion, we argue about the role NE-dipping crustal detachment(s) may have played into crustal thinning, driving and occasionally hampering magma-emplacement.

Steam explosions, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions -- what's in Yellowstone's future?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Christiansen, Robert L.; Smith, Robert B.; Morgan, Lisa A.; Heasler, Henry

2005-01-01

Yellowstone, one of the world?s largest active volcanic systems, has produced several giant volcanic eruptions in the past few million years, as well as many smaller eruptions and steam explosions. Although no eruptions of lava or volcanic ash have occurred for many thousands of years, future eruptions are likely. In the next few hundred years, hazards will most probably be limited to ongoing geyser and hot-spring activity, occasional steam explosions, and moderate to large earthquakes. To better understand Yellowstone?s volcano and earthquake hazards and to help protect the public, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Utah, and Yellowstone National Park formed the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, which continuously monitors activity in the region.

Trace element geochemistry of volcanic gases and particles from 1983-1984 eruptive episodes of Kilauea Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crowe, Bruce M.; Finnegan, David L.; Zoller, William H.; Boynton, William V.

1987-12-01

Compositional data have been obtained for volcanic gases and particles collected from fume emitted at the Pu'u O'o vent on the east rift zone of Kilauea volcano. The samples were collected by pumping fume through a filter pack system consisting of a front stage particulate filter followed by four base-treated filters (7LiOH). Particles and condensed phases are trapped on the particulate filter, and acidic gases are collected on the treated filters. The filters are analyzed for 30 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Fume samples were collected from the Pu'u O'o vent for two eruptive episodes: (1) 7 days after episode 11 (cooling vent samples) and (2) the waning stage of episode 13 (active vent samples). Additional samples were collected by aircraft from the gas plume released during the lava fountaining phase of episode 17 (aircraft samples). Element concentrations in the vent gases were > 104 μg m-3 for S, Cl, and F. Enrichment factors (EFs) for the volcanic fume versus the source magma were calculated using the volatile element Br as the reference element for normalization and the U.S. Geological Survey standard BHVO-1 as the magma standard. This removes the ash dilution effect obtained by using an ash constituent (Al, Sc, or Mg) as the reference element. Bromine-normalized EFs (× 105) range from 101 to 102 for Na, K, and Cu; 102 to 105 for Zn, W, Sb, In, Ir, Ag, F, and As; and > 105 for Au, Cd, Re, Cl, Se, and S. The highest enrichment factors are for aircraft samples collected during the most gas-rich phase of an eruption cycle. Metal and volatile-element data form two groups: (1) elements showing little or no variation in abundance ratios with sample type (group 1: Cl, Br, and Re) and (2) elements that show significant variation in abundance ratios by sample type (group 2: Zn, W, Sb, In, Ir, Au, and Cd). Bivariate plots of elements of the first group versus elements of the second group separate by sample type. The separation corresponds to

Volcanic stratigraphy: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martí, Joan; Groppelli, Gianluca; Brum da Silveira, Antonio

2018-05-01

Volcanic stratigraphy is a fundamental component of geological mapping in volcanic areas as it yields the basic criteria and essential data for identifying the spatial and temporal relationships between volcanic products and intra/inter-eruptive processes (earth-surface, tectonic and climatic), which in turn provides greater understanding of the geological evolution of a region. Establishing precise stratigraphic relationships in volcanic successions is not only essential for understanding the past behaviour of volcanoes and for predicting how they might behave in the future, but is also critical for establishing guidelines for exploring economic and energy resources associated with volcanic systems or for reconstructing the evolution of sedimentary basins in which volcanism has played a significant role. Like classical stratigraphy, volcanic stratigraphy should also be defined using a systematic methodology that can provide an organised and comprehensive description of the temporal and spatial evolution of volcanic terrain. This review explores different methods employed in studies of volcanic stratigraphy, examines four case studies that use differing stratigraphic approaches, and recommends methods for using systematic volcanic stratigraphy based on the application of the concepts of traditional stratigraphy but adapted to the needs of volcanological environment.

Distinguishing high surf from volcanic long-period earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyons, John; Haney, Matt; Fee, David; Paskievitch, John F.

2014-01-01

Repeating long-period (LP) earthquakes are observed at active volcanoes worldwide and are typically attributed to unsteady pressure fluctuations associated with fluid migration through the volcanic plumbing system. Nonvolcanic sources of LP signals include ice movement and glacial outburst floods, and the waveform characteristics and frequency content of these events often make them difficult to distinguish from volcanic LP events. We analyze seismic and infrasound data from an LP swarm recorded at Pagan volcano on 12–14 October 2013 and compare the results to ocean wave data from a nearby buoy. We demonstrate that although the events show strong similarity to volcanic LP signals, the events are not volcanic but due to intense surf generated by a passing typhoon. Seismo-acoustic methods allow for rapid distinction of volcanic LP signals from those generated by large surf and other sources, a critical task for volcano monitoring.

Lahar—River of volcanic mud and debris

USGS Publications Warehouse

Major, Jon J.; Pierson, Thomas C.; Vallance, James W.

2018-05-09

Lahar, an Indonesian word for volcanic mudflow, is a mixture of water, mud, and volcanic rock flowing swiftly along a channel draining a volcano. Lahars can form during or after eruptions, or even during periods of inactivity. They are among the greatest threats volcanoes pose to people and property. Lahars can occur with little to no warning, and may travel great distances at high speeds, destroying or burying everything in their paths.Lahars form in many ways. They commonly occur when eruptions melt snow and ice on snow-clad volcanoes; when rains fall on steep slopes covered with fresh volcanic ash; when crater lakes, volcano glaciers or lakes dammed by volcanic debris suddenly release water; and when volcanic landslides evolve into flowing debris. Lahars are especially likely to occur at erupting or recently active volcanoes.Because lahars are so hazardous, U.S. Geological Survey scientists pay them close attention. They study lahar deposits and limits of inundation, model flow behavior, develop lahar-hazard maps, and work with community leaders and governmental authorities to help them understand and minimize the risks of devastating lahars.

Volcanism and associated hazards: the Andean perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilling, R. I.

2009-12-01

Andean volcanism occurs within the Andean Volcanic Arc (AVA), which is the product of subduction of the Nazca Plate and Antarctica Plates beneath the South America Plate. The AVA is Earth's longest but discontinuous continental-margin volcanic arc, which consists of four distinct segments: Northern Volcanic Zone, Central Volcanic Zone, Southern Volcanic Zone, and Austral Volcanic Zone. These segments are separated by volcanically inactive gaps that are inferred to indicate regions where the dips of the subducting plates are too shallow to favor the magma generation needed to sustain volcanism. The Andes host more volcanoes that have been active during the Holocene (past 10 000 years) than any other volcanic region in the world, as well as giant caldera systems that have produced 6 of the 47 largest explosive eruptions (so-called "super eruptions") recognized worldwide that have occurred from the Ordovician to the Pleistocene. The Andean region's most powerful historical explosive eruption occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina Volcano (Peru). The impacts of this event, whose eruptive volume exceeded 11 km3, were widespread, with distal ashfall reported at distances >1000 km away. Despite the huge size of the Huaynaputina eruption, human fatalities from hazardous processes (pyroclastic flows, ashfalls, volcanogenic earthquakes, and lahars) were comparatively small owing to the low population density at the time. In contrast, lahars generated by a much smaller eruption (<0.05 km3) in 1985 of Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) killed about 25 000 people - the worst volcanic disaster in the Andean region as well as the second worst in the world in the 20th century. The Ruiz tragedy has been attributed largely to ineffective communications of hazards information and indecisiveness by government officials, rather than any major deficiencies in scientific data. Ruiz's disastrous outcome, however, together with responses to subsequent hazardous eruptions in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and

Volcanism and associated hazards: The Andean perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tilling, R.I.

2009-01-01

Andean volcanism occurs within the Andean Volcanic Arc (AVA), which is the product of subduction of the Nazca Plate and Antarctica Plates beneath the South America Plate. The AVA is Earth's longest but discontinuous continental-margin volcanic arc, which consists of four distinct segments: Northern Volcanic Zone, Central Volcanic Zone, Southern Volcanic Zone, and Austral Volcanic Zone. These segments are separated by volcanically inactive gaps that are inferred to indicate regions where the dips of the subducting plates are too shallow to favor the magma generation needed to sustain volcanism. The Andes host more volcanoes that have been active during the Holocene (past 10 000 years) than any other volcanic region in the world, as well as giant caldera systems that have produced 6 of the 47 largest explosive eruptions (so-called "super eruptions") recognized worldwide that have occurred from the Ordovician to the Pleistocene.

The Andean region's most powerful historical explosive eruption occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina Volcano (Peru). The impacts of this event, whose eruptive volume exceeded 11 km3, were widespread, with distal ashfall reported at distances >1000 km away. Despite the huge size of the Huaynaputina eruption, human fatalities from hazardous processes (pyroclastic flows, ashfalls, volcanogenic earthquakes, and lahars) were comparatively small owing to the low population density at the time. In contrast, lahars generated by a much smaller eruption (<0.05 km 3) in 1985 of Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) killed about 25 000 people - the worst volcanic disaster in the Andean region as well as the second worst in the world in the 20th century. The Ruiz tragedy has been attributed largely to ineffective communications of hazards information and indecisiveness by government officials, rather than any major deficiencies in scientific data. Ruiz's disastrous outcome, however, together with responses to subsequent hazardous eruptions in Chile, Colombia

Middle Pleistocene volcanic activity dated by red thermoluminescence (RTL) - a case study from Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Suchodoletz, H.; Blanchard, H.; Rittner, S.; Radtke, U.; Fuchs, M.; Dietze, M.; Zöller, L.

2009-04-01

On Lanzarote (Canary Islands) soils were baked by Quaternary lava flows. This offers the possibility to date phases of eruptive activity by red thermoluminescence (RTL). We dated soil material baked by two different lava flows originating from the "Las Calderetas de Guatiza" volcanic chain in the northeast of the island by RTL. Furthermore, three samples of Helicidae-mollusk shells overlying one of the lava flows (site Mála) were dated using electron spin resonance (ESR). RTL datings were carried out using quartz grains 63-200 µm from baked material that were originally brought by eolian transport from the nearby Saharan desert. It appears that in spite of a baking temperature < 550°C the RTL-signal was sufficiently annealed and thus dating by RTL was possible. RTL ages of ca. 170 ka show good agreement with each other, however, ESR ages are up to 40 % higher than the corresponding RTL age of the lava flow in Mála. Despite this disagreement these results demonstrate that eruptive activity of the volcanic chain occurred during the Middle Pleistocene rather than during the Early Holocene/Late Pleistocene as supposed based on geomorphologic features. Furthermore, they show that 14C-ages of mollusk shells originating from Mála are underestimating volcanic activity up to a factor of 10, a problem often recorded in arid areas. These results demonstrate the value of luminescence and ESR datings on the semi arid Eastern Canary Islands. The successful dating of lava-baked soils on Lanzarote by RTL thus offers the possibility to further investigate the yet fragmentary Middle and Late Quaternary eruptive history of these islands.

The Origin of Widespread Long-lived Volcanism Across the Galapagos Volcanic Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, J. M.; Stoffers, P.; Wijbrans, J. R.; Worthington, T. J.

2005-12-01

40Ar/39Ar ages for rocks dredged (SO144 PAGANINI expedition) and drilled (DSDP) from the Galapagos Volcanic Province (Cocos, Carnegie, Coiba and Malpelo aseismic ridges and associated seamounts) show evidence of 1) increasing age with distance from the Galapagos Archipelago, 2) long-lived episodic volcanism at many locations, and 3) broad overlapping regions of coeval volcanism. The widespread nature of synchronous volcanism across the Galapagos Volcanic Province (GVP) suggests a correspondingly large Galapagos hotspot melting anomaly (O'Connor et al., 2004). Development of the GVP via Cocos and Nazca plate migration and divergence over this broad melting anomaly would explain continued multiple phases of volcanism over millions of years following the initial onset of hotspot volcanism. The question arising from these observations is whether long-lived GVP episodic volcanism is equivalent to `rejuvenescent' or a `post-erosional' phase of volcanism that occurs hundreds of thousands or million years after the main shield-building phase documented on many mid-plate seamount chains, most notably along the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain? Thus, investigating the process responsible for long-lived episodic GVP volcanism provides the opportunity to evaluate this little understood process of rejuvenation in a physical setting very different to the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain (i.e. on/near spreading axis versus mid-plate). We consider here timing and geochemical information to test the various geodynamic models proposed to explain the origin of GVP hotspot volcanism, especially the possibility of rejuvenated phases that erupt long after initial shield-building.

Control of her1 expression during zebrafish somitogenesis by a Delta-dependent oscillator and an independent wave-front activity

PubMed Central

Holley, Scott A.; Geisler, Robert; Nüsslein-Volhard, Christiane

2000-01-01

Somitogenesis has been linked both to a molecular clock that controls the oscillation of gene expression in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) and to Notch pathway signaling. The oscillator, or clock, is thought to create a prepattern of stripes of gene expression that regulates the activity of the Notch pathway that subsequently directs somite border formation. Here, we report that the zebrafish gene after eight (aei) that is required for both somitogenesis and neurogenesis encodes the Notch ligand DeltaD. Additional analysis revealed that stripes of her1 expression oscillate within the PSM and that aei/DeltaD signaling is required for this oscillation. aei/DeltaD expression does not oscillate, indicating that the activity of the Notch pathway upstream of her1 may function within the oscillator itself. Moreover, we found that her1 stripes are expressed in the anlage of consecutive somites, indicating that its expression pattern is not pair-rule. Analysis of her1 expression in aei/DeltaD, fused somites (fss), and aei;fss embryos uncovered a wave-front activity that is capable of continually inducing her1 expression de novo in the anterior PSM in the absence of the oscillation of her1. The wave-front activity, in reference to the clock and wave-front model, is defined as such because it interacts with the oscillator-derived pattern in the anterior PSM and is required for somite morphogenesis. This wave-front activity is blocked in embryos mutant for fss but not aei/DeltaD. Thus, our analysis indicates that the smooth sequence of formation, refinement, and fading of her1 stripes in the PSM is governed by two separate activities. PMID:10887161

Airborne volcanic ash; a global threat to aviation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, Christina A.; Guffanti, Marianne C.

2010-01-01

The world's busy air traffic corridors pass over or downwind of hundreds of volcanoes capable of hazardous explosive eruptions. The risk to aviation from volcanic activity is significant - in the United States alone, aircraft carry about 300,000 passengers and hundreds of millions of dollars of cargo near active volcanoes each day. Costly disruption of flight operations in Europe and North America in 2010 in the wake of a moderate-size eruption in Iceland clearly demonstrates how eruptions can have global impacts on the aviation industry. Airborne volcanic ash can be a serious hazard to aviation even hundreds of miles from an eruption. Encounters with high-concentration ash clouds can diminish visibility, damage flight control systems, and cause jet engines to fail. Encounters with low-concentration clouds of volcanic ash and aerosols can accelerate wear on engine and aircraft components, resulting in premature replacement. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with national and international partners, is playing a leading role in the international effort to reduce the risk posed to aircraft by volcanic eruptions.

Miocene volcanism in the Oaş-Gutâi Volcanic Zone, Eastern Carpathians, Romania: Relationship to geodynamic processes in the Transcarpathian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovacs, Marinel; Seghedi, Ioan; Yamamoto, Masatsugu; Fülöp, Alexandrina; Pécskay, Zoltán; Jurje, Maria

2017-12-01

We present the first comprehensive study of Miocene volcanic rocks of the Oaş-Gutâi Volcanic Zone (OGVZ), Romania, which are exposed in the eastern Transcarpathian Basin (TB), within the Eastern Alpine-Western Carpathian-Northern Pannonian (ALCAPA) block. Collision between the ALCAPA block and Europe at 18-16 Ma produced the Carpathian fold-and-thrust belt. This was followed by clockwise rotation and an extensional regime forming core complexes of the separated TB fragment. Based on petrographic and geochemical data, including Srsbnd Nd isotopic compositions and Ksbnd Ar ages, we distinguish three types of volcanic activity in the OGVZ: (1) early Miocene felsic volcanism that produced caldera-related ignimbrites in the Gutâi Mountains (15.4-14.8 Ma); (2) widespread middle-late Miocene intermediate/andesitic volcanism (13.4-7.0 Ma); and (3) minor late Miocene andesitic/rhyolitic volcanism comprising the Oraşu Nou rhyolitic volcano and several andesitic-dacitic domes in the Oaş Mountains (11.3-9.5 Ma). We show that magma evolution in the OGVZ was controlled by assimilation-fractional crystallization and magma-mixing processes within an interconnected multi-level crustal magmatic reservoir. The evolution of volcanic activity within the OGVZ was controlled by the geodynamics of the Transcarpathian Basin. The early felsic and late intermediate Miocene magmas were emplaced in a post-collisional setting and were derived from a mantle source region that was modified by subduction components (dominantly sediment melts) and lower crust. The style of volcanism within the eastern TB system exhibits spatial variations, with andesitic composite volcanoes (Gutâi Mountains) observed at the margins, and isolated andesitic-rhyolitic monogenetic volcanoes (Oaş Mountains) in the center of the basin.

The ELSA tephra stack: Volcanic activity in the Eifel during the last 500,000 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Förster, Michael W.; Sirocko, Frank

2016-07-01

Tephra layers of individual volcanic eruptions are traced in several cores from Eifel maar lakes, drilled between 1998 and 2014 by the Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive (ELSA). All sediment cores are dated by 14C and tuned to the Greenland interstadial succession. Tephra layers were characterized by the petrographic composition of basement rock fragments, glass shards and characteristic volcanic minerals. 10 marker tephra, including the well-established Laacher See Tephra and Dümpelmaar Tephra can be identified in the cores spanning the last glacial cycle. Older cores down to the beginning of the Elsterian, show numerous tephra sourced from Strombolian and phreatomagmatic eruptions, including the 40Ar/39Ar dated differentiated tephra from Glees and Hüttenberg. In total, at least 91 individual tephra can be identified since the onset of the Eifel volcanic activity at about 500,000 b2k, which marks the end of the ELSA tephra stack with 35 Strombolian, 48 phreatomagmatic and 8 tephra layers of evolved magma composition. Many eruptions cluster near timings of the global climate transitions at 140,000, 110,000 and 60,000 b2k. In total, the eruptions show a pattern, which resembles timing of phases of global sea level and continental ice sheet changes, indicating a relation between endogenic and exogenic processes.

Mammoth Mountain and its mafic periphery—A late Quaternary volcanic field in eastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judith; Champion, Duane E.; Calvert, Andrew T.

2014-01-01

The trachydacite complex of Mammoth Mountain and an array of contemporaneous mafic volcanoes in its periphery together form a discrete late Pleistocene magmatic system that is thermally and compositionally independent of the adjacent subalkaline Long Valley system (California, USA). The Mammoth system first erupted ca. 230 ka, last erupted ca. 8 ka, and remains restless and potentially active. Magmas of the Mammoth system extruded through Mesozoic plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith and extensive remnants of its prebatholith wall rocks. All of the many mafic and silicic vents of the Mammoth system are west or southwest of the structural boundary of Long Valley caldera; none is inboard of the caldera’s buried ring-fault zone, and only one Mammoth-related vent is within the zone. Mammoth Mountain has sometimes been called part of the Inyo volcanic chain, an ascription we regard inappropriate and misleading. The scattered vent array of the Mammoth system, 10 × 20 km wide, is unrelated to the range-front fault zone, and its broad nonlinear footprint ignores both Long Valley caldera and the younger Mono-Inyo range-front vent alignment. Moreover, the Mammoth Mountain dome complex (63%–71% SiO2; 8.0%–10.5% alkalies) ended its period of eruptive activity (100–50 ka) long before Holocene inception of Inyo volcanism. Here we describe 25 silicic eruptive units that built Mammoth Mountain and 37 peripheral units, which include 13 basalts, 15 mafic andesites, 6 andesites, and 3 dacites. Chemical data are appended for nearly 900 samples, as are paleomagnetic data for ∼150 sites drilled. The 40Ar/39Ar dates (230–16 ka) are given for most units, and all exposed units are younger than ca. 190 ka. Nearly all are mildly alkaline, in contrast to the voluminous subalkaline rhyolites of the contiguous long-lived Long Valley magma system. Glaciated remnants of Neogene mafic and trachydacitic lavas (9.1–2.6 Ma) are scattered near Mammoth Mountain, but Quaternary

Satellite Derived Volcanic Ash Product Inter-Comparison in Support to SCOPE-Nowcasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddans, Richard; Thomas, Gareth; Pavolonis, Mike; Bojinski, Stephan

2016-04-01

In support of aeronautical meteorological services, WMO organized a satellite-based volcanic ash retrieval algorithm inter-comparison activity, to improve the consistency of quantitative volcanic ash products from satellites, under the Sustained, Coordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Nowcasting (SCOPEe Nowcasting) initiative (http:/ jwww.wmo.int/pagesjprogjsatjscopee nowcasting_en.php). The aims of the intercomparison were as follows: 1. Select cases (Sarychev Peak 2009, Eyjafyallajökull 2010, Grimsvötn 2011, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle 2011, Kirishimayama 2011, Kelut 2014), and quantify the differences between satellite-derived volcanic ash cloud properties derived from different techniques and sensors; 2. Establish a basic validation protocol for satellite-derived volcanic ash cloud properties; 3. Document the strengths and weaknesses of different remote sensing approaches as a function of satellite sensor; 4. Standardize the units and quality flags associated with volcanic cloud geophysical parameters; 5. Provide recommendations to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) and other users on how to best to utilize quantitative satellite products in operations; 6. Create a "road map" for future volcanic ash related scientific developments and inter-comparison/validation activities that can also be applied to SO2 clouds and emergent volcanic clouds. Volcanic ash satellite remote sensing experts from operational and research organizations were encouraged to participate in the inter-comparison activity, to establish the plans for the inter-comparison and to submit data sets. RAL was contracted by EUMETSAT to perform a systematic inter-comparison of all submitted datasets and results were reported at the WMO International Volcanic Ash Inter-comparison Meeting to held on 29 June - 2 July 2015 in Madison, WI, USA (http:/ /cimss.ssec.wisc.edujmeetings/vol_ash14). 26 different data sets were submitted, from a range of passive imagers and spectrometers and

A Decade of Volcanic Observations from Aura and the A-Train

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carn, Simon A.; Krotkov, Nickolay Anatoly; Yang, Kai; Krueger, Arlin J.; Hughes, Eric J.; Wang, Jun; Flower, Verity; Telling, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Aura observations have made many seminal contributions to volcanology. Prior to the Aura launch, satellite observations of volcanic degassing (e.g., from TOMS) were mostly restricted to large eruptions. However, the vast majority of volcanic gases are released during quiescent 'passive' degassing between eruptions. The improved sensitivity of Aura OMI permitted the first daily, space-borne measurements of passive volcanic SO2 degassing, providing improved constraints on the source locations and magnitude of global SO2 emissions for input to atmospheric chemistry and climate models. As a result of this unique sensitivity to volcanic activity, OMI data were also the first satellite SO2 measurements to be routinely used for volcano monitoring at several volcano observatories worldwide. Furthermore, the Aura OMI SO2 data also offer unprecedented sensitivity to volcanic clouds in the UTLS, elucidating the transport, fate and lifetime of volcanic SO2 and providing critical input to aviation hazard mitigation efforts. Another major advance has been the improved vertical resolution of volcanic clouds made possible by synergy between Aura and other A-Train instruments (e.g., AIRS, CALIPSO, CloudSat), advanced UV SO2 altitude retrievals, and inverse trajectory modeling of detailed SO2 cloud maps. This altitude information is crucial for climate models and aviation hazards. We will review some of the highlights of a decade of Aura observations of volcanic activity and look ahead to the future of volcanic observations from space.

A new comprehensive database of global volcanic gas analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clor, L. E.; Fischer, T. P.; Lehnert, K. A.; McCormick, B.; Hauri, E. H.

2013-12-01

Volcanic volatiles are the driving force behind eruptions, powerful indicators of magma provenance, present localized hazards, and have implications for climate. Studies of volcanic emissions are necessary for understanding volatile cycling from the mantle to the atmosphere. Gas compositions vary with volcanic activity, making it important to track their chemical variability over time. As studies become increasingly interdisciplinary, it is critical to have a mechanism to integrate decades of gas studies across disciplines. Despite the value of this research to a variety of fields, there is currently no integrated network to house all volcanic and hydrothermal gas data, making spatial, temporal, and interdisciplinary comparison studies time-consuming. To remedy this, we are working to establish a comprehensive database of volcanic gas emissions and compositions worldwide, as part of the Deep Carbon Observatory's DECADE (Deep Carbon Degassing) initiative. Volcanic gas data have been divided into two broad categories: 1) chemical analyses from samples collected directly at the volcanic source, and 2) measurements of gas concentrations and fluxes, such as remotely by mini-DOAS or satellite, or in-plume such as by multiGAS. The gas flux database effort is realized by the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (abstract by Brendan McCormick, this meeting). The direct-sampling data is the subject of this presentation. Data from direct techniques include samples of gases collected at the volcanic source from fumaroles and springs, tephras analyzed for gas contents, filter pack samples of gases collected in a plume, and any other data types that involve collection of a sample. Data are incorporated into the existing framework of the Petrological Database, PetDB. Association with PetDB is advantageous as it will allow volcanic gas data to be linked to chemical data from lava or tephra samples, forming more complete ties between the eruptive products and the

Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes.

PubMed

von Glasow, Roland

2010-04-13

Recent field observations have shown that the atmospheric plumes of quiescently degassing volcanoes are chemically very active, pointing to the role of chemical cycles involving halogen species and heterogeneous reactions on aerosol particles that have previously been unexplored for this type of volcanic plumes. Key features of these measurements can be reproduced by numerical models such as the one employed in this study. The model shows sustained high levels of reactive bromine in the plume, leading to extensive ozone destruction, that, depending on plume dispersal, can be maintained for several days. The very high concentrations of sulfur dioxide in the volcanic plume reduces the lifetime of the OH radical drastically, so that it is virtually absent in the volcanic plume. This would imply an increased lifetime of methane in volcanic plumes, unless reactive chlorine chemistry in the plume is strong enough to offset the lack of OH chemistry. A further effect of bromine chemistry in addition to ozone destruction shown by the model studies presented here, is the oxidation of mercury. This relates to mercury that has been coemitted with bromine from the volcano but also to background atmospheric mercury. The rapid oxidation of mercury implies a drastically reduced atmospheric lifetime of mercury so that the contribution of volcanic mercury to the atmospheric background might be less than previously thought. However, the implications, especially health and environmental effects due to deposition, might be substantial and warrant further studies, especially field measurements to test this hypothesis.

Application of ASAR-ENVISAT Data for Monitoring Andean Volcanic Activity : Results From Lastarria-Azufre Volcanic Complex (Chile-Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froger, J.; Remy, D.; Bonvalot, S.; Franco Guerra, M.

2005-12-01

Since the pioneer study on Mount Etna by Massonnet et al., in 1995, several works have illustrated the promising potentiality of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (INSAR) for the monitoring of volcanoes. In the case of wide, remote or hazardous volcanic areas, in particular, INSAR represents a safer and more economic way to acquire measurements than from ground based geodetic networks. Here we present the preliminary results of an interferometric survey made with ASAR-ENVISAT data on a selection of South American volcanoes where deformation signals had been previously evidenced or are expected. An interesting result is the detection of a present-day active ground deformation on the Azufre-Lastarria area (Chile-Argentina) indicating that process, identified during 1998-2000 by Pritchard and Simmons (2004) from ERS data, is still active. The phase signal visible on ASAR interferograms (03/2003-06/2005) is roughly elliptical with a 45 km NNE-SSW major axis. Its amplitude increases as a function of time and is compatible with ground uplift in the line of sight of the satellite. The ASAR time series (up to 840 days, 7 ASAR images) indicates variable deformation rate that might confirm the hypothesis of a non uniform deformation process. We investigated the origin and the significance of the deformation using various source modelling strategies (analytical and numerical). The observed deformation can be explained by the infilling of an elliptical magmatic reservoir lying between 7 and 10 km depth. The deformation could represent the first stage of a new caldera forming as it is correlated with a large, although subtle, topographic depression surrounded by a crown of monogenetic centers. A short wavelength inflation has also been detected on Lastaria volcano. It could result from the on-going infilling of a small subsurface magmatic reservoir, eventually supplied by the deeper one. All these observations point out the need of a closer monitoring of this area in

Submarine Volcanic Eruptions and Potential Analogs for Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L.; Mouginismark, P. J.; Fryer, P.; Gaddis, L. R.

1985-01-01

As part of an analysis program to better understand the diversity of volcanic processes on the terrestrial planets, an investigation of the volcanic landforms which exist on the Earth's ocean floor was initiated. In part, this analysis is focused toward gaining a better understanding of submarine volcanic landforms in their own right, but also it is hoped that these features may show similarities to volcanic landforms on Venus, due to the high ambient water (Earth) and atmospheric (Venus) pressures. A series of numerical modelling experiments was performed to investigate the relative importance of such attributes as water pressure and temperature on the eruption process, and to determine the rate of cooling and emplacement of lava flows in the submarine environment. Investigations to date show that the confining water pressure and the buoyancy effects of the surrounding water significantly affect the styles of volcanism on the ocean floor. In the case of Venusian volcanism, confining pressures will not be as great as that found at the ocean's abyssal plains, but nevertheless the general trend toward reducing magma vesiculation will hold true for Venus as well as the ocean floor. Furthermore, other analogs may also be found between submarine volcanism and Venusian activity.

Permian plate margin volcanism and tuffs in adjacent basins of west Gondwana: Age constraints and common characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Gamundí, Oscar

2006-12-01

Increasing evidence of Permian volcanic activity along the South American portion of the Gondwana proto-Pacific margin has directed attention to its potential presence in the stratigraphic record of adjacent basins. In recent years, tuffaceous horizons have been identified in late Early Permian-through Middle Permian (280-260 Ma) sections of the Paraná Basin (Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Farther south and closer to the magmatic tract developed along the continental margin, in the San Rafael and Sauce Grande basins of Argentina, tuffs are present in the Early to Middle Permian section. This tuff-rich interval can be correlated with the appearance of widespread tuffs in the Karoo Basin. Although magmatic activity along the proto-Pacific plate margin was continuous during the Late Paleozoic, Choiyoi silicic volcanism along the Andean Cordillera and its equivalent in Patagonia peaked between the late Early Permian and Middle Permian, when extensive rhyolitic ignimbrites and consanguineous airborne tuffaceous material erupted in the northern Patagonian region. The San Rafael orogenic phase (SROP) interrupted sedimentation along the southwestern segment of the Gondwana margin (i.e., Frontal Cordillera, San Rafael Basin), induced cratonward thrusting (i.e., Ventana and Cape foldbelts), and triggered accelerated subsidence in the adjacent basins (Sauce Grande and Karoo) located inboard of the deformation front. This accelerated subsidence favored the preservation of tuffaceous horizons in the syntectonic successions. The age constraints and similarities in composition between the volcanics along the continental margin and the tuffaceous horizons in the San Rafael, Sauce Grande, Paraná, and Karoo basins strongly suggest a genetic linkage between the two episodes. Radiometric ages from tuffs in the San Rafael, Paraná, and Karoo basins indicate an intensely tuffaceous interval between 280 and 260 Ma.

