Banding in the Margins of Basaltic Dykes Indicates Pulsatory Propagation During Emplacement

Basaltic fissure eruptions, which are the most common type of eruption on Earth, are fed by dykes which mediate magma transport through the crust. Dyke propagation processes are important because they determine the geometry of the transport pathway and the nature of any geophysical signals associated with magma ascent. Here, we investigate small‐scale (mm–cm wide) banding features at the margins of dykes in the Teno Massif (Tenerife, Spain) and the Columbia River Basalt Province (CRBP) (USA). Similar marginal bands have been reported for dykes in numerous localities around the world. Dyke margins record valuable information about propagation because they are the first material to solidify against the host rock at the propagating dyke tip. We find that the marginal bands are defined by cyclic variations in phenocryst concentration and vesicularity, and we infer that these cyclic variations in texture are a product of cyclic variations in magma flow rates and pressures within the dyke tip. This indicates that dyke emplacement occurs in pulses, with propagation repeatedly hindered by the rapid cooling and solidification of magma in the narrow dyke tip. Using a 1D conduction model, we estimate the time taken for each band to cool and solidify, which provides a timescale of several minutes to tens of minutes for the pulses. The occurrence of similar bands in various volcanic settings suggests that pulsatory propagation is a common, if not ubiquitous, process associated with dyke emplacement

The α–β phase transition in volcanic cristobalite

Cristobalite is a common mineral in volcanic ash produced from dome-forming eruptions. Assessment of the respiratory hazard posed by volcanic ash requires understanding the nature of the cristobalite it contains. Volcanic cristobalite contains coupled substitutions of Al3+ and Na+ for Si4+; similar co-substitutions in synthetic cristobalite are known to modify the crystal structure, affecting the stability of the [alpha] and [beta] forms and the observed transition between them. Here, for the first time, the dynamics and energy changes associated with the [alpha]-[beta] phase transition in volcanic cristobalite are investigated using X-ray powder diffraction with simultaneous in situ heating and differential scanning calorimetry. At ambient temperature, volcanic cristobalite exists in the [alpha] form and has a larger cell volume than synthetic [alpha]-cristobalite; as a result, its diffraction pattern sits between ICDD [alpha]- and [beta]-cristobalite library patterns, which could cause ambiguity in phase identification. On heating from ambient temperature, volcanic cristobalite exhibits a lower degree of thermal expansion than synthetic cristobalite, and it also has a lower [alpha]-[beta] transition temperature (~473 K) compared with synthetic cristobalite (upwards of 543 K); these observations are discussed in relation to the presence of Al3+ and Na+ defects. The transition shows a stable and reproducible hysteresis loop with [alpha] and [beta] phases coexisting through the transition, suggesting that discrete crystals in the sample have different transition temperatures

A validated numerical model for the growth and resorption of bubbles in magma

The rate and timing of bubble growth in magma is an important control on eruption style, determining whether or not magma fragments to produce an explosive eruption. Bubbles nucleate, grow, shrink, and de-nucleate in magma in response to changes in pressure and temperature, and these changes may be recorded in the spatial distribution and speciation of water 'frozen into' the glass in eruptive products. Accurate modelling of growth and resorption is therefore essential both for forward modelling of eruptive processes, and for inverse modelling to reconstruct pre-eruptive history. We present the first experimentally-validated numerical model for bubble growth and resorption in magma. The model includes the kinetics of speciation, allows for arbitrary temperature and pressure pathways, and accounts for the impact of spatial variations in water content on diffusivity and viscosity. We validate the model against three sets of data. (1) Continuous vesicularity-time data collected using optical dilatometry and in-situ synchrotron-source x-ray tomography of natural and synthetic magma during thermally-induced vesiculation and resorption at magmatic temperatures and ambient pressure. This represents approximately isobaric bubble growth and resorption under disequilibrium conditions. (2) Final vesicularity data from decompression experiments at magmatic temperatures and pressures. This represents isothermal, decompression-driven bubble growth from equilibrium to strongly disequilibrium conditions. (3) Speciation data from diffusion-couple experiments on synthetic haplogranites at magmatic temperatures and pressures. The numerical model closely reproduces all experimental data, providing validation against equilibrium and disequilibrium bubble growth/resorption and speciation scenarios. The validated model can be used to predict the growth and resorption of bubbles, and associated changes in magma properties, for arbitrary eruption pathways. It can also be used to reconstruct pressure-temperature-time pathways from textures and volatile contents of eruptive products. This will open up new ways of accessing the dynamics of magma ascent and eruption in unobserved volcanic eruptions

