Dating young (<1000 yr) lava flow eruptions of Piton de la Fournaise volcano from size distribution of long-lived pioneer trees

Dating recent lava flows is a critical issue to assess the volcanic hazards for nearby human populations, but traditional methods such as radiocarbon dating are often not applicable. We propose here a simple statistical method that relates the age of lava flows of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of volcanology and geothermal research 2020-09, Vol.401, p.106974, Article 106974
Main Authors: Albert, Sébastien, Flores, Olivier, Michon, Laurent, Strasberg, Dominique
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agarista salicifolia
Earth Sciences
Ecological succession
Effusive volcano
Eruption recurrence pattern
Réunion island
Sciences of the Universe
Volcanic hazard
Volcanology
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Summary:Dating recent lava flows is a critical issue to assess the volcanic hazards for nearby human populations, but traditional methods such as radiocarbon dating are often not applicable. We propose here a simple statistical method that relates the age of lava flows of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano (PdF) to the size of Agarista salicifolia (Ericaceae), a long-lived pioneer tree that quickly establishes after eruption and able to live > 600 years. We measured the diameter at base of 711 trees on 20 dated lava flows (between 1401 CE and 2007 CE). We used a log-log linear model to assess the relationship between maximum diameter at base of Agarista salicifolia and the age of lava flows, and showed a very strong correlation (R2 = 0.987, p 
ISSN:0377-0273
1872-6097
DOI:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2020.106974