Ice in Volcanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Few, A. A.

2010-12-01

It is widely recognized that lightning activity in thunderstorm clouds is associated with ice in the clouds. In volcanic plumes the lower electrical discharges near the vent are clearly not associated with ice; however, the electrical discharges from the upper volcanic clouds very likely are associated with ice. There is ample water in volcanic plumes and clouds. The explosive volcanic eruption is produced by volatile components in the rising magma. Researchers estimate that the water content of the volatiles is up to 99% by mole; other gases are mainly sulfur and chlorine species. These volatiles carry with them a wide range of hot magma melts and solids, importantly silicate particles and tephra. The more massive components fall out near the vent carrying with them much of the heat from the plume; these large components are not in thermodynamic equilibrium with the gases, ash, and lapilli; thus the heat removed does not lower the temperature of the materials carried aloft in the plume. Upward motion is initially provided by the thrust from the volcanic eruption, then by buoyancy of the hot plume. The rising plume is cooled by entrainment of environmental air, which contains water, and by adiabatic expansion; the plume transitions into a volcanic cloud. Further lifting and cooling produces supercooled water droplets (T ~ -5 C) in a limited zone (z ~ 9 km) before the fast updraft (~ 60 m/s) rapidly transforms them into ice. Computer models of volcanic clouds that include water and ice microphysics indicate that the latent heat of condensation is not significant in cloud dynamics because it occurs in a region where buoyancy is provided by the original hot plume material. The latent heat of ice formation occurs at higher and colder levels and seems to contribute to the final lifting of the cloud top by ~1.5km. Laboratory results indicate that the fine silicate ash particles, which are abundant, are good ice nuclei, IN. Because of the abundance of the silicate ash

Is the track of the Yellowstone hotspot driven by a deep mantle plume? — Review of volcanism, faulting, and uplift in light of new data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierce, Kenneth L.; Morgan, Lisa A.

2009-11-01

) "large volume (> 7000 km 3)", and high temperature rhyolitic eruptions (> 1000 °C) along a ~ 200-km-wide east-west band. The broad transition area required a heat source of comparable area. Differing characteristics of the volcanic fields here may in part be due to variations in crustal composition but also may reflect development in differing parts of an evolving plume where the older fields may reflect the eruption from several volcanic centers located above very large and extensive rhyolitic magma chamber(s) over the detached plume head while the younger fields may signal the arrival of the plume tail intercepting and melting the lithosphere and generating a more focused rhyolitic magma chamber. The three youngest volcanic fields of the hotspot track started with large ignimbrite eruptions at 10.21, 6.62, and 2.05 Ma. They indicate hotspot migration N55° E at ~ 25 km/m.y. compatible in direction and velocity with the North American Plate motion. The Yellowstone Crescent of High Terrain (YCHT) flares outward ahead of the volcanic progression in a pattern similar to a bow-wave, and thus favors a sub-lithospheric driver. Estimates of YCHT-uplift rates are between 0.1 and 0.4 mm/yr. Drainage divides have migrated northeastward with the hotspot. The Continental Divide and a radial drainage pattern now centers on the hotspot. The largest geoid anomaly in the conterminous U.S. is also centered on Yellowstone and, consistent with uplift above a mantle plume. Bands of late Cenozoic faulting extend south and west from Yellowstone. These bands are subdivided into belts based both on recency of offset and range-front height. Fault history within these belts suggests the following pattern: Belt I — starting activity but little accumulated offset; Belt II — peak activity with high total offset and activity younger than 14 ka; Belt III — waning activity with large offset and activity younger than 140 ka; and Belt IV — apparently dead on substantial range fronts (south side

[Effects of volcanic eruptions on human health in Iceland. Review].

PubMed

Gudmundsson, Gunnar; Larsen, Guðrun

2016-01-01

Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland and have caused health problems ever since the settlement of Iceland. Here we describe volcanic activity and the effects of volcanic gases and ash on human health in Iceland. Volcanic gases expelled during eruptions can be highly toxic for humans if their concentrations are high, irritating the mucus membranes of the eyes and upper respiratory tract at lower concentrations. They can also be very irritating to the skin. Volcanic ash is also irritating for the mucus membranes of the eyes and upper respiratory tract. The smalles particles of volcanic ash can reach the alveoli of the lungs. Described are four examples of volcanic eruptions that have affected the health of Icelanders. The eruption of Laki volcanic fissure in 1783-1784 is the volcanic eruption that has caused the highest mortality and had the greatest effects on the well-being of Icelanders. Despite multiple volcanic eruptions during the last decades in Iceland mortality has been low and effects on human health have been limited, although studies on longterm effects are lacking. Studies on the effects of the Eyjafjallajökul eruption in 2010 on human health showed increased physical and mental symptoms, especially in those having respiratory disorders. The Directorate of Health in Iceland and other services have responded promptly to recurrent volcanic eruptions over the last few years and given detailed instructions on how to minimize the effects on the public health. Key words: volcanic eruptions, Iceland, volcanic ash, volcanic gases, health effects, mortality. Correspondence: Gunnar Guðmundsson, ggudmund@landspitali.is.

The onset of the volcanism in the Ciomadul Volcanic Dome Complex (Eastern Carpathians): Eruption chronology and magma type variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molnár, Kata; Harangi, Szabolcs; Lukács, Réka; Dunkl, István; Schmitt, Axel K.; Kiss, Balázs; Garamhegyi, Tamás; Seghedi, Ioan

2018-04-01

Combined zircon U-Th-Pb and (U-Th)/He dating was applied to refine the eruption chronology of the last 2 Myr for the andesitic and dacitic Pilişca volcano and Ciomadul Volcanic Dome Complex (CVDC), the youngest volcanic area of the Carpathian-Pannonian region, located in the southernmost Harghita, eastern-central Europe. The proposed eruption ages, which are supported also by the youngest zircon crystallization ages, are much younger than the previously determined K/Ar ages. By dating every known eruption center in the CVDC, repose times between eruptive events were also accurately determined. Eruption of the andesite at Murgul Mare (1865 ± 87 ka) and dacite of the Pilişca volcanic complex (1640 ± 37 ka) terminated an earlier pulse of volcanic activity within the southernmost Harghita region, west of the Olt valley. This was followed by the onset of the volcanism in the CVDC, which occurred after several 100s kyr of eruptive quiescence. At ca. 1 Ma a significant change in the composition of erupted magma occurred from medium-K calc-alkaline compositions to high-K dacitic (Baba-Laposa dome at 942 ± 65 ka) and shoshonitic magmas (Malnaş and Bixad domes; 964 ± 46 ka and 907 ± 66 ka, respectively). Noteworthy, eruptions of magmas with distinct chemical compositions occurred within a restricted area, a few km from one another. These oldest lava domes of the CVDC form a NNE-SSW striking tectonic lineament along the Olt valley. Following a brief (ca. 100 kyr) hiatus, extrusion of high-K andesitic magma continued at Dealul Mare (842 ± 53 ka). After another ca. 200 kyr period of quiescence two high-K dacitic lava domes extruded (Puturosul: 642 ± 44 ka and Balvanyos: 583 ± 30 ka). The Turnul Apor lava extrusion occurred after a ca. 200 kyr repose time (at 344 ± 33 ka), whereas formation of the Haramul Mic lava dome (154 ± 16 ka) represents the onset of the development of the prominent Ciomadul volcano. The accurate determination of eruption dates shows that the

Volcanic Structures Within Niger and Dao Valles, Mars, and Implications for Outflow Channel Evolution and Hellas Basin Rim Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korteniemi, J.; Kukkonen, S.

2018-04-01

Outflow channel formation on the eastern Hellas rim region is traditionally thought to have been triggered by activity phases of the nearby volcanoes Hadriacus and Tyrrhenus Montes: As a result of volcanic heating subsurface volatiles were mobilized. It is, however, under debate, whether eastern Hellas volcanism was in fact more extensive, and if there were volcanic centers separate from the identified central volcanoes. This work describes previously unrecognized structures in the Niger-Dao Valles outflow channel complex. We interpret them as volcanic edifices: cones, a shield, and a caldera. The structures provide evidence of an additional volcanic center within the valles and indicate volcanic activity both prior to and following the formation of the outflow events. They expand the extent, type, and duration of volcanic activity in the Circum-Hellas Volcanic Province and provide new information on interaction between volcanism and fluvial activity.

Geochemical and Isotopic Evidences of the Magmatic Sources in the Eastern Sector of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: Xihuingo-Chichicuautla Volcanic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valadez, S.; Martinez-serrano, R.; Juarez-Lopez, K.; Solis-Pichardo, G.; Perez-Arvizu, O.

2011-12-01

The study of magmatism in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) has great importance due to several features such as its obliquity with respect to the Middle American Trench and its petrological and geochemical variability, which are not common in most typical volcanic arcs. Although several papers have contributed significantly to the understanding of most important magmatic processes in this province, there are still several questions such as the characterization of magmatic sources. In the present work, we provide new stratigraphic, petrographic, geochemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data as well as some K-Ar age determinations from the Xihuingo-Chichicuautla volcanic field (XCVF), located at the eastern part of the TMVB, with the aim to identify the magmatic sources that produced the main volcanic rocks. The volcanic structures in the XCVF are divided in two main groups according to the petrographic and geochemical compositions: 1) dacitic domes, andesitic lava flows and some dacitic-rhyolitic ignimbrites and 2) scoria cones, shield volcanoes and associated lava flows of basalt to basaltic-andesite composition. Distribution of most volcanic structures is probably controlled by NE-SW fault and fractures system. This fault system was studied by other authors who established that volcanic activity started ca. 13.5 Ma ago, followed by a volcanic hiatus of ca. 10 Ma, and the late volcanic activity began ca. 3 to 1 Ma. In this work we dated 2 rock samples by K-Ar method, which yielded ages of 402 and 871 Ka, which correspond to the most recent volcanic activity in this study area. The volcanic rocks of the XCVF display compositions from basalts to rhyolites but in general all rocks show trace element patterns typical of magmatic arcs. However, we can identify two main magmatic sources: a depleted magmatic source represented by dacitic-andesitic rocks which present a LILE enrichment with respect to HFSE indicating that a magmatic source was modified by fluids

Volcanic Plume Measurements with UAV (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, H.; Kaneko, T.; Ohminato, T.

2013-12-01

Volatiles in magmas are the driving force of volcanic eruptions and quantification of volcanic gas flux and composition is important for the volcano monitoring. Recently we developed a portable gas sensor system (Multi-GAS) to quantify the volcanic gas composition by measuring volcanic plumes and obtained volcanic gas compositions of actively degassing volcanoes. As the Multi-GAS measures variation of volcanic gas component concentrations in the pumped air (volcanic plume), we need to bring the apparatus into the volcanic plume. Commonly the observer brings the apparatus to the summit crater by himself but such measurements are not possible under conditions of high risk of volcanic eruption or difficulty to approach the summit due to topography etc. In order to overcome these difficulties, volcanic plume measurements were performed by using manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. The volcanic plume measurements by manned aerial vehicles, however, are also not possible under high risk of eruption. The strict regulation against the modification of the aircraft, such as installing sampling pipes, also causes difficulty due to the high cost. Application of the UAVs for the volcanic plume measurements has a big advantage to avoid these problems. The Multi-GAS consists of IR-CO2 and H2O gas analyzer, SO2-H2O chemical sensors and H2 semiconductor sensor and the total weight ranges 3-6 kg including batteries. The necessary conditions of the UAV for the volcanic plumes measurements with the Multi-GAS are the payloads larger than 3 kg, maximum altitude larger than the plume height and installation of the sampling pipe without contamination of the exhaust gases, as the exhaust gases contain high concentrations of H2, SO2 and CO2. Up to now, three different types of UAVs were applied for the measurements; Kite-plane (Sky Remote) at Miyakejima operated by JMA, Unmanned airplane (Air Photo Service) at Shinomoedake, Kirishima volcano, and Unmanned helicopter (Yamaha) at Sakurajima

Exploring Interactions Between Subduction Zone Earthquakes and Volcanic Activity in the South Central Alaskan Subduction Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanagan, K. M.; Richardson, E.

2012-12-01

Although great earthquakes such as the recent moment-magnitude (M) 9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake have been shown to trigger remote seismicity in volcanoes, the extent to which subduction zone earthquakes can trigger shallow seismic swarms at volcanoes is largely unexplored. Unknowns in this relationship include the upper limit of distance, the lower limit of magnitude, the upper time limit between events, and the effects of rupture directivity. We searched the Advanced National Seismic System earthquake catalog from 1989 - 2011 for correlations in space and time between M > 5.0 earthquakes in the south central Alaskan subduction zone (between 58.5°N and 62.5°N, and 150.7°W and 154.7°W) and volcanic activity at Mt. Redoubt, Mt. Iliamna, and Mt. Spurr volcanoes. There are 48 earthquakes M > 5 in this catalog; five of these are M > 6. The depths of the 48 M>5 events range from 49km to 220km, and they are all between 100km and 350km of the three volcanoes. Preliminary analysis of our catalog shows that four of the five M > 6 earthquakes are followed by a volcanic earthquake swarm at either Redoubt or Spurr within 100 days, and three of them are followed by a volcanic earthquake swarm within a month. None of these events correlated in space and time with swarms at Mt. Iliamna. We are also searching for swarms and moderate earthquakes occurring in time windows far removed from each other. The likeliest case of remotely triggered seismicity in our search area to date occurred on January 24 2009, when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake beneath the Kenai Peninsula at 59.4°N, 152.8°W, and 95km depth was immediately followed by an increase of volcanic activity at Mt. Redoubt approximately 153km away. The first swarm began on Jan 25 2009. On Jan 30 2009, volcanologists at the Alaskan Volcano observatory determined the increased volcanic seismicity was indicative of an impending eruption. Mt. Redoubt erupted on March 15 2009. Proposed mechanisms for triggering of volcanoes by

Satellite observations of the impact of weak volcanic activity on marine clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gassó, Santiago

2008-07-01

Because emissions from weak volcanic eruptions tend to remain in the low troposphere, they may have a significant radiative impact through the indirect effect on clouds. However, this type of volcanic activity is underreported and its global impact has been assessed only by model simulations constrained with very limited observations. First observations of the impact of high-latitude active volcanoes on marine boundary layer clouds are reported here. These observations were made using a combination of standard derived products and visible images from the MODIS, AMSR-E and GOES detectors. Two distinctive effects are identified. When there is an existing boundary layer cloud deck, an increase in cloud brightness and a decrease in both cloud effective radius and liquid water content were observed immediately downwind of the volcanoes. The visible appearance of these "volcano tracks" resembles the effect of man-made ship tracks. When synoptic conditions favor low cloudiness, the volcano plume (or volcano cloud) increases significantly the cloud cover downwind. The volcano cloud can extend for hundreds of kilometers until mixing with background clouds. Unlike violent eruptions, the volcano clouds reported here (the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific and the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic) have retrieved microphysical properties similar to those observed in ship tracks. However, when comparing the volcano clouds from these two regions, liquid water content can decrease, increase or remain unchanged with respect to nearby unperturbed clouds. These differences suggest that composition at the source, type of eruption and meteorological conditions influence the evolution of the cloud.

Assessment of the atmospheric impact of volcanic eruptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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.

Structural features related to the volcanic gases in Southern Okinawa Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, H. F.; Hsu, S. K.; Tsia, C. H.; Chen, S. C.; Wu, M. F.

2016-12-01

The Okinawa Trough is a rifted back-arc basin, heavily sedimented and formed in an intracontinental rift zone behind the Ryukyu trench-arc system. The Southern Okinawa Trough (SOT) east of Taiwan is the place where post-collisional extension happened. The collision moved southwestward and the Ryukyu trench-arc extension westward, Arc volcanism is dominant in the Northern Ryukyu volcanic arc and back-arc volcanism in the Southern Okinawa Trough. Marine geophysical data including side-scan sonar (SSS), sub-bottom profiler (SBP) and echo sounder system (EK60) data are used in this study. Active fluid activities out of seafloor are obvious from various images observed on these data, such as gas plumes. These hydrothermal vents have been located at a water depth of 1400 m. Our preliminary results show that gas seepage structures appear in the location where is a week zone, such as a normal fault in the slope. The hydrothermal activity within the Okinawa Trough is associated with volcanism located in rift zones in the Southern Okinawa Trough. However, the origin of the submarine hydrothermal fluids within the Okinawa Trough is diverse with contributions from volcanic, sedimentary and magmatic sources, needed further investigations.

Generalized internal model robust control for active front steering intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jian; Zhao, Youqun; Ji, Xuewu; Liu, Yahui; Zhang, Lipeng

2015-03-01

Because of the tire nonlinearity and vehicle's parameters' uncertainties, robust control methods based on the worst cases, such as H ∞, µ synthesis, have been widely used in active front steering control, however, in order to guarantee the stability of active front steering system (AFS) controller, the robust control is at the cost of performance so that the robust controller is a little conservative and has low performance for AFS control. In this paper, a generalized internal model robust control (GIMC) that can overcome the contradiction between performance and stability is used in the AFS control. In GIMC, the Youla parameterization is used in an improved way. And GIMC controller includes two sections: a high performance controller designed for the nominal vehicle model and a robust controller compensating the vehicle parameters' uncertainties and some external disturbances. Simulations of double lane change (DLC) maneuver and that of braking on split- µ road are conducted to compare the performance and stability of the GIMC control, the nominal performance PID controller and the H ∞ controller. Simulation results show that the high nominal performance PID controller will be unstable under some extreme situations because of large vehicle's parameters variations, H ∞ controller is conservative so that the performance is a little low, and only the GIMC controller overcomes the contradiction between performance and robustness, which can both ensure the stability of the AFS controller and guarantee the high performance of the AFS controller. Therefore, the GIMC method proposed for AFS can overcome some disadvantages of control methods used by current AFS system, that is, can solve the instability of PID or LQP control methods and the low performance of the standard H ∞ controller.

Morpho-structural evolution of a volcanic island developed inside an active oceanic rift: S. Miguel Island (Terceira Rift, Azores)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibrant, A. L. R.; Hildenbrand, A.; Marques, F. O.; Weiss, B.; Boulesteix, T.; Hübscher, C.; Lüdmann, T.; Costa, A. C. G.; Catalão, J. C.

2015-08-01

The evolution of volcanic islands is generally marked by fast construction phases alternating with destruction by a variety of mass-wasting processes. More specifically, volcanic islands located in areas of intense regional deformation can be particularly prone to gravitational destabilisation. The island of S. Miguel (Azores) has developed during the last 1 Myr inside the active Terceira Rift, a major tectonic structure materializing the present boundary between the Eurasian and Nubian lithospheric plates. In this work, we depict the evolution of the island, based on high-resolution DEM data, stratigraphic and structural analyses, high-precision K-Ar dating on separated mineral phases, and offshore data (bathymetry and seismic profiles). The new results indicate that: (1) the oldest volcanic complex (Nordeste), composing the easternmost part of the island, was dominantly active between ca. 850 and 750 ka, and was subsequently affected by a major south-directed flank collapse. (2) Between at least 500 ka and 250 ka, the landslide depression was massively filled by a thick lava succession erupted from volcanic cones and domes distributed along the main E-W collapse scar. (3) Since 250 kyr, the western part of this succession (Furnas area) was affected by multiple vertical collapses; associated plinian eruptions produced large pyroclastic deposits, here dated at ca. 60 ka and less than 25 ka. (4) During the same period, the eastern part of the landslide scar was enlarged by retrogressive erosion, producing the large Povoação valley, which was gradually filled by sediments and young volcanic products. (5) The Fogo volcano, in the middle of S. Miguel, is here dated between ca. 270 and 17 ka, and was affected by, at least, one southwards flank collapse. (6) The Sete Cidades volcano, in the western end of the island, is here dated between ca. 91 and 13 ka, and experienced mutliple caldera collapses; a landslide to the North is also suspected from the presence of a

AVAL - The ASTER Volcanic Ash Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, D.; Ramsey, M. S.

2016-12-01

. These results provide particle size distributions within actively-erupting volcanic plumes for the first time in high resolution, and the petrologic information is being studied to understand the underlying eruptive processes observed.

Surface and subsurface facies architecture of a small hydroexplosive, rhyolitic centre in the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics, South Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roache, M. W.; Allen, S. R.; McPhie, J.

2000-12-01

At Menninnie Dam, South Australia, a drilling program has revealed a complete section through the subsurface feeder system and erupted products of a small, hydroexplosive, rhyolitic centre within the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics. Porphyritic rhyolite intruded near-vertical faults in the Palaeoproterozoic basement and at less than a few hundred metres depth, interacted with fault-hosted (hot?) groundwater. Hydrofracturing of the wall rock occurred in advance of and at the margins of the rhyolitic intrusions. The rhyolitic intrusions have peperitic margins and grade into discordant lithic-rich PB facies. The advancing fragmentation front intersected the palaeosurface, triggering phreatic eruptions that deposited a poorly sorted, lithic-rich explosion breccia. Rhyolite then rose to the surface through the intrusive breccias and shallow-seated magma-water interaction occurred in the conduit within <50 m of the surface. As the magma discharge rate increased, ;dry; explosive activity prevailed. A fall deposit, the top of which is welded, was deposited close to the vent, and in more distal locations (>800 m from the inferred source), the products include muddy sandstone and pumice breccia. At the end of the eruption, rhyolitic lava was extruded in the form of a small dome. The presence of contemporaneous Pb-Zn-Ag mineralisation in the wall rocks suggests that an active hydrothermal system may have been involved in the formation of the Menninnie Dam hydroexplosive volcanic centre.

Soil gas 222Rn and volcanic activity at El Hierro (Canary Islands) before and after the 2011 submarine eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padilla, G.; Hernández, P. A.; Padrón, E.; Barrancos, J.; Melián, G.; Dionis, S.; Rodríguez, F.; Nolasco, D.; Calvo, D.; Hernández, I.; Pereza, M. D.; Pérez, N. M.

2012-04-01

El Hierro (278 km2) is the southwesternmost island of the Canarian archipelago. From June 19, 2011 to January 2012, more than 11,950 seismic events have been detected by the seismic network of IGN. On 10 October 2011 the earthquake swarm changed its behaviour and produced a harmonic tremor due to magma movement, indicating that a submarine eruption located at 2 km south of La Restinga had started which is still in progress. Since 2003, the ITER Environmental Research Division now integrated in the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias, INVOLCAN, has regularly performed soil gas surveys at El Hierro as a geochemical tool for volcanic surveillance. Among the investigated gases, soil gas radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) have played a special attention. Both gases are characterized to ascend towards the surface mainly through cracks or faults via diffusion or advection, mechanisms dependent of both soil porosity and permeability, which in turn vary as a function of the stress/strain changes at depth. Years before the starts of the volcanic-seismic crisis on July 17, 2011, a volcanic multidisciplinary surveillance program was implemented at El Hierro including discrete and continuous measurements of 222Rn and 220Rn. Two soil gas 222Rn surveys had been carried out at El Hierro in 2003 and 2011, and four continuous geochemical monitoring stations for 222Rn and 220Rn measurements had been installed (HIE02, HIE03, HIE04 and HIE08). Soil gas 222Rn surveys were carried out at the surface environment of El Hierro after selecting 600 sampling observation sites (about 40 cm depth). Geochemical stations measure 222Rn and 220Rn activities by pumping the gas from a PVC pipe inserted 1m in the ground and thermally isolated. The results of the 2003 and 2011 soil gas 222Rn surveys show clearly a relatively higher observed 222Rn activities in the surface environment on 2011 than those observed on 2003 when no anomalous seismicity were taking place beneath El Hierro. The observed

Holocene volcanism of the upper McKenzie River catchment, central Oregon Cascades, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Deligne, Natalia I.; Conrey, Richard M.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Champion, Duane E.; Amidon, William H.

2016-01-01

To assess the complexity of eruptive activity within mafic volcanic fields, we present a detailed geologic investigation of Holocene volcanism in the upper McKenzie River catchment in the central Oregon Cascades, United States. We focus on the Sand Mountain volcanic field, which covers 76 km2 and consists of 23 vents, associated tephra deposits, and lava fields. We find that the Sand Mountain volcanic field was active for a few decades around 3 ka and involved at least 13 eruptive units. Despite the small total volume erupted (∼1 km3 dense rock equivalent [DRE]), Sand Mountain volcanic field lava geochemistry indicates that erupted magmas were derived from at least two, and likely three, different magma sources. Single units erupted from one or more vents, and field data provide evidence of both vent migration and reoccupation. Overall, our study shows that mafic volcanism was clustered in space and time, involved both explosive and effusive behavior, and tapped several magma sources. These observations provide important insights on possible future hazards from mafic volcanism in the central Oregon Cascades.

Timing and compositional evolution of Late Pleistocene to Holocene volcanism within the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stelten, M. E.; Downs, D. T.; Dietterich, H. R.

2017-12-01

Harrat Rahat is one of the largest ( 20,000 km2) of 15 active Cenozoic volcanic fields that stretch 3,000 km along the western Arabian Peninsula from Yemen to Syria. The Harrat Rahat volcanic field is 310 km long (N-S) by 75 km wide (E-W), and is dominated by alkalic basalts with minor hawaiite, mugearite, benmoreite, and trachyte eruptives. The timing of volcanism within greater Harrat Rahat is poorly constrained, but field relations and geochronology indicate that northern Harrat Rahat hosted the most recent eruptions. To better constrain the timing and compositional evolution of Harrat Rahat during this recent phase, we present 743 geochemical analyses, 144 40Ar/39Ar ages, and 9 36Cl exposure ages for volcanic strata from northernmost Harrat Rahat. These data demonstrate that volcanism has been ongoing from at least 1.2 Ma to the present, with the most recent eruption known from historical accounts at 1256 CE. Basalt has erupted persistently from 1.2 Ma to the present, but more evolved volcanism has been episodic. Benmoreite erupted at 1.1 Ma and between 550 to 400 ka. Trachytic volcanism has only occurred over the past 150 ka, with the most recent eruption at 5 ka. Aside from the well-documented basaltic eruption at 1256 CE, prior workers interpreted 6 additional basaltic eruptions during the Holocene. However, our 36Cl exposure ages demonstrate that these erupted between 60 to 13 ka. Interestingly, in the northern part of our field area, where the spatial density of volcanic vents is low, young volcanism (<150 ka) is dominated by basaltic eruptions. Conversely, young volcanism in the southern part of our field area, where volcanic vent density is high, is dominated by trachyte. This observation is consistent with a process wherein the time-integrated effects of basaltic influx into the crust in the south produced a mafic intrusive complex, through which younger basaltic magmas cannot ascend. Instead, these magmas stall and produce trachyte, likely through

Evidence of recent volcanic activity on the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge.

PubMed

Edwards, M H; Kurras, G J; Tolstoy, M; Bohnenstiehl, D R; Coakley, B J; Cochran, J R

2001-02-15

Seafloor spreading is accommodated by volcanic and tectonic processes along the global mid-ocean ridge system. As spreading rate decreases the influence of volcanism also decreases, and it is unknown whether significant volcanism occurs at all at ultraslow spreading rates (<1.5 cm yr(-1)). Here we present three-dimensional sonar maps of the Gakkel ridge, Earth's slowest-spreading mid-ocean ridge, located in the Arctic basin under the Arctic Ocean ice canopy. We acquired this data using hull-mounted sonars attached to a nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Hawkbill. Sidescan data for the ultraslow-spreading (approximately 1.0 cm yr(-1)) eastern Gakkel ridge depict two young volcanoes covering approximately 720 km2 of an otherwise heavily sedimented axial valley. The western volcano coincides with the average location of epicentres for more than 250 teleseismic events detected in 1999, suggesting that an axial eruption was imaged shortly after its occurrence. These findings demonstrate that eruptions along the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge are focused at discrete locations and appear to be more voluminous and occur more frequently than was previously thought.

An explanation of unstable wetting fronts in soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenhuis, Tammo; Parlange, Jean-Yves; Kung, Samuel; Stoof, Cathelijne; Baver, Christine

2016-04-01

Despite the findings of Raats on unstable wetting front almost a half a century ago, simulating wetting fronts in soils is still an area of active research. One of the critical questions currently is whether Darcy law is valid at the wetting front. In this talk, we pose that in many cases for dry soils, Darcy's law does not apply because the pressure field across the front is not continuous. Consequently, the wetting front pressure is not dependent on the pressure ahead of the front but is determined by the radius of water meniscuses and the dynamic contact angle of the water. If we further assume since the front is discontinuous, that water flows at one pore at the time, then by using the modified Hoffman relationship - relating the dynamic contact angle to the pore water velocity - we find the elevated pressures at the wetting front typical for unstable flows that are similar to those observed experimentally in small diameter columns. The theory helps also explain the funnel flow phenomena observed in layered soils.

Statistical analyses and characteristics of volcanic tremor on Stromboli Volcano (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falsaperla, S.; Langer, H.; Spampinato, S.

A study of volcanic tremor on Stromboli is carried out on the basis of data recorded daily between 1993 and 1995 by a permanent seismic station (STR) located 1.8km away from the active craters. We also consider the signal of a second station (TF1), which operated for a shorter time span. Changes in the spectral tremor characteristics can be related to modifications in volcanic activity, particularly to lava effusions and explosive sequences. Statistical analyses were carried out on a set of spectra calculated daily from seismic signals where explosion quakes were present or excluded. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were applied to identify different classes of spectra. Three clusters of spectra are associated with two different states of volcanic activity. One cluster corresponds to a state of low to moderate activity, whereas the two other clusters are present during phases with a high magma column as inferred from the occurrence of lava fountains or effusions. We therefore conclude that variations in volcanic activity at Stromboli are usually linked to changes in the spectral characteristics of volcanic tremor. Site effects are evident when comparing the spectra calculated from signals synchronously recorded at STR and TF1. However, some major spectral peaks at both stations may reflect source properties. Statistical considerations and polarization analysis are in favor of a prevailing presence of P-waves in the tremor signal along with a position of the source northwest of the craters and at shallow depth.

