Alteration-Induced Volcano Instability at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (Eastern Caribbean)

International audience; Volcanoes are unstable structures that deform laterally and frequently experience mass wasting events. Hydrothermal alteration is often invoked as a mechanism that contributes significantly to volcano instability. We present a study that combines laboratory experiments, geophysical data, and large-scale numerical modeling to better understand the influence of alteration on volcano stability, using La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (Eastern Caribbean) as a case study. Laboratory experiments on variably altered (advanced argillic alteration) blocks show that uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, and cohesion decrease as a function of increasing alteration, but that …

Mafic magma feeds degassing unrest at Vulcano Island, Italy

AbstractThe benign fuming activity of dormant volcanoes is punctuated by phases of escalating degassing activity that, on some occasions, ultimately prelude to eruption. However, understanding the drivers of such unrest is complicated by complex interplay between magmatic and hydrothermal processes. Some of the most comprehensively characterised degassing unrest have recently been observed at La Fossa cone on Vulcano Island, but whether or not these episodes involve new, volatile-rich ascending magma remains debated. Here, we use volcanic gas measurements, in combination with melt inclusion information, to propose that heightened sulphur dioxide flux during the intense fall 2021 La Fossa un…

Turmoil at Turrialba volcano (Costa Rica): Degassing and eruptive behavior inferred from high-frequency gas monitoring

Eruptive activity at Turrialba volcano (Costa Rica) has escalated significantly since 2014, causing airport and school closures in the capital city of San José. Whether or not new magma is involved in the current unrest seems probable but remains a matter of debate as ash deposits are dominated by hydrothermal material. Here, we use high frequency gas monitoring to track the behavior of the volcano between 2014 and 2015, and to decipher magmatic vs. hydrothermal contributions to the eruptions. Pulses of deeply-derived CO2-rich gas (CO2/Stotal > 4.5) precede explosive activity, providing a clear precursor to eruptive periods that occurs up to two weeks before eruptions, which are accompanied…

A model of degassing for Stromboli volcano

International audience; A better understanding of degassing processes at open-vent basaltic volcanoes requires collection of new datasets of H2O–CO2–SO2 volcanic gas plume compositions, which acquisition has long been hampered by technical limitations. Here, we use the MultiGAS technique to provide the best-documented record of gas plume discharges from Stromboli volcano to date. We show that Stromboli's gases are dominated by H2O (48–98 mol%; mean, 80%), and by CO2 (2–50 mol%; mean, 17%) and SO2 (0.2–14 mol%; mean, 3%). The significant temporal variability in our dataset reflects the dynamic nature of degassing process during Strombolian activity; which we explore by interpreting our gas m…

Terminal Strombolian activity at Etna's central craters during summer 2012: The most CO2-rich volcanic gas ever recorded at Mount Etna

By using a permanent network of multi-component gas analyzer systems (Multi-GAS), we report for the first time the H2O-CO2-SO2 composition of the volcanic gases emitted prior to, during, and after terminal Strombolian activity at Mount Etna's central craters (CCs). We show that the summer 2012 Strombolian episodes of the Bocca Nuova crater (BNC), the largest of Etna's CCs, are associated with the emission of the most CO2-rich gas measured at the volcano thus far. The BNC plume was particularly CO2-rich with CO2/SO2 up to 100, H2O/CO2 1 prevailed at the BNC and at other degassing vents such as Voragine and Northeast craters during Strombolian eruptions. Based on the results of numerical simu…

Hydrogen in the gas plume of an open-vent volcano, Mount Etna, Italy

[1] We report here on the first hydrogen determinations in the volcanic gas plume of Mount Etna, in Italy, which we obtained during periodic field surveys on the volcano's summit area with an upgraded MultiGAS. Using a specific (EZT3HYT) electrochemical sensor, we resolved H2 concentrations in the plume of 1–3 ppm above ambient (background) atmosphere and derived H2-SO2 and H2-H2O plume molar ratios of 0.002–0.044 (mean 0.013) and 0.0001–0.0042 (mean 0.0018), respectively. Taking the above H2-SO2 ratios in combination with a time-averaged SO2 flux of 1600 Gg yr−1, we evaluate that Etna contributes a time-averaged H2 flux of ∼0.65 Gg yr−1, suggesting that the volcanogenic contribution to the…

Turmoil at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica): Degassing and eruptive processes inferred from high-frequency gas monitoring

