Academic literature on the topic 'Magmatism – Vanuatu'

Abstract. Ambrym volcano (Vanuatu, Southwest Pacific) is one of the largest sources of continuous volcanic emissions worldwide. As well as releasing SO2 that is oxidized to sulfate, volcanic plumes in the troposphere are shown to undergo reactive halogen chemistry whose atmospheric impacts have been little explored to date. Here, two-way nested simulations were performed with the regional scale model CCATT-BRAMS to test our understanding of the volcano plume chemical processing and to assess the impact of Ambrym on atmospheric chemistry at local and regional scales. We focus on an episode of extreme passive degassing that occurred in early 2005 and for which airborne DOAS measurements of SO2 and BrO columns, in the near downwind plume, have been reported. The model was developed to include reactive halogen chemistry and a volcanic emission source specific to this extreme degassing event. SO2 simulated columns show very good quantitative agreement with the DOAS observations as well as with OMI data, suggesting that the plume direction as well as its dilution are well represented. Simulations are presented with and without a high-temperature initialization that includes radicals formed by high temperature partial oxidation of magmatic gases by ambient air. When included high-temperature chemistry initialization, the model is able to capture the observed BrO/SO2 trend with distance from the vent in the near downwind plume. However, the maximum of BrO columns enhancement is still underestimated by a factor 3. The model identifies total in-plume depletion of ozone (15 ppbv) as a limiting factor to the partitioning of reactive bromine into BrO, of particular importance in this very strong plume at low background ozone conditions. Impacts of Ambrym in the Southwest Pacific region were also evaluated. As the plume disperses regionally, reactive halogen chemistry continues on sulfate aerosols produced by SO2 oxidation and promotes BrCl formation. Ozone depletion is weaker than at local scale but still between 10 to 40 %, in an extensive region few thousands of kilometres from Ambrym. The model also predicts transport of bromine to upper troposphere and stratosphere associated with convection events. In the upper troposphere, HBr is re-formed from Br and HO2. The model confirms the potential for volcanic emissions to influence the oxidizing power of the atmosphere: methane lifetime (calculated with respect to OH and Cl) is overall increased in the model due to the volcanic emissions. Reactive halogen chemistry is responsible for about 62 % of the methane lifetime increase with respect to OH, with depletion of OH by SO2 oxidation responsible for the remainder (38 %). Cl radicals produced in the plume counteract 41 % of the methane lifetime lengthening due to OH depletion. The reactive halogen chemistry in the plume is also responsible for an increase of 36 % of the SO2 lifetime with respect to oxidation by OH. This study confirms the strong influence of Ambrym emissions during the extreme degassing event of early 2005 on the composition of the atmosphere at the local and regional scales. It also stresses the importance of considering reactive halogen chemistry when assessing the impact of volcanic emissions on climate.

Abstract Ambae Island is the largest volcano in the New Hebrides Arc with recent eruptive activity occurring primarily at the summit and along the island’s rift zone. The Devil’s Rock area forms a prominent outcrop on the SW coast. Eruptive deposits here are derived from both strombolian-style and phreatomagmatic eruptions that contain a similar olivine- and clinopyroxene-rich juvenile basaltic component. This study focuses on a particular transition from strombolian to phreatomagmatic style activity to understand if the change in eruption style is a function of magmatic processes or properties (e.g. different composition, ascent rate, degassing history) or if it is driven purely by external factors (e.g. magma-water interaction and/or vent migration). Melts from the strombolian to phreatomagmatic phase record the same melt compositions and volatile contents, suggesting the same magma batch is involved throughout the eruption. More broadly, similarities in H2O, CO2 and S concentrations between olivine and pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions from Devil’s Rock melt inclusions and those erupted during the 2017–2018 summit eruptions may indicate that a long-term shared magmatic reservoir exists beneath Ambae. Physical characteristics of juvenile tephra including groundmass crystallinity and porosity are combined with melt inclusion compositions to better understand the degassing and crystallisation history, and melt evolution of this volcanic system across the transitioning eruptive sequence. Groundmass crystallisation is variable and negatively correlated with connected porosity of erupted scoria reflecting mixing of materials at the vent and inclusion of dense clasts from conduit margins. A direct comparison of crystallinities between strombolian and phreatomagmatic phases reveals higher crystallinity in the strombolian deposits which is reflective of post-fragmentation crystallisation of clasts. This is particularly evident in the proximal strombolian materials. Qualitative crystallisation textures of melt inclusions are used in a similar fashion to groundmass crystallinities to assess the relative timing of cooling. These trends mirror those of the groundmass and suggest longer cooling times and more effective degassing for samples of the transitional materials. Based on our analysis of deposits at Devil’s Rock, the transition from a strombolian to a phreatomagmatic eruption style was likely driven by groundwater or seawater incursion into the shallow conduit, close to modern day sea-level. Overall, these results suggest a dynamic system where different magmatic cooling histories for strombolian versus phreatomagmatic eruptive phases are reflected in changing groundmass crystallinity. This highlights the propensity for transitions in eruption style over seemingly short time intervals and significantly enhancing eruption explosivity.

