Explosion depths for phreatomagmatic eruptions

Subsurface phreatomagmatic explosions can result from the interaction of ascending magma with groundwater. Experiments over a wide range of energies show that for a given energy there is a depth below which an explosion will be contained within the subsurface (not erupt), and there is a correspondin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2014-05, Vol.41 (9), p.3045-3051
Main Authors: Valentine, Greg A., Graettinger, Alison H., Sonder, Ingo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Deposition
diatreme
Explosions
explosive eruption
Explosive forming
Fracture mechanics
Fracture toughness
Geophysics
Groundwater
Intrusion
maar
Magma
phreatomagmatic
Volcanic eruptions
Volcanoes
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Summary:Subsurface phreatomagmatic explosions can result from the interaction of ascending magma with groundwater. Experiments over a wide range of energies show that for a given energy there is a depth below which an explosion will be contained within the subsurface (not erupt), and there is a corresponding shallower depth that will optimize ejecta dispersal. We combine these relationships with constraints on the energies of phreatomagmatic explosions at maar‐diatreme volcanoes and show that most eruptions are likely sourced by explosions in the uppermost ~200 m, and even shallower ones (
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2014GL060096