First gas and thermal measurements at the frequently erupting Gamalama volcano (Indonesia) reveal a hydrothermally dominated magmatic system
Abstract The first gas and thermal measurements at the summit of the Gamalama volcano indicate that the system is dominated by hydrothermal processes. This is highlighted by the prevalence of H2S over SO2 (H2S/SO2 = 2–8), a high CO2/SO2 ratio (76–201), and a low heat transfer (3.0 MW) to the surface. A relative variation in gas composition is observed along the degassing fracture zone, possibly due to partial S scrubbing. Despite this surface hydrothermal signature, the system exhibits high gas equilibrium temperatures (425–480 °C), indicating that fluids are not exclusively derived from a boiling hydrothermal aquifer, but also sourced by cooling and crystallizing basaltic magma at deep tha…