A model for permeability evolution during volcanic welding

Volcanic ash and pyroclasts can weld when deposited hot by pyroclastic density currents, in near-vent fall deposits, or in fractures in volcano interiors. Welding progressively decreases the permeability of the particle packs, influencing a range of magmatic and volcanic processes, including magma outgassing, which is an important control on eruption dynamics. Consequently, there is a need for a quantitative model for permeability evolution during welding of ash and pyroclasts under the range of conditions encountered in nature. Here we present in situ experiments in which hydrous, crystal-free, glassy pyroclasts are imaged via x-ray tomography during welding at high temperature. For each 3D dataset acquired, we determine the porosity, Darcian gas permeability, specific surface area, and pore connectivity. We find that all of these quantities decrease as a critical percolation threshold is approached. We develop a constitutive mathematical model for the evolution of permeability in welding volcanic systems based on percolation theory, and validate the model against our experimental data. Importantly, our model accounts for polydispersivity of the grainsize in the particle pack, the pressures acting on the pack, and changes in particle viscosity arising from degassing of dissolved H2O during welding. Our model is theoretically grounded and has no fitting parameters, hence it should be valid across all magma compositions. The model can be used to predict whether a cooling pyroclast pack will have sufficient time to weld and to degas, the scenarios under which a final deposit will retain a permeable network, the timescales over which sealing occurs, and whether a welded deposit will have disequilibrium or equilibrium H2O content. A user-friendly implementation of the model is provided

A reappraisal of explosive–effusive silicic eruption dynamics: syn-eruptive assembly of lava from the products of cryptic fragmentation

Silicic volcanic eruptions range in style from gently effusive to highly explosive, and may switch style unpredictably during a single eruption. Direct observations of subaerial rhyolitic eruptions (Chaiten 2008, Cordón Caulle 2011–2012, Chile) challenged long-standing paradigms of explosive and effusive eruptive styles and led to the formulation of new models of hybrid activity. However, the processes that govern such hybrid explosive–effusive activity remain poorly understood. Here, we bring together observations of the well-studied 2011–2012 Cordón Caulle eruption with new textural and petrologic data on erupted products, and video and still imagery of the eruption. We infer that all of the activity – explosive, effusive, and hybrid – was fed by explosive fragmentation at depth, and that effusive behaviour arose from sticking and sintering, in the shallow vent region, of the clastic products of deeper, cryptic fragmentation. We use a scaling approach to determine that there is sufficient time available, during emplacement, for diffusive pyroclast degassing and sintering to produce a degassed plug that occludes the shallow conduit, feeding clastogenic, apparently effusive, lava-like deposits. Based on evidence from Cordón Caulle, and from other similar eruptions, we further argue that hybrid explosive–effusive activity is driven by episodic gas-fracking of the occluding lava plug, fed by the underlying pressurized ash- and pyroclast-laden region. The presence of a pressurized pocket of ash-laden gas within the conduit provides a mechanism for generation of harmonic tremor, and for syn-eruptive laccolith intrusion, both of which were features of the Cordón Caulle eruption. We conclude that the cryptic fragmentation models is more consistent with available evidence than the prevailing model for effusion of silicic lava that assume coherent non-fragmental rise of magma from depth to the surface without wholesale explosive fragmentation

Data streaming, workflow and firewall-friendly Grid Services with Styx

We present the Styx Grid Service (SGS), a remote service type that allows data to be streamed directly between service instances. The Styx Grid Service is built upon the Styx protocol, an established protocol for building distributed systems. Through the use of persistent connections, clients can monitor progress, status and other service data without requiring inbound ports to be open through the firewall. Security is assured through the use of SSL to authenticate and encrypt communications between systems. SGSs can interoperate with other service types such as Web Services in a workflow through the use of suitable wrappers. We present two case studies of the use of the SGS. In the first, Styx Grid Services are used in the streaming of large amounts of data between Web Services in a workflow. In the second case study we show how the Styx Grid Service architecture can be used in collaborative visualization and computational steering

An analytical model for gas overpressure in slug-driven explosions: Insights into Strombolian volcanic eruptions

Strombolian eruptions, common at basaltic volcanoes, are mildly explosive events that are driven by a large bubble of magmatic gas (a slug) rising up the conduit and bursting at the surface. Gas overpressure within the bursting slug governs explosion dynamics and vigor and is the main factor controlling associated acoustic and seismic signals. We present a theoretical investigation of slug overpressure based on magma-static and geometric considerations and develop a set of equations that can be used to calculate the overpressure in a slug when it bursts, slug length at burst, and the depth at which the burst process begins. We find that burst overpressure is controlled by two dimensionless parameters: V′, which represents the amount of gas in the slug, and A′, which represents the thickness of the film of magma that falls around the rising slug. Burst overpressure increases nonlinearly as V′ and A′ increase. We consider two eruptive scenarios: (1) the “standard model,” in which magma remains confined to the vent during slug expansion, and (2) the “overflow model,” in which slug expansion is associated with lava effusion, as occasionally observed in the field. We find that slug overpressure is higher for the overflow model by a factor of 1.2–2.4. Applying our model to typical Strombolian eruptions at Stromboli, we find that the transition from passive degassing to explosive bursting occurs for slugs with volume >24–230 m3, depending on magma viscosity and conduit diameter, and that at burst, a typical Strombolian slug (with a volume of 100–1000 m3) has an internal gas pressure of 1–5 bars and a length of 13–120 m. We compare model predictions with field data from Stromboli for low-energy “puffers,” mildly explosive Strombolian eruptions, and the violently explosive 5 April 2003 paroxysm. We find that model predictions are consistent with field observations across this broad spectrum of eruptive styles, suggesting a common slug-driven mechanism; we propose that paroxysms are driven by unusually large slugs (large V′)