Interaction between climate, volcanism, and isostatic rebound in Southeast Alaska during the last deglaciation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Praetorius, Summer; Mix, Alan; Jensen, Britta; Froese, Duane; Milne, Glenn A.; Wolhowe, Matthew; Addison, Jason A.; Prahl, Fred

2016-01-01

Observations of enhanced volcanic frequency during the last deglaciation have led to the hypothesis that ice unloading in glaciated volcanic terrains can promote volcanism through decompression melting in the shallow mantle or a reduction in crustal magma storage time. However, a direct link between regional climate change, isostatic adjustment, and the initiation of volcanism remains to be demonstrated due to the difficulty of obtaining high-resolution well-dated records that capture short-term climate and volcanic variability traced to a particular source region. Here we present an exceptionally resolved record of 19 tephra layers paired with foraminiferal oxygen isotopes and alkenone paleotemperatures from marine sediment cores along the Southeast Alaska margin spanning the last deglacial transition. Major element compositions of the tephras indicate a predominant source from the nearby Mt. Edgecumbe Volcanic Field (MEVF). We constrain the timing of this regional eruptive sequence to 14.6–13.1 ka. The sudden increase in volcanic activity from the MEVF coincides with the onset of Bølling–Allerød interstadial warmth, the disappearance of ice-rafted detritus, and rapid vertical land motion associated with modeled regional isostatic rebound in response to glacier retreat. These data support the hypothesis that regional deglaciation can rapidly trigger volcanic activity. Rapid sea surface temperature fluctuations and an increase in local salinity (i.e., δ18Osw) variability are associated with the interval of intense volcanic activity, consistent with a two-way interaction between climate and volcanism in which rapid volcanic response to ice unloading may in turn enhance short-term melting of the glaciers, plausibly via albedo effects on glacier ablation zones.

Sex-biased dispersal and volcanic activities shaped phylogeographic patterns of extant Orangutans (genus: Pongo).

PubMed

Nater, Alexander; Nietlisbach, Pirmin; Arora, Natasha; van Schaik, Carel P; van Noordwijk, Maria A; Willems, Erik P; Singleton, Ian; Wich, Serge A; Goossens, Benoit; Warren, Kristin S; Verschoor, Ernst J; Perwitasari-Farajallah, Dyah; Pamungkas, Joko; Krützen, Michael

2011-08-01

The Southeast Asian Sunda archipelago harbors a rich biodiversity with a substantial proportion of endemic species. The evolutionary history of these species has been drastically influenced by environmental forces, such as fluctuating sea levels, climatic changes, and severe volcanic activities. Orangutans (genus: Pongo), the only Asian great apes, are well suited to study the relative impact of these forces due to their well-documented behavioral ecology, strict habitat requirements, and exceptionally slow life history. We investigated the phylogeographic patterns and evolutionary history of orangutans in the light of the complex geological and climatic history of the Sunda archipelago. Our study is based on the most extensive genetic sampling to date, covering the entire range of extant orangutan populations. Using data from three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes from 112 wild orangutans, we show that Sumatran orangutans, Pongo abelii, are paraphyletic with respect to Bornean orangutans (P. pygmaeus), the only other currently recognized species within this genus. The deepest split in the mtDNA phylogeny of orangutans occurs across the Toba caldera in northern Sumatra and, not as expected, between both islands. Until the recent past, the Toba region has experienced extensive volcanic activity, which has shaped the current phylogeographic patterns. Like their Bornean counterparts, Sumatran orangutans exhibit a strong, yet previously undocumented structuring into four geographical clusters. However, with 3.50 Ma, the Sumatran haplotypes have a much older coalescence than their Bornean counterparts (178 kya). In sharp contrast to the mtDNA data, 18 Y-chromosomal polymorphisms show a much more recent coalescence within Sumatra compared with Borneo. Moreover, the deep geographic structure evident in mtDNA is not reflected in the male population history, strongly suggesting male-biased dispersal. We conclude that volcanic activities have played an important role in the

Mainshock-Aftershocks Clustering Detection in Volcanic Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garza Giron, R.; Brodsky, E. E.; Prejean, S. G.

2017-12-01

Crustal earthquakes tend to break their general Poissonean process behavior by gathering into two main kinds of seismic bursts: swarms and mainshock-aftershocks sequences. The former is commonly related to volcanic or geothermal processes whereas the latter is a characteristic feature of tectonically driven seismicity. We explore the mainshock-aftershock clustering behavior of different active volcanic regions in Japan and its comparison to non-volcanic regions. We find that aftershock production in volcanoes shows mainshock-aftershocks clustering similar to what is observed in non-volcanic areas. The ratio of volanic areas that cluster in mainshock-aftershocks sequences vs the areas that do not is comparable to the ratio of non-volcanic regions that show clustering vs the ones that do not. Furthermore, the level of production of aftershocks for most volcanic areas where clustering is present seems to be of the same order of magnitude, or slightly higher, as the median of the non-volcanic regions. An interesting example of highly aftershock-productive volcanoes emerges from the 2000 Miyakejima dike intrusion. A big seismic cluster started to build up rapidly in the south-west flank of Miyakejima to later propagate to the north-west towards the Kozushima and Niijima volcanoes. In Miyakejima the seismicity showed a swarm-like signature with a constant earthquake rate, whereas Kozushima and Niijima both had expressions of highly productive mainshock-aftershocks sequences. These findings are surprising given the alternative mechanisms available in volcanic systems for releasing deviatoric strain. We speculate that aftershock behavior might hold a relationship with the rheological properties of the rocks of each system and with the capacity of a system to accumulate or release the internal pressures caused by magmatic or hydrothermal systems.

Understanding Volcanic Conduit Dynamics: from Experimental Fragmentation to Volcanic Eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arciniega-Ceballos, A.; Alatorre-Ibarguengoitia, M. A.; Scheu, B.; Dingwell, D. B.

2011-12-01

and the effects of such process on the conduit dynamics are independent of size. We first described the very-long period (VLP) and long-period (LP) signals, observed in many active volcanoes around the world, and from comparison of waveform characteristics with their experimental analogues (eLP and eVLP signals) we found remarkable similarities and equivalent physical meaning. Based on our experimental investigations and analysis of field data recorded during volcanic eruptions we may conclude that VLP signals are caused by the inflation-deflation behavior of the volcanic conduit due to the decompression process, and that LP signals are manly associated with cracking and fragmentation of the magmatic material (ash, magma and gas) filling the conduit and ascending to the surface. In addition, we accounted for the repetitive character of LP and VLP signals, as a consequence of contraction and dilatation of a steady non-destructive source mechanism, which systematically responds to pressure changes of the volcanic system.

Theory for Deducing Volcanic Activity From Size Distributions in Plinian Pyroclastic Fall Deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iriyama, Yu; Toramaru, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Tetsuo

2018-03-01

Stratigraphic variation in the grain size distribution (GSD) of plinian pyroclastic fall deposits reflects volcanic activity. To extract information on volcanic activity from the analyses of deposits, we propose a one-dimensional theory that provides a formula connecting the sediment GSD to the source GSD. As the simplest case, we develop a constant-source model (CS model), in which the source GSD and the source height are constant during the duration of release of particles. We assume power laws of particle radii for the terminal fall velocity and the source GSD. The CS model can describe an overall (i.e., entire vertically variable) feature of the GSD structure of the sediment. It is shown that the GSD structure is characterized by three parameters, that is, the duration of supply of particles to the source scaled by the fall time of the largest particle, ts/tM, and the power indices of the terminal fall velocity p and of the source GSD q. We apply the CS model to samples of the Worzel D ash layer and compare the sediment GSD structure calculated by using the CS model to the observed structure. The results show that the CS model reproduces the overall structure of the observed GSD. We estimate the duration of the eruption and the q value of the source GSD. Furthermore, a careful comparison of the observed and calculated GSDs reveals new interpretation of the original sediment GSD structure of the Worzel D ash layer.

Lithospheric and Asthenospheric Contributions to Post-Collisional Volcanism in the Lesser Caucasus Mts (Armenia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugden, P.; Savov, I. P.; Wilson, M.; Meliksetian, K.; Navasardyan, G.

2017-12-01

Continental collision zones remain the most enigmatic tectonic setting for volcanic activity on earth. The Lesser Caucasus Mts are host to widespread and unique intraplate volcanism, associated with the active Arabia-Eurasia continental collision. Volcanic products range from alkali basalts to rhyolites (including extensive ignimbrites), and occur as basaltic lava flow fields, large composite and shield volcanoes, and regions of distributed (mostly monogenetic) volcanism. Geomorphology, archaeology, and historical accounts suggest volcanic activity has extended in to the Holocene-historical period. The high quality of the exposures and the diversity of unaltered rock types makes Armenia an ideal natural laboratory for studying the sources of magmatism in an active continental collision zone. For the first time, we will present the mineral chemistry (ol, px, amph), whole rock major and trace element, and Sr-Nd isotope compositions of volcanic rocks from southernmost Armenia- namely the Gegham, Vardenis and Syunik volcanic highlands. We compare our dataset with the composition of post-collisional volcanic rocks elsewhere in the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. Samples from S. Armenia are more mafic, more alkaline and more K2O rich. All volcanic rocks show negative HFSE anomalies and LILE and LREE enrichments reminiscent of continental volcanic arc settings. However, volcanic rocks in Southern Armenia are further enriched in some of the most incompatible trace elements, most notably LREE, Sr and P, and have higher La/Yb, Th/Yb, Ta/Yb, and more variable Th/Nb. Volcanic rocks from Eastern Anatolia and N. Armenia have Sr-Nd isotope compositions similar to those of the Mesozoic volcanic arc (87Sr/86Sr 0.7034-0.7045; 143Nd/144Nd 0.5128-0.5129), whereas samples from S. Armenia deviate towards more enriched compositions resembling a typical EM-I type reservoir (87Sr/86Sr 0.7041- 0.7047; 143Nd/144Nd 0.5127-0.5128). We argue that these distinctive geochemical characteristics

Volcanism in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albin, Edward F.

1993-01-01

Presents activities to familiarize junior high school students with the processes behind and reasons for volcanism, which is generally a planet's way of releasing excessive internal heat and pressure. Students participate in the creation of four important volcano-related simulations: a lava flow, a shield volcano, a cinder-cone volcano, and a…

Monitoring diffuse volcanic degassing during volcanic unrests: the case of Campi Flegrei (Italy).

PubMed

Cardellini, C; Chiodini, G; Frondini, F; Avino, R; Bagnato, E; Caliro, S; Lelli, M; Rosiello, A

2017-07-28

In volcanoes with active hydrothermal systems, diffuse CO 2 degassing may constitute the primary mode of volcanic degassing. The monitoring of CO 2 emissions can provide important clues in understanding the evolution of volcanic activity especially at calderas where the interpretation of unrest signals is often complex. Here, we report eighteen years of CO 2 fluxes from the soil at Solfatara of Pozzuoli, located in the restless Campi Flegrei caldera. The entire dataset, one of the largest of diffuse CO 2 degassing ever produced, is made available for the scientific community. We show that, from 2003 to 2016, the area releasing deep-sourced CO 2 tripled its extent. This expansion was accompanied by an increase of the background CO 2 flux, over most of the surveyed area (1.4 km 2 ), with increased contributions from non-biogenic source. Concurrently, the amount of diffusively released CO 2 increased up to values typical of persistently degassing active volcanoes (up to 3000 t d -1 ). These variations are consistent with the increase in the flux of magmatic fluids injected into the hydrothermal system, which cause pressure increase and, in turn, condensation within the vapor plume feeding the Solfatara emission.

Rapid onset of mafic magmatism facilitated by volcanic edifice collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassidy, M.; Watt, S. F. L.; Talling, P. J.; Palmer, M. R.; Edmonds, M.; Jutzeler, M.; Wall-Palmer, D.; Manga, M.; Coussens, M.; Gernon, T.; Taylor, R. N.; Michalik, A.; Inglis, E.; Breitkreuz, C.; Le Friant, A.; Ishizuka, O.; Boudon, G.; McCanta, M. C.; Adachi, T.; Hornbach, M. J.; Colas, S. L.; Endo, D.; Fujinawa, A.; Kataoka, K. S.; Maeno, F.; Tamura, Y.; Wang, F.

2015-06-01

Volcanic edifice collapses generate some of Earth's largest landslides. How such unloading affects the magma storage systems is important for both hazard assessment and for determining long-term controls on volcano growth and decay. Here we present a detailed stratigraphic and petrological analyses of volcanic landslide and eruption deposits offshore Montserrat, in a subduction zone setting, sampled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 340. A large (6-10 km3) collapse of the Soufrière Hills Volcano at ~130 ka was followed by explosive basaltic volcanism and the formation of a new basaltic volcanic center, the South Soufrière Hills, estimated to have initiated <100 years after collapse. This basaltic volcanism was a sharp departure from the andesitic volcanism that characterized Soufrière Hills' activity before the collapse. Mineral-melt thermobarometry demonstrates that the basaltic magma's transit through the crust was rapid and from midcrustal depths. We suggest that this rapid ascent was promoted by unloading following collapse.

Long-term risk in a recently active volcanic system: Evaluation of doses and indoor radiological risk in the quaternary Vulsini Volcanic District (Central Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capaccioni, B.; Cinelli, G.; Mostacci, D.; Tositti, L.

2012-12-01

Volcanic rocks in the Vulsini Volcanic District (Central Italy) contain high concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K due to subduction-related metasomatic enrichment of incompatible elements in the mantle source coupled with magma differentiation within the upper crust. Due to their favorable mechanical properties they have been extensively used for construction since the Etruscan age. In the old buildings of the Bolsena village, one of the most populated ancient village in the area, the major source of indoor radioactivity is 222Rn, a radioactive noble gas descendant of 238U. Direct 222Rn indoor measurements have detected extremely high values in the old center due to the combined effect of building materials, radon fluxes from the volcanic basement and low air exchange rates. In these cases the evaluated risk of developing lung cancer within a 75 year lifetime reaches up to 40% for ever smokers. Simulations of "standard rooms" built with different tuffs and lavas collected from the Vulsini Volcanic District have also provided estimations of the effective doses and lifetime risk for radiogenic cancer. Other than by the method adopted for calculation, the total evaluated risk for each volcanic rock depends on different parameters, such as: radionuclide content, radon emanation power, occupancy factor and air exchange rate. Occupancy factor and air exchange rate appear as the only controlling parameters able to mitigate the indoor radiological risk.

Laboratory studies of volcanic jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kieffer, Susan Werner; Sturtevant, Bradford

1984-09-01

produces a compression wave. The strength of this wave depends primarily on the sound speed of the fluid in the reservoir but also, secondarily with opposite effect, on the density: helium produces a relatively strong atmospheric shock while the Freons do not produce any optically observable wave front. Well-formed N waves are detected with a microphone far from the reservoir. Barrel shocks, Mach disks, and other familiar features of steady underexpanded supersonic jets form inside the jet almost immediately after passage of the flow head. These features are maintained until the pressure in the reservoir decays to sonic conditions. At low pressures the jets are relatively structureless. Gas-particle jets from volcanic eruptions may behave as pseudogases if particle concentrations and mass and momentum exchange between the components are sufficiently small. The sound speed of volcanic pseudogases can be as large as 1000 m s-1 or as small as a few tens of meters per second depending on the mass loading and initial temperature. Fluids of high sound speed produce stronger atmospheric shock waves than do those of low sound speed. Therefore eruption of a hot gas lightly laden with particulates should produce a stronger shock than eruption of a cooler or heavily laden fluid. An empirical expression suggests that the initial velocity of the head of supersonic volcanic jets is controlled by the sound speed and the ratio of the density of the erupting fluid to that of the atmosphere. The duration of gas or pseudogas eruptions is controlled by the sound speed of the fluid and the ratio of reservoir volume to vent area.

Resuspended volcanic ash from Katmai, Alaska

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, located in Katmai National Park, forms a unique and ashen landscape. Encircled by volcanoes – both active and inactive – it has served as a perfect collection area for huge amounts of volcanic ash. According to the Alaska Historical Society (AHS), 2012 marked the centennial anniversary of the volcanic eruption that formed the valley, and led to the establishment, in 1918, of Katmai National Park. A massive eruption rocked the region on June 6, 1912 as the then-unknown volcano, Novarupta, became suddenly and violently active. According to the AHS, it erupted with “such force that mountains collapsed, ash darkened summer skies, earthquakes rocked population centers and were recorded as far away as Washington, D.C.” Glowing hot ash was reported to have smothered an area covering 40 square miles, and up to 700 feet deep. While the active volcanoes surrounding the valley - Novarupta, Mt. Mageik, Trident Volcano, Mt. Griggs, Mt. Martin and Mt. Katmai - have remained relatively quiescent, their ashen legacy continues to affect the landscape – and air traffic - even a century after it was laid down. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on September 29, 2014. Volcanic ash from the Katmai region has been lifted aloft by strong winds, and is blowing to the southeast, over Shelikof Strait, Kodiak Island, and the Gulf of Alaska. Although such clouds are not from active volcanoes, the remobilized volcanic ash still provides a potential hazard to aircraft flying through the region. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the

Volcanic mercury in Pinus canariensis.

PubMed

Rodríguez Martín, José Antonio; Nanos, Nikos; Miranda, José Carlos; Carbonell, Gregoria; Gil, Luis

2013-08-01

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 μg kg(-1)) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 μg kg(-1)). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark-in pyroclastic wounds-and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 μg kg(-1)) and bark (6.0 μg kg(-1)) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species.

Volcanic mercury in Pinus canariensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez Martín, José Antonio; Nanos, Nikos; Miranda, José Carlos; Carbonell, Gregoria; Gil, Luis

2013-08-01

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 μg kg-1) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 μg kg-1). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark—in pyroclastic wounds—and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 μg kg-1) and bark (6.0 μg kg-1) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species.

Diffraction-limited Mid-infrared Integral Field Spectroscopy of Io's Volcanic Activity with ALES on the Large Binocular Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skrutskie, Michael F.; de Kleer, Katherine R.; Stone, Jordan; Conrad, Al; Davies, Ashley; de Pater, Imke; Leisenring, Jarron; Hinz, Philip; Skemer, Andrew; Veillet, Christian; Woodward, Charles E.; Ertel, Steve; Spalding, Eckhart

2017-10-01

The Arizona Lenslet for Exoplanet Spectroscopy (ALES) is an enhancement to the Large Binocular Telescope's mid-infrared imager, LMIRcam, that permits low-resolution (R~20) spectroscopy between 2.8 and 4.2 μm of every diffraction-limited resolution element in a 2.5"x2.5" field-of-view on a 2048x2048 HAWAII-2RG 5.2 μm-cutoff array. The 1" disk of Io, dotted with powerful self-luminous volcanic eruptions, provides an ideal target for ALES, where the single 8.4-meter aperture diffraction-limited scale for Io at opposition ranges from 240 kilometers (80 milliarcseconds) at 2.8 μm to 360 kilometers (120 milliarcseconds) at 4.2 μm. ALES provides the capability to assess the color temperature of each volcanic thermal emission site as well as map broadband absorbers such as SO2 frost. A monitoring campaign in the Spring 2017 semester provided two global snapshots of Io's volcanic activity with ALES as well as characterization of a new brightening episode at Loki Patera over four epochs between January and May 2017.

GOSAT/TANSO-FTS Measurement of Volcanic and Geothermal CO2 Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Carn, Simon A.; Newhall, Christopher G.

2010-05-01

Approximately one tenth of the Earth's human population lives in direct reach of volcanic hazards. Being able to provide sufficiently early and scientifically sound warning is a key to volcanic hazard mitigation. Quantitative time-series monitoring of volcanic CO2 emissions will likely play a key role in such early warning activities in the future. Impending volcanic eruptions or any potentially disastrous activity that involves movement of magma in the subsurface, is often preceded by an early increase of CO2 emissions. Conventionally, volcanic CO2 monitoring is done either in campaigns of soil emission measurements (grid of one-time measuring points) that are labor intensive and slow, or by ground-based remote FTIR measurements in emission plumes. These methods are not easily available at all sites of potential activity and prohibitively costly to employ on a large number of volcanoes. In addition, both of these ground-based approaches pose a significant risk to the workers conducting these measurements. Some aircraft-based measurements have been conducted as well in the past, however these are limited by the usually meager funding situation of individual observatories, the hazard such flights pose to equipment and crew, and by the inaccessibility of parts of the plume due to ash hazards. The core motivation for this study is therefore to develop a method for volcanic CO2 monitoring from space that will provide sufficient coverage, resolution, and data quality for an application to quantitative time series monitoring and correlation with other available datasets, from a safe distance and with potentially global reach. In summary, the purpose of the proposed research is to quantify volcanic CO2 emissions using satellite-borne observations. Quantitative estimates will be useful for warning of impending volcanic eruptions, and assessing the contribution of volcanic CO2 to global GHG. Our approach encompasses method development and testing for the detection of

Deriving spatial patterns from a novel database of volcanic rock geochemistry in the Virunga Volcanic Province, East African Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poppe, Sam; Barette, Florian; Smets, Benoît; Benbakkar, Mhammed; Kervyn, Matthieu

2016-04-01

The Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP) is situated within the western branch of the East-African Rift. The geochemistry and petrology of its' volcanic products has been studied extensively in a fragmented manner. They represent a unique collection of silica-undersaturated, ultra-alkaline and ultra-potassic compositions, displaying marked geochemical variations over the area occupied by the VVP. We present a novel spatially-explicit database of existing whole-rock geochemical analyses of the VVP volcanics, compiled from international publications, (post-)colonial scientific reports and PhD theses. In the database, a total of 703 geochemical analyses of whole-rock samples collected from the 1950s until recently have been characterised with a geographical location, eruption source location, analytical results and uncertainty estimates for each of these categories. Comparative box plots and Kruskal-Wallis H tests on subsets of analyses with contrasting ages or analytical methods suggest that the overall database accuracy is consistent. We demonstrate how statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and subsequent cluster analysis allow the identification of clusters of samples with similar major-element compositions. The spatial patterns represented by the contrasting clusters show that both the historically active volcanoes represent compositional clusters which can be identified based on their contrasted silica and alkali contents. Furthermore, two sample clusters are interpreted to represent the most primitive, deep magma source within the VVP, different from the shallow magma reservoirs that feed the eight dominant large volcanoes. The samples from these two clusters systematically originate from locations which 1. are distal compared to the eight large volcanoes and 2. mostly coincide with the surface expressions of rift faults or NE-SW-oriented inherited Precambrian structures which were reactivated during rifting. The lava from the Mugogo

The monogenetic Bayuda Volcanic Field, Sudan - New insights into geology and volcanic morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenhardt, Nils; Borah, Suranjana B.; Lenhardt, Sukanya Z.; Bumby, Adam J.; Ibinoof, Montasir A.; Salih, Salih A.

2018-05-01

The small monogenetic Bayuda Volcanic Field (BVF; 480 km2), comprising at least 53 cinder cones and 15 maar volcanoes in the Bayuda desert of northern Sudan is one of a few barely studied volcanic occurrences of Quaternary age in Sudan. The exact age of the BVF and the duration of volcanic activity has not yet been determined. Furthermore, not much is known about the eruptional mechanisms and the related magmatic and tectonic processes that led to the formation of the volcanic field. In the framework of a larger project focusing on these points it is the purpose of this contribution to provide a first account of the general geology of the BVF volcanoes as well as a first description of a general stratigraphy, including a first description of their morphological characteristics. This was done by means of fieldwork, including detailed rock descriptions, as well as the analysis of satellite images (SRTM dataset at 30 m spatial resolution). The BVF cinder cones are dominated by scoracious lapilli tephra units, emplaced mainly by pyroclastic fallout from Strombolian eruptions. Many cones are breached and are associated with lava flows. The subordinate phreatomagmatism represented by maar volcanoes suggests the presence of ground and/or shallow surface water during some of the eruptions. The deposits constituting the rims around the maar volcanoes are interpreted as having mostly formed due to pyroclastic surges. Many of the tephra rings around the maars are underlain by thick older lava flows. These are inferred to be the horizons where rising magma interacted with groundwater. The existence of phreatomagmatic deposits may point to a time of eruptive activity during a phase with wetter conditions and therefore higher groundwater levels than those encountered historically. This is supported by field observations as well as the morphological analysis, providing evidence for relatively high degrees of alteration of the BVF volcanoes and therefore older eruption ages as

The structural architecture of the Los Humeros volcanic complex and geothermal field, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Central Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norini, Gianluca; Groppelli, Gianluca; Sulpizio, Roberto; Carrasco Núñez, Gerardo; Davila Harris, Pablo

2014-05-01

The development of geothermal energy in Mexico is a very important goal, given the presence of a large heat anomaly, associated with the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the renewability of the resource and the low environmental impact. The Quaternary Los Humeros volcanic complex is an important geothermal target, whose evolution involved at least two caldera events, that alternated with other explosive and effusive activity. The first caldera forming event was the 460 ka eruption that produced the Xaltipan ignimbrite and formed a 15-20 km wide caldera. The second collapse event occurred 100 ka with the formation of the Zaragoza ignimbrite and a nested 8-10 km wide caldera. The whole volcano structure, the style of the collapses and the exact location of the calderas scarps and ring faults are still a matter of debate. The Los Humeros volcano hosts the productive Los Humeros Geothermal Field, with an installed capacity of 40 MW and additional 75 MW power plants under construction. Recent models of the geothermal reservoir predict the existence of at least two reservoirs in the geothermal system, separated by impermeable rock units. Hydraulic connectivity and hydrothermal fluids circulation occurs through faults and fractures, allowing deep steam to ascend while condensate flows descend. As a consequence, the plans for the exploration and exploitation of the geothermal reservoir have been based on the identification of the main channels for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids, constituted by faults, so that the full comprehension of the structural architecture of the caldera is crucial to improve the efficiency and minimize the costs of the geothermal field operation. In this study, we present an analysis of the Los Humeros volcanic complex focused on the Quaternary tectonic and volcanotectonics features, like fault scarps and aligned/elongated monogenetic volcanic centres. Morphostructural analysis and field mapping reveal the geometry, kinematics and dynamics of

California's Vulnerability to Volcanic Hazards: What's at Risk?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangan, M.; Wood, N. J.; Dinitz, L.

2015-12-01

California is a leader in comprehensive planning for devastating earthquakes, landslides, floods, and tsunamis. Far less attention, however, has focused on the potentially devastating impact of volcanic eruptions, despite the fact that they occur in the State about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault Zone. At least 10 eruptions have occurred in the past 1,000 years—most recently in northern California (Lassen Peak 1914 to 1917)—and future volcanic eruptions are inevitable. The likelihood of renewed volcanism in California is about one in a few hundred to one in a few thousand annually. Eight young volcanoes, ranked as Moderate to Very High Threat [1] are dispersed throughout the State. Partially molten rock (magma) resides beneath at least seven of these—Medicine Lake Volcano, Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic Center, Clear Lake Volcanic Field, Long Valley Volcanic Region, Coso Volcanic Field, and Salton Buttes— causing earthquakes, toxic gas emissions, hydrothermal activity, and (or) ground deformation. Understanding the hazards and identifying what is at risk are the first steps in building community resilience to volcanic disasters. This study, prepared in collaboration with the State of California Governor's Office of Emergency Management and the California Geological Survey, provides a broad perspective on the State's exposure to volcano hazards by integrating mapped volcano hazard zones with geospatial data on at-risk populations, infrastructure, and resources. The study reveals that ~ 16 million acres fall within California's volcano hazard zones, along with ~ 190 thousand permanent and 22 million transitory populations. Additionally, far-field disruption to key water delivery systems, agriculture, utilities, and air traffic is likely. Further site- and sector-specific analyses will lead to improved hazard mitigation efforts and more effective disaster response and recovery. [1] "Volcanic Threat and Monitoring Capabilities

Lidar detection of carbon dioxide in volcanic plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorani, Luca; Santoro, Simone; Parracino, Stefano; Maio, Giovanni; Del Franco, Mario; Aiuppa, Alessandro

2015-06-01

Volcanic gases give information on magmatic processes. In particular, anomalous releases of carbon dioxide precede volcanic eruptions. Up to now, this gas has been measured in volcanic plumes with conventional measurements that imply the severe risks of local sampling and can last many hours. For these reasons and for the great advantages of laser sensing, the thorough development of volcanic lidar has been undertaken at the Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory (UTAPRAD-DIM) of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). In fact, lidar profiling allows one to scan remotely volcanic plumes in a fast and continuous way, and with high spatial and temporal resolution. Two differential absorption lidar instruments will be presented in this paper: BILLI (BrIdge voLcanic LIdar), based on injection seeded Nd:YAG laser, double grating dye laser, difference frequency mixing (DFM) and optical parametric amplifier (OPA), and VULLI (VULcamed Lidar), based on injection seeded Nd:YAG laser and optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The first one is funded by the ERC (European Research Council) project BRIDGE and the second one by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) project VULCAMED. While VULLI has not yet been tested in a volcanic site, BILLI scanned the gas emitted by Pozzuoli Solfatara (Campi Flegrei volcanic area, Naples, Italy) during a field campaign carried out from 13 to 17 October 2014. Carbon dioxide concentration maps were retrieved remotely in few minutes in the crater area. Lidar measurements were in good agreement with well-established techniques, based on different operating principles. To our knowledge, it is the first time that carbon dioxide in a volcanic plume is retrieved by lidar, representing the first direct measurement of this kind ever performed on an active volcano and showing the high potential of laser remote sensing in geophysical research.

The Puelche volcanic field: Extensive Pleistocene rhyolite lava flows in the Andes of central Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, W.; Fierstein, J.; Godoy, E.; Drake, Robert E.; Singer, B.

1999-01-01

A remote volcanic field in the rugged headwaters of the Rio Puelche and Rio Invernada (35.8??S) constitutes the largest cluster of Quaternary rhyolite lava flows yet identified in the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone. The Puelche Volcanic Field belongs to an intra-arc belt of silicic magmatic centers that extends, at least, 140 km north-south and lies well east of the volcanic front but nonetheless considerably west of the intraplate extensional fields of basaltic and alkaline centers of pampean Argentina. The authors' mapping has distinguished one shallow intrusive mass of early Pleistocene biotite rhyodacite (70.5% SiO2), 11 eruptive units of mid-Pleistocene high-K biotite-rhyolite lava (71.3-75.6% SiO2), and 4 eruptive units of basaltic andesite (53.95-4.9% SiO2), the conduits of which cut some of the rhyolites. Basal contacts of the rhyolite lava flows (and subjacent pyroclastic precursors) are generally scree covered, but glacial erosion has exposed internal flow structures and lithologic zonation superbly. Thicknesses of individual rhyolite lava flows range from 75 m to 400 m. Feeders for several units are well exposed. Cliff-draping unconformities and intracanyon relationships among the 11 rhyolite units show that the eruptive sequence spanned at least one glacial episode that accentuated the local relief. Lack of ice-contact features suggests, however, that all or most eruptions took place during non-glacial intervals probably between 400 ka and 100 ka. Post-eruptive glacial erosion reduced the rhyolites to several non-contiguous remnants that altogether cover 83 km2 and represent a surviving volume of about 21 km3. Consideration of slopes, lava thicknesses, and paleotopography suggest that the original area and volume were each about three times greater. Phenocryst content of the rhyolites ranges from 1 to 12%, with plagioclase>>biotite>FeTi oxides in all units and amphibole conspicuous in the least silicic. The chemically varied basaltic andesites range from

Volcanic deformation in the Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riddick, S.; Fournier, T.; Pritchard, M.

