Search results for "GEOPHYSICS"

A multi-purpose, multi-rotor drone system for long-range and high-altitude volcanic gas plume measurements

2021

A multi-rotor drone has been adapted for studies of volcanic gas plumes. This adaptation includes improved capacity for high-altitude and long-range, real-time SO2 concentration monitoring, long-range manual control, remotely activated bag sampling and plume speed measurement capability. The drone is capable of acting as a stable platform for various instrument configurations, including multi-component gas analysis system (MultiGAS) instruments for in situ measurements of SO2, H2S, and CO2 concentrations in the gas plume and portable differential optical absorption spectrometer (MobileDOAS) instruments for spectroscopic measurement of total SO2 emission rate, remotely controlled gas samplin…

Total volatile flux from Mount Etna

2008

[1] The Total Volatile (TV) flux from Mount Etna volcano has been characterised for the first time, by summing the simultaneously-evaluated fluxes of the three main volcanogenic volatiles: H2O, CO2 and SO2. SO2 flux was determined by routine DOAS traverse measurements, while H2O and CO2 were evaluated by scaling MultiGAS-sensed H2O/SO2 and CO2/SO2 plume ratios to the UV-sensed SO2 flux. The time-averaged TV flux from Etna is evaluated at ∼21,000 t·day−1, with a large fraction accounted for by H2O (∼13,000 t·day−1). H2O dominates (≥70%) the volatile budget during syn-eruptive degassing, while CO2 and H2O contribute equally to the TV flux during passive degassing. The CO2 flux was observed to…

The fumarolic CO2 output from Pico do Fogo volcano (Cape Verde)

2020

The Pico do Fogo volcano, in the Cape Verde Archipelago off the western coasts of Africa, has been the most active volcano in the Macaronesia region in the Central Atlantic, with at least 27 eruptions during the last 500 years. Between eruptions fumarolic activity has been persisting in its summit crater, but limited information exists for the chemistry and output of these gas emissions. Here, we use the results acquired during a field survey in February 2019 to quantify the quiescent summit fumaroles' volatile output for the first time. By combining measurements of the fumarole compositions (using both a portable Multi-GAS and direct sampling of the hottest fumarole) and of the SO2 flux (u…

The Magmatic Gas Signature of Pacaya Volcano, With Implications for the Volcanic CO2Flux From Guatemala

2018

Pacaya volcano in Guatemala is one of the most active volcanoes of the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA). However, its magmatic gas signature and volatile output have received little attention to date. Here, we present novel volcanic gas information from in-situ (Multi-GAS) and remote (UV camera) plume observations in January 2016. We find in-plume H2O/SO2 and CO2/SO2 ratios of 2-20 and 0.6-10.5, and an end-member magmatic gas signature of 80.5 mol. % H2O, 10.4 mol. % CO2, and 9.0 mol. % SO2. The SO2 flux is evaluated at 885 ± 550 tons/d. This, combined with co-acquired volcanic plume composition, leads to H2O and CO2 fluxes of 2,230 ± 1,390 and 700 ± 440, and a total volatile flux of ∼3…

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

2010

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…

2016

The mechanisms of hazardous silicic eruptions are controlled by complex, poorly-understood conduit processes. Observations of recent Chilean rhyolite eruptions have revealed the importance of hybrid activity, involving simultaneous explosive and effusive emissions from a common vent. Such behaviour hinges upon the ability of gas to decouple from magma in the shallow conduit. Tuffisite veins are increasingly suspected to be a key facilitator of outgassing, as they repeatedly provide a transient permeable escape route for volcanic gases. Intersection of foam domains by tuffisite veins appears critical to efficient outgassing. However, knowledge is currently lacking into textural heterogeneiti…

Along-arc, inter-arc and arc-to-arc variations in volcanic gas CO 2 /S T ratios reveal dual source of carbon in arc volcanism

2017

Abstract Some 300–600 Tg of volatiles are globally vented each year by arc volcanism. Such arc gas emissions have contributed to past and present-day evolution of the Earth atmosphere and climate by recycling mineral-bound volatiles subducted along active slabs. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and total sulphur (S T ) are, after water, the major components of volcanic arc gases. Understanding their relative abundances (e.g., the CO 2 /S T ratio) in arc volcanic gases is important to constrain origin and recycling efficiency of these volatiles along the subduction factory, and to better constrain the global arc volcanic CO 2 flux. Here, we review currently available information on global variations o…

Escalating CO2 degassing at the Pisciarelli fumarolic system, and implications for the ongoing Campi Flegrei unrest

2019

Abstract This short communication aims at providing an updated report on degassing activity and ground deformation variations observed during the ongoing (2012–2019) Campi Flegrei caldera unrest, with a particular focus on Pisciarelli, currently its most active fumarolic field. We show that the CO2 flux from the main Pisciarelli fumarolic vent (referred as “Soffione”) has increased by a factor > 3 since 2012, reaching in 2018–2019 levels (>600 tons/day) that are comparable to those typical of a medium-sized erupting arc volcano. A substantial widening of the degassing vents and bubbling pools, and a further increase in CO2 concentrations in ambient air (up to 6000 ppm), have also been detec…

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

2016

Exploring the explosive-effusive transition using permanent ultraviolet cameras

2017

Understanding the mechanisms that cause effusive eruptions is the key to mitigating their associated hazard. Here, we combine results from permanent ultra-violet (UV) cameras, and from other geophysical observations (seismic very long period, thermal, and infrasonic activity), to characterize volcanic SO2 flux regime in the period prior, during, and after Stromboli's August-November 2014 effusive eruption. We show that, in the two months prior to effusion onset, the SO2 flux levels are two times average level. We explain this anomalously high SO2 regime as primarily determined by venting of rapidly rising, pressurized SO2-rich gas pockets, produced by strombolian explosions being more frequ…