Eruptive activity at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica) has escalated significantly since 2014, causing airport and school closures in the capital city of San Jose. Whether or not new magma is involved in the current unrest seems probable but remains a matter of debate as ash deposits are dominated by hydrothermal material. Here we use high-frequency gas monitoring to track the behavior of the volcano between 2014 and 2015 and to decipher magmatic versus hydrothermal contributions to the eruptions. Pulses of deeply derived CO2-rich gas (CO2/S-total>4.5) precede explosive activity, providing a clear precursor to eruptive periods that occurs up to 2weeks before eruptions, which are accompanied by…

The 2007 eruption of Stromboli volcano: Insights from real-time measurement of the volcanic gas plume CO2/SO2 ratio

Abstract The recent eruption of Stromboli in February–April 2007 offered a unique chance to test our current understanding of processes driving the transition from ordinary (persistent Strombolian) to effusive activity, and the ability of instrumental geophysical and geochemical networks to interpret and predict these events. Here, we report on the results of two years of in-situ sensing of the CO 2 /SO 2 ratio in Stromboli's volcanic gas plume, in the attempt to put constraints on the trigger mechanisms and dynamics of the eruption. We show that large variations of the plume CO 2 /SO 2 ratio (range, 0.9–26) preceded the onset of the eruption (since December 2007), interrupting a period of …

Forecasting Etna eruptions by real-time observation of volcanic gas composition

It is generally accepted, but not experimentally proven, that a quantitative prediction of volcanic eruptions is possible from the evaluation of volcanic gas data. By discussing the results of two years of real-time observation of H2O, CO2, and SO2 in volcanic gases from Mount Etna volcano, we unambiguously demonstrate that increasing CO2/SO2 ratios can allow detection of the pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas. Quantitative modeling by the use of a saturation model allows us to relate the pre-eruptive increases of the CO2/SO2 ratio to the refilling of Etna's shallow conduits with CO2-rich deep-reservoir magmas, leading to pressurization and triggering of eruption. The advent of real-ti…

Chlorine Partitioning Between a Basaltic Melt and H2O-CO2 Fluids at Mount Etna

Partitioning experiments between a basaltic melt from Mt. Etna and a low-density hydrous fluid or vapor containing H(2)O or H(2)O-CO(2) were performed at 1200-1260 degrees C, at pressures between 1 and 200 MPa, either near the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer or at two log units above it (NNO + 2), and with different chloride concentrations. Most of the experiments were done at chloride-brine-undersaturated conditions, although at the highest Cl concentrations explored brine saturation might have been reached. The average partition coefficients (D(Cl)(fluid/melt)) over the range of Cl concentrations were derived on a weight basis by plotting the calculated concentrations of Cl in the fluid …

Degassing vs. eruptive styles at Mt. Etna volcano (Sicily, Italy). Part I: Volatile stocking, gas fluxing, and the shift from low-energy to highly explosive basaltic eruptions

International audience; Basaltic magmas can transport and release large amounts of volatiles into the atmosphere, especially in subduction zones, where slab-derived fluids enrich the mantle wedge. Depending on magma volatile content, basaltic volcanoes thus display a wide spectrum of eruptive styles, from common Strombolian-type activity to Plinian events. Mt. Etna, in Sicily, is a typical basaltic volcano where the volatile control on such a variable activity can be investigated. Based on a melt inclusion study in products from Strombolian or lava-fountain activity to Plinian eruptions, here we show that for the same initial volatile content, different eruptive styles reflect variable dega…

Gas Leakage From Shallow Ponding Magma and Trapdoor Faulting at Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela Island, Galápagos)

We report on new volcanic gas composition results acquired in October 2017 at Minas de Azufre, a persistent fumarolic field topping the resurgent Sierra Negra caldera, in the Galápagos archipelago. Our results indicate that the Minas de Azufre fumaroles are moderately hydrous (52–64 mol.% H2O) and rich in CO2 (35–46 mol.%), with total sulfur (ST) being 21–35 times less abundant than CO2. SO2, the most abundant S species, is released at an average rate of 19 ± 9 tons/day. Using a volatile saturation model that provides the composition of magmatic gases at equilibrium with western Galápagos basaltic melt (48 wt. % SiO2) in the 400–0.1 MPa pressure range, we infer that Minas de Azufre fumaroli…

Real-time detection of volcanic plume H2O, CO2 and SO2 as a precursor to 2006 Mt. Etna eruptions