2009-05-01

We present the results from an InSAR survey of volcanic activity in South America. We use data from the Japanese Space Agency's ALOS L-band radar satellite from 2006-2009. The L-band instrument provides better coherence in densely vegetated regions, compared to the shorter wave length C-band data. The survey reveals volcano related deformation in regions, north, central and southern, of the Andes volcanic arc. Since observations are limited to the austral summer, comprehensive coverage of all volcanoes is not possible. Yet, our combined observations reveal volcanic/hydrothermal deformation at Lonquimay, Llaima, Laguna del Maule, and Chaitén volcanoes, extend deformation measurements at Copahue, and illustrate temporal complexity to the previously described deformation at Cerro Hudson and Cordón Caulle. No precursory deformation is apparent before the large Chaitén eruption (VEI_5) of 2 May 2008, (at least before 16 April) suggesting rapid magma movement from depth at this long dormant volcano. Subsidence at Ticsani Volcano occurred coincident with an earthquake swarm in the same region.

Io's Diverse Styles of Volcanic Activity: Results from Galileo NIMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopes, R. M. C.; Smythe, W. D.; Kamp, L. W.; Doute, S.; Carlson, R.; McEwen, A.; Geissler, P.

2001-01-01

Observations by Galileo's Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer were used to map the thermal structure of several of Io's hot spots, revealing different styles of volcanism Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract..

A multi-data stream assimilation framework for the assessment of volcanic unrest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregg, Patricia M.; Pettijohn, J. Cory

2016-01-01

Active volcanoes pose a constant risk to populations living in their vicinity. Significant effort has been spent to increase monitoring and data collection campaigns to mitigate potential volcano disasters. To utilize these datasets to their fullest extent, a new generation of model-data fusion techniques is required that combine multiple, disparate observations of volcanic activity with cutting-edge modeling techniques to provide efficient assessment of volcanic unrest. The purpose of this paper is to develop a data assimilation framework for volcano applications. Specifically, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) is adapted to assimilate GPS and InSAR data into viscoelastic, time-forward, finite element models of an evolving magma system to provide model forecasts and error estimations. Since the goal of this investigation is to provide a methodological framework, our efforts are focused on theoretical development and synthetic tests to illustrate the effectiveness of the EnKF and its applicability in physical volcanology. The synthetic tests provide two critical results: (1) a proof of concept for using the EnKF for multi dataset assimilation in investigations of volcanic activity; and (2) the comparison of spatially limited, but temporally dense, GPS data with temporally limited InSAR observations for evaluating magma chamber dynamics during periods of volcanic unrest. Results indicate that the temporally dense information provided by GPS observations results in faster convergence and more accurate model predictions. However, most importantly, the synthetic tests illustrate that the EnKF is able to swiftly respond to data updates by changing the model forecast trajectory to match incoming observations. The synthetic results demonstrate a great potential for utilizing the EnKF model-data fusion method to assess volcanic unrest and provide model forecasts. The development of these new techniques provides: (1) a framework for future applications of rapid data

Late Pleistocene ages for the most recent volcanism and glacial-pluvial deposits at Big Pine volcanic field, California, USA, from cosmogenic 36Cl dating

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vazquez, Jorge A.; Woolford, Jeff M

2015-01-01

The Big Pine volcanic field is one of several Quaternary volcanic fields that poses a potential volcanic hazard along the tectonically active Owens Valley of east-central California, and whose lavas are interbedded with deposits from Pleistocene glaciations in the Sierra Nevada Range. Previous geochronology indicates an ∼1.2 Ma history of volcanism, but the eruption ages and distribution of volcanic products associated with the most-recent eruptions have been poorly resolved. To delimit the timing and products of the youngest volcanism, we combine field mapping and cosmogenic 36Cl dating of basaltic lava flows in the area where lavas with youthful morphology and well-preserved flow structures are concentrated. Field mapping and petrology reveal approximately 15 vents and 6 principal flow units with variable geochemical composition and mineralogy. Cosmogenic 36Cl exposure ages for lava flow units from the top, middle, and bottom of the volcanic stratigraphy indicate eruptions at ∼17, 27, and 40 ka, revealing several different and previously unrecognized episodes of late Pleistocene volcanism. Olivine to plagioclase-pyroxene phyric basalt erupted from several vents during the most recent episode of volcanism at ∼17 ka, and produced a lava flow field covering ∼35 km2. The late Pleistocene 36Cl exposure ages indicate that moraine and pluvial shoreline deposits that overlie or modify the youngest Big Pine lavas reflect Tioga stage glaciation in the Sierra Nevada and the shore of paleo-Owens Lake during the last glacial cycle.

Volcanic Forcing of Global Warming during the Pleistocene?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ericson, J. E.

2002-12-01

The volcanic forcing hypothesis is a new model of global climatic change that may have significance for the history of the Earth and palaeoclimate. The rapid injection of CO2 into the atmosphere during volcanic eruption through underlying massive carbonate appears to trigger global warming through the emission of this greenhouse gas. The record of eruptions (10-20 Kya) of 6 volcanoes overlying 900-10,000 meters of carbonate of the Cordillerian geosyncline in the American Southwest is synchronous with the Late Pleistocene marine transgression record. The record of volcanic eruptions through massive carbonates (20-71 Kya) in Italy, Indonesia and the American Southwest appears to be synchronous with the Wisconsin interstadial events. The extension of the volcanic eruption and climatic records to 71 Kya and inclusion of other volcanic regions represents additional supporting of evidence of the volcanic forcing hypothesis. As an example of these processes, the thermal dissociation of carbonate by magma forming a volcanic conduit (0.4 km high, 0.5 km radius) and subsequent release of carbon dioxide would increase the atmospheric carbon dioxide by 25%. The emitted CO2 would trigger a series of other processes, ocean-atmospheric CO2 exchange, increased photosynthesis and changes with terrestrial biome and global warming. [Recent field reconnaissance of Sunset Crater (erupted 1064-65 AD) indicates the evidence for thermal dissolution of limestone during basaltic extrusion.] Carbon dioxide emitted from volcanic-carbonate sources meets several observed conditions: a rapid increase (<20 years) in atmospheric carbon dioxide, abrupt increases of marine (isotopic) carbon, dilution of atmospheric radiocarbon activity independent of fluctuations of the geomagnetic field and cosmic ray fluxes, temporal covariation of sulfate, Ca+2, and CO2 in ice core records and random, interstadial events during glaciation. Volcanic forcing hypothesis represents a new model and synthesis of

Role of social media and networking in volcanic crises and communication

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sennert, Sally K.; Klemetti, Erik W.; Bird, Deanne

2017-01-01

The growth of social media as a primary and often preferred news source has contributed to the rapid dissemination of information about volcanic eruptions and potential volcanic crises as an eruption begins. Information about volcanic activity comes from a variety of sources: news organisations, emergency management personnel, individuals (both public and official) and volcano monitoring agencies. Once posted, this information is easily shared, increasing the reach to a much broader population than the original audience. The onset and popularity of social media as a vehicle for eruption information dissemination has presented many benefits as well as challenges, and points towards a need for a more unified system for information. This includes volcano observatories using social media as an official channels to distribute activity statements, forecasts and predictions on social media, in addition to the archiving of images and data activity. This chapter looks at two examples of projects that collect / disseminate information regarding volcanic crises and eruptive activity utilizing social media sources. Based on those examples, recommendations are made to volcanic observatories in relation to the use of social media as a two-way communication tool. These recommendations include: using social media as a two-way dialogue to communicate and receive information directly from the public and other sources; stating that the social media account is from an official source; and, posting types of information that the public are seeking such as images, videos and figures.

Automated Identification of Volcanic Plumes using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flower, V. J. B.; Oommen, T.; Carn, S. A.

2015-12-01

Volcanic eruptions are a global phenomenon which are increasingly impacting human populations due to factors such as the extension of population centres into areas of higher risk, expansion of agricultural sectors to accommodate increased production or the increasing impact of volcanic plumes on air travel. In areas where extensive monitoring is present these impacts can be moderated by ground based monitoring and alert systems, however many volcanoes have little or no monitoring capabilities. In many of these regions volcanic alerts are generated by local communities with limited resources or formal communication systems, however additional eruption alerts can result from chance encounters with passing aircraft. In contrast satellite based remote sensing instruments possess the capability to provide near global daily monitoring, facilitating automated volcanic eruption detection. One such system generates eruption alerts through the detection of thermal anomalies, known as MODVOLC, and is currently operational utilising moderate resolution MODIS satellite data. Within this work we outline a method to distinguish SO2 eruptions from background levels recorded by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) through the identification and classification of volcanic activity over a 5 year period. The incorporation of this data into a logistic regression model facilitated the classification of volcanic events with an overall accuracy of 80% whilst consistently identifying plumes with a mass of 400 tons or higher. The implementation of the developed model could facilitate the near real time identification of new and ongoing volcanic activity on a global scale.

Identifying the Linkages Between Microbial Activity and Gas Flux of Subaerial Volcanic Environments: A Guide to Exploring Magmatic Planets and Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, H. A.; Lopez, T. M.; Fischer, T. P.; Schrenk, M. O.

2017-11-01

Promising contemporary analogs of habitable environments are fumaroles associated with active volcanism. Experimental studies linking sediments, microbes, and volatile outgassing may lead to new bio- or geosignatures of habitability.

New geochemical insights into volcanic degassing.

PubMed

Edmonds, Marie

2008-12-28

Magma degassing plays a fundamental role in controlling the style of volcanic eruptions. Whether a volcanic eruption is explosive, or effusive, is of crucial importance to approximately 500 million people living in the shadow of hazardous volcanoes worldwide. Studies of how gases exsolve and separate from magma prior to and during eruptions have been given new impetus by the emergence of more accurate and automated methods to measure volatile species both as volcanic gases and dissolved in the glasses of erupted products. The composition of volcanic gases is dependent on a number of factors, the most important being magma composition and the depth of gas-melt segregation prior to eruption; this latter parameter has proved difficult to constrain in the past, yet is arguably the most critical for controlling eruptive style. Spectroscopic techniques operating in the infrared have proved to be of great value in measuring the composition of gases at high temporal resolution. Such methods, when used in tandem with microanalytical geochemical investigations of erupted products, are leading to better constraints on the depth at which gases are generated and separated from magma. A number of recent studies have focused on transitions between explosive and effusive activity and have led to a better understanding of gas-melt segregation at basaltic volcanoes. Other studies have focused on degassing during intermediate and silicic eruptions. Important new results include the recognition of fluxing by deep-derived gases, which buffer the amount of dissolved volatiles in the melt at shallow depths, and the observation of gas flow up permeable conduit wall shear zones, which may be the primary mechanism for gas loss at the cusp of the most explosive and unpredictable volcanic eruptions. In this paper, I review current and future directions in the field of geochemical studies of volcanic degassing processes and illustrate how the new insights are beginning to change the way in

Relationship between subsidence and volcanic load, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, J.G.

1970-01-01

A computer analysis of tide-gage records in the northeast Pacific indicates that the active volcanic islands of eastern Hawaii are subsiding at a rate considerably faster than the eustatic rise of sea level. The rate of absolute subsidence increases progressively toward the center of current activity on the Island of Hawaii. Honolulu, Oahu, appears to be stable; Kahului, Maui, is subsiding at 1.7 mm per year; and Hilo, Hawaii, is subsiding at 4.8 mm per year. This subsidence is apparently related to downbowing of the crust throughout a zone 400 km in diameter by the weight of volcanic material added to the crust by active volcanoes, principally Mauna Loa and Kilauea on the Island of Hawaii. The Hawaiian Arch encircles the subsiding zone and may be uplifted by material moving down and outward from the zone of subsidence. The annual volume of subsidence is about 270??106 m3, whereas the average annual volume of erupted basalt on the Island of Hawaii (based on historic records back to about 1820) is about 50??106 m3. The great excess of subsidence over volcanic addition cannot be reconciled by isostatic models, and is apparently the result of other processes operating in the volcano and its basement thet are poorly understood. Probably the more important of these processes are intrusions and submarine volcanism, both of which are providing additional unseen load on the volcanoes. Furthermore, the rate of eruption may be uplifted by material moving down and outward from the zone of subsidence may be overestimated due to localized downslope movement of the margins of the islands. ?? 1970 Stabilimento Tipografico Francesco Giannini & Figli.

Global volcanic aerosol properties derived from emissions, 1990-2015, using CESM1(WACCM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Michael; Schmidt, Anja; Easter, Richard; Solomon, Susan; Kinnison, Douglas; Ghan, Steven; Neely, Ryan; Marsh, Daniel; Conley, Andrew; Bardeen, Charles; Gettelman, Andrew

2016-04-01

Accurate representation of global stratospheric aerosols from volcanic and non-volcanic sulfur emissions is key to understanding the cooling effects and ozone-losses that may be linked to volcanic activity. Attribution of climate variability to volcanic activity is of particular interest in relation to the post-2000 slowing in the rate of global average temperature increases. We have compiled a database of volcanic SO2 emissions and plume altitudes for eruptions from 1990 to 2015, and developed a new prognostic capability for simulating stratospheric sulfate aerosols in the Community Earth System Model (CESM). We combined these with other non-volcanic emissions of sulfur sources to reconstruct global aerosol properties from 1990 to 2015. Our calculations show remarkable agreement with ground-based lidar observations of stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD), and with in situ measurements of stratospheric aerosol surface area density (SAD). These properties are key parameters in calculating the radiative and chemical effects of stratospheric aerosols. Our SAOD calculations represent a clear improvement over available satellite-based analyses, which generally ignore aerosol extinction below 15 km, a region that can contain the vast majority of stratospheric aerosol extinction at mid- and high-latitudes. Our SAD calculations greatly improve on that provided for the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, which misses about 60% of the SAD measured in situ on average during both volcanically active and volcanically quiescent periods. The stark differences in SAOD and SAD compared to other data sets will have significant effects on calculations of the radiative forcing of climate and global stratospheric chemistry over the period 2005-2015. In light of these results, the impact of volcanic aerosols in reducing the rate of global average temperature increases since the year 2000 should be revisited. We have made our calculated aerosol properties from January 1990 to

Volcanic Centers in the East Africa Rift: Volcanic Processes with Seismic Stresses to Identify Potential Hydrothermal Vents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patlan, E.; Wamalwa, A. M.; Kaip, G.; Velasco, A. A.

2015-12-01

The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) in Kenya actively seeks to produce geothermal energy, which lies within the East African Rift System (EARS). The EARS, an active continental rift zone, appears to be a developing tectonic plate boundary and thus, has a number of active as well as dormant volcanoes throughout its extent. These volcanic centers can be used as potential sources for geothermal energy. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the GDC deployed seismic sensors to monitor several volcanic centers: Menengai, Silali, and Paka, and Korosi. We identify microseismic, local events, and tilt like events using automatic detection algorithms and manual review to identify potential local earthquakes within our seismic network. We then perform the double-difference location method of local magnitude less than two to image the boundary of the magma chamber and the conduit feeding the volcanoes. In the process of locating local seismicity, we also identify long-period, explosion, and tremor signals that we interpret as magma passing through conduits of the magma chamber and/or fluid being transported as a function of magma movement or hydrothermal activity. We used waveform inversion and S-wave shear wave splitting to approximate the orientation of the local stresses from the vent or fissure-like conduit of the volcano. The microseismic events and long period events will help us interpret the activity of the volcanoes. Our goal is to investigate basement structures beneath the volcanoes and identify the extent of magmatic modifications of the crust. Overall, these seismic techniques will help us understand magma movement and volcanic processes in the region.

Late Pleistocene-Holocene volcanic activity in northern Victoria Land recorded in Ross Sea (Antarctica) marine sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Carlo, P.; Di Roberto, A.; Di Vincenzo, G.; Bertagnini, A.; Landi, P.; Pompilio, M.; Colizza, E.; Giordano, G.

2015-05-01

Eight pyroclastic fall deposits have been identified in cores of Late Pleistocene-Holocene marine sediments from the Ross Sea (Antarctica), and their components, granulometry and clast morphologies were analysed. Sedimentological, petrographic and geochemical analysis of clasts, with 40Ar-39Ar dating of alkali feldspar grains, indicate that during this period at least five explosive eruptions of mid to high intensity (plinian to subplinian) occurred, and that three of these eruptions took place from Mount Melbourne volcanic complex, between 137.1 ± 3.4 and 12 ka. Geochemical comparison of the studied tephra with micro- and crypto-tephra recovered from deep Antarctic ice cores and from nearby englacial tephra at Frontier Mountain indicates that eruptive activity in the Melbourne Volcanic Province of northern Victoria Land was intense during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, but only a general area of provenance for the majority of the identified tephra can be identified.

Volcanic influence on centennial to millennial Holocene Greenland temperature change.

PubMed

Kobashi, Takuro; Menviel, Laurie; Jeltsch-Thömmes, Aurich; Vinther, Bo M; Box, Jason E; Muscheler, Raimund; Nakaegawa, Toshiyuki; Pfister, Patrik L; Döring, Michael; Leuenberger, Markus; Wanner, Heinz; Ohmura, Atsumu

2017-05-03

Solar variability has been hypothesized to be a major driver of North Atlantic millennial-scale climate variations through the Holocene along with orbitally induced insolation change. However, another important climate driver, volcanic forcing has generally been underestimated prior to the past 2,500 years partly owing to the lack of proper proxy temperature records. Here, we reconstruct seasonally unbiased and physically constrained Greenland Summit temperatures over the Holocene using argon and nitrogen isotopes within trapped air in a Greenland ice core (GISP2). We show that a series of volcanic eruptions through the Holocene played an important role in driving centennial to millennial-scale temperature changes in Greenland. The reconstructed Greenland temperature exhibits significant millennial correlations with K + and Na + ions in the GISP2 ice core (proxies for atmospheric circulation patterns), and δ 18 O of Oman and Chinese Dongge cave stalagmites (proxies for monsoon activity), indicating that the reconstructed temperature contains hemispheric signals. Climate model simulations forced with the volcanic forcing further suggest that a series of large volcanic eruptions induced hemispheric-wide centennial to millennial-scale variability through ocean/sea-ice feedbacks. Therefore, we conclude that volcanic activity played a critical role in driving centennial to millennial-scale Holocene temperature variability in Greenland and likely beyond.

Crustal rifting and magmatic underplating in the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) intra-oceanic arc detected by active source seismic studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, N.; Kodaira, S.; Yamashita, M.; Miura, S.; Sato, T.; No, T.; Tatsumi, Y.; Kaneda, Y.

2009-12-01

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has carried out seismic experiments using a multichannel reflection system and ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) in the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin)-Mariana (IBM) arc region since 2002 to understand growth process of continental crust. The source was an airgun array with a total capacity of 12,000 cubic inches and the OBSs as the receiver were deployed with an interval of 5 km for all seismic refraction experiments. As the results, we obtained crustal structures across the whole IBM arc with an interval of 50 km and detected the structural characteristics showing the crustal growth process. The IBM arc is one of typical oceanic island arc, which crustal growth started from subduction of an oceanic crust beneath the other oceanic crust. The arc crust has developed through repeatedly magmatic accretion from subduction slab and backarc opening. The volcanism has activated in Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene and Quaternary (e.g., Taylor, 1992), however, these detailed locations of past volcanic arc has been remained as one of unknown issues. In addition, a role of crustal rifting for the crustal growth has also been still unknown issue yet. Our seismic structures show three rows of past volcanic arc crusts except current arc. A rear arc and a forearc side have one and two, respectively. The first one, which was already reported by Kodaira et al. (2008), distributes in northern side from 27 N of the rear arc region. The second one, which develops in the forearc region next to the recent volcanic front, distributes in whole of the Izu-Ogasawara arc having crustal variation along arc direction. Ones of them sometimes have thicker crust than that beneath current volcanic front and no clear topographic high. Last one in the forearc connects to the Ogasawara Ridge. However, thickest crust is not always located beneath these volcanic arcs. The initial rifting region like the northern end of the Mariana Trough and the Sumisu

Volcanic unrest and hazard communication in Long Valley Volcanic Region, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, David P.; Mangan, Margaret T.; McNutt, Stephen R.

2017-01-01

The onset of volcanic unrest in Long Valley Caldera, California, in 1980 and the subsequent fluctuations in unrest levels through May 2016 illustrate: (1) the evolving relations between scientists monitoring the unrest and studying the underlying tectonic/magmatic processes and their implications for geologic hazards, and (2) the challenges in communicating the significance of the hazards to the public and civil authorities in a mountain resort setting. Circumstances special to this case include (1) the sensitivity of an isolated resort area to media hype of potential high-impact volcanic and earthquake hazards and its impact on potential recreational visitors and the local economy, (2) a small permanent population (~8000), which facilitates face-to-face communication between scientists monitoring the hazard, civil authorities, and the public, and (3) the relatively frequent turnover of people in positions of civil authority, which requires a continuing education effort on the nature of caldera unrest and related hazards. Because of delays associated with communication protocols between the State and Federal governments during the onset of unrest, local civil authorities and the public first learned that the U.S. Geological Survey was about to release a notice of potential volcanic hazards associated with earthquake activity and 25-cm uplift of the resurgent dome in the center of the caldera through an article in the Los Angeles Times published in May 1982. The immediate reaction was outrage and denial. Gradual acceptance that the hazard was real required over a decade of frequent meetings between scientists and civil authorities together with public presentations underscored by frequently felt earthquakes and the onset of magmatic CO2 emissions in 1990 following a 11-month long earthquake swarm beneath Mammoth Mountain on the southwest rim of the caldera. Four fatalities, one on 24 May 1998 and three on 6 April 2006, underscored the hazard posed by the CO2�

Volcanic Gas Emissions Mapping Using a Mass Spectrometer System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Timothy P.; Diaz, J. Andres

2008-01-01

The visualization of hazardous gaseous emissions at volcanoes using in-situ mass spectrometry (MS) is a key step towards a better comprehension of the geophysical phenomena surrounding eruptive activity. In-Situ gas data consisting of helium, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other gas species, were acquired with an MS system. MS and global position system (GPS) data were plotted on ground imagery, topography, and remote sensing data collected by a host of instruments during the second Costa Rica Airborne Research and Technology Applications (CARTA) mission This combination of gas and imaging data allowed 3-dimensional (3-D) visualization of the volcanic plume end the mapping of gas concentration at several volcanic structures and urban areas This combined set of data has demonstrated a better tool to assess hazardous conditions by visualizing and modeling of possible scenarios of volcanic activity. The MS system is used for in-situ measurement of three-dimensional gas concentrations at different volcanic locations with three different transportation platforms, aircraft, auto, and hand carried. The demonstration for urban contamination mapping is also presented as another possible use for the MS system.

Seismically active column and volcanic plumbing system beneath the island arc of the Izu-Bonin subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špičák, Aleš; Vaněk, Jiří; Hanuš, Václav

2009-12-01

A detailed spatio-temporal analysis of teleseismic earthquake occurrence (mb > 4.0) along the convergent margin of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system reveals an anomalously high concentration of events between 27° and 30.5°N, beneath a chain of seamounts between Tori-shima and Nishino-shima volcanoes. This seismicity is dominated by the 1985/1986 earthquake swarm represented in the Engdahl—van der Hilst—Buland database by 146 earthquakes in the body wave magnitude range 4.3-5.8 and focal depth range 1-100 km. The epicentral cluster of the swarm is elongated parallel to the volcanic chain. Available focal mechanisms are consistent with an extensional tectonic regime and reveal nodal planes with azimuths close to that of the epicentral cluster. Earthquakes of the 1985/1986 swarm occurred in seven time phases. Seismic activity migrated in space from one phase to the other. Earthquake foci belonging to individual phases of the swarm aligned in vertically disposed seismically active columns. The epicentral zones of the columns are located in the immediate vicinity of seamounts Suiyo and Mokuyo, recently reported by the Japanese Meteorological Agency as volcanically active. The three observations—episodic character of earthquake occurrence, column-like vertically arranged seismicity pattern, and existence of volcanic seamounts at the seafloor above the earthquake foci—led us to interpret the 1985/1986 swarm as a consequence of subduction-related magmatic and/or fluid activity. A modification of the shallow earthquake swarm magmatic model of D. Hill fits earthquake foci distribution, tectonic stress orientation and fault plane solutions. The 1985/1986 deep-rooted earthquake swarm in the Izu-Bonin region represents an uncommon phenomenon of plate tectonics. The portion of the lithospheric wedge that was affected by the swarm should be composed of fractured rigid, brittle material so that the source of magma and/or fluids which might induce the swarm should be

Seismically active column and volcanic plumbing system beneath the island arc of the Izu-Bonin subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špičák, Aleš; Vaněk, Jiří; Hanuš, Václav

2009-12-01

A detailed spatio-temporal analysis of teleseismic earthquake occurrence (mb > 4.0) along the convergent margin of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system reveals an anomalously high concentration of events between 27° and 30.5°N, beneath a chain of seamounts between Tori-shima and Nishino-shima volcanoes. This seismicity is dominated by the 1985/1986 earthquake swarm represented in the Engdahl-van der Hilst-Buland database by 146 earthquakes in the body wave magnitude range 4.3-5.8 and focal depth range 1-100 km. The epicentral cluster of the swarm is elongated parallel to the volcanic chain. Available focal mechanisms are consistent with an extensional tectonic regime and reveal nodal planes with azimuths close to that of the epicentral cluster. Earthquakes of the 1985/1986 swarm occurred in seven time phases. Seismic activity migrated in space from one phase to the other. Earthquake foci belonging to individual phases of the swarm aligned in vertically disposed seismically active columns. The epicentral zones of the columns are located in the immediate vicinity of seamounts Suiyo and Mokuyo, recently reported by the Japanese Meteorological Agency as volcanically active. The three observations-episodic character of earthquake occurrence, column-like vertically arranged seismicity pattern, and existence of volcanic seamounts at the seafloor above the earthquake foci-led us to interpret the 1985/1986 swarm as a consequence of subduction-related magmatic and/or fluid activity. A modification of the shallow earthquake swarm magmatic model of D. Hill fits earthquake foci distribution, tectonic stress orientation and fault plane solutions. The 1985/1986 deep-rooted earthquake swarm in the Izu-Bonin region represents an uncommon phenomenon of plate tectonics. The portion of the lithospheric wedge that was affected by the swarm should be composed of fractured rigid, brittle material so that the source of magma and/or fluids which might induce the swarm should be situated at a

Validation of Volcanic Ash Forecasting Performed by the Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salemi, A.; Hanna, J.

2009-12-01

In support of NOAA’s mission to protect life and property, the Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) uses satellite imagery to monitor volcanic eruptions and track volcanic ash. The Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) was established in late 1997 through an agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). A volcanic ash advisory (VAA) is issued every 6 hours while an eruption is occurring. Information about the current location and height of the volcanic ash as well as any pertinent meteorological information is contained within the VAA. In addition, when ash is detected in satellite imagery, 6-, 12- and 18-hour forecasts of ash height and location are provided. This information is garnered from many sources including Meteorological Watch Offices (MWOs), pilot reports (PIREPs), model forecast winds, radiosondes and volcano observatories. The Washington VAAC has performed a validation of their 6, 12 and 18 hour airborne volcanic ash forecasts issued since October, 2007. The volcanic ash forecasts are viewed dichotomously (yes/no) with the frequency of yes and no events placed into a contingency table. A large variety of categorical statistics useful in describing forecast performance are then computed from the resulting contingency table.

A volcanic wind-stress origin of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkel, S. D.; Mayewski, P. A.; Maasch, K. A.; Auger, J.; Lyon, B.

2016-12-01

The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a mode of sea-surface temperature (SST) variability in the North Atlantic that has significant impact on global climate. Most previous studies ascribe the origin of the AMO to oceanic mechanisms, and suggest only a limited role for the atmosphere. Here, we suggest that the AMO is manifested from basin-wide changes in surface wind stress that arise in response to episodic volcanic activity. Our interpretation is based on historical SST, reanalysis, and stratospheric aerosol optical thickness data, wherein it is evident that cool (warm) intervals of the AMO coincide with emergence of strong (weak) winds and high (low) volcanic activity. We find that SST excursions ultimately develop from atmospheric forcing as volcanic events project onto the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). A volcanic signature is particularly evident beneath the westerlies in the subpolar region south of Greenland, where several large SST excursions occur coincident with identifiable major eruptions. High latitude surface waters cool when NAO+ circulation, which includes a deepened Icelandic Low, draws cold flow out of the Labrador Sea and into the subpolar region. Important feedbacks that cause SST anomalies to spread across the basin include cloud cover, wind-driven upwelling, and entrainment of Saharan dust into the tropical easterlies. Finally, we speculate that cooling in the North Atlantic observed since 2011 could be linked to renewed volcanic activity over Iceland, namely from the eruptions of Grímsvötn (2011) and Bárðarbunga (2014). An important question remains how North Atlantic SST variability will evolve as atmospheric circulation becomes increasingly modified by human activity.

The dynamic history of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Mexico subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, Luca; Orozco-Esquivel, Teresa; Manea, Vlad; Manea, Marina

2012-02-01

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) is a 1000 km long Neogene continental arc showing a large variation in composition and volcanic style, and an intra-arc extensional tectonics. It overlies the Rivera and Cocos slabs, which display marked changes in geometry. Geophysical studies indicate that lithospheric mantle is very thin or absent beneath the forearc and arc, the fluids from the slab are released in a 40 to 100 km wide belt beneath the frontal part of the arc, and the lower crust beneath the arc is partially molten. East of 101°W the TMVB is built on a Precambrian to Paleozoic crust with thickness of 50-55 km. West of 101°W the TMVB is underlain by Jurassic to Cenozoic marine and continental arcs with a 35-40 km thick crust. The evolution of the TMVB occurred in four stages: 1) from ~ 20 to 10 Ma the initial andesitic arc moved inland showing progressively drier melting and, eventually, slab melting, suggesting flattening of the subducted slab; 2) since ~ 11 Ma a pulse of mafic volcanism migrated from west to east reaching the Gulf of Mexico by 7 Ma. This mafic lavas marks the lateral propagation of a slab tear, triggered by cessation of subduction beneath Baja California; 3) thereafter, the volcanic front started moving trenchward, with a marked phase of silicic volcanism between 7.5 and 3 Ma, local emplacement of small volume intraplate-like basalts since 5 Ma, and development of extensional faulting. These features are related to slab rollback, enhancing asthenophere flux into the mantle wedge and promoting partial melting of the crust; 4) the modern arc consists of a frontal belt dominated by flux and slab melting, and a rear belt characterized by more differentiated rocks or by mafic lavas with little or no evidence of subduction fluids but higher asthenosphere fingerprint.

