High‐resolution size distributions and emission fluxes of trace elements from Masaya volcano, Nicaragua

Abstract

[1] Active volcanoes are significant natural sources of trace elements to the atmosphere yet the processes of emission and the impacts of deposition into terrestrial and aquatic environments remain poorly understood. The varying contributions of volatile degassing and magma ejection (i.e., spattering, spraying, extrusion and fragmentation) to the emission of trace elements from Masaya volcano (Nicaragua) are investigated through measurement of high-resolution trace element size distributions using cascade impactors in 2009 and 2010. The volatile elements (e.g., As, Cd, Tl, Cu, Pb, Zn) are strongly correlated across the size distribution and exist in the plume primarily as fine sulfate (0.6 mm diameter) with lesser amounts transported as coarse sulfates (3.5 mm diameter) and coarse chlorides (11 mm diameter). These results suggest that trace elements released from the magma as chlorides react rapidly with H 2 SO 4 in the plume to form sulfates. In contrast, the non-volatile elements (e.g., alkali earth and rare earth) exist primarily as particles in the 1-10 mm range and show no correlation with sulfate, chloride or the volatile elements, suggesting that they are emitted primarily by magma ejection. Trace element emission fluxes from Masaya in 2010 were estimated using filter pack measurements, with emissions of Cu, Zn, As, Tl, Rb and Cd each in excess of 10 kg d

Trace elements in the gas emissions from the Erta Ale volcano, Afar, Ethiopia

“…8b). Such microspheres of 1-20 μm in size were earlier observed in plumes from Kilauea (Meeker and Hinkley, 1993), Masaya (Martin et al, 2009;Moune et al, 2010;Martin et al, 2012), and Villarrica (Sawyer et al, 2011). The most probable source of the microspheres is the bursting of small gas bubbles on the lava surface (Martin et al, 2008).…”

“…In contrast, (1993) recent studies have shown that volatile species of REE can be present in gas in detectable amounts. Some fractionation between LREE and HREE with enrichment of LREE during shallow degassing was observed in aerosol samples from the Masaya volcano (Moune et al, 2010;Martin et al, 2012). Moune et al (2006) argued that HREE were enriched in the eruptive plume of Hekla.…”

“…Nevertheless, a number of volcanoes with high-T fumaroles have been characterized for their TE output. Most of them were located in the subduction zone, including Augustine , Colima (Taran et al, 2000(Taran et al, , 2001, Etna (Toutain et al, 1995;Calabrese et al, 2011), Kudryavy (Taran et al, 1995;Fischer et al, 1998;Churakov et al, 2000;Yudovskaya et al, 2008), Masaya (Moune et al, 2010;Martin et al, 2012), Merapi (Bernard and Le Guern, 1982;Symonds et al, 1987;Symonds, 1993), Momotombo (Quisefit et al, 1989), Mutnovsky (Zelenski and Bortnikova, 2005), Satsuma Iwojima , St. Helens (Bernard and Le Guern, 1986;Symonds and Reed, 1993), Villarrica (Sawyer et al, 2011), and some others.…”

“…Aerosol measurements with filter packs are a widely used approach for studying volcanic plume chemistry. Filter packs are especially appropriate for the estimation of TE fluxes from volcanoes (for example, Hinkley et al, 1999;Allard et al, 2000;Martin et al, 2012). Studies of condensates, sublimates, and aerosols are three complementary methods in volcanic gas studies, and if possible, should be applied together to the same volcano for better results.…”

Characterization of the Etna volcanic emissions through an active biomonitoring technique (moss-bags): Part 1 – Major and trace element composition

“…6 shows a depletion of volatile elements (Tl, S, Bi, Se, Sb, Cd, Pb, As and B) in mosses compared to the plume. As shown in the previous studies in passive degassing volcanoes, e.g., Erebus, Masaya and Kilauea (Hinkley et al, 1999;Martin et al, 2012b;Mather et al, 2012), these elements are mainly associated with the fine particles that are transported long distances from the source. As a result, only a small percentage of the volatile elements are deposited locally, therefore volcanic emissions have only a minor effect on atmospheric deposition of these elements at the local scale (Calabrese et al, 2011).…”