AbstractA new episode of unrest and phreatic/phreatomagmatic/magmatic eruptions occurred at Ambae volcano, Vanuatu, in 2017–2018. We installed a multi-station seismo-acoustic network consisting of seven 3-component broadband seismic stations and four 3-element (26–62 m maximum inter-element separation) infrasound arrays during the last phase of the 2018 eruption episode, capturing at least six reported major explosions towards the end of the eruption episode. The observed volcanic seismic signals are generally in the passband 0.5–10 Hz during the eruptive activity, but the corresponding acoustic signals have relatively low frequencies (< 1 Hz). Apparent very-long-period (< 0.2 Hz) seismic signals are also observed during the eruptive episode, but we show that they are generated as ground-coupled airwaves and propagate with atmospheric acoustic velocity. We observe strongly coherent infrasound waves at all acoustic arrays during the eruptions. Using waveform similarity of the acoustic signals, we detect previously unreported volcanic explosions at the summit vent region based on constant-celerity reverse-time-migration (RTM) analysis. The detected acoustic bursts are temporally related to shallow seismic volcanic tremor (frequency content of 5–10 Hz), which we characterise using a simplified amplitude ratio method at a seismic station pair with different distances from the vent. The amplitude ratio increased at the onset of large explosions and then decreased, which is interpreted as the seismic source ascent and descent. The ratio change is potentially useful to recognise volcanic unrest using only two seismic stations quickly. This study reiterates the value of joint seismo-acoustic data for improving interpretation of volcanic activity and reducing ambiguity in geophysical monitoring.

L'etude chronologique, petrologique et geochimique des echantillons des fosses et des iles a permis de reconstituer l'histoire du systeme arc-fosse des nouvelles hebrides. La formation des fosses a l'arriere de l'arc des nouvelles hebrides est diachrone du sud vers le nord et polyphasee dans plusieurs zones. Elle fait partie integrante de l'arc. Ces fosses doivent donc etre consideres comme des fosses intra-arc. La zone vanikoro a l'extreme nord de l'arc est toutefois particuliere, par la nature du volcanisme qui temoigne de la naissance d'un arc dans cette zone, depuis 2,9 ma. L'ouverture des fosses peut etre liee entre 6,5 et 3,5 ma a des effondrements en bordure du bassin nord fidjien; apres 3,5 ma elle pourrait etre la consequence de la subduction-collision de la ride d'entrecasteaux

L'archipel volcanique actif du Vanuatu s'édifie au coeur du pacifique sud-ouest au niveau de la frontière convergente des plaques australienne et pacifique. Je présente ici une nouvelle étude géochimique des laves du Vanuatu à partir de la détermination des compositions en éléments majeurs et traces, et des compositions isotopiques (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb) d'une centaine d'échantillons de laves (< 2 Ma).L'étude des magmas les plus primitifs a permis de mettre en évidence la variation de composition des sources mantelliques le long de l'arc et d'individualiser 3 segments : "central", dans la zone de collision de la ride D'Entrecasteaux, "sud" en face du bassin Nord Fidjien, et "extrême sud" en face du bassin Sud Fidjien. La composition des roches des différentes structures subductées influence celles des laves des volcans adjacents via le composant de subduction, sous forme de fluides et de produits de fusion. Les laves des îles situées en face de la ride D'Entrecasteaux sont issues d'un manteau enrichi ("type-MORB indien"), différent de celui échantillonné par les autres laves ("type-MORB pacifique"). Cette ride apporte probablement en subduction un composant ancien, pouvant être assimilé à un fragment de croûte inférieure.L'étude locale de certaines îles a permis de caractériser la différenciation des laves par cristallisation fractionnée, d'identifier des processus d'assimilation crustale, et de révéler la présence de magma provenant de portions de manteau distinctes, ayant subi un métasomatisme différent.Ces travaux révèlent une extrême hétérogénéité du manteau sous l'arc du Vanuatu, témoignant de la complexité des processus géologiques impliqués au niveau de cette zone de subduction.