Map of Io Volcanic Heat Flow

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-15

This frame from an animation shows Jupiter volcanic moon Io as seen by NASA Voyager and Galileo spacecraft (at left) and the pattern of heat flow from 242 active volcanoes (at right). The red and yellow areas are places where local heat flow is greatest -- the result of magma erupting from Io's molten interior onto the surface. The map is the result of analyzing decades of observations from spacecraft and ground-based telescopes. It shows Io's usual volcanic thermal emission, excluding the occasional massive but transient "outburst" eruption; in other words, this is what Io looks like most of the time. This heat flow map will be used to test models of interior heating. The map shows that areas of enhanced volcanic heat flow are not necessarily correlated with the number of volcanoes in a particular region and are poorly correlated with expected patterns of heat flow from current models of tidal heating -- something that is yet to be explained. This research is published in association with a 2015 paper in the journal Icarus by A. Davies et al., titled "Map of Io's Volcanic Heat Flow," (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.003.) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19655

Deccan volcanism at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Courtillot, V.; Vandamme, D.; Besse, J.

1988-01-01

The accuracy with which one can claim that Deccan trap volcanism occurred at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) over a very short time interval is of key importance in deciding whether a volcanic origin of the KTB events should be taken seriously. In the two years since paleomagnetic, paleontological and geodynamic evidence was published, further data have become available and the case now appears to be well constrained. The Ar-40/Ar-39 results from six labs have yielded some 24 reliable plateau ages that narrow the age range to 65 to 69 Ma. Moreover, it appears that a significant part of this range results from inter-lab spread and possible minor alteration. Paleontology demonstrates that volcanism started in the Maestrichtian, more precisely in the A. mayaroensis zone. Paleomagnetism shows that volcanism spanned only 3 chrons and only one correlation remains possible, that of the main central reversed chron with 29R. Therefore, whereas Ar-40/Ar-39 is able only to restrict the duration of volcanism to some 4 Ma, paleomagnetism restricts it to 0.5 Ma. Using some geochemical indicators such as C-13 as proxy, it is suggested that volcanism actually consists of a few shorter events of unequal magnitude. Extrusion rates may be as high as 100 cu km/yr and fissure lengths as long as several 100 km. Such a scenario appears to be at least as successful as others in accounting for most anomalies observed at the KTB. Particularly important are Iridium and other platinum group elements (PGE) profiles, Sr-87/Sr-86, C-13, 0-18, other exotic geochemical signatures, spherules, soot, shocked minerals, selective and stepwise extinctions. The environmental impact of CO2 possibly released during explosive phases of volcanism, and SO2 released during effusive phases, and the ability of volcanism to ensure worldwide distribution of KTB products are now all addressed. In conclusion, the case for a causal link between internal hotspot activity, birth of the Reunion hotspot itself as

Chronology of volcanic events in the eastern Philippine Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meijer, Arend; Reagan, Mark; Ellis, Howard; Shafiqullah, Muhammad; Sutter, John; Damon, Paul; Kling, Stanley

Radiometric and paleontologic ages of samples from chiefly volcanic sections exposed on Guam, Saipan, and in the Palau Islands were determined to provide an improved temporal framework for tectonic and petrologic models for the evolution of the eastern Philippine Sea. The oldest arc related volcanic rocks found in this area are from the Facpi formation on Guam dated at 43.8±1.6 m.y. B.P. (late middle Eocene). Evidence for late Eocene, early Oligocene, and middle Miocene arc volcanism was also found in the Mariana fore arc. The Palau Islands contain volcanic units of late Eocene(?), early Oligocene and early Miocene age. A minimum age of 1.3±0.2 m.y. has been established for the Mariana active arc. Overall, the new data are consistent with Karig's (1971) model for the tectonic evolution of the eastern Philippine Sea. Whether or not arc volcanism and interarc basin spreading can take place at the same time has not been resolved, although no evidence of synchroneity has been found for at least the Parece Vela Basin—South Honshu Ridge arc system.

Preliminary volcano-hazard assessment for the Tanaga volcanic cluster, Tanaga Island, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coombs, Michelle L.; McGimsey, Robert G.; Browne, Brandon L.

2007-01-01

Summary of Volcano Hazards at Tanaga Volcanic Cluster The Tanaga volcanic cluster lies on the northwest part of Tanaga Island, about 100 kilometers west of Adak, Alaska, and 2,025 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The cluster consists of three volcanoes-from west to east, they are Sajaka, Tanaga, and Takawangha. All three volcanoes have erupted in the last 1,000 years, producing lava flows and tephra (ash) deposits. A much less frequent, but potentially more hazardous phenomenon, is volcanic edifice collapse into the sea, which likely happens only on a timescale of every few thousands of years, at most. Parts of the volcanic bedrock near Takawangha have been altered by hydrothermal activity and are prone to slope failure, but such events only present a local hazard. Given the volcanic cluster's remote location, the primary hazard from the Tanaga volcanoes is airborne ash that could affect aircraft. In this report, we summarize the major volcanic hazards associated with the Tanaga volcanic cluster.

2012 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herrick, Julie A.; Neal, Christina A.; Cameron, Cheryl E.; Dixon, James P.; McGimsey, Robert G.

2014-01-01

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest, or suspected unrest at 11 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2012. Of the two verified eruptions, one (Cleveland) was clearly magmatic and the other (Kanaga) was most likely a single phreatic explosion. Two other volcanoes had notable seismic swarms that probably were caused by magmatic intrusions (Iliamna and Little Sitkin). For each period of clear volcanic unrest, AVO staff increased monitoring vigilance as needed, reviewed eruptive histories of the volcanoes in question to help evaluate likely outcomes, and shared observations and interpretations with the public. 2012 also was the 100th anniversary of Alaska’s Katmai-Novarupta eruption of 1912, the largest eruption on Earth in the 20th century and one of the most important volcanic eruptions in modern times. AVO marked this occasion with several public events.

Volcanic eruption source parameters from active and passive microwave sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montopoli, Mario; Marzano, Frank S.; Cimini, Domenico; Mereu, Luigi

2016-04-01

It is well known, in the volcanology community, that precise information of the source parameters characterising an eruption are of predominant interest for the initialization of the Volcanic Transport and Dispersion Models (VTDM). Source parameters of main interest would be the top altitude of the volcanic plume, the flux of the mass ejected at the emission source, which is strictly related to the cloud top altitude, the distribution of volcanic mass concentration along the vertical column as well as the duration of the eruption and the erupted volume. Usually, the combination of a-posteriori field and numerical studies allow constraining the eruption source parameters for a given volcanic event thus making possible the forecast of ash dispersion and deposition from future volcanic eruptions. So far, remote sensors working at visible and infrared channels (cameras and radiometers) have been mainly used to detect, track and provide estimates of the concentration content and the prevailing size of the particles propagating within the ash clouds up to several thousand of kilometres far from the source as well as track back, a-posteriori, the accuracy of the VATDM outputs thus testing the initial choice made for the source parameters. Acoustic wave (infrasound) and microwave fixed scan radar (voldorad) were also used to infer source parameters. In this work we want to put our attention on the role of sensors operating at microwave wavelengths as complementary tools for the real time estimations of source parameters. Microwaves can benefit of the operability during night and day and a relatively negligible sensitivity to the presence of clouds (non precipitating weather clouds) at the cost of a limited coverage and larger spatial resolution when compared with infrared sensors. Thanks to the aforementioned advantages, the products from microwaves sensors are expected to be sensible mostly to the whole path traversed along the tephra cloud making microwaves particularly

Potential hazards from future volcanic eruptions in California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, C. Dan

1989-01-01

More than 500 volcanic vents have been identified in the State of California. At least 76 of these vents have erupted, some repeatedly, during the last 10,000 years. Past volcanic activity has ranged in scale and type from small rhyolitic and basaltic eruptions through large catastrophic rhyolitic eruptions. Sooner or later, volcanoes in California will erupt again, and they could have serious impacts on the health and safety of the State\\'s citizens as well as on its economy. This report describes the nature and probable distribution of potentially hazardous volcanic phenomena and their threat to people and property. It includes hazard-zonation maps that show areas relatively likely to be affected by future eruptions in California. The potentially more hazardous eruptions in the State are those that involve explosive eruption of large volumes of silicic magma. Such eruptions could occur at vents in as many as four areas in California. They could eject pumice high into the atmosphere above the volcano, produce destructive blasts, avalanches, or pyroclastic flows that reach distances of tens of kilometers from a vent, and produce mudflows and floods that reach to distances of hundreds of kilometers. Smaller eruptions produce similar, but less severe and less extensive, phenomena. Hazards are greatest close to a volcanic vent; the slopes on or near a volcano, and valleys leading away from it, are affected most often and most severely by such eruptions. In general, risk from volcanic phenomena decreases with increasing distance from a vent and, for most flowage processes, with increasing height above valley floors or fan surfaces. Tephra (ash) from explosive eruptions can affect wide areas downwind from a vent. In California, prevailing winds cause the 180-degree sector east of the volcano to be affected most often and most severely. Risk to life from ashfall decreases rapidly with increasing distance from a vent, but thin deposits of ash could disrupt communication

Volcanic passive margins: another way to break up continents

PubMed Central

Geoffroy, L.; Burov, E. B.; Werner, P.

2015-01-01

Two major types of passive margins are recognized, i.e. volcanic and non-volcanic, without proposing distinctive mechanisms for their formation. Volcanic passive margins are associated with the extrusion and intrusion of large volumes of magma, predominantly mafic, and represent distinctive features of Larges Igneous Provinces, in which regional fissural volcanism predates localized syn-magmatic break-up of the lithosphere. In contrast with non-volcanic margins, continentward-dipping detachment faults accommodate crustal necking at both conjugate volcanic margins. These faults root on a two-layer deformed ductile crust that appears to be partly of igneous nature. This lower crust is exhumed up to the bottom of the syn-extension extrusives at the outer parts of the margin. Our numerical modelling suggests that strengthening of deep continental crust during early magmatic stages provokes a divergent flow of the ductile lithosphere away from a central continental block, which becomes thinner with time due to the flow-induced mechanical erosion acting at its base. Crustal-scale faults dipping continentward are rooted over this flowing material, thus isolating micro-continents within the future oceanic domain. Pure-shear type deformation affects the bulk lithosphere at VPMs until continental breakup, and the geometry of the margin is closely related to the dynamics of an active and melting mantle. PMID:26442807

Volcanic passive margins: another way to break up continents.

PubMed

Geoffroy, L; Burov, E B; Werner, P

2015-10-07

Two major types of passive margins are recognized, i.e. volcanic and non-volcanic, without proposing distinctive mechanisms for their formation. Volcanic passive margins are associated with the extrusion and intrusion of large volumes of magma, predominantly mafic, and represent distinctive features of Larges Igneous Provinces, in which regional fissural volcanism predates localized syn-magmatic break-up of the lithosphere. In contrast with non-volcanic margins, continentward-dipping detachment faults accommodate crustal necking at both conjugate volcanic margins. These faults root on a two-layer deformed ductile crust that appears to be partly of igneous nature. This lower crust is exhumed up to the bottom of the syn-extension extrusives at the outer parts of the margin. Our numerical modelling suggests that strengthening of deep continental crust during early magmatic stages provokes a divergent flow of the ductile lithosphere away from a central continental block, which becomes thinner with time due to the flow-induced mechanical erosion acting at its base. Crustal-scale faults dipping continentward are rooted over this flowing material, thus isolating micro-continents within the future oceanic domain. Pure-shear type deformation affects the bulk lithosphere at VPMs until continental breakup, and the geometry of the margin is closely related to the dynamics of an active and melting mantle.

Arctic “ozone hole” in a cold volcanic stratosphere

PubMed Central

Tabazadeh, A.; Drdla, K.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Hamill, P.; Toon, O. B.

2002-01-01

Optical depth records indicate that volcanic aerosols from major eruptions often produce clouds that have greater surface area than typical Arctic polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). A trajectory cloud–chemistry model is used to study how volcanic aerosols could affect springtime Arctic ozone loss processes, such as chlorine activation and denitrification, in a cold winter within the current range of natural variability. Several studies indicate that severe denitrification can increase Arctic ozone loss by up to 30%. We show large PSC particles that cause denitrification in a nonvolcanic stratosphere cannot efficiently form in a volcanic environment. However, volcanic aerosols, when present at low altitudes, where Arctic PSCs cannot form, can extend the vertical range of chemical ozone loss in the lower stratosphere. Chemical processing on volcanic aerosols over a 10-km altitude range could increase the current levels of springtime column ozone loss by up to 70% independent of denitrification. Climate models predict that the lower stratosphere is cooling as a result of greenhouse gas built-up in the troposphere. The magnitude of column ozone loss calculated here for the 1999–2000 Arctic winter, in an assumed volcanic state, is similar to that projected for a colder future nonvolcanic stratosphere in the 2010 decade. PMID:11854461

New ground-based lidar enables volcanic CO2 flux measurements.

PubMed

Aiuppa, Alessandro; Fiorani, Luca; Santoro, Simone; Parracino, Stefano; Nuvoli, Marcello; Chiodini, Giovanni; Minopoli, Carmine; Tamburello, Giancarlo

2015-09-01

There have been substantial advances in the ability to monitor the activity of hazardous volcanoes in recent decades. However, obtaining early warning of eruptions remains challenging, because the patterns and consequences of volcanic unrests are both complex and nonlinear. Measuring volcanic gases has long been a key aspect of volcano monitoring since these mobile fluids should reach the surface long before the magma. There has been considerable progress in methods for remote and in-situ gas sensing, but measuring the flux of volcanic CO2-the most reliable gas precursor to an eruption-has remained a challenge. Here we report on the first direct quantitative measurements of the volcanic CO2 flux using a newly designed differential absorption lidar (DIAL), which were performed at the restless Campi Flegrei volcano. We show that DIAL makes it possible to remotely obtain volcanic CO2 flux time series with a high temporal resolution (tens of minutes) and accuracy (<30%). The ability of this lidar to remotely sense volcanic CO2 represents a major step forward in volcano monitoring, and will contribute improved volcanic CO2 flux inventories. Our results also demonstrate the unusually strong degassing behavior of Campi Flegrei fumaroles in the current ongoing state of unrest.

Global volcanic aerosol properties derived from emissions, 1990-2014, using CESM1(WACCM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Michael J.; Schmidt, Anja; Easter, Richard; Solomon, Susan; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Ghan, Steven J.; Neely, Ryan R.; Marsh, Daniel R.; Conley, Andrew; Bardeen, Charles G.; Gettelman, Andrew

2016-03-01

Accurate representation of global stratospheric aerosols from volcanic and nonvolcanic sulfur emissions is key to understanding the cooling effects and ozone losses that may be linked to volcanic activity. Attribution of climate variability to volcanic activity is of particular interest in relation to the post-2000 slowing in the rate of global average temperature increases. We have compiled a database of volcanic SO2 emissions and plume altitudes for eruptions from 1990 to 2014 and developed a new prognostic capability for simulating stratospheric sulfate aerosols in the Community Earth System Model. We used these combined with other nonvolcanic emissions of sulfur sources to reconstruct global aerosol properties from 1990 to 2014. Our calculations show remarkable agreement with ground-based lidar observations of stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD) and with in situ measurements of stratospheric aerosol surface area density (SAD). These properties are key parameters in calculating the radiative and chemical effects of stratospheric aerosols. Our SAOD calculations represent a clear improvement over available satellite-based analyses, which generally ignore aerosol extinction below 15 km, a region that can contain the vast majority of stratospheric aerosol extinction at middle and high latitudes. Our SAD calculations greatly improve on that provided for the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, which misses about 60% of the SAD measured in situ on average during both volcanically active and volcanically quiescent periods.

Volcanic hazards: Perspectives from eruption prediction to risk assessment for disposal of radioactive waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crowe, B.

1980-12-31

This document summarizes an oral presentation that described the potential for volcanic activity at the proposed Yucca Mountain, Texas repository site. Yucca Mountain is located in a broad zone of volcanic activity known as the Death Valley-Pancake Ridge volcanic zone. The probability estimate for the likelihood that some future volcanic event will intersect a buried repository at Yucca Mountain is low. Additionally, the radiological consequences of penetration of a repository by basaltic magma followed by eruption of the magma at the surface are limited. The combination of low probability and limited consequence suggests that the risk posed by waste storagemore » at this site is low. (TEM)« less

Status of volcanism studies for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crowe, B.; Perry, F.; Murrell, M.

1995-02-01

Chapter 1 introduces the volcanism issue for the Yucca Mountain site and provides the reader with an overview of the organization, content, and significant conclusions of this report. The risk of future basaltic volcanism is the primary topic of concern including both events that intersect a potential repository and events that occur near or within the waste isolation system of a repository. Chapter 2 describes the volcanic history of the Yucca Mountain region (YMR) and emphasizes the Pliocene and Quaternary volcanic record, the interval of primary concern for volcanic risk assessment. The Lathrop Wells volcanic center is described in detailmore » because it is the youngest basalt center in the YMR. Chapter 3 describes the tectonic setting of the YMR and presents and assesses the significance of multiple alternative tectonic models. Geophysical data are described for the YMR and are used as an aid to understand the distribution of basaltic volcanic centers. Chapter 4 discusses the petrologic and geochemical features of basaltic volcanism in the YMR, the southern Great Basin and the Basin and Range province. The long time of activity and characteristic small volume of the Postcaldera basalt of the YMR result in one of the lowest eruptive rates in a volcanic field in the southwest United States. Chapter 5 summarizes current concepts of the segregation, ascent, and eruption of basalt magma. Chapter 6 summarizes the history of volcanism studies (1979 through early 1994), including work for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project and overview studies by the state of Nevada and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Chapter 7 summarizes probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment using a three-part conditional probability model. Chapter 8 describes remaining volcanism work judged to be needed to complete characterization studies for the YMR. Chapter 9 summarizes the conclusions of this volcanism status report.« less

Backprojection of volcanic tremor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haney, Matthew M.

2014-01-01

Backprojection has become a powerful tool for imaging the rupture process of global earthquakes. We demonstrate the ability of backprojection to illuminate and track volcanic sources as well. We apply the method to the seismic network from Okmok Volcano, Alaska, at the time of an escalation in tremor during the 2008 eruption. Although we are able to focus the wavefield close to the location of the active cone, the network array response lacks sufficient resolution to reveal kilometer-scale changes in tremor location. By deconvolving the response in successive backprojection images, we enhance resolution and find that the tremor source moved toward an intracaldera lake prior to its escalation. The increased tremor therefore resulted from magma-water interaction, in agreement with the overall phreatomagmatic character of the eruption. Imaging of eruption tremor shows that time reversal methods, such as backprojection, can provide new insights into the temporal evolution of volcanic sources.

Opportunities for Monitoring Io's Volcanic Activity in the Visible and Infrared From JUICE - It's All About (Eruption) Style

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Ashley; Matson, D.; McEwen, A. S.; Keszthelyi, L.

2012-10-01

The ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) provides many opportunities for long-range monitoring of Io’s extraordinary silicate volcanic activity [1, 2]. A considerable amount of valuable work can be performed even with relatively low-spatial-resolution observations [2]. Techniques developed from the study of Galileo NIMS data and observations of terrestrial silicate volcanism allow the identification of likely eruption style [2] at many locations where the entire eruption is sub-pixel. Good temporal coverage, especially for episodic eruptions (including high-energy “outburst” eruptions), is important for modelling purposes. With opportunities to observe Io on a regular basis (hours-days) during cruise/orbital reduction phases, a visible-to-near-infrared mapping spectrometer (covering 0.4-5.5 µm) is the best instrument to chart the magnitude and variability of Io’s volcanic activity, allowing comparison with an existing and constantly expanding set of Io observations [e.g. 1, 3]. The eruption temperature of Io’s dominant silicate lava, a constraint on interior composition and conditions, is a major unanswered question in the wake of the Galileo mission [1]. A careful approach to instrument design is needed to ensure that observations by both imager and IR spectrometer on JUICE are capable of determining lava eruption temperature [e.g., 4] in low spatial resolution data. With an ideal thermal target (e.g., outburst eruption; the proposed lava lake at Pele) the imager should obtain multi-spectral data in a rapid sequence to allow stability of the thermal source to be quantified. Observations by imager and spectrometer have to be contemporaneous and unsaturated. References: [1] Davies, A. (2007) “Volcanism on Io”, Cam. Univ. Press. [2] Davies et al. (2010) JVGR, 194, 75-99. [3] Veeder et al. (2012) Icarus, 219, 701-722. [4] Davies et al. (2011) GRL, 38, L21308. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology

Submarine Volcanic Morphology of Santorini Caldera, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomikou, P.; Croff Bell, K.; Carey, S.; Bejelou, K.; Parks, M.; Antoniou, V.

2012-04-01

Santorini volcanic group form the central part of the modern Aegean volcanic arc, developed within the Hellenic arc and trench system, because of the ongoing subduction of the African plate beneath the European margin throughout Cenozoic. It comprises three distinct volcanic structures occurring along a NE-SW direction: Christianna form the southwestern part of the group, Santorini occupies the middle part and Koloumbo volcanic rift zone extends towards the northeastern part. The geology of the Santorini volcano has been described by a large number of researchers with petrological as well as geochronological data. The offshore area of the Santorini volcanic field has only recently been investigated with emphasis mainly inside the Santorini caldera and the submarine volcano of Kolumbo. In September 2011, cruise NA-014 on the E/V Nautilus carried out new surveys on the submarine volcanism of the study area, investigating the seafloor morphology with high-definition video imaging. Submarine hydrothermal vents were found on the seafloor of the northern basin of the Santorini caldera with no evidence of high temperature fluid discharges or massive sulphide formations, but only low temperature seeps characterized by meter-high mounds of bacteria-rich sediment. This vent field is located in line with the normal fault system of the Kolumbo rift, and also near the margin of a shallow intrusion that occurs within the sediments of the North Basin. Push cores have been collected and they will provide insights for their geochemical characteristics and their relationship to the active vents of the Kolumbo underwater volcano. Similar vent mounds occur in the South Basin, at shallow depths around the islets of Nea and Palaia Kameni. ROV exploration at the northern slopes of Nea Kameni revealed a fascinating underwater landscape of lava flows, lava spines and fractured lava blocks that have been formed as a result of 1707-1711 and 1925-1928 AD eruptions. A hummocky topography at

Simulating a Volcanic Crisis in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harpp, Karen S.; Sweeney, William J.

2002-01-01

Reports on the design of a multi-week cooperative learning activity for an undergraduate introductory volcanology class which culminates in the simulation of a volcanic monitoring crisis. Suggests that this activity creates an effective and exciting learning environment in which students have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to a more…

Raman spectroscopy of volcanic lavas and inclusions of relevance to astrobiological exploration.

PubMed

Jorge-Villar, Susana E; Edwards, Howell G M

2010-07-13

Volcanic eruptions and lava flows comprise one of the most highly stressed terrestrial environments for the survival of biological organisms; the destruction of botanical and biological colonies by molten lava, pyroclastic flows, lahars, poisonous gas emissions and the deposition of highly toxic materials from fumaroles is the normal expectation from such events. However, the role of lichens and cyanobacteria in the earlier colonization of volcanic lava outcrops has now been recognized. In this paper, we build upon earlier Raman spectroscopic studies on extremophilic colonies in old lava flows to assess the potential of finding evidence of biological colonization in more recent lava deposits that would inform, first, the new colonization of these rocks and also provide evidence for the relict presence of biological colonies that existed before the volcanism occurred and were engulfed by the lava. In this research, samples were collected from a recent expedition to the active volcano at Kilauea, Hawaii, which comprises very recent lava flows, active fumaroles and volcanic rocks that had broken through to the ocean and had engulfed a coral reef. The Raman spectra indicated that biological and geobiological signatures could be identified in the presence of geological matrices, which is encouraging for the planned exploration of Mars, where it is believed that there is evidence of an active volcanism that perhaps could have preserved traces of biological activity that once existed on the planet's surface, especially in sites near the old Martian oceans.

Volcanic activity and satellite-detected thermal anomalies at Central American volcanoes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoiber, R. E. (Principal Investigator); Rose, W. I., Jr.

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A large nuee ardente eruption occurred at Santiaguito volcano, within the test area on 16 September 1973. Through a system of local observers, the eruption has been described, reported to the international scientific community, extent of affected area mapped, and the new ash sampled. A more extensive report on this event will be prepared. The eruption is an excellent example of the kind of volcanic situation in which satellite thermal imagery might be useful. The Santiaguito dome is a complex mass with a whole series of historically active vents. It's location makes access difficult, yet its activity is of great concern to large agricultural populations who live downslope. Santiaguito has produced a number of large eruptions with little apparent warning. In the earlier ground survey large thermal anomalies were identified at Santiaguito. There is no way of knowing whether satellite monitoring could have detected changes in thermal anomaly patterns related to this recent event, but the position of thermal anomalies on Santiaguito and any changes in their character would be relevant information.

Ambient Noise Surface Wave Tomography of the volcanic systems of eastern Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, R. G.; Priestley, K. F.; White, R. S.

2015-12-01

The Vatnajökull region of central-east Iceland lies above the head of the Iceland mantle plume where the crust is thickest due to enhanced melt supply. As a result the region contains a high density of volcanic rift systems, with six large subglacial central volcanoes. Due to the ice cover, the geological structure of the area and the location of past eruptions are poorly known. Imaging of the crustal velocity heterogeneities beneath the ice sheet aims to reveal much in terms of the structure of these volcanic plumbing systems. Mapping of significant velocity changes through time may also be indicative of movement of melt around the central volcanoes; one of which (Bárðarbunga) experienced a major rifting event in August 2014 (Sigmundsson et al. Nature 2015, Green et al. Nature Geosci. 2015). We present results from tomographic imaging of the volcanic systems in the region, using continuous data from a local broadband seismic network in central-east Iceland which provides excellent ray path coverage of the volcanic systems. This is supplemented by data from the HOTSPOT and ICEMELT experiments and the permanent monitoring stations of the Icelandic Meteorological Office. We process the continuous data following Benson et al. 2007 and automatic frequency-time analysis (FTAN) routines are used to extract more than 9000 dispersion measurements. We then generate Rayleigh wave group velocity maps which we present here. We find low velocity regions beneath the Vatnajökull icecap which are bounded by the surface expression of the volcanic rift systems. The lower velocities also extend north-west to the volcanic system under the Hofsjökull ice cap, and northwards towards Askja and the volcanic systems of the northern volcanic zone. We also produce locations and focal mechanisms of earthquakes caused by magmatic and hydrothermal activity to correlate structure with the activity of the volcanic systems.

Autonomous Sensorweb Operations for Integrated Space, In-Situ Monitoring of Volcanic Activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve A.; Doubleday, Joshua; Kedar, Sharon; Davies, Ashley G.; Lahusen, Richard; Song, Wenzhan; Shirazi, Behrooz; Mandl, Daniel; Frye, Stuart

2010-01-01

We have deployed and demonstrated operations of an integrated space in-situ sensorweb for monitoring volcanic activity. This sensorweb includes a network of ground sensors deployed to the Mount Saint Helens volcano as well as the Earth Observing One spacecraft. The ground operations and space operations are interlinked in that ground-based intelligent event detections can cause the space segment to acquire additional data via observation requests and space-based data acquisitions (thermal imagery) can trigger reconfigurations of the ground network to allocate increased bandwidth to areas of the network best situated to observe the activity. The space-based operations are enabled by an automated mission planning and tasking capability which utilizes several Opengeospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensorweb Enablement (SWE) standards which enable acquiring data, alerts, and tasking using web services. The ground-based segment also supports similar protocols to enable seamless tasking and data delivery. The space-based segment also supports onboard development of data products (thermal summary images indicating areas of activity, quicklook context images, and thermal activity alerts). These onboard developed products have reduced data volume (compared to the complete images) which enables them to be transmitted to the ground more rapidly in engineering channels.

The Guanacaste Volcanic Arc Sliver of Northwestern Costa Rica.

PubMed

Montero, Walter; Lewis, Jonathan C; Araya, Maria Cristina

2017-05-11

Recent studies have shown that the Nicoya Peninsula of northwestern Costa Rica is moving northwestward ~11 mm a -1 as part of a tectonic sliver. Toward the northwest in El Salvador the northern sliver boundary is marked by a dextral strike-slip fault system active since Late Pleistocene time. To the southeast there is no consensus on what constitutes the northern boundary of the sliver, although a system of active crustal faults has been described in central Costa Rica. Here we propose that the Haciendas-Chiripa fault system serves as the northeastern boundary for the sliver and that the sliver includes most of the Guanacaste volcanic arc, herein the Guanacaste Volcanic Arc Sliver. In this paper we provide constraints on the geometry and kinematics of the boundary of the Guanacaste Volcanic Arc Sliver that are timely and essential to any models aimed at resolving the driving mechanism for sliver motion. Our results are also critical for assessing geological hazards in northwestern Costa Rica.

Time-space mapping of Easter Chain volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, John M.; Stoffers, Peter; McWilliams, Michael O.

1995-12-01

New 40Ar/ 39Ar and published K sbnd Ar ages show that the locus of volcanism along the Easter Volcanic Chain (EVC) has shifted systematically from the Nazca Ridge, at about 26 m.y., to the recently active Sala y Gomez Island/Easter Island region. This indicates a plume rather than a hotline (i.e., mantle roll) origin for the EVC. The time-space distribution of ages, combined with published ages for the Galapagos and Juan Fernandez volcanic chains, is used to reconstruct Nazca plate velocities over the past 26 m.y. A plume now located in the region of Sala y Gomez Island is most compatible with these data. West of the plume, the EVC records neither Nazca nor Pacific plate motions. This section of the EVC may be related to westward channeling of plume material to the Pacific-Nazca spreading boundary region.

Along-strike supply of volcanic rifted margins: Implications for plume-influenced rifting and sudden along-strike transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranero, C. R.; Phipps Morgan, J.

2006-12-01

The existence of sudden along-strike transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins is an important constraint for conceptual models of rifting and continental breakup. We think there is a promising indirect approach to infer the maximum width of the region of upwelling that exists beneath a rifted margin during the transition from rifting to seafloor-spreading. We infer this width of ~30km from the minimum length of the ridge-offsets that mark the limits of the `region of influence' of on-ridge plumes on the axial relief, axial morphology, and crustal thickness along the ridge and at the terminations of fossil volcanic rifted margins. We adopt Vogt's [1972] hypothesis for along-ridge asthenospheric flow in a narrow vertical slot beneath the axis of plume-influenced `macro-segments' and volcanic rifted margins. We find that: (1) There is a threshold distance to the lateral offsets that bound plume-influenced macrosegments; all such `barrier offsets' are greater than ~30km, while smaller offsets do not appear to be a barrier to along-axis flow. This pattern is seen in the often abrupt transitions between volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins; these transitions coincide with >30km ridge offsets that mark the boundary between the smooth seafloor morphology and thick crust of a plume- influenced volcanic margin and a neighboring non-volcanic margin, as recorded in 180Ma rifting of the early N. Atlantic, the 42Ma rifting of the Kerguelen-Broken Ridge, and the 66Ma Seychelles-Indian rifting in the Indian Ocean. (2) A similar pattern is seen in the often abrupt transitions between `normal' and plume-influenced mid- ocean ridge segments, which is discussed in a companion presentation by Phipps Morgan and Ranero (this meeting). (3) The coexistance of adjacent volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margin segments is readily explained in this conceptual framework. If the volcanic margin macrosegment is plume-fed by hot asthenosphere along an axial ridge slot

A multidisciplinary approach to quantify the permeability of the Whakaari/White Island volcanic hydrothermal system (Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heap, Michael J.; Kennedy, Ben M.; Farquharson, Jamie I.; Ashworth, James; Mayer, Klaus; Letham-Brake, Mark; Reuschlé, Thierry; Gilg, H. Albert; Scheu, Bettina; Lavallée, Yan; Siratovich, Paul; Cole, Jim; Jolly, Arthur D.; Baud, Patrick; Dingwell, Donald B.

