Combinations of volcanic-flank and seafloor-sediment failure offshore Montserrat, and their implications for tsunami generation

Watt, Sebastian; Talling, Peter J.; Vardy, Mark E.; Heller, Valentin; Hühnerbach, Veit; Urlaub, Morelia; Sarkar, Sudipta; Masson, D.G.; Henstock, T.; Minshull, T. A.; Paulatto, M.; Friant, Anne Le; Lebas, Élodie; Berndt, Christian; Crutchley, Gareth; Karstens, Jens; Stinton, A.; Maeno, Fukashi

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.11.032

Cited by 83 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…English's Crater is probably the source for one of these deposits to the east and may represent an event about 2 ka ago (Boudon et al 2007). The balance between subaerially derived mass and reworked submarine sediment has been shown to be important in understanding the dynamics of individual debris avalanche events, including their ability to produce tsunamis (Watt et al 2012). Dating of tephra in the top 6 m of the CAR-MON2 core 55 km SW of Montserrat reveals ages up to about 246 ka (Le Friant et al 2008).…”

Section: Submarine Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chapter 1 An overview of the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat from 2000 to 2010

Wadge

Voight

Sparks

et al. 2014

Memoirs

131

119

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Abstract:The 1995-present eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat has produced over a cubic kilometre of andesitic magma, creating a series of lava domes that were successively destroyed, with much of their mass deposited in the sea. There have been five phases of lava extrusion to form these lava domes: -March 1998-July 2003 August 2005-April 2007July 2008-January 2009 and October 2009-February 2010. It has been one of the most intensively studied volcanoes in the world during this time, and there are long instrumental and observational datasets. From these have sprung major new insights concerning: the cyclicity of magma transport; low-frequency earthquakes associated with conduit magma flow; the dynamics of lateral blasts and Vulcanian explosions; the role that basalt-andesite magma mingling in the mid-crust has in powering the eruption; identification using seismic tomography of the uppermost magma reservoir at a depth of 5.5 . 7.5 km; and many others. Parallel to the research effort, there has been a consistent programme of quantitative risk assessment since 1997 that has both pioneered new methods and provided a solid evidential source for the civil authority to use in mitigating the risks to the people of Montserrat.At the time of writing (January 2013), the Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV) is in its 17th year of eruption, placing it with a select group of very long-lived eruptions from silicic volcanoes. Within the Caribbean plate, only two other silicic volcanoes have had longer-lived historical extrusive eruptions: Santiaguito, Guatemala (1922( -present: Harris et al. 2003 and Arenal, Costa Rica (1968 -present: Wadge et al. 2006). As with both of these volcanoes, SHV has not extruded lava continuously for the whole eruption, but has erupted intermittently. In fact, it has been extruding lava for a cumulative total of only 8.5 years out of 17. So in what sense can we consider this a single eruption rather than a series of shorter ones? The longest gaps between extrusive phases have been about 2-3 years (July 2003-August 2005 February 2010-present). However, during the pauses between extrusion at SHV, there have been many indications that the volcanic system remains active. These have included inflation of the island's surface, the release of volatiles in quantities similar to those seen during lava extrusion, swarms of low-frequency seismicity, explosions and the production of ash. This suggests that there are processes within the system responsible for producing alternating extrusive and non-extrusive states. Melnik & Sparks (2005) showed theoretically how non-linear response to relatively minor perturbations of the magmatic system can result in such behaviour.Recognition of the long-term continuity of the eruption process has direct consequences for the tasks of monitoring and estimating the risks posed by the volcano. It means that the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) must monitor the volcano continuously, even during periods of relative quiescence and apparent inactivity. The probabil...

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Section: Submarine Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chapter 1 An overview of the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat from 2000 to 2010

Wadge

Voight

Sparks

et al. 2014

Memoirs

131

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Similarly, the lefthand column is used to define layers that are definitely turbidites (e.g., as shown by cross-bedding or other features), tephra (ash fall or distal turbidites), blocky volcanic debris avalanches, or deformed intervals of more bedded seafloor sediment. This latter division of landslide deposits follows that of Watt et al (2012).…”

Section: Annotated Commentsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Methods

2013

Proceedings of the IODP

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“…(Boudon et al, 2007), have been identified in volcanoes of the Lesser Antilles arc (Fig. F1) (Boudon et al, 2007;Deplus et al, 2001;Lebas et al, 2011;, 2003a, 2003b, 2004Watt et al, 2012). Edifice collapses are a major concern on the small Caribbean Islands, as a large portion of the debris avalanches flow into the sea, generating potentially destructive tsunamis.…”

Section: Flank-collapse Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The English's Crater event occurred ~2000 y ago, producing part of Deposit 1 (volume = ~1.8 km 3 ). Debris avalanche Deposit 2 probably resulted from a combined subaerial flank collapse and submarine sediment failure of the eastern flank of the volcano (Le Friant et al, 2004;Lebas et al, 2011;Watt et al, 2012). In the southern part of the arc, flank collapses are larger (with volumes as large as tens of cubic kilometers), always directed to the west, and related to the higher overall slopes of the leeward side of the islands.…”

Section: Flank-collapse Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expedition 340 summary

2013

Proceedings of the IODP

282

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The Lesser Antilles Volcanism and Landslides project aims to elucidate the constructive and destructive processes of island arc volcanoes. The data set collected includes the first ever drilling of volcanic island landslides and cores providing a long-term record of volcanic eruption cycles and magmatic evolution. Processes occurring along these arcs are among the most fundamental on Earth. Styles of magmatism and eruptive activity are diverse in this geological setting not only between different arcs but also between the different islands that make up an arc. Because of the association of volcanic activity in island arcs with potentially very damaging geohazards (explosive eruptions and tsunamis), it is imperative to investigate and thus better understand the evolution of these volcanoes and the histories of their related landslides.Knowledge of island arc volcanism has previously been limited mainly to the subaerial geological record. Combining this record with information from related submarine deposits will provide a more complete picture of volcanic activity in this geological setting. The Lesser Antilles arc lends itself well to achieving this combined record, offering a diverse range of magmatic and eruptive styles across a relatively small geographic area. In addition, the frequency of events that result in the deposition of mass transport deposits is high, with the style of processes varying along the arc.

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Combinations of volcanic-flank and seafloor-sediment failure offshore Montserrat, and their implications for tsunami generation

Cited by 83 publications

References 61 publications

Chapter 1 An overview of the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat from 2000 to 2010

Chapter 1 An overview of the eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat from 2000 to 2010

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Expedition 340 summary

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