Search results for "volcanic gases"

First in-situ sensing of volcanic gas plume composition at Boiling Lake (Dominica, West Indies)

2012

Dominica, a small Caribbean island between Martinique (to the South) and Guadeloupe (to the North), is, because of the high number of potentially active volcanic centres,one of the most susceptible sites to volcanic risk in the Lesser Antilles arc. Seven major volcanic centres, active during the last 10ka, are considered likely to erupt again, and one of these is the Valley of Desolation volcanic complex. This is an area of 0.5 km2, located in on SW Dominica, where a number of small explosion craters, hot springs,bubbling pools and fumaroles testify for vigorous and persistent hydrothermal activity. Two main phreatic explosions have been documented in historical time (1880 and 1997), and th…

The role of melt composition on aqueous fluid vs. silicate melt partitioning of bromine in magmas

2018

International audience; Volcanogenic halogens, in particular bromine, potentially play an important role in the ozone depletion of the atmosphere. Understanding bromine behaviour in magmas is therefore crucial to properly evaluate the contribution of volcanic eruptions to atmospheric chemistry and their environmental impact. To date, bromine partitioning between silicate melts and the gas phase is very poorly constrained, with the only relevant experimental studies limited to investigation of synthetic melt with silicic compositions. In this study, fluid/melt partitioning experiments were performed using natural silicate glasses with mafic, intermediate and silicic compositions. For each co…

2017

Abstract. Remote sensing of the gaseous composition of non-eruptive, passively degassing volcanic plumes can be a tool to gain insight into volcano interior processes. Here, we report on a field study in September 2015 that demonstrates the feasibility of remotely measuring the volcanic enhancements of carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen chloride (HCl), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and bromine monoxide (BrO) in the downwind plume of Mt. Etna using portable and rugged spectroscopic instrumentation. To this end, we operated the Fourier transform spectrometer EM27/SUN for the shortwave-infrared (SWIR) spectral range together with a co-mounted UV spectrometer on a mobile platform in…

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…

Unrest at the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex: a failed or yet to unfold magmatic eruption?

2018

Resuming erupting activity at volcanoes that have been long quiescent poses a significant challenge to hazard assessment, as it require assessment of whether the change in activity is an isolated event or the beginning of a new eruptive sequence. Such inception is often poorly characterised as quiescent volcanoes tend to be poorly equipped and not extensively monitored, especially with respect to gas geochemistry. Here, we report gas composition and flux measurements from a newly opened vent at the very onset of eruptive activity at the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex (Chile) in January-February 2016. The molar proportions of H2O, CO2, SO2, H2S and H2 gases are found to be 98.4, 0.97, 0…

Degassing of halogens from basaltic volcanism: Insights from volcanic gas observations

2009

Abstract The currently available data set of S–Cl–F abundances in volcanic gas plumes and high-temperature fumarolic gas samples from basaltic volcanism is reviewed here in the attempt to derive constraints on the modes of halogen degassing from mafic silicate melts. Apart from large volcano-to-volcano variations, reflecting remarkable differences in volatile abundances in the source magmas, each of the explored volcanoes displays large changes of SO2/HCl and SO2/HF ratios with the style of volcanic activity, with HCl/HF staying fairly constant. Halogen abundances are low and SO2/HCl and SO2/HF are high when fresh (volatile-rich) magmas sustain degassing, as during explosive eruptions, at t…

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…