2017-02-01

Our multidisciplinary study aims to better understand the permeability of active volcanic hydrothermal systems, a vital prerequisite for modelling and understanding their behaviour and evolution. Whakaari/White Island volcano (an active stratovolcano at the north-eastern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand) hosts a highly reactive hydrothermal system and represents an ideal natural laboratory to undertake such a study. We first gained an appreciation of the different lithologies at Whakaari and (where possible) their lateral and vertical extent through reconnaissance by land, sea, and air. The main crater, filled with tephra deposits, is shielded by a volcanic amphitheatre comprising interbedded lavas, lava breccias, and tuffs. We deployed field techniques to measure the permeability and density/porosity of (1) > 100 hand-sized sample blocks and (2) layered unlithified deposits in eight purpose-dug trenches. Our field measurements were then groundtruthed using traditional laboratory techniques on almost 150 samples. Our measurements highlight that the porosity of the materials at Whakaari varies from ∼ 0.01 to ∼ 0.7 and permeability varies by eight orders of magnitude (from ∼ 10-19 to ∼ 10-11 m2). The wide range in physical and hydraulic properties is the result of the numerous lithologies and their varied microstructures and alteration intensities, as exposed by a combination of macroscopic and microscopic (scanning electron microscopy) observations, quantitative mineralogical studies (X-ray powder diffraction), and mercury porosimetry. An understanding of the spatial distribution of lithology and alteration style/intensity is therefore important to decipher fluid flow within the Whakaari volcanic hydrothermal system. We align our field observations and porosity/permeability measurements to construct a schematic cross section of Whakaari that highlights the salient findings of our study. Taken together, the alteration typical of a volcanic

“Points requiring elucidation” about Hawaiian volcanism: Chapter 24

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poland, Michael P.; Carey, Rebecca; Cayol, Valérie; Poland, Michael P.; Weis, Dominique

2015-01-01

Hawaiian volcanoes, which are easily accessed and observed at close range, are among the most studied on the planet and have spurred great advances in the geosciences, from understanding deep Earth processes to forecasting volcanic eruptions. More than a century of continuous observation and study of Hawai‘i's volcanoes has also sharpened focus on those questions that remain unanswered. Although there is good evidence that volcanism in Hawai‘i is the result of a high-temperature upwelling plume from the mantle, the source composition and dynamics of the plume are controversial. Eruptions at the surface build the volcanoes of Hawai‘i, but important topics, including how the volcanoes grow and collapse and how magma is stored and transported, continue to be subjects of intense research. Forecasting volcanic activity is based mostly on pattern recognition, but determining and predicting the nature of eruptions, especially in serving the critical needs of hazards mitigation, require more realistic models and a greater understanding of what drives eruptive activity. These needs may be addressed by better integration among disciplines as well as by developing dynamic physics- and chemistry-based models that more thoroughly relate the physiochemical behavior of Hawaiian volcanism, from the deep Earth to the surface, to geological, geochemical, and geophysical data.

Lunar farside volcanism in and around the South Pole-Aitken basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasckert, Jan Hendrik; Hiesinger, Harald; van der Bogert, Carolyn H.

2018-01-01

We identified and mapped 129 mare basalt deposits in and around the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, and determined absolute model ages (AMAs) for 101 of these units by performing crater size-frequency distribution (CSFD) measurements. The derived AMAs range from 2.2 Ga to 3.7 Ga, with the youngest deposits within Antoniadi crater and the oldest deposits at Jules Verne crater. Our investigations indicate a major peak in volcanic activity between 3.6 Ga and 3.2 Ga, which is a similar time range as the major volcanic activity on the nearside, and the rest of the farside. However, a second peak in volcanic activity (2.2-2.5 Ga), as observed for the nearside and parts of the farside, is not observed for the mare deposits within the SPA basin. Combining all AMAs derived for farside mare basalts reveals that volcanic activity was more abundant and lasted longer on the nearside than on the farside. We propose that the stripping of insulating crust by the large SPA-forming impact event, in combination with lower amounts of heat producing elements like Th, might be responsible for the reduced volcanic activity in the SPA basin. In addition, we estimated the thicknesses and volumes of the investigated mare deposits. With thicknesses between ∼31 m and ∼273 m and volumes of ∼1 km³ to ∼2630 km³, the mare basalt deposits in and around the SPA basin show a wide range of dimensions, similar to other mare basalts of the near- and farsides. A trend between the AMAs and the estimated volumes was not observed, but the mare deposits within the large northern craters (e.g., Apollo, Ingenii, or Leibnitz) seem to be generally larger and more voluminous than the mare basalt deposits at the center of the SPA basin.

Volcan Baru: Eruptive History and Volcano-Hazards Assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherrod, David R.; Vallance, James W.; Tapia Espinosa, Arkin; McGeehin, John P.

2008-01-01

Volcan Baru is a potentially active volcano in western Panama, about 35 km east of the Costa Rican border. The volcano has had four eruptive episodes during the past 1,600 years, including its most recent eruption about 400?500 years ago. Several other eruptions occurred in the prior 10,000 years. Several seismic swarms in the 20th century and a recent swarm in 2006 serve as reminders of a restless tectonic terrane. Given this history, Volcan Baru likely will erupt again in the near or distant future, following some premonitory period of seismic activity and subtle ground deformation that may last for days or months. Future eruptions will likely be similar to past eruptions?explosive and dangerous to those living on the volcano?s flanks. Outlying towns and cities could endure several years of disruption in the wake of renewed volcanic activity. Described in this open-file report are reconnaissance mapping and stratigraphic studies, radiocarbon dating, lahar-inundation modeling, and hazard-analysis maps. Existing data have been compiled and included to make this report as comprehensive as possible. The report is prepared in coooperation with National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) of the Republic of Panama and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

An integrated multi-sensors approach for volcanic cloud retrievals and source characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corradini, Stefano; Merucci, Luca

2017-04-01

Volcanic eruptions are one the most important sources of natural pollution. In particular the volcanic clouds represent a severe threat for aviation safety. Worldwide the volcanic activity is monitored by using satellite and ground-based instruments working at different spectral ranges, with different spatial resolutions and sensitivities. Here the complementarity between geostationary and polar satellites and ground based measurements is exploited, in order to significantly improve the volcanic cloud detection and retrievals and to fully characterize the eruption source. The integration procedure named MACE (Multi-platform volcanic Ash Cloud Estimation), has been developed during the EU-FP7 APhoRISM project aimed to develop innovative products to support the management and mitigation of the volcanic and the seismic crisis. The proposed method integrates in a novel manner the volcanic ash retrievals at the space-time scale of typical geostationary observations using both the polar satellite estimations and in-situ measurements. On MACE the typical volcanic cloud retrievals in the thermal infrared are integrated by using a wider spectral range from visible to microwave. Moreover the volcanic cloud detection is extended in case of cloudy atmosphere or steam plumes. As example, the integrated approach is tested on different recent eruptions, occurred on Etna (Italy) in 2013 and 2015 and on Calbuco (Chile) in 2015.

Bioconvection and front formation of Paramecium tetraurelia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitsunezaki, So; Komori, Rie; Harumoto, Terue

2007-10-01

We have investigated the bioconvection of Paramecium tetraurelia in high-density suspensions made by centrifugal concentration. When a suspension is kept at rest in a Hele-Shaw cell, a crowded front of paramecia is formed in the vicinity of the bottom and it propagates gradually toward the water-air interface. Fluid convection occurs under this front, and it is driven persistently by the upward swimming of paramecia. The roll structures of the bioconvection become turbulent with an increase in the depth of the suspension; they also change rapidly as the density of paramecia increases. Our experimental results suggest that lack of oxygen in the suspension causes the active individual motions of paramecia to induce the formation of this front.

Can rain cause volcanic eruptions?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, Larry G.

1993-01-01

Volcanic eruptions are renowned for their violence and destructive power. This power comes ultimately from the heat and pressure of molten rock and its contained gases. Therefore we rarely consider the possibility that meteoric phenomena, like rainfall, could promote or inhibit their occurrence. Yet from time to time observers have suggested that weather may affect volcanic activity. In the late 1800's, for example, one of the first geologists to visit the island of Hawaii, J.D. Dana, speculated that rainfall influenced the occurrence of eruptions there. In the early 1900's, volcanologists suggested that some eruptions from Mount Lassen, Calif., were caused by the infiltration of snowmelt into the volcano's hot summit. Most such associations have not been provable because of lack of information; others have been dismissed after careful evaluation of the evidence.

Volcanic activity in the Acambay Graben: a < 25 Ka subplinian eruption from the Temascalcingo volcano and implications for volcanic hazard.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedrazzi, Dario; Aguirre Díaz, Gerardo; Sunyé Puchol, Ivan; Bartolini, Stefania; Geyer, Adelina

2016-04-01

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) contains a large number of stratovolcanoes, some well-known, as Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl, Nevado de Toluca, or Colima and many others of more modest dimensions that are not well known but constitute the majority in the TMVB. Such volcanoes are, for example, Tequila, San Juan, Sangangüey, Cerro Culiacán, Cerro Grande, El Zamorano, La Joya, Palo Huerfano, Jocotitlán, Altamirano and Temascalcingo, among many others. The Temascalcingo volcano (TV) is an andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) at the eastern part of the Acambay Graben (northwest portion of Estado de México). The TV is composed mainly by dacitic, porphyritic lavas, block and ash deposits and subordinate pumice fall deposits and ignimbrites (Roldán-Quintana et al., 2011). The volcanic structure includes a summit caldera that has a rectangular shape, 2.5×3.5 km, with the largest side oriented E-W, parallel to major normal faults affecting the edifice. The San Mateo Pumice eruption is one of the greatest paroxysmal episodes of this volcano with pumice deposits mainly exposed at the scarp of the Acambay-Tixmadeje fault and at the northern and northeastern flanks of TV. It overlies a paleosol dated at 25 Ka. A NE-trending dispersion was obtained from field data covering an area of at least 80 km2. These deposits overlie older lava flows and mud flows and are discontinuously covered and eroded by younger reworked deposits of Temascalcingo volcano. This event represents a highly explosive phase that generated a relatively thick and widespread pumice fallout deposit that may occur again in future eruptions. A similar eruption today would have a significantly impact in the region, overall due to the fact that there has been no systematic assessment of the volcanic hazard in any of the studies that have been conducted so far in the area. So, this is a pending and urgent subject that must be tackled without delay. Financed by

Long-lived volcanism within Argyre basin, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Jean-Pierre; Dohm, James M.; Soare, Richard J.; Flahaut, Jessica; Lopes, Rosaly M. C.; Pathare, Asmin V.; Fairén, Alberto G.; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Buczkowski, Debra L.

2017-09-01

The Argyre basin, one of the largest impact structures on Mars with a diameter >1200 km, formed in the Early Noachian ∼3.93 Ga. The basin has collected volatiles and other material through time, and experienced partial infilling with water evident from stratigraphic sequences, crater statistics, topography, and geomorphology. Although volcanism has not been previously associated with the Argyre basin, our study of the northwest portion of the basin floor has revealed landforms suggesting volcanic and tectonic activity occurred including Argyre Mons, a ∼50 km wide volcanic-structure formed ∼3 Ga. Giant polygons with a similar surface age are also identified on terrain adjacent to the base of Argyre Mons, indicating the structure may have formed in a water-rich environment. In addition to Argyre Mons, cones, vents, mounds, dikes, and cavi or hollows, many of which are associated with extensional tectonics, are observed in the region. Multiple features appear to disrupt icy (and largely uncratered) terrain indicating a relatively young, Late Amazonian, formation age for at least some of the volcanic and tectonic features. The discovery of Argyre Mons, along with additional endogenic modification of the basin floor, suggests that the region has experienced episodes of volcanism over a protracted period of time. This has implications for habitability as the basin floor has been a region of elevated heat flow coupled with liquid water, water ice, and accumulation of sediments of diverse provenance with ranging geochemistry, along with magma-water interactions.

Controlled Volcanism in the Classroom: A Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Ibrahim

2005-01-01

In this extended earth science activity, students create a hands-on model of a volcano to achieve an understanding of volcanic structure, lava flows, formation of lava layers, and the scientific work of archaeologists and geoscientists. During this simulation activity, students have opportunities to learn science as inquiry and the nature of…

National volcanic ash operations plan for aviation

USGS Publications Warehouse

,; ,

2007-01-01

International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) International Airways Volcano Watch. This plan defines agency responsibilities, provides a comprehensive description of an interagency standard for volcanic ash products and their formats, describes the agency backup procedures for operational products, and outlines the actions to be taken by each agency following an occurrence of a volcanic eruption that subsequently affects and impacts aviation services. Since our most recent International Conference on Volcanic Ash and Aviation Safety, volcanic ash-related product and service activities have grown considerably along with partnerships and alliances throughout the aviation community. In January 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environment Prediction began running the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model in place of the Volcanic Ash Forecast Transport and Dispersion (VAFTAD) model, upgrading support to the volcanic ash advisory community. Today, improvements to the HYSPLIT model are ongoing based on recommendations by the OFCM-sponsored Joint Action Group for the Selection and Evaluation of Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Models and the Joint Action Group for Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Modeling (Research and Development Plan). Two international workshops on volcanic ash have already taken place, noticeable improvements and innovations in education, training, and outreach have been made, and federal and public education and training programs on volcanic ash-related products, services, and procedures iv continue to evolve. For example, in partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and other academic institutions, volcanic ash hazard and mitigation training has been incorporated into aviation meteorology courses. As an essential next step, our volcanic ash-related efforts in the near term will be centered on the development of an interagency implementation plan to

Geothermal and volcanism in west Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, I.; Indarto, S.; Sudarsono; Fauzi I, A.; Yuliyanti, A.; Lintjewas, L.; Alkausar, A.; Jakah

2018-02-01

Indonesian active volcanoes extend from Sumatra, Jawa, Bali, Lombok, Flores, North Sulawesi, and Halmahera. The volcanic arc hosts 276 volcanoes with 29 GWe of geothermal resources. Considering a wide distribution of geothermal potency, geothermal research is very important to be carried out especially to tackle high energy demand in Indonesia as an alternative energy sources aside from fossil fuel. Geothermal potency associated with volcanoes-hosted in West Java can be found in the West Java segment of Sunda Arc that is parallel with the subduction. The subduction of Indo-Australian oceanic plate beneath the Eurasian continental plate results in various volcanic products in a wide range of geochemical and mineralogical characteristics. The geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of volcanic and magmatic rocks associated with geothermal systems are ill-defined. Comprehensive study of geochemical signatures, mineralogical properties, and isotopes analysis might lead to the understanding of how large geothermal fields are found in West Java compared to ones in Central and East Java. The result can also provoke some valuable impacts on Java tectonic evolution and can suggest the key information for geothermal exploration enhancement.

Volcanic and Hydrothermal Activity of the North Su Volcano: New Insights from Repeated Bathymetric Surveys and ROV Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thal, J.; Bach, W.; Tivey, M.; Yoerger, D.

2013-12-01

Bathymetric data from cruises in 2002, 2006, and 2011 were combined and compared to determine the evolution of volcanic activity, seafloor structures, erosional features and to identify and document the distribution of hydrothermal vents on North Su volcano, SuSu Knolls, eastern Manus Basin (Papua New Guinea). Geologic mapping based on ROV observations from 2006 (WHOI Jason-2) and 2011 (MARUM Quest-4000) combined with repeated bathymetric surveys from 2002 and 2011 are used to identify morphologic features on the slopes of North Su and to track temporal changes. ROV MARUM Quest-4000 bathymetry was used to develop a 10 m grid of the top of North Su to precisely depict recent changes. In 2006, the south slope of North Su was steeply sloped and featured numerous white smoker vents discharging acid sulfate waters. These vents were covered by several tens of meters of sand- to gravel-sized volcanic material in 2011. The growth of this new cone changed the bathymetry of the south flank of North Su up to ~50 m and emplaced ~0.014 km3 of clastic volcanic material. This material is primarily comprised of fractured altered dacite and massive fresh dacite as well as crystals of opx, cpx, olivine and plagioclase. There is no evidence for pyroclastic fragmentation, so we hypothesize that the fragmentation is likely related to hydrothermal explosions. Hydrothermal activity varies over a short (~50 m) lateral distance from 'flashing' black smokers to acidic white smoker vents. Within 2 weeks of observation time in 2011, the white smoker vents varied markedly in activity suggesting a highly episodic hydrothermal system. Based on ROV video recordings, we identified steeply sloping (up to 30°) slopes exposing pillars and walls of hydrothermal cemented volcaniclastic material representing former fluid upflow zones. These features show that hydrothermal activity has increased slope stability as hydrothermal cementation has prevented slope collapse. Additionally, in some places

Large Volume 18O-depleted Rhyolitic Volcanism: the Bruneau-Jarbidge Volcanic Field, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boroughs, S.; Wolff, J.; Bonnichsen, B.; Godchaux, M. M.; Larson, P. B.

2003-12-01

The Bruneau-Jarbidge (BJ) volcanic field is located in southern Idaho at the intersection of the western and eastern arms of the Snake River Plain. The BJ region is an oval structural basin of about 6000 km2, and is likely a system of nested caldera and collapse structures similar to, though larger than, the Yellowstone Volcanic Plateau. BJ rocks are high-temperature rhyolite tuffs, high-temperature rhyolite lavas, and volumetrically minor basalts. Exposed volumes of individual rhyolite units range up to greater than 500 km3. We have analyzed feldspar and, where present, quartz from 30 rhyolite units emplaced throughout the history of the BJ center. All, including the Cougar Point Tuff, are 18O depleted (δ 18OFSP = -1.3 to 3.7‰ ), while petrographically, temporally, and chemically similar lavas erupted along the nearby Owyhee Front have "normal" rhyolite magmatic δ 18O values of 7 - 9‰ . There is no evidence for significant modification of δ 18O values by post-eruptive alteration. No correlation exists between δ 18O and age, magmatic temperature, major element composition or trace element abundances among depleted BJ rhyolites. The BJ and WSRP rhyolites possess the geochemical characteristics (depressed Al, Ca, Eu, and Sr contents, high Ga/Al and K/Na) expected of liquids derived from shallow melting of calc-alkaline granitoids with residual plagioclase and orthopyroxene (Patino-Douce, Geology v.25 p.743-746, 1997). The classic Yellowstone low δ 18O rhyolites are post-caldera collapse lavas, but at BJ, both lavas and caldera-forming ignimbrites are strongly 18O-depleted. The total volume of low δ 18O rhyolite may be as high as 10,000 km3, requiring massive involvement of meteoric-hydrothermally altered crust in rhyolite petrogenesis. Regional hydrothermal modification of the crust under the thermal influence of the Yellowstone hotspot apparently preceded voluminous rhyolite generation at Bruneau-Jarbidge.

Measuring seeing with a Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor during an active-optics experiment.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Yang, Dehua; Cui, Xiangqun

2004-02-01

We describe the measurement of atmospheric enclosure seeing along a 120-m light path by use of a Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor (S-H WFS) for the first time to our knowledge in the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) outdoor active-optics experiment system, based on the differential image motion method and a S-H WFS. Seeing estimates that were gained with the S-H WFS were analyzed and found to be in close agreement with the actual seeing conditions, the estimates of refractive-index structure constant, and the thin-mirror active optics results, which usually include the shape sensing precision and the active correction precision of the experimental system. Finally, some countermeasures against poor seeing conditions were considered and adopted.

On the statistics of El Nino occurrences and the relationship of El Nino to volcanic and solar/geomagnetic activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.

1989-01-01

El Nino is conventionally defined as an anomalous and persistent warming of the waters off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru in the eastern equatorial Pacific, having onset usually in Southern Hemispheric summer/fall. Some of the statistical aspects of El Nino occurrences are examined, especially as they relate to the normal distribution and to possible associations with volcanic, solar, and geomagnetic activity. With regard to the very strong El Nino of 1982 to 1983, it is noted that, although it may very well be related to the 1982 eruptions of El Chichon, the event occurred essentially on time (with respect to the past behavior of elapsed times between successive El Nino events; a moderate-to-stronger El Nino was expected during the interval 1978 to 1982, assuming that El Nino occurrences are normally distributed, having a mean elapsed time between successive onsets of 4 years and a standard deviation of 2 years and a last known occurrence in 1976). Also, although not widely recognized, the whole of 1982 was a record year for geomagnetic activity (based on the aa geomagnetic index, with the aa index registering an all time high in February 1982), perhaps, important for determining a possible trigger for this and other El Nino events. A major feature is an extensive bibliography (325 entries) on El Nino and volcanic-solar-geomagnetic effects on climate. Also, included is a tabular listing of the 94 major volcanic eruptions of 1835 to 1986.

Volcanic Structure of the Gakkel Ridge at 85°E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, C.; Humphris, S.; Soule, S. A.; Reves-Sohn, R.; Shank, T.; Singh, H.

2007-12-01

We present an initial volcanologic interpretation of a magmatically-robust segment of the ultra-slow spreading (3- 7 mm/yr) Gakkel Ridge at 85°E in the eastern Arctic Basin based on surveys conducted during the July 2007 Arctic GAkkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE). A previous expedition (2001 AMORE) and seismic stations in the area found evidence for active hydrothermal circulation and seismicity that suggested volcanic activity may be ongoing at 85°E. We examine multi-beam bathymetric data, digital imagery, and rock and sediment samples in order to determine the nature of volcanic accretion that is occurring in this environment including the distribution of flow types and their relationship to features of the axial valley. Raw multi-beam bathymetric data was logged by the Kongsberg EM 120 1°x1° multi-beam echo sounder aboard the icbreaker IB Oden. Digital imagery was recorded on five video and still cameras mounted on the CAMPER fiber-optic wireline vehicle, which was towed 1-3m above the seafloor. Digital imagery was recorded on thirteen CAMPER drift-dives over interesting bathymetry including: a volcanic ridge in the axial valley named Duque's Hill, and Oden and Loke volcanoes that are part of the newly discovered Asgard volcanic chain. Talus, lava flows, and volcaniclastics were sampled with the clamshell grabber and slurp suction sampler on CAMPER. A variety of lava morphologies are identified in the imagery including large basalt pillows with buds and other surface ornamentation, lava tubes, lobates, sheet flows, and a thick cover of volcaniclastic sediment over extensive areas suggestive of explosive volcanic activity.

Relocating San Miguel Volcanic Seismic Events for Receiver Functions and Tomographic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patlan, E.; Velasco, A. A.; Konter, J.

2009-12-01

The San Miguel volcano lies near the city of San Miguel, El Salvador (13.43N and -88.26W). San Miguel volcano, an active stratovolcano, presents a significant natural hazard for the city of San Miguel. Furthermore, the internal state and activity of volcanoes remains an important component to understanding volcanic hazard. The main technology for addressing volcanic hazards and processes is through the analysis of data collected from the deployment of seismic sensors that record ground motion. Six UTEP seismic stations were deployed around San Miguel volcano from 2007-2008 to define the magma chamber and assess the seismic and volcanic hazard. We utilize these data to develop images of the earth structure beneath the volcano, studying the volcanic processes by identifying different sources, and investigating the role of earthquakes and faults in controlling the volcanic processes. We will calculate receiver functions to determine the thickness of San Miguel volcano internal structure, within the Caribbean plate. Crustal thicknesses will be modeled using calculated receiver functions from both theoretical and hand-picked P-wave arrivals. We will use this information derived from receiver functions, along with P-wave delay times, to map the location of the magma chamber.

Seismic Activity at tres Virgenes Volcanic and Geothermal Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antayhua, Y. T.; Lermo, J.; Quintanar, L.; Campos-Enriquez, J. O.

2013-05-01

The volcanic and geothermal field Tres Virgenes is in the NE portion of Baja California Sur State, Mexico, between -112°20'and -112°40' longitudes, and 27°25' to 27°36' latitudes. Since 2003 Power Federal Commission and the Engineering Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) initiated a seismic monitoring program. The seismograph network installed inside and around the geothermal field consisted, at the beginning, of Kinemetrics K2 accelerometers; since 2009 the network is composed by Guralp CMG-6TD broadband seismometers. The seismic data used in this study covered the period from September 2003 - November 2011. We relocated 118 earthquakes with epicenter in the zone of study recorded in most of the seismic stations. The events analysed have shallow depths (≤10 km), coda Magnitude Mc≤2.4, with epicentral and hypocentral location errors <2 km. These events concentrated mainly below Tres Virgenes volcanoes, and the geothermal explotation zone where there is a system NW-SE, N-S and W-E of extensional faults. Also we obtained focal mechanisms for 38 events using the Focmec, Hash, and FPFIT methods. The results show normal mechanisms which correlate with La Virgen, El Azufre, El Cimarron and Bonfil fault systems, whereas inverse and strike-slip solutions correlate with Las Viboras fault. Additionally, the Qc value was obtained for 118 events. This value was calculated using the Single Back Scattering model, taking the coda-waves train with window lengths of 5 sec. Seismograms were filtered at 4 frequency bands centered at 2, 4, 8 and 16 Hz respectively. The estimates of Qc vary from 62 at 2 Hz, up to 220 at 16 Hz. The frequency-Qc relationship obtained is Qc=40±2f(0.62±0.02), representing the average attenuation characteristics of seismic waves at Tres Virgenes volcanic and geothermal field. This value correlated with those observed at other geothermal and volcanic fields.

A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals.

PubMed

Gullett, Jonathan C; Tillman, Mark D; Gutierrez, Gregory M; Chow, John W

2009-01-01

The strength and stability of the knee plays an integral role in athletics and activities of daily living. A better understanding of knee joint biomechanics while performing variations of the squat would be useful in rehabilitation and exercise prescription. We quantified and compared tibiofemoral joint kinetics as well as muscle activity while executing front and back squats. Because of the inherent change in the position of the center of mass of the bar between the front and back squat lifts, we hypothesized that the back squat would result in increased loads on the knee joint and that the front squat would result in increased knee extensor and decreased back extensor muscle activity. A crossover study design was used. To assess the net force and torque placed on the knee and muscle activation levels, a combination of video and force data, as well as surface electromyographic data, were collected from 15 healthy trained individuals. The back squat resulted in significantly higher compressive forces and knee extensor moments than the front squat. Shear forces at the knee were small in magnitude, posteriorly directed, and did not vary between the squat variations. Although bar position did not influence muscle activity, muscle activation during the ascending phase was significantly greater than during the descending phase. The front squat was as effective as the back squat in terms of overall muscle recruitment, with significantly less compressive forces and extensor moments. The results suggest that front squats may be advantageous compared with back squats for individuals with knee problems such as meniscus tears, and for long-term joint health.

Amazonian volcanism inside Valles Marineris on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brož, Petr; Hauber, Ernst; Wray, James J.; Michael, Gregory

2017-09-01

The giant trough system of Valles Marineris is one of the most spectacular landforms on Mars, yet its origin is still unclear. Although often referred to as a rift, it also shows some characteristics that are indicative of collapse processes. For decades, one of the major open questions was whether volcanism was active inside the Valles Marineris. Here we present evidence for a volcanic field on the floor of the deepest trough of Valles Marineris, Coprates Chasma. More than 130 individual edifices resemble scoria and tuff cones, and are associated with units that are interpreted as lava flows. Crater counts indicate that the volcanic field was emplaced sometime between ∼0.4 Ga and ∼0.2 Ga. The spatial distribution of the cones displays a control by trough-parallel subsurface structures, suggesting magma ascent in feeder dikes along trough-bounding normal faults. Spectral data reveal an opaline-silica-rich unit associated with at least one of the cones, indicative of hydrothermal processes. Our results point to magma-water interaction, an environment of astrobiological interest, perhaps associated with late-stage activity in the evolution of Valles Marineris, and suggest that the floor of Coprates Chasma is promising target for the in situ exploration of Mars.

Modeling volcanic ash dispersal

ScienceCinema

Macedonio, Giovanni

2018-05-22

Explosive volcanic eruptions inject into the atmosphere large amounts of volcanic material (ash, blocks and lapilli). Blocks and larger lapilli follow ballistic and non-ballistic trajectories and fall rapidly close to the volcano. In contrast, very fine ashes can remain entrapped in the atmosphere for months to years, and may affect the global climate in the case of large eruptions. Particles having sizes between these two end-members remain airborne from hours to days and can cover wide areas downwind. Such volcanic fallout entails a serious threat to aircraft safety and can create many undesirable effects to the communities located around the volcano. The assessment of volcanic fallout hazard is an important scientific, economic, and political issue, especially in densely populated areas. From a scientific point of view, considerable progress has been made during the last two decades through the use of increasingly powerful computational models and capabilities. Nowadays, models are used to quantify hazard scenarios and/or to give short-term forecasts during emergency situations. This talk will be focused on the main aspects related to modeling volcanic ash dispersal and fallout with application to the well known problem created by the Eyjafjöll volcano in Iceland. Moreover, a short description of the main volcanic monitoring techniques is presented.

Volcanic monitoring techniques applied to controlled fragmentation experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kueppers, Ulrich; Alatorre-Ibarguengoitia, Miguel; Hort, Matthias; Kremers, Simon; Meier, Kristina; Scharff, Lea; Scheu, Bettina; Taddeucci, Jacopo; Dingwell, Donald B.

2010-05-01

A rapidly growing number of people is threatened by natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, or storms. Volcanic eruptions not only have an impact on their direct neighbourhood but may also affect aviation, infrastructure and climate, regionally as well as globally. In respect to several other natural threats, volcanoes exhibit the advantage of a usually known location of the pending threat, allowing the deployment of sophisticated monitoring networks. Such networks deliver information about volcanic systems and the correct interpretation of monitoring data is a viable key to a successful hazard mitigation strategy. Today a large number of volcanoes is equipped with a variety of scientific instruments that help elucidate the secrets of volcanic phenomena. However, our mechanistic understanding of the processes behind recorded signals or a solid interpretation of the state of a volcano is poor. Experimental volcanology is a chief source of mechanistic understanding of volcanic systems. Here, we bring volcanic monitoring and experimental volcanology together in a campaign of well-monitored, field-based, experimental volcanology. We present results from a multi-parametric combination of well-controlled experiments and several tools commonly used for monitoring active volcanoes. We performed rapid decompression experiments with natural rock samples from Colima volcano (Mexico) to simulate explosive volcanic eruptions. We used 2 sample varieties of approx. 25 and 35 vol.% open porosity. Sample size was 60 mm height and 25 mm and 60 mm diameter, respectively. Applied pressure ranges from 4 to 18 MPa. The pressurised volume above the samples ranges from 60 - 170 cm³. The experiments have been thoroughly monitored with 1) Doppler-Radar, 2) High-speed and video camera, 3) acoustic and infrasonic sensors, 4) pressure transducers, and 5) electrically conducting wires to shed light on fragmentation, ejection, and ejection speed of volcanic pyroclasts

Discrimination of Hydrovolcanic Tephras from Volcanic and Non-Volcanic Backgrounds in Hyperspectral Data of Pavant Butte and Tabernacle Hill, Utah: Relevance for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrand, W. H.

