Abstract. Although ashfall from particulate volcanic plumes is known to be highly electrically charged, little is known about the charging mechanism. We describe experiments designed to investigate the particle charges generated from the fracture of pumice. Small silicate particles were produced in the laboratory during collisions between two samples cut from pumice clasts. The net charge magnitudes detected on these particles are similar to those previously measured on ashfall from volcanic plumes (-10 's to 10 -6 C kg-•). This net charge is also shown to be the result of a small imbalance between the sums of individual particle charges of both polarities, which are up to several orders of magnitude larger than the net charge. The magnitude of both the net and single polarity specific charges were only weakly affected by changes of relative humidity, but single polarity charges increased steadily with increasing sample impact velocities. The dominant charging process during the experiments was that of material fracture. The charging mechanism is thus interpreted to be fractoemission (the release of nuclear particles from fresh crack surfaces) occurring during the production of the silicate particles. This implies that the electrification of volcanic plumes could be the result of brittle fragmentation of magma or pumice clasts within the upper regions of the conduit and in the jet region of the plume.
We present field observations from Blzihntlkur, a small volume (<0.l km 3) subglacial rhyolite edifice at the Torf@Skull central volcano, south-central Iceland. Bkihnt]kur was probably emplaced during the last glacial period (ca. 115-11 ka). The characteristics of the deposits suggest that they were formed by an effusive eruption in an exclusively subglacial environment, beneath a glacier >400 m thick. Lithofacies associations attest to complex patterns of volcano-ice interaction. Erosive channels at the base of the subglacial sequence are filled by both eruption-derived material and subglacial till, which show evidence for deposition by flowing meltwater. This suggests that meltwater was able to drain away from the vent area during the eruption. Much of the subglacial volcanic deposits consist of conical-to-irregularly shaped lava lobes typically 5-10 m long, set in poorly sorted breccias with an ash-grade matrix. A gradational lavabreccia contact at the base of lava lobes represents a fossilised fragmentation interface, driven by magma-water interaction as the lava flowed over poorly consolidated, waterlogged debris. Sets of columnar joints on the upper surfaces of lobes are interpreted as ice-contact features. The morphology of the lobes suggests that they chilled within conically shaped subglacial cavities 2-5 m high. Avalanche deposits mantling the flanks of Blzihntikur appear to have been generated by the collapse of lava lobes and surrounding breccia. A variety of deposit characteristics suggests that this occurred both prior to and after quenching of the lava lobes. Collapse events may have occurred when the supporting ice walls were melted back from around the cooling lava lobes and breccias. Much larger lava flows were emplaced in the latter stagEditorial responsibility: W. Hildreth es of the eruption. Columnar joint patterns suggest that these flowed and chilled within subglacial cavities 20 m high and 100-200 m in length. There is little evidence for magma-water interaction at lava flow margins which suggests that these larger cavities were drained of meltwater. As rhyolite magma rose to the base of the glacier, the nature of the subglacial cavity system played an important role in governing the style of eruption and the volcanic facies generated. We present evidence that the cavity system evolved during the eruption, reflecting variations in both melting rate and edifice growth that are best explained by a fluctuating eruption rate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.