Mount Etna, in southern Italy, is well known for its uninterrupted open-vent degassing activity from the summit craters, making the volcano the largest point source of volcanogenic volatiles on Earth. Notwithstanding a substantial improvement of our understanding of degassing rates and mechanisms over the past two decades, analytical limitations still hamper the quantitative evaluation of the total volatile budget from the volcano. In contrast with the routine sensing of volcanic SO2 by UV-spectroscopy (Allard, 1997; Caltabiano et al., 2004), only a few spot determinations of CO2 emissions from Mount Etna have been reported to date (Allard et al., 1991; Aiuppa et al., 2006), while H2O emiss…

A CO2-gas precursor to the March 2015 Villarrica volcano eruption

We present here the first volcanic gas compositional time-series taken prior to a paroxysmal eruption of Villarrica volcano (Chile). Our gas plume observations were obtained using a fully autonomous Multi-component Gas Analyser System (Multi-GAS) in the 3 month-long phase of escalating volcanic activity that culminated into the 3 March 2015 paroxysm, the largest since 1985. Our results demonstrate a temporal evolution of volcanic plume composition, from low CO$_2$/SO$_2$ ratios (0.65-2.7) during November 2014-January 2015 to CO$_2$/SO$_2$ ratios up to ≈ 9 then after. The H$_2$O/CO$_2$ ratio simultaneously declined to <38 in the same temporal interval. We use results of volatile saturatio…

Excess volatiles supplied by mingling of mafic magma at an andesite arc volcano

We present the results of a study of volcanic gases at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, which includes the first spectroscopic measurements of the major gas species CO2 and H2S at this volcano using a Multisensor Gas Analyzer System (MultiGAS) sensor. The fluxes of CO2 and H2S were 640.2750 t/d and 84.266 t/d, respectively, during July 2008, during a prolonged eruptive pause. The flux of CO2 is similar to estimates for the entire arc from previous geochemical studies, while the measured H2S flux significantly alters our interpretation of the sulphur budget for this volcano. The fluxes of both sulphur and carbon show considerable excesses over that which can be supplied by degassing of e…

Terminal Strombolian activity at Etna’s central craters during summer 2012: The most CO<sub>2</sub>-rich volcanic gas ever recorded at Mount Etna

Turmoil at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica): Degassing and eruptive processes inferred from high-frequency gas monitoring

OVSICORI Eruptive activity at Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica) has escalated significantly since 2014, causing airport and school closures in the capital city of San José. Whether or not new magma is involved in the current unrest seems probable but remains a matter of debate as ash deposits are dominated by hydrothermal material. Here we use high‐frequency gas monitoring to track the behavior of the volcano between 2014 and 2015 and to decipher magmatic versus hydrothermal contributions to the eruptions. Pulses of deeply derived CO2‐rich gas (CO2/Stotal > 4.5) precede explosive activity, providing a clear precursor to eruptive periods that occurs up to 2 weeks before eruptions, which are acc…

Tracking Formation of a Lava Lake From Ground and Space: Masaya Volcano (Nicaragua), 2014-2017

A vigorously degassing lava lake appeared inside the Santiago pit crater of Masaya volcano (Nicaragua) in December 2015, after years of degassing with no (or minor) incandescence. Here we present an unprecedented-long (3 years) and continuous volcanic gas record that instrumentally characterizes the (re)activation of the lava lake. Our results show that, before appearance of the lake, the volcanic gas plume composition became unusually CO 2 rich, as testified by high CO 2 /SO 2 ratios (mean: 12.2 ± 6.3) and low H 2 O/CO 2 ratios (mean: 2.3 ± 1.3). The volcanic CO 2 flux also peaked in November 2015 (mean: 81.3 ± 40.6 kg/s; maximum: 247 kg/s). Using results of magma degassing models and budg…

First 13C/12C isotopic characterisation of volcanic plume CO2

We describe analytical details and uncertainty evaluation of a simple technique for the measurement of the carbon isotopic composition of CO2 in volcanic plumes. Data collected at Solfatara and Vulcano, where plumes are fed by fumaroles which are accessible for direct sampling, were first used to validate the technique. For both volcanoes, the plume-derived carbon isotopic compositions are in good agreement with the fumarolic compositions, thus providing confidence on the method, and allowing its application at volcanoes where the volcanic component is inaccessible to direct sampling. As a notable example, we applied the same method to Mount Etna where we derived a δ13C of volcanic CO2 betw…