[1] The fumarolic gas output has not been quantified for any of the currently deforming calderas worldwide, due to the lack of suitable gas flux sensing techniques. In view of resumption of ground uplift (since 2005) and the associated variations in gas chemistry, Campi Flegrei, in southern Italy, is one of the restless calderas where gas flux observations are especially necessary. Here we report the first ever obtained estimate of the Campi Flegrei fumarolic gas output, based on a set of MultiGAS surveys (performed in 2012 and 2013) with an ad-hoc-designed measurement setup. We estimate that the current Campi Flegrei fumarolic sulphur (S) flux is low, on the order of 1.5-2.2 tons/day, suggesting substantial scrubbing of magmatic S by the hydrothermal system. However, the fumarolic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) output is $4606160 tons/day (mean6SD), which is surprisingly high for a dormant volcano in the hydrothermal stage of activity, and results in a combined (fumaroles þ soil) CO 2 output of $1560 tons/ day. Assuming magma to be the predominant source, we propose that the current CO 2 output can be supplied by either (i) a large (0.6-4.6 km 3 ), deeply stored (>7 km) magmatic source with low CO 2 contents (0.05-0.1 wt%) or (ii) by a small to medium-sized ($0.01-0.1 km 3 ) but CO 2 -rich (2 wt%) magma, possibly stored at pressures of $100 to 120 MPa. Independent geophysical evidence (e.g., inferred from geodetic and gravity data) is needed to distinguish between these two possibilities.
Since its last magmatic eruption in 1530 AD, La Soufrière andesitic volcano in Guadeloupe has displayed intense hydrothermal activity and six phreatic eruptive crises. Here we report on the first direct quantification of gas plume emissions from its summit vents, which gradually intensified during the past 20 years. Gas fluxes were determined in March 2006 and March 2012 by measuring the horizontal and vertical distributions of volcanic gas concentrations in the air-diluted plume and scaling to the speed of plume transport. Fluxes in 2006 combine realtime measurements of volcanic H 2 S concentrations and plume parameters with the composition of the hot (108.5°C) fumarolic fluid at exit. Fluxes in 2012 result from MultiGAS analysis of H 2 S, H 2 O, CO 2 , SO 2 and H 2 concentrations, combined with thermal imaging of the plume geometry and dynamics. Measurements were not only focused on the most active South crater (SC) vent, but also targeted Tarissan crater and other reactivating vents. We first demonstrate that all vents are fed by a common H 2 O-rich (97-98 mol%) fluid end-member, emitted almost unmodified at SC but affected by secondary shallow alterations at other vents. Daily fluxes in 2012 averaged 200 tons of H 2 O, 15 tons of CO 2 ,~4 tons of H 2 S and 1 ton of HCl, increased by a factor~3 compared to 2006. Even though modest, such fluxes make La Soufrière the second most important volcanic gas emitter in the Lesser Antilles arc, after Soufriere Hills of Montserrat. Taking account of other hydrothermal manifestations (hot springs and diffuse soil degassing), the summit fumarolic activity is shown to contribute most of the bulk volatile and heat budget of the volcano. The hydrothermal heat output (8 MW) exceeds by orders of magnitude the contemporaneous seismic energy release. Isotopic evidences support that La Soufrière hydrothermal emissions are sustained by a variable but continuous heat and gas supply from a magma reservoir confined at 6-7 km depth. By using petro-geochemical data for La Soufrière magma(s) and their dissolved volatile content, and assuming a magmatic derivation of sulfur, we estimate that the volcanic gas fluxes measured in 2012 could result from the underground release of magmatic gas exsolved from~1400 m 3 d −1 of basaltic melt feeding the system at depth. We recommend that fumarolic gas flux at La Soufrière becomes regularly measured in the future in order to carefully monitor the temporal evolution of that magmatic supply.
Here we report on the first assessment of volatile fluxes from the hyperacid crater lake hosted within the summit crater of Copahue, a very active volcano on the Argentina‐Chile border. Our observations were performed using a variety of in situ and remote sensing techniques during field campaigns in March 2013, when the crater hosted an active fumarole field, and in March 2014, when an acidic volcanic lake covered the fumarole field. In the latter campaign, we found that 566 to 1373 t d−1 of SO2 were being emitted from the lake in a plume that appeared largely invisible. This, combined with our derived bulk plume composition, was converted into flux of other volcanic species (H2O ~ 10989 t d−1, CO2 ~ 638 t d−1, HCl ~ 66 t d−1, H2 ~ 3.3 t d−1, and HBr ~ 0.05 t d−1). These levels of degassing, comparable to those seen at many open‐vent degassing arc volcanoes, were surprisingly high for a volcano hosting a crater lake. Copahue's unusual degassing regime was also confirmed by the chemical composition of the plume that, although issuing from a hot (65°C) lake, preserves a close‐to‐magmatic signature. EQ3/6 models of gas‐water‐rock interaction in the lake were able to match observed compositions and demonstrated that magmatic gases emitted to the atmosphere were virtually unaffected by scrubbing of soluble (S and Cl) species. Finally, the derived large H2O flux (10,988 t d−1) suggested a mechanism in which magmatic gas stripping drove enhanced lake water evaporation, a process likely common to many degassing volcanic lakes worldwide.
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