Heat and SO2 Emission Rates at Active Volcanoes - The Case Study of Masaya, Nicaragua

Thermal insights into the dynamics of Nyiragongo lava lake from ground and satellite measurements

“…In particular, we noted that on 10 March the lake surface was at the same level of the pit crater rim, whereas on 9 and 11 March it was well below it. Variations in lava lake surface activity regime and fluctuations of the lake surface level have been reported by previous expeditions to the volcano [e.g., Tazieff , ], and are features typical of lava lakes elsewhere [e.g., Tilling , 1987; Tazieff , ; Oppenheimer and Francis , ; Spampinato et al ., ; Spampinato and Salerno , ]. As already argued and modeled, changes in the lava lake surface activity regime and in lake level reflect variations occurring in the volcano shallow and deep feeder system, respectively [e.g., Tilling , ; Francis et al ., ; Oppenheimer and Francis , ; Harris et al ., ; Witham et al ., ; Oppenheimer et al ., ].…”

“…As already reported in the case of other persistently active lava lakes, Q cond may occur from both the walls and floor of the volcano conduit. However, if the volcano activity has persevered for decades, we can assume that the lake system is likely long‐established and thus quite well insulated [ Giberti et al ., ; Calkins et al ., ; Spampinato and Salerno , ]. Hence, given that Nyiragongo lava lake has been active at least since May 2002, in our calculations we neglected conduction to the country rock as we considered it irrelevant with respect to the other kinds of heat losses.…”