27 research outputs found
Phreatic eruptions at crater lakes: occurrence statistics and probabilistic hazard forecast
Phreatic eruptions, although posing a serious threat to people in crater proximity, are often underestimated and have been comparatively understudied. The detailed eruption catalogue for Ruapehu Volcano (New Zealand) provides an exceptional opportunity to study the statistics of recurring phreatic explosions at a crater lake volcano. We performed a statistical analysis on this phreatic eruption database, which suggests that phreatic events at Ruapehu do not follow a Poisson process. Instead they tend to cluster, which is possibly linked to an increased heat flow during periods of a more shallow-seated magma column. Larger explosions are more likely to follow shortly after smaller events, as opposed to longer periods of quiescence. The absolute probability for a phreatic explosion to occur at Ruapehu within the next month is about 10%, when averaging over the last 70 years of recording. However, the frequency of phreatic explosions is significantly higher than the background level in years prior to magmatic episodes. Combining clast ejection simulations with a Bayesian event tree tool (PyBetVH) we perform a probabilistic assessment of the hazard due to ballistic ejecta in the summit area of Ruapehu, which is frequently visited by hikers. Resulting hazard maps show that the absolute probability for the summit to be affected by ballistics within the next month is up to 6%. The hazard is especially high on the northern lakeshore, where there is a mountain refuge. Our results contribute to the local hazard assessment as well as the general perception of hazards due to steam-driven explosions
39Â Years of Geochemical Monitoring of Laguna Caliente Crater Lake, PoĂĄs: Patterns from the Past as Keys for the Future
Since 1978 water chemistry of the Laguna
Caliente crater lake has been used to monitor
volcanic activity at PoĂĄs, Costa Rica, making
it arguably the best studied hyper-acidic crater
lake on Earth. During these 39 years, three of water of Laguna Caliente, independent on
previous deterministic research and resulting
conceptual models. Common patterns of chemical parameters in relation with phreatic
eruptive activity for the period 1978âSeptem-
ber 2014 are sought, applying the objective
statistical method of Pattern Recognition. This
resulted in the definition of the strongest
precursory signals and their respective thresh-
olds. Numerical outcomes often confirm find-
ings based on geochemical models (e.g. SO4,
SO4/Cl and pH are strong monitoring param-
eters). However, some surprising parameters
(opposite behavior of Mg/Cl ratios, decreases
in Ca and Mg concentrations, increasing
Al/Mg ratios) still need a geochemical expla-
nation and should be a focus for future
research strategies. The obtained parameters
and thresholds were retrospectively applied
for the âtest periodâ of the Pattern Recognition
method (November 2014âFebruary 2016).
This test provided hints that suggested that
eruptive activity at PoĂĄs was not yet over,
despite apparent quiescence in early 2016.
Indeed, after new phreatic eruptions since
May 2016, the 2006â2016 phreatic eruptive
cycle culminated in phreatomagmatic activity
in April 2017. We conclude that evaluating
time series of chemical composition of crater
lakes framed in the Pattern Recognition
method can be a useful monitoring approach.
Moreover, increased sampling frequency can
provide more details and more adequate
phases of unrest occurred, manifested through
frequent phreatic eruptions, with each a dura-
tion of several years to over a decade (1978â
1980, 1986â1996, 2006â2016). We here
present a novel technique to deal with the
long time series of the chemical compositionPublished213-2334V. Processi pre-eruttiv