2003-01-01

Water-magma, or ice-magma, interactions have long been theorized as an important process in the Martian geologic record [1-3]. The ability to unambiguously recognize tephra deposits and volcanic edifices produced by H2O-magma interactions is important for understanding the geologic history of Mars and for understanding the genesis of the major components of the Martian surface layer. Recognizing volcanic edifices produced by H2Omagma interactions on the basis of morphology alone is difficult.can be definitively identified as such. One means of providing supporting evidence for the identification of hydrovolcanic landforms and tephra deposits is through spectroscopy. Tephras produced by hydrovolcanic activity range from fresh basaltic glass (sideromelane) to glasses that have been completely altered to palagonite. A study of the visible through short-wave infrared (Vis-IR) reflectance of tephras composing tuff rings and tuff cones showed that the different stages of this alteration sequence have recognizable reflectance signatures [6,7]. However, the ability to recognize these different types of tephras against volcanic and nonvolcanic background materials has yet to be fully demonstrated. In this research, hyperspectral Vis-IR data over volcanic and hydrovolcanic terrains in the Black Rock Desert of Utah were analyzed in order to determine the separability of the component materials from volcanic and non-volcanic backgrounds.

Inspiratory muscle fatigue affects latissimus dorsi but not pectoralis major activity during arms only front crawl sprinting.

PubMed

Lomax, Mitch; Tasker, Louise; Bostanci, Ozgur

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) affects the muscle activity of the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major during maximal arms only front crawl swimming. Eight collegiate swimmers were recruited to perform 2 maximal 20-second arms only front crawl sprints in a swimming flume. Both sprints were performed on the same day, and IMF was induced 30 minutes after the first (control) sprint. Maximal inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures (PImax and PEmax, respectively) were measured before and after each sprint. The median frequency (MDF) of the electromyographic signal burst was recorded from the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major during each 20-second sprint along with stroke rate and breathing frequency. Median frequency was assessed in absolute units (Hz) and then referenced to the start of the control sprint for normalization. After IMF inducement, stroke rate increased from 56 ± 4 to 59 ± 5 cycles per minute, and latissimus dorsi MDF fell from 67 ± 11 Hz at the start of the sprint to 61 ± 9 Hz at the end. No change was observed in the MDF of the latissimus dorsi during the control sprint. Conversely, the MDF of the pectoralis major shifted to lower frequencies during both sprints but was unaffected by IMF. As the latter induced fatigue in the latissimus dorsi, which was not otherwise apparent during maximal arms only control sprinting, the presence of IMF affects the activity of the latissimus dorsi during front crawl sprinting.

Chronology and References of Volcanic Eruptions and Selected Unrest in the United States, 1980-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diefenbach, Angela K.; Guffanti, Marianne; Ewert, John W.

2009-01-01

The United States ranks as one of the top countries in the world in the number of young, active volcanoes within its borders. The United States, including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is home to approximately 170 geologically active (age <10,000 years) volcanoes. As our review of the record shows, 30 of these volcanoes have erupted since 1980, many repeatedly. In addition to producing eruptions, many U.S. volcanoes exhibit periods of anomalous activity, unrest, that do not culminate in eruptions. Monitoring volcanic activity in the United States is the responsibility of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) and is accomplished with academic, Federal, and State partners. The VHP supports five Volcano Observatories - the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), Long Valley Observatory (LVO), and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). With the exception of HVO, which was established in 1912, the U.S. Volcano Observatories have been established in the past 27 years in response to specific volcanic eruptions or sustained levels of unrest. As understanding of volcanic activity and hazards has grown over the years, so have the extent and types of monitoring networks and techniques available to detect early signs of anomalous volcanic behavior. This increased capability is providing us with a more accurate gauge of volcanic activity in the United States. The purpose of this report is to (1) document the range of volcanic activity that U.S. Volcano Observatories have dealt with, beginning with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, (2) describe some overall characteristics of the activity, and (3) serve as a quick reference to pertinent published literature on the eruptions and unrest documented in this report.

Melting Behavior of Volcanic Ash relevant to Aviation Ash Hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W.; Hess, K.; Lavallee, Y.; Cimarelli, C.; Dingwell, D. B.

2013-12-01

Volcanic ash is one of the major hazards caused by volcanic eruptions. In particular, the threat to aviation from airborne volcanic ash has been widely recognized and documented. In the past 12 years, more than 60 modern jet airplanes, mostly jumbo jets, have been damaged by drifting clouds of volcanic ash that have contaminated air routes and airport facilities. Seven of these encounters are known to have caused in-flight loss of engine power to jumbo jets carrying a total of more than 2000 passengers. The primary cause of engine thrust loss is that the glass in volcanic ash particles is generated at temperatures far lower than the temperatures in the combustion chamber of a jet engine ( i.e. > 1600 oC) and when the molten volcanic ash particles leave this hottest section of the engine, the resolidified molten volcanic ash particles will be accumulated on the turbine nozzle guide vanes, which reduced the effective flow of air through the engine ultimately causing failure. Thus, it is essential to investigate the melting process and subsequent deposition behavior of volcanic ash under gas turbine conditions. Although few research studies that investigated the deposition behavior of volcanic ash at the high temperature are to be found in public domain, to the best our knowledge, no work addresses the formation of molten volcanic ash. In this work, volcanic ash produced by Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala in November 8, 2012 was selected for study because of their recent activity and potential hazard to aircraft safety. We used the method of accessing the behavior of deposit-forming impurities in high temperature boiler plants on the basis of observations of the change in shape and size of a cylindrical coal ash to study the sintering and fusion phenomena as well as determine the volcanic ash melting behavior by using characteristic temperatures by means of hot stage microscope (HSM), different thermal analysis (DTA) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) to

Impact of solar vs. volcanic activity variations on tropospheric temperatures and precipitation during the Dalton Minimum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anet, J. G.; Muthers, S.; Rozanov, E. V.; Raible, C. C.; Stenke, A.; Shapiro, A. I.; Brönnimann, S.; Arfeuille, F.; Brugnara, Y.; Beer, J.; Steinhilber, F.; Schmutz, W.; Peter, T.

2013-11-01

The aim of this work is to elucidate the impact of changes in solar irradiance and energetic particles vs. volcanic eruptions on tropospheric global climate during the Dalton Minimum (DM, 1780-1840 AD). Separate variations in the (i) solar irradiance in the UV-C with wavelengths λ < 250 nm, (ii) irradiance at wavelengths λ > 250 nm, (iii) in energetic particle spectrum, and (iv) volcanic aerosol forcing were analyzed separately, and (v) in combination, by means of small ensemble calculations using a coupled atmosphere-ocean chemistry-climate-model. Global and hemispheric mean surface temperatures show a significant dependence on solar irradiance at λ > 250 nm. Also, powerful volcanic eruptions in 1809, 1815, 1831 and 1835 significantly decrease global mean temperature by up to 0.5 K for 2-3 yr after the eruption. However, while the volcanic effect is clearly discernible in the southern hemispheric mean temperature, it is less significant in the Northern Hemisphere, partly because the two largest volcanic eruptions occurred in the SH tropics and during seasons when the aerosols were mainly transported southward, partly because of the higher northern internal variability. In the simulation including all forcings, temperatures are in reasonable agreement with the tree-ring-based temperature anomalies of the Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly, the model suggests that solar irradiance changes at λ < 250 nm and in energetic particle spectra have only insignificant impact on the climate during the Dalton Minimum. This downscales the importance of top-down processes (stemming from changes at λ < 250 nm) relative to bottom-up processes (from λ > 250 nm). Reduction of irradiance at λ > 250 nm leads to a significant (up to 2%) decrease of the ocean heat content (OHC) between the 0 and 300 m of depth, whereas the changes in irradiance at λ < 250 nm or in energetic particle have virtually no effect. Also, volcanic aerosol yields a very strong response, reducing the OHC

Impact of solar versus volcanic activity variations on tropospheric temperatures and precipitation during the Dalton Minimum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anet, J. G.; Muthers, S.; Rozanov, E. V.; Raible, C. C.; Stenke, A.; Shapiro, A. I.; Brönnimann, S.; Arfeuille, F.; Brugnara, Y.; Beer, J.; Steinhilber, F.; Schmutz, W.; Peter, T.

2014-05-01

The aim of this work is to elucidate the impact of changes in solar irradiance and energetic particles versus volcanic eruptions on tropospheric global climate during the Dalton Minimum (DM, AD 1780-1840). Separate variations in the (i) solar irradiance in the UV-C with wavelengths λ < 250 nm, (ii) irradiance at wavelengths λ > 250 nm, (iii) in energetic particle spectrum, and (iv) volcanic aerosol forcing were analyzed separately, and (v) in combination, by means of small ensemble calculations using a coupled atmosphere-ocean chemistry-climate model. Global and hemispheric mean surface temperatures show a significant dependence on solar irradiance at λ > 250 nm. Also, powerful volcanic eruptions in 1809, 1815, 1831 and 1835 significantly decreased global mean temperature by up to 0.5 K for 2-3 years after the eruption. However, while the volcanic effect is clearly discernible in the Southern Hemispheric mean temperature, it is less significant in the Northern Hemisphere, partly because the two largest volcanic eruptions occurred in the SH tropics and during seasons when the aerosols were mainly transported southward, partly because of the higher northern internal variability. In the simulation including all forcings, temperatures are in reasonable agreement with the tree ring-based temperature anomalies of the Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly, the model suggests that solar irradiance changes at λ < 250 nm and in energetic particle spectra have only an insignificant impact on the climate during the Dalton Minimum. This downscales the importance of top-down processes (stemming from changes at λ < 250 nm) relative to bottom-up processes (from λ > 250 nm). Reduction of irradiance at λ > 250 nm leads to a significant (up to 2%) decrease in the ocean heat content (OHC) between 0 and 300 m in depth, whereas the changes in irradiance at λ < 250 nm or in energetic particles have virtually no effect. Also, volcanic aerosol yields a very strong response, reducing

Recurrence rate and magma effusion rate for the latest volcanism on Arsia Mons, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Jacob A.; Wilson, James A.; Connor, Charles B.; Bleacher, Jacob E.; Kiyosugi, Koji

2017-01-01

Magmatism and volcanism have evolved the Martian lithosphere, surface, and climate throughout the history of Mars. Constraining the rates of magma generation and timing of volcanism on the surface clarifies the ways in which magma and volcanic activity have shaped these Martian systems. The ages of lava flows on other planets are often estimated using impact crater counts, assuming that the number and size-distribution of impact craters per unit area reflect the time the lava flow has been on the surface and exposed to potential impacts. Here we show that impact crater age model uncertainty is reduced by adding stratigraphic information observed at locations where neighboring lavas abut each other, and demonstrate the significance of this reduction in age uncertainty for understanding the history of a volcanic field comprising 29 vents in the 110-km-diameter caldera of Arsia Mons, Mars. Each vent within this caldera produced lava flows several to tens of kilometers in length; these vents are likely among the youngest on Mars, since no impact craters in their lava flows are larger than 1 km in diameter. First, we modeled the age of each vent with impact crater counts performed on their corresponding lava flows and found very large age uncertainties for the ages of individual vents, often spanning the estimated age for the entire volcanic field. The age model derived from impact crater counts alone is broad and unimodal, with estimated peak activity in the field around 130 Ma. Next we applied our volcano event age model (VEAM), which uses a directed graph of stratigraphic relationships and random sampling of the impact crater age determinations to create alternative age models. Monte Carlo simulation was used to create 10,000 possible vent age sets. The recurrence rate of volcanism is calculated for each possible age set, and these rates are combined to calculate the median recurrence rate of all simulations. Applying this approach to the 29 volcanic vents, volcanism

Recurrence Rate and Magma Effusion Rate for the Latest Volcanism on Arsia Mons, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, Jacob A.; Wilson, James A.; Connor, Charles B.; Bleacher, Jacob E.; Kiyosugi, Koji

2016-01-01

Magmatism and volcanism have evolved the Martian lithosphere, surface, and climate throughout the history of Mars. Constraining the rates of magma generation and timing of volcanism on the surface clarifies the ways in which magma and volcanic activity have shaped these Martian systems. The ages of lava flows on other planets are often estimated using impact crater counts, assuming that the number and size-distribution of impact craters per unit area reflect the time the lava flow has been on the surface and exposed to potential impacts. Here we show that impact crater age model uncertainty is reduced by adding stratigraphic information observed at locations where neighboring lavas abut each other, and demonstrate the significance of this reduction in age uncertainty for understanding the history of a volcanic field comprising 29 vents in the 110-kilometer-diameter caldera of Arsia Mons, Mars. Each vent within this caldera produced lava flows several to tens of kilometers in length; these vents are likely among the youngest on Mars, since no impact craters in their lava flows are larger than 1 kilometer in diameter. First, we modeled the age of each vent with impact crater counts performed on their corresponding lava flows and found very large age uncertainties for the ages of individual vents, often spanning the estimated age for the entire volcanic field. The age model derived from impact crater counts alone is broad and unimodal, with estimated peak activity in the field around 130Ma (megaannum, 1 million years). Next we applied our volcano event age model (VEAM), which uses a directed graph of stratigraphic relationships and random sampling of the impact crater age determinations to create alternative age models. Monte Carlo simulation was used to create 10,000 possible vent age sets. The recurrence rate of volcanism is calculated for each possible age set, and these rates are combined to calculate the median recurrence rate of all simulations. Applying this

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Imaging the Eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Veracruz Basin with Ambient Seismic noise and Earthquake Body Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, J.; Clayton, R. W.

2017-12-01

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) is a prominent and enigmatic feature of the subduction system in Mexico. Its volcanic style diversity and oblique orientation to the trench are explained by the large along-strike variations in the subduction parameters of the Rivera and Cocos plates. However, the abrupt termination of the TMVB on its eastern end with the Pico de Orizaba volcano is puzzling as the current slab model suggests that the transition of the Cocos flat-slab geometry to normal subduction is smooth through this region. There is evidence that suggests that a tear in the slab might be developing, but it is unclear how this feature can support the unusually large topographic gradient that connects the volcanic high peaks with the Veracruz basin just south of the volcanic front. To provide further insight into the transition anatomy of this portion of the slab, and its relation with surface topography, we present a detailed and unified model of the structure of the crust and uppermost mantle built from fundamental-mode Rayleigh and Love surface waves, and high-quality arrival-time data of regional and teleseismic earthquakes. The anisotropic behavior of the subsurface of this region and its relation with present and past flow of material is also quantified and integrated into the model to explain the tectonic evolution of this area.

Co-ordinated spatial propagation of blood plasma clotting and fibrinolytic fronts

PubMed Central

Zhalyalov, Ansar S.; Panteleev, Mikhail A.; Gracheva, Marina A.; Ataullakhanov, Fazoil I.

2017-01-01

Fibrinolysis is a cascade of proteolytic reactions occurring in blood and soft tissues, which functions to disintegrate fibrin clots when they are no more needed. In order to elucidate its regulation in space and time, fibrinolysis was investigated using an in vitro reaction-diffusion experimental model of blood clot formation and dissolution. Clotting was activated by a surface with immobilized tissue factor in a thin layer of recalcified blood plasma supplemented with tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), urokinase plasminogen activator or streptokinase. Formation and dissolution of fibrin clot was monitored by videomicroscopy. Computer systems biology model of clot formation and lysis was developed for data analysis and experimental planning. Fibrin clot front propagated in space from tissue factor, followed by a front of clot dissolution propagating from the same source. Velocity of lysis front propagation linearly depended on the velocity clotting front propagation (correlation r2 = 0.91). Computer model revealed that fibrin formation was indeed the rate-limiting step in the fibrinolysis front propagation. The phenomenon of two fronts which switched the state of blood plasma from liquid to solid and then back to liquid did not depend on the fibrinolysis activator. Interestingly, TPA at high concentrations began to increase lysis onset time and to decrease lysis propagation velocity, presumably due to plasminogen depletion. Spatially non-uniform lysis occurred simultaneously with clot formation and detached the clot from the procoagulant surface. These patterns of spatial fibrinolysis provide insights into its regulation and might explain clinical phenomena associated with thrombolytic therapy. PMID:28686711

Apennine Front revisited - Diversity of Apollo 15 highland rock types

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, Marilyn M.; Marvin, Ursula B.; Vetter, Scott K.; Shervais, John W.

1988-01-01

The Apollo 15 landing site is geologically the most complex of the Apollo sites, situated at a mare-highland interface within the rings of two of the last major basin-forming impacts. Few of the Apollo 15 samples are ancient highland rocks derived from the early differentiation of the moon, or impact melts from major basin impacts. Most of the samples are regolith breccias containing abundant clasts of younger volcanic mare and KREEP basalts. The early geologic evolution of the region can be understood only by examining the small fragments of highland rocks found in regolith breccias and soils. Geochemical and petrologic studies of clasts and matrices of three impact melt breccias and four regolith breccias are presented. Twelve igneous and metamorphic rocks show extreme diversity and include a new type of ferroan norite. Twenty-five samples of highland impact melt are divided into groups based on composition. These impact melts form nearly a continuum over more than an order of magnitude in REE concentrations. This continuum may result from both major basin impacts and younger local events. Highland rocks from the Apennine Front include most of the highland rock types found at all of the other sites. An extreme diversity of highland rocks is a fundamental characteristic of the Apennine Front and is a natural result of its complex geologic evolution.

Climatic Impacts of a Volcanic Double Event: 536/540 CE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toohey, M.; Krüger, K.; Sigl, M.; Stordal, F.; Svensen, H.

2015-12-01

Volcanic activity in and around the year 536 CE led to the coldest decade of the Common Era, and has been speculatively linked to large-scale societal crises around the world. Using a coupled aerosol-climate model, with eruption parameters constrained by recently re-dated ice core records and historical observations of the aerosol cloud, we reconstruct the radiative forcing resulting from a sequence of two major volcanic eruptions in 536 and 540 CE. Comparing with a reconstruction of volcanic forcing over the past 1200 years, we estimate that the decadal-scale Northern Hemisphere (NH) extra-tropical radiative forcing from this volcanic "double event" was larger than that of any known period. Earth system model simulations including the volcanic forcing are used to explore the temperature and precipitation anomalies associated with the eruptions, and compared to available proxy records, including maximum latewood density (MXD) temperature reconstructions. Special attention is placed on the decadal persistence of the cooling signal in tree rings, and whether the climate model simulations reproduce such long-term climate anomalies. Finally, the climate model results will be used to explore the probability of socioeconomic crisis resulting directly from the volcanic radiative forcing in different regions of the world.

Turbulent transport model of wind shear in thunderstorm gust fronts and warm fronts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewellen, W. S.; Teske, M. E.; Segur, H. C. O.

1978-01-01

A model of turbulent flow in the atmospheric boundary layer was used to simulate the low-level wind and turbulence profiles associated with both local thunderstorm gust fronts and synoptic-scale warm fronts. Dimensional analyses of both type fronts provided the physical scaling necessary to permit normalized simulations to represent fronts for any temperature jump. The sensitivity of the thunderstorm gust front to five different dimensionless parameters as well as a change from axisymmetric to planar geometry was examined. The sensitivity of the warm front to variations in the Rossby number was examined. Results of the simulations are discussed in terms of the conditions which lead to wind shears which are likely to be most hazardous for aircraft operations.

Effects of volcanic ash on ocular symptoms: results of a 10-year survey on schoolchildren.

PubMed

Kimura, Katsuaki; Sakamoto, Taiji; Miyazaki, Miho; Uchino, Eisuke; Kinukawa, Naoko; Isashiki, Makoto

2005-03-01

To study the effects of volcanic ash on the ocular symptoms of schoolchildren ages 6 to 15 residing near Mt. Sakurajima, an active volcano. Retrospective, cross-sectional study. A total of 10,380 children ages 6 to 15, 1175 in a high-exposure area and 9205 in a low-exposure area, were studied. High- and low-exposure areas for volcanic ash were selected. All subjects in both areas were examined annually each September in the decade from 1994 to 2003. The frequency of positive ocular symptoms in years with and without active volcanic eruptions was compared. The association of ocular symptoms with volcanic ash dispersal was assessed with the Mantel-Haenszel test or chi-square test. Subjects in the high-exposure area showed ocular symptoms more often than those in the low-exposure area (P<0.0001). Years of active volcanic eruptions (volcanic ash of 5000 g/m2/year or more) were closely related to years with a high frequency of ocular symptoms in subjects in the high-exposure area (P<0.05) but related conversely in subjects in the low-exposure area (P<0.01). Major ocular symptoms were redness, discharge, foreign body sensation, and itching, all treated effectively with eyedrops. Ocular symptoms in subjects were strongly influenced by volcanic eruptions in the Mt. Sakurajima area, but direct influence was limited to those living in areas very near the volcano (i.e., 4 km from the volcano's crater).

Pacific seamount volcanism in space and time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillier, J. K.

2007-02-01

Seamounts constitute some of the most direct evidence about intraplate volcanism. As such, when seamounts formed and into which tectonic setting they erupted (i.e. on-ridge or off-ridge) are a useful reflection of how the properties of the lithosphere interact with magma generation in the fluid mantle beneath. Proportionately few seamounts are radiometrically dated however, and these tend to be recently active. In order to more representatively sample and better understand Pacific seamount volcanism this paper estimates the eruption ages (tvolc) of 2706 volcanoes via automated estimates of lithospheric strength. Lithospheric strength (GTRrel) is deduced from the ratio of gravity to topography above the summits of volcanoes, and is shown to correlate with seafloor age at the time of volcanic loading (Δt) at 61 sites where radiometric constraints upon Δt exist. A trend of fits data for these 61, and with seafloor age (tsf) known, can date the 2706 volcanoes; tvolc = tsf - Δt. Widespread recurrences of volcanism proximal to older features (e.g. the Cook-Austral alignment in French Polynesia) suggest that the lithosphere exerts a significant element of control upon the location of volcanism, and that magmatic throughput leaves the lithosphere more susceptible to the passage of future melts. Observations also prompt speculation that: the Tavara seamounts share morphological characteristics and isostatic compensation state with the Musicians, and probably formed similarly; the Easter Island chain may be a modern analogy to the Cross-Lines; a Musicians - South Hawaiian seamounts alignment may be deflecting the Hawaiian hotspot trace.

Complex explosive volcanic activity on the Moon within Oppenheimer crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Kristen A.; Horgan, Briony H. N.; Gaddis, Lisa R.; Greenhagen, Benjamin T.; Allen, Carlton C.; Hayne, Paul O.; Bell, James F.; Paige, David A.

2016-07-01

Oppenheimer crater is a floor-fractured crater located within the South Pole-Aitken basin on the Moon, and exhibits more than a dozen localized pyroclastic deposits associated with the fractures. Localized pyroclastic volcanism on the Moon is thought to form as a result of intermittently explosive Vulcanian eruptions under low effusion rates, in contrast to the higher-effusion rate, Hawaiian-style fire fountaining inferred to form larger regional deposits. We use Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images and Diviner Radiometer mid-infrared data, Chandrayaan-1 orbiter Moon Mineralogy Mapper near-infrared spectra, and Clementine orbiter Ultraviolet/visible camera images to test the hypothesis that the pyroclastic deposits in Oppenheimer crater were emplaced via Vulcanian activity by constraining their composition and mineralogy. Mineralogically, we find that the deposits are variable mixtures of orthopyroxene and minor clinopyroxene sourced from the crater floor, juvenile clinopyroxene, and juvenile iron-rich glass, and that the mineralogy of the pyroclastics varies both across the Oppenheimer deposits as a whole and within individual deposits. We observe similar variability in the inferred iron content of pyroclastic glasses, and note in particular that the northwest deposit, associated with Oppenheimer U crater, contains the most iron-rich volcanic glass thus far identified on the Moon, which could be a useful future resource. We propose that this variability in mineralogy indicates variability in eruption style, and that it cannot be explained by a simple Vulcanian eruption. A Vulcanian eruption should cause significant country rock to be incorporated into the pyroclastic deposit; however, large areas within many of the deposits exhibit spectra consistent with high abundances of juvenile phases and very little floor material. Thus, we propose that at least the most recent portion of these deposits must have erupted via a Strombolian or more continuous fire

Modeling volcanic ash dispersal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macedonio, Giovanni

2010-10-22

Explosive volcanic eruptions inject into the atmosphere large amounts of volcanic material (ash, blocks and lapilli). Blocks and larger lapilli follow ballistic and non-ballistic trajectories and fall rapidly close to the volcano. In contrast, very fine ashes can remain entrapped in the atmosphere for months to years, and may affect the global climate in the case of large eruptions. Particles having sizes between these two end-members remain airborne from hours to days and can cover wide areas downwind. Such volcanic fallout entails a serious threat to aircraft safety and can create many undesirable effects to the communities located around themore » volcano. The assessment of volcanic fallout hazard is an important scientific, economic, and political issue, especially in densely populated areas. From a scientific point of view, considerable progress has been made during the last two decades through the use of increasingly powerful computational models and capabilities. Nowadays, models are used to quantify hazard scenarios and/or to give short-term forecasts during emergency situations. This talk will be focused on the main aspects related to modeling volcanic ash dispersal and fallout with application to the well known problem created by the Eyjafjöll volcano in Iceland. Moreover, a short description of the main volcanic monitoring techniques is presented.« less

A multidisciplinary study in the geodynamic active western Eger rift (Central Europe): The Quaternary volcanic complex Mytina and the recent CO2-degassing zone Hartousov

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechsig, C.; Heinicke, J.; Kaempf, H. W.; Nickschick, T.; Mrlina, J.

2013-12-01

The Eger rift (Central Europe) belongs to the European Cenozoic rift system and represents an approximately 50 km wide and 300 km long ENE-WSW striking continental rift that formed during the Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary transition. This rift zone is one of the most active seismic regions in Central Europe. Especially, the western part of the Eger rift area is dominated by ongoing hidden magmatic processes in the intra-continental lithospheric mantle. Besides of known quaternary volcanoes, these processes take place in absence of any presently active volcanism at the surface. However, they are expressed by a series of phenomena distributed over a relatively large area, like occurrence of repeated earthquake swarms, surface exhalation of mantle-derived and CO2-enriched fluids at mofettes and mineral springs, and enhanced heat flow. At present this is the only known intra-continental region where such deep-seated, active lithospheric processes currently occur. The aim of the project is to investigate the tectonic/geologic near surface structure and the degassing processes of the mofette field of Hartousov, where soil gas measurements (concentration and flux rate) in an area of appr. 3x2 km traced a permeable NS extended segment of a fault zone and revealed highly permeable Diffuse Degassing Structures (DDS). The second target is volcanic environment of the Quaternary volcanic complex Mytina maar and the cinder cone Zelezna hurka/Eisenbühl. The investigations are intended to clarify: a) the spatio-temporal reconstruction of the maar complex, and the palaeo volcanic scenario (geological model, tectonic settings, distribution of pyroclastica, b) the geological structure and the tectonic control of the recent degassing zone, and c) the comperative interpretation of both regions in the consideration of potential future volcanic risk assessment in sub-regions of the western Eger Rift. To investigate both regions the following methods are used: geoelectrics, geomagnetics

Effect of subglacial volcanism on changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Behrendt, John C.

1993-01-01

Rapid changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may affect future global sea-level changes. Alley and Whillans note that 'the water responsible for separating the glacier from its bed is produced by frictional dissipation and geothermal heat,' but assume that changes in geothermal flux would ordinarily be expected to have slower effects than glaciological parameters. I suggest that episodic subglacial volcanism and geothermal heating may have significantly greater effects on the WAIS than is generally appreciated. The WAIS flows through the active, largely asiesmic West Antarctic rift system (WS), which defines the sub-sea-level bed of the glacier. Various lines of evidence summarized in Behrendt et al. (1991) indicate high heat flow and shallow asthenosphere beneath the extended, weak lithosphere underlying the WS and the WAIS. Behrendt and Cooper suggest a possible synergistic relation between Cenozoic tectonism, episodic mountain uplift and volcanism in the West Antarctic rift system, and the waxing and waning of the Antarctic ice sheet beginning about earliest Oligocene time. A few active volcanoes and late-Cenozoic volcanic rocks are exposed throughout the WS along both flanks, and geophysical data suggest their presence beneath the WAIS. No part of the rift system can be considered inactive. I propose that subglacial volcanic eruptions and ice flow across areas of locally (episodically?) high heat flow--including volcanically active areas--should be considered possibly to have a forcing effect on the thermal regime resulting in increased melting at the base of the ice streams.

Hubble Captures Volcanic Eruption Plume From Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a picture of a 400-km-high (250-mile-high) plume of gas and dust from a volcanic eruption on Io, Jupiter's large innermost moon.

Io was passing in front of Jupiter when this image was taken by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in July 1996. The plume appears as an orange patch just off the edge of Io in the eight o'clock position, against the blue background of Jupiter's clouds. Io's volcanic eruptions blasts material hundreds of kilometers into space in giant plumes of gas and dust. In this image, material must have been blown out of the volcano at more than 2,000 mph to form a plume of this size, which is the largest yet seen on Io.

Until now, these plumes have only been seen by spacecraft near Jupiter, and their detection from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope opens up new opportunities for long-term studies of these remarkable phenomena.

The plume seen here is from Pele, one of Io's most powerful volcanos. Pele's eruptions have been seen before. In March 1979, the Voyager 1 spacecraft recorded a 300-km-high eruption cloud from Pele. But the volcano was inactive when the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Jupiter in July 1979. This Hubble observation is the first glimpse of a Pele eruption plume since the Voyager expeditions.

Io's volcanic plumes are much taller than those produced by terrestrial volcanos because of a combination of factors. The moon's thin atmosphere offers no resistance to the expanding volcanic gases; its weak gravity (one-sixth that of Earth) allows material to climb higher before falling; and its biggest volcanos are more powerful than most of Earth's volcanos.

This image is a contrast-enhanced composite of an ultraviolet image (2600 Angstrom wavelength), shown in blue, and a violet image (4100 Angstrom wavelength), shown in orange. The orange color probably occurs because of the absorption and/or scattering of ultraviolet light in the plume. This light from Jupiter passes through

Volcanic Ash Hazards and Risk in Argentina: Scientific and Social Collaborative Approaches.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovere, E. I., II; Violante, R. A.; Vazquez Herrera, M. D.; Martinez Fernandez, M. D. L. P.

2015-12-01

Due to the absence of alerts or volcanic impacts during 60 years (from 1932, Quizapu-Descabezado Grande -one of the major eruptions of the XX Century- until 1991 Hudson eruption) there was mild remembrance of volcanic hazards in the collective memory of the Argentina citizens. Since then and until April 2015, the social perception changed according to different factors: age, location, education, culture, vulnerability. This variability produces a maze of challenges that go beyond the scientific knowledge. Volcanic health hazards began to be understood in 2008 after the eruption of Chaiten volcano. The particle size of ashfall (<10 μ) and the silica composition were the main factors of concern on epidemiological monitoring. In 2011 the volcanic complex Puyehue - Cordon Caulle eruption produced ashfall through plumes that reached densely populated cities like San Carlos de Bariloche and Buenos Aires. Farther away in South Africa and New Zealand ash plumes forced airlines to cancel local and international flights for several weeks. The fear of another eruption did not wait long when Calbuco volcano started activity in April 2015, it came at a time when Villarrica volcano was also in an eruptive phase, and the SERNAGEOMIN Chile, through the Observatory OVDAS of the Southern Andes, faced multiple natural disasters at the same time, 3 volcanoes in activity, lahars, pyroclastic flows and floods in the North. In Argentina, critical infrastructure, farming, livestock and primary supplies were affected mainly in the western region. Copahue volcano, is increasing unstability on seismic and geochemistry data since 2012. Caviahue resort village, distant only 8 Km. from the active vent happens to be a high vulnerable location. In 2014 GEVAS (Geology, Volcanoes, Environment and Health) Network ARGENTINA Civil Association started collaborative activities with SEGEMAR and in 2015 with the IAPG (Geoethics, Argentina), intending to promote Best Practices in volcanic and geological

Volcanic gas composition changes during the gradual decrease of the gigantic degassing activity of Miyakejima volcano, Japan, 2000-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, Hiroshi; Geshi, Nobuo; Matsushima, Nobuo; Saito, Genji; Kazahaya, Ryunosuke

2017-02-01

The composition of volcanic gases discharged from Miyakejima volcano has been monitored during the intensive degassing activity that began after the eruption in 2000. During the 15 years from 2000 to 2015, Miyakejima volcano discharged 25.5 Mt of SO2, which required degassing of 3 km3 of basaltic magma. The SO2 emission rate peaked at 50 kt/day at the end of 2000 and quickly decreased to 5 kt/day by 2003. During the early degassing period, the volcanic gas composition was constant with the CO2/SO2 = 0.8 (mol ratio), H2O/SO2 = 35, HCl/SO2 = 0.08, and SO2/H2S = 15. The SO2 emission rate decreased gradually to 0.5 kt/day by 2012, and the gas composition also changed gradually to CO2/SO2 = 1.5, H2O/SO2 = 150, HCl/SO2 = 0.15, and SO2/H2S = 6. The compositional changes are not likely caused by changes in degassing pressure or volatile heterogeneity of a magma chamber but are likely attributed to an increase of hydrothermal scrubbing caused by large decrease of the volcanic gas emission rate, suggesting a supply of gases with constant composition during the 15 years. The intensive degassing was modeled based on degassing of a convecting magma conduit. The gradual SO2 emission rate that decrease without changes in volcanic gas composition is attributed to a reduction of diameter of the convecting magma conduit.

Properties of volcanic soils in cold climate conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsova, Elena

2017-04-01

Layers of volcanic ash and the Andosol soils derived from them may play an important role in preserving snow and ice as well as developing permafrost conditions in the immediate vicinity of volcanoes of high elevation or those situated at high latitudes, and land areas, often distant from volcanic activity that are either prone to permafrost or covered by snow and ice, but are affected by the deposition of subaerial ash. The special properties of volcanic ash that are responsible are critically reviewed particularly in relation to recent research in Kamchatka in the Far East of Russia. Of particular importance are the thermal properties and the unfrozen water contents of ash layers and the rate at which the weathering of volcanic glass takes place. Volcanic glass is the most easily weathered component of volcanic ejecta (Shoji et al., 1993; Kimble et al., 2000). There are many specific environmental conditions, including paleoclimate and present-day climate, the composition of volcanic tephra and glaciation history, which cause the differences in weathering and development of volcanic ash soils (Zehetner et al., 2003). The preservation of in situ, unweathered, and unaltered surficial ash-fall deposits in the cold regions has important implications for paleoclimate and glacial history. Ash-fall deposits, which trap and preserve the soils, sediments, and landforms on which they fall, can be used to resolve local climate conditions (temperature and moisture) at the ash site during ash-fall deposition. The preservation of detailed sedimentary features (e.g. bedding in the ash, sharpness of stratigraphic contacts) can tell us about their post-depositional history, whether they have been redeposited by wind or water, or overridden by glaciers (Marchant et al., 1996). Weathering of volcanic glass results in the development of amorphous clay minerals (e.g. allophane, opal, palagonite) but this takes place much slower in cold than under warmer climate conditions. Only few

35. EAST FRONT OF POWERHOUSE AND CAR BARN: East front ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

35. EAST FRONT OF POWERHOUSE AND CAR BARN: East front of powerhouse and car barn. 'Annex' is right end of building. - San Francisco Cable Railway, Washington & Mason Streets, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

"All Quiet on the Western Front."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soderquist, Alisa

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" and other war literature, this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that works of art about war can call up strong emotions in readers; and that the writing process can be applied to writing poems. The main activity of the lesson involves…

Modeling Seasonal Thermal Radiance Cycles for Change Detection at Volcanic / Geothermal Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan, R.; Beuttel, B. S.

2013-12-01

Remote sensing observations of thermal features associated with (and often preceding) volcanic activity have been used for decades to detect and monitor volcanism. However, anomalous thermal precursors to volcanic eruptions are usually only recognized retrospectively. One of the reasons for this is that precursor thermal activity is often too subtle in magnitude (spatially, temporally, or in absolute temperature) to be unambiguously detected in time to issue warnings or forecasts. Part of the reason for this is the trade-off between high spatial and high temporal resolution associated with satellite imaging systems. Thus, the goal of this work has been to develop some techniques for using high-temporal-resolution, coarse-spatial-resolution imagery to try to detect subtle thermal anomalies. To identify anomalies, background thermal activity must first be characterized. Every active, or potentially active, volcano has a unique thermal history that provides information about normal background thermal activity due to seasonal or diurnal variations. Understanding these normal variations allows recognition of anomalous activity that may be due to volcanic / hydrothermal processes - ultimately with a lead time that may be sufficient to issue eruption warnings or forecasts. Archived MODIS data, acquired ~daily from 2000 to 2012, were used to investigate seasonal thermal cycles at three volcanic areas with different types of thermal features: Mount St. Helens, which had a dacite dome-building eruption from 2004-2008; Mount Ruapehu, which has a 500-m diameter active summit crater lake; and Yellowstone, which is a large active geothermal system that has hundreds of hot springs and fumarole fields spread out over a very large area. The focus has been on using MODIS 1-km sensor radiance data in the MIR and TIR wavelength regions that are sensitive to thermal emission from features that range in temperature from hundreds of °C, down to tens of °C (below the boiling temperature

9. DETAIL OF INTERIOR OF FRONT PORCH SHOWING FRONT ENTRY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. DETAIL OF INTERIOR OF FRONT PORCH SHOWING FRONT ENTRY (LEFT) AND BLANK WALL (CENTER) CORRESPONDING TO LOCATION OF INTERIOR VAULTS. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. - Boise Project, Boise Project Office, 214 Broadway, Boise, Ada County, ID

Volcanic Infrasound - A technical topic communicated in an entertaining way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerlow, Isaac

2017-04-01

Volcanic Infrasound is a 9-minute film about using infrasound waves to detect and measure volcanic eruptions as they unfold. The film was made by an interdisciplinary team of filmmakers and scientists for a general audience. The movie explains the basic facts of using infrasound to detect volcanic activity, and it also shows volcano researchers as they install infrasound sensors in a natural reserve in the middle of the city. This is the first in a series of films that seek to address natural hazards of relevance to Singapore, a country shielded from violent hazards. This presentation reviews the science communication techniques and assumptions used to develop and produce this entertaining scientific documentary short. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/192206460

Volcanic tremor and local earthquakes at Copahue volcanic complex, Southern Andes, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibáñez, J. M.; Del Pezzo, E.; Bengoa, C.; Caselli, A.; Badi, G.; Almendros, J.

2008-07-01

In the present paper we describe the results of a seismic field survey carried out at Copahue Volcano, Southern Andes, Argentina, using a small-aperture, dense seismic antenna. Copahue Volcano is an active volcano that exhibited a few phreatic eruptions in the last 20 years. The aim of this experiment was to record and classify the background seismic activity of this volcanic area, and locate the sources of local earthquakes and volcanic tremor. Data consist of several volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes, and many samples of back-ground seismic noise. We use both ordinary spectral, and multi-spectral techniques to measure the spectral content, and an array technique [Zero Lag Cross Correlation technique] to measure the back-azimuth and apparent slowness of the signals propagating across the array. We locate VT earthquakes using a procedure based on the estimate of slowness vector components and S-P time. VT events are located mainly along the border of the Caviahue caldera lake, positioned at the South-East of Copahue volcano, in a depth interval of 1-3 km below the surface. The background noise shows the presence of many transients with high correlation among the array stations in the frequency band centered at 2.5 Hz. These transients are superimposed to an uncorrelated background seismic signal. Array solutions for these transients show a predominant slowness vector pointing to the exploited geothermal field of "Las Maquinitas" and "Copahue Village", located about 6 km north of the array site. We interpret this coherent signal as a tremor generated by the activity of the geothermal field.

Soil CO2 efflux measurement network by means of closed static chambers to monitor volcanic activity at Tenerife, Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amonte, Cecilia; García-Merino, Marta; Asensio-Ramos, María; Melián, Gladys; García-Hernández, Rubén; Pérez, Aaron; Hernández, Pedro A.; Pérez, Nemesio M.

2017-04-01

Tenerife (2304 km2) is the largest of the Canary Islands and has developed a central volcanic complex (Cañadas edifice), that started to grow about 3.5 My ago. Coeval with the construction of the Cañadas edifice, shield basaltic volcanism continued until the present along three rift zones oriented NW-SE, NE-SW and NS (hereinafter referred as NW, NE and NS respectively). Main volcanic historical activity has occurred along de NW and NE rift-zones, although summit cone of Teide volcano, in central volcanic complex, is the only area of the island where surface geothermal manifestations are visible. Uprising of deep-seated gases occurs along the aforementioned volcanic structures causing diffuse emissions at the surface environment of the rift-zones. In the last 20 years, there has been considerable interest in the study of diffuse degassing as a powerful tool in volcano monitoring programs. Diffuse degassing studies are even more important volcanic surveillance tool at those volcanic areas where visible manifestations of volcanic gases are absent. Historically, soil gas and diffuse degassing surveys in volcanic environments have focused mainly on CO2 because it is, after water vapor, the most abundant gas dissolved in magma. One of the most popular methods used to determine CO2 fluxes in soil sciences is based on the absorption of CO2 through an alkaline medium, in its solid or liquid form, followed by gravimetric, conductivity, or titration analyses. In the summer of 2016, a network of 31 closed static chambers was installed, covering the three main structural zones of Tenerife (NE, NW and NS) as well as Cañadas Caldera with volcanic surveillance porpoises. 50 cc of 0.1N KOH solution is placed inside the chamber to absorb the CO2 released from the soil. The solution is replaced weekly and the trapped CO2 is then analyzed at the laboratory by titration. The are expressed as weekly integrated CO2 efflux values. The CO2 efflux values ranged from 3.2 to 12.9 gṡm-2�

Impacts of forest harvest on active carbon and microbial properties of a volcanic ash cap soil in northern Idaho

Treesearch

Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Matt D. Busse; Steven T. Overby; Brian D. Gardner; Joanne M. Tirocke

2015-01-01

Soil quality assessments are essential for determining impacts on belowground microbial community structure and function. We evaluated the suitability of active carbon (C), a rapid field test, as an indicator of soil biological quality in five paired forest stands (clear cut harvested 40 years prior and unharvested) growing on volcanic ash-cap soils in northern Idaho....

Widespread Neogene and Quaternary Volcanism on Central Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, R. A.; Falloon, T.; Quilty, P. G.; Coffin, M. F.

2016-12-01

We report new age determinations and compositions for rocks from 18 dredge hauls collected from eight submarine areas across Central Kerguelen Plateau (CKP). Sea knolls and volcanic fields with multiple small cones were targeted over a 125,000 km2 region that includes Heard and McDonald islands. Large early Miocene (16-22 Ma) sea knolls rise from the western margin of the CKP and are part of a NNW-SSE line of volcanic centers that lie between Îles Kerguelen and Heard and McDonald islands. A second group of large sea knolls is aligned E-W across the center of this region. We see evidence of much younger activity (5 Ma to present) in volcanic fields to the north of, and up to 300 km NE of Heard Island. Compositions include basanite, basalt, and trachybasalt, that are broadly similar to plateau lava flows from nearby Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1138, lower Miocene lavas at Îles Kerguelen, dredged rocks from the early Miocene sea knolls, and Big Ben lavas from Heard Island. Geochemical data indicate decreasing fractions of mantle source melting with time. The western line of sea knolls has been related to hotspot activity now underlying the Heard Island area. In view of the now recognized much larger area of young volcanic activity, we propose that a broad region of CKP became volcanically active in Neogene time due to incubation of plume material at the base of the relatively stationary overlying plateau. The presence of pre-existing crustal faults promotes access for melts from the Heard mantle plume to rise to the surface.

3. VIEW NORTH, SOUTHWEST FRONT, SOUTHEAST SIDE Front and side ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. VIEW NORTH, SOUTHWEST FRONT, SOUTHEAST SIDE Front and side elevation. Note gasoline sign post added. Flush store window not altered, 1900 clapboard siding and panelling remaining. - 510 Central Avenue (Commercial Building), Ridgely, Caroline County, MD

Characterizing Volcanic Eruptions on Venus: Some Realistic (?) Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stofan, E. R.; Glaze, L. S.; Grinspoon, D. H.

2011-01-01

When Pioneer Venus arrived at Venus in 1978, it detected anomalously high concentrations of SO2 at the top of the troposphere, which subsequently declined over the next five years. This decline in SO2 was linked to some sort of dynamic process, possibly a volcanic eruption. Observations of SO2 variability have persisted since Pioneer Venus. More recently, scientists from the Venus Express mission announced that the SPICAV (Spectroscopy for Investigation of Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus) instrument had measured varying amounts of SO2 in the upper atmosphere; VIRTIS (Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer) measured no similar variations in the lower atmosphere (ESA, 4 April, 2008). In addition, Fegley and Prinn stated that venusian volcanoes must replenish SO2 to the atmosphere, or it would react with calcite and disappear within 1.9 my. Fegley and Tremain suggested an eruption rate on the order of approx 1 cubic km/year to maintain atmospheric SO2; Bullock and Grinspoon posit that volcanism must have occurred within the last 20-50 my to maintain the sulfuric acid/water clouds on Venus. The abundance of volcanic deposits on Venus and the likely thermal history of the planet suggest that it is still geologically active, although at rates lower than Earth. Current estimates of resurfacing rates range from approx 0.01 cubic km/yr to approx 2 cubic km/yr. Demonstrating definitively that Venus is still volcanically active, and at what rate, would help to constrain models of evolution of the surface and interior, and help to focus future exploration of Venus.

Volcanic risk perception of young people in the urban areas of Vesuvius: Comparisons with other volcanic areas and implications for emergency management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlino, S.; Somma, R.; Mayberry, G.C.

2008-01-01

More than 600 000 people are exposed to volcanic risk in the urban areas near the volcano, Vesuvius, and may need to be evacuated if there is renewed volcanic activity. The success of a future evacuation will strongly depend on the level of risk perception and preparedness of the at-risk communities during the current period of quiescence. The volcanic risk perception and preparedness of young people is of particular importance because hazard education programs in schools have been shown to increase the clarity of risk perception and students often share their knowledge with their parents. In order to evaluate young people's risk perception and preparedness for a volcanic crisis, a multiple choice questionnaire was distributed to 400 high-school students in three municipalities located close to the volcano. The overall results suggest that despite a 60-year period of quiescence at Vesuvius, the interviewed students have an accurate perception of the level of volcanic risk. On the other hand, the respondents demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of volcanic processes and their related hazards. Also, the interviewed students show high levels of fear, poor perceived ability to protect themselves from the effects of a future eruption, and insufficient knowledge of the National Emergency Plan for Vesuvian Area (NEPVA). The latter result suggests that in comparison with volcanic crises in other regions, during a future eruption of Vesuvius, there may not be enough time to educate the large number of people living near the volcano about how to appropriately respond. The inadequate risk education and preparedness of respondents implies that a strong effort is needed to improve communication strategies in order to facilitate successful evacuations. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the present period of quiescence at Vesuvius to improve the accuracy of risk perception of youth in local communities. ?? 2008.

A pulse of mid-Pleistocene rift volcanism in Ethiopia at the dawn of modern humans.

PubMed

Hutchison, William; Fusillo, Raffaella; Pyle, David M; Mather, Tamsin A; Blundy, Jon D; Biggs, Juliet; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Cohen, Benjamin E; Brooker, Richard A; Barfod, Dan N; Calvert, Andrew T

2016-10-18

The Ethiopian Rift Valley hosts the longest record of human co-existence with volcanoes on Earth, however, current understanding of the magnitude and timing of large explosive eruptions in this region is poor. Detailed records of volcanism are essential for interpreting the palaeoenvironments occupied by our hominin ancestors; and also for evaluating the volcanic hazards posed to the 10 million people currently living within this active rift zone. Here we use new geochronological evidence to suggest that a 200 km-long segment of rift experienced a major pulse of explosive volcanic activity between 320 and 170 ka. During this period, at least four distinct volcanic centres underwent large-volume (>10 km 3 ) caldera-forming eruptions, and eruptive fluxes were elevated five times above the average eruption rate for the past 700 ka. We propose that such pulses of episodic silicic volcanism would have drastically remodelled landscapes and ecosystems occupied by early hominin populations.

A pulse of mid-Pleistocene rift volcanism in Ethiopia at the dawn of modern humans

PubMed Central

Hutchison, William; Fusillo, Raffaella; Pyle, David M.; Mather, Tamsin A.; Blundy, Jon D.; Biggs, Juliet; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Cohen, Benjamin E.; Brooker, Richard A.; Barfod, Dan N.; Calvert, Andrew T.

2016-01-01

The Ethiopian Rift Valley hosts the longest record of human co-existence with volcanoes on Earth, however, current understanding of the magnitude and timing of large explosive eruptions in this region is poor. Detailed records of volcanism are essential for interpreting the palaeoenvironments occupied by our hominin ancestors; and also for evaluating the volcanic hazards posed to the 10 million people currently living within this active rift zone. Here we use new geochronological evidence to suggest that a 200 km-long segment of rift experienced a major pulse of explosive volcanic activity between 320 and 170 ka. During this period, at least four distinct volcanic centres underwent large-volume (>10 km3) caldera-forming eruptions, and eruptive fluxes were elevated five times above the average eruption rate for the past 700 ka. We propose that such pulses of episodic silicic volcanism would have drastically remodelled landscapes and ecosystems occupied by early hominin populations. PMID:27754479

Magmatically Greedy Reararc Volcanoes of the N. Tofua Segment of the Tonga Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, K. H.; Embley, R. W.; Arculus, R. J.; Lupton, J. E.

2013-12-01

Volcanism along the northernmost Tofua Arc is enigmatic because edifices of the arc's volcanic front are mostly, magmatically relatively anemic, despite the very high convergence rate of the Pacific Plate with this section of Tonga Arc. However, just westward of the arc front, in terrain generally thought of as part of the adjacent NE Lau Backarc Basin, lie a series of very active volcanoes and volcanic features, including the large submarine caldera Niuatahi (aka volcano 'O'), a large composite dacite lava flow terrain not obviously associated with any particular volcanic edifice, and the Mata volcano group, a series of 9 small elongate volcanoes in an extensional basin at the extreme NE corner of the Lau Basin. These three volcanic terrains do not sit on arc-perpendicular cross chains. Collectively, these volcanic features appear to be receiving a large proportion of the magma flux from the sub-Tonga/Lau mantle wedge, in effect 'stealing' this magma flux from the arc front. A second occurrence of such magma 'capture' from the arc front occurs in an area just to the south, on southernmost portion of the Fonualei Spreading Center. Erupted compositions at these 'magmatically greedy' volcanoes are consistent with high slab-derived fluid input into the wedge (particularly trace element abundances and volatile contents, e.g., see Lupton abstract this session). It is unclear how long-lived a feature this is, but the very presence of such hyperactive and areally-dispersed volcanism behind the arc front implies these volcanoes are not in fact part of any focused spreading/rifting in the Lau Backarc Basin, and should be thought of as 'reararc volcanoes'. Possible tectonic factors contributing to this unusually productive reararc environment are the high rate of convergence, the cold slab, the highly disorganized extension in the adjacent backarc, and the tear in the subducting plate just north of the Tofua Arc.

Hydrothermal reservoir beneath Taal Volcano (Philippines): Implications to volcanic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagao, T.; Alanis, P. B.; Yamaya, Y.; Takeuchi, A.; Bornas, M. V.; Cordon, J. M.; Puertollano, J.; Clarito, C. J.; Hashimoto, T.; Mogi, T.; Sasai, Y.

2012-12-01

Taal Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. The first recorded eruption was in 1573. Since then it has erupted 33 times resulting in thousands of casualties and large damages to property. In 1995, it was declared as one of the 15 Decade Volcanoes. Beginning in the early 1990s it has experienced several phases of abnormal activity, including seismic swarms, episodes of ground deformation, ground fissuring and hydrothermal activities, which continues up to the present. However, it has been noted that past historical eruptions of Taal Volcano may be divided into 2 distinct cycles, depending on the location of the eruption center, either at Main Crater or at the flanks. Between 1572-1645, eruptions occurred at the Main Crater, in 1707 to 1731, they occurred at the flanks. In 1749, eruptions moved back to the Main Crater until 1911. During the 1965 and until the end of the 1977 eruptions, eruptive activity once again shifted to the flanks. As part of the PHIVOLCS-JICA-SATREPS Project magnetotelluric and audio-magnetotelluric surveys were conducted on Volcano Island in March 2011 and March 2012. Two-dimensional (2-D) inversion and 3-D forward modeling reveals a prominent and large zone of relatively high resistivity between 1 to 4 kilometers beneath the volcano almost directly beneath the Main Crater, surrounded by zones of relatively low resistivity. This anomalous zone of high resistivity is hypothesized to be a large hydrothermal reservoir filled with volcanic fluids. The presence of this large hydrothermal reservoir could be related to past activities of Taal Volcano. In particular we believe that the catastrophic explosion described during the 1911 eruption was the result of the hydrothermal reservoir collapsing. During the cycle of Main Crater eruptions, this hydrothermal reservoir is depleted, while during a cycle of flank eruptions this reservoir is replenished with hydrothermal fluids.

Predicting changes in volcanic activity through modelling magma ascent rate.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Mark; Neuberg, Jurgen

2013-04-01

It is a simple fact that changes in volcanic activity happen and in retrospect they are easy to spot, the dissimilar eruption dynamics between an effusive and explosive event are not hard to miss. However to be able to predict such changes is a much more complicated process. To cause altering styles of activity we know that some part or combination of parts within the system must vary with time, as if there is no physical change within the system, why would the change in eruptive activity occur? What is unknown is which parts or how big a change is needed. We present the results of a suite of conduit flow models that aim to answer these questions by assessing the influence of individual model parameters such as the dissolved water content or magma temperature. By altering these variables in a systematic manner we measure the effect of the changes by observing the modelled ascent rate. We use the ascent rate as we believe it is a very important indicator that can control the style of eruptive activity. In particular, we found that the sensitivity of the ascent rate to small changes in model parameters surprising. Linking these changes to observable monitoring data in a way that these data could be used as a predictive tool is the ultimate goal of this work. We will show that changes in ascent rate can be estimated by a particular type of seismicity. Low frequency seismicity, thought to be caused by the brittle failure of melt is often linked with the movement of magma within a conduit. We show that acceleration in the rate of low frequency seismicity can correspond to an increase in the rate of magma movement and be used as an indicator for potential changes in eruptive activity.

Ordovician volcanic and plutonic complexes of the Sakmara allochthon in the southern Urals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryazantsev, A. V.; Tolmacheva, T. Yu.

2016-11-01

The Ordovician terrigenous, volcanic-sedimentary and volcanic sequences that formed in rifts of the active continental margin and igneous complexes of intraoceanic suprasubduction settings structurally related to ophiolites are closely spaced in allochthons of the Sakmara Zone in the southern Urals. The stratigraphic relationships of the Ordovician sequences have been established. Their age and facies features have been specified on the basis of biostratigraphic and geochronological data. The gabbro-tonalite-trondhjemite complex and the basalt-andesite-rhyolite sequence with massive sulfide mineralization make up a volcanic-plutonic association. These rock complexes vary in age from Late Ordovician to Early Silurian in certain structural units of the Sakmara Allochthon and to the east in the southern Urals. The proposed geodynamic model for the Ordovician in Paleozoides of the southern Urals reconstructs the active continental margin, whose complexes formed under extension settings, and the intraoceanic suprasubduction structures. The intraoceanic complexes display the evolution of a volcanic arc, back-, or interarc trough.

Volcanic cones in Hydraotes chaos : implications for the chaotic terrains formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meresse, S.; Costard, F.; Mangold, N.; Masson, P.; Neukum, G.

2006-12-01

Numerous geologic scenarios have been proposed for the chaotic terrains formation. They include (1) sub-ice volcanism and other magma-ice interactions and (2) catastrophic release of groundwater from confined aquifers. The lack of volcanic morphology in the chaos was an handicap for the hypothesis of magma-ice interactions but the HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera) images have recently revealed possible volcanic cones inside the Hydraotes chaos. About thirty cones lie on the lowest parts of the chaos at elevation between -4300 and -5100 meters. They have basal diameters of 500-1900 m and heights exceeding 100 m. They are observed on young surface: the south smooth floor and inside the narrow valleys separating the mesas. The cones are relatively fresh. Similar morphologies of small cone-shaped structures have been previously identified in the northern lowlands of Mars (Chryse, Acidalia, Amazonis, Isidis and Elysuim Planitia) but their origin remains uncertain. A number of volcanic or cold climate landforms were proposed as potential terrestrial analogues : Icelandic pseudocraters (or rootless cones), cinder cones, tuff cones, pingos and spatter cones. The morphologic measurements made on the Hydraotes cones argue rather for a volcanic origin in comparison with terrestrial analogues. These first volcanic cones observed in Hydraotes chaos suggest that volcanic or subvolcanic activity might have played an important part in the chaotic terrains formation and outflow channels genesis.

Volcanic risk perception in the Campi Flegrei area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricci, T.; Barberi, F.; Davis, M. S.; Isaia, R.; Nave, R.

2013-03-01

The Campi Flegrei which includes part of the city of Naples, is an active volcanic system; its last eruption occurred in 1538 AD. More recently two significant crises occurred between 1969 and 72 and 1982-84 and were accompanied by ground movements (bradyseism) and seismic activity, forcing people of the town of Pozzuoli to be evacuated. Since 1984 development of a volcanic emergency plan has been underway. In 2000 Civil Protection published a risk map which defined the Red Zone, an area highly at risk from pyroclastic flows, which would need to be evacuated before an eruption. The first study to evaluate the volcanic risk perceptions of the people living within the Campi Flegrei area was completed in spring 2006, resulting in the largest sample ever studied on this topic except for one on Vesuvio area residents by Barberi et al. (2008). A 46 item questionnaire was distributed to 2000 of the approximately 300,000 residents of the Campi Flegrei Red Zone, which includes three towns and four neighborhoods within the city of Naples. A total of 1161 questionnaires were returned, for an overall response rate of 58%. Surveys were distributed to junior high and high school students, as well as to adult members of the general population. Results indicated that unlike issues such as crime, traffic, trash, and unemployment, volcanic hazards are not spontaneously mentioned as a major problem facing their community. However, when asked specific questions about volcanic risks, respondents believe that an eruption is likely and could have serious consequences for themselves and their communities and they are quite worried about the threat. Considering the events of 1969-72 and 1982-84, it was not surprising that respondents indicated earthquakes and ground deformations as more serious threats than eruptive phenomena. Of significant importance is that only 17% of the sample knows about the existence of the Emergency Plan, announced in 2001, and 65% said that they have not received

The climatic effect of explosive volcanic activity: Analysis of the historical data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryson, R. A.; Goodman, B. M.

1982-01-01

By using the most complete available records of direct beam radiation and volcanic eruptions, an historical analysis of the role of the latter in modulating the former was made. A very simple fallout and dispersion model was applied to the historical chronology of explosive eruptions. The resulting time series explains about 77 percent of the radiation variance, as well as suggests that tropical and subpolar eruptions are more important than mid-latitude eruptions in their impact on the stratospheric aerosol optical depth. The simpler climatic models indicate that past hemispheric temperature can be stimulated very well with volcanic and CO2 inputs and suggest that climate forecasting will also require volcano forecasting. There is some evidence that this is possible some years in advance.

The Pinjaur dun (intermontane longitudinal valley) and associated active mountain fronts, NW Himalaya: Tectonic geomorphology and morphotectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Vimal; Tandon, S. K.

2008-12-01

The Himalayan orogenic belt, formed as a result of collision tectonic processes, shows abundant evidence of neotectonic activity, active tectonics, and the occurrence of historical earthquakes. Its frontal deformation zone is characterized, in some segments, by intermontane longitudinal valleys (duns). Such frontal segments of the Himalaya are marked by the occurrence of multiple mountain fronts. In one such segment of the foothills of the NW Himalaya, the Pinjaur dun is developed and marked by three mountain fronts: MF1A and MF1B associated with the southernmost Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT), MF2 associated with the Sirsa fault, and MF3 associated with the Barsar thrust along the southern margin of the relatively higher main part of the sub-Himalaya. Geomorphic responses to the tectonic activity of these and related structural features have been analyzed through the use of geomorphic indices, drainage density, stream longitudinal profiles, drainage anomalies, and hypsometric analysis. Also, fault and fold growth and their expression on landform development was studied using a combination of surface profiles and field observations. The values of valley floor width to height ratio ( Vf) for valleys associated with MF1 ranged between 0.07 and 0.74, and for valleys associated with MF2 ranged from 1.02-5.12. Vf for the four major valleys associated with MF1B ranged from 1.1-1.7. The asymmetry factor for 26 drainage basins related to MF1A indicate these have developed under the influence of a transverse structure. These results taken together with those obtained from the Hack profiles and SL index values, hypsometry, drainage density, and drainage anomalies suggest that the faults associated with the mountain fronts and related structures are active. Active tectonics and neotectonic activity have led to the formation of four surfaces in the Pinjaur dun. In addition, an important drainage divide separating the Sirsa and Jhajara drainage networks also developed in the