Explosive Deep Water Basalt in the Sumisu Backarc Rift

Gill, James B.; Torssander, Peter; Lapierre, Henriette; Taylor, Rex N.; Kaiho, Kunio; Koyama, Masato; Kusakabe, Minoru; Aitchison, Jonathan C.; Cisowski, S. M.; Dadey, Kathleen A.; Fujioka, Kantaro; Klaus, A.; Lovell, M. A.; Marsaglia, Kathleen M.; Pézard, Philippe; Taylor, Brian; Tazaki, Kazue

doi:10.1126/science.248.4960.1214

Cited by 95 publications

(71 citation statements)

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“…This depth is generally recognized to be about 2001 000 m and less, depending on magma composition and volatile content (e.g. Kokelaar, 1986;Bonatti and Harrison, 1988;Gill et al, 1990;Oshima et al, 1991;Heikinian et al, 1991;Binard et al, 1992;Wright, 1996Wright, , 1999White, 1996;Kano, 1998;Fiske et al, 1998Fiske et al, , 2001Hunns and McPhie, 1999) and is referred to as the volatile fragmentation depth (Fisher and Schmincke, 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep submarine pyroclastic eruptions: theory and predicted landforms and deposits

Head

Wilson

2003

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

189

153

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Submarine pyroclastic eruptions at depths greater than a few hundred meters are generally considered to be rare or absent because the pressure of the overlying water column is sufficient to suppress juvenile gas exsolution so that magmatic disruption and pyroclastic activity do not occur. Consideration of detailed models of the ascent and eruption of magma in a range of sea floor environments shows, however, that significant pyroclastic activity can occur even at depths in excess of 3000 m. In order to document and illustrate the full range of submarine eruption styles, we model several possible scenarios for the ascent and eruption of magma feeding submarine eruptions: (1) no gas exsolution; (2) gas exsolution but no magma disruption; (3) gas exsolution, magma disruption, and hawaiian-style fountaining; (4) volatile content builds up in the magma reservoir leading to hawaiian eruptions resulting from foam collapse; (5) magma volatile content insufficient to cause fragmentation normally but low rise speed results in strombolian activity; and (6) volatile content builds up in the top of a dike leading to vulcanian eruptions. We also examine the role of bulk-interaction steam explosivity and contact-surface steam explosivity as processes contributing to volcaniclastic formation in these environments. We concur with most earlier workers that for magma compositions typical of spreading centers and their vicinities, the most likely circumstance is the quiet effusion of magma with minor gas exsolution, and the production of somewhat vesicular pillow lavas or sheet flows, depending on effusion rate. The amounts by which magma would overshoot the vent in these types of eruptions would be insufficient to cause any magma disruption. The most likely mechanism of production of pyroclastic deposits in this environment is strombolian activity, due to the localized concentration of volatiles in magma that has a low rise rate; magmatic gas collects by bubble coalescence, and ascends in large isolated bubbles which disrupt the magma surface in the vent, producing localized blocks, bombs, and pyroclastic deposits. Another possible mode of occurrence of pyroclastic deposits results from vulcanian eruptions; these deposits, being characterized by the dominance of angular blocks of country rocks deposited in the vicinity of a crater, should be easily distinguishable from strombolian and hawaiian eruptions. However, we stress that a special case of the hawaiian eruption style is likely to occur in the submarine environment if magmatic gas buildup occurs in a magma reservoir by the upward drift of gas bubbles. In this case, a layer of foam will build up at the top of the reservoir in a sufficient concentration to exceed the volatile content necessary for disruption and hawaiian-style activity; the deposits and landforms are predicted to be somewhat different from those of a typical primary magmatic volatile-induced hawaiian eruption. Specifically, typical pyroclast sizes might be smaller; fountain heights may exceed those expe...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep submarine pyroclastic eruptions: theory and predicted landforms and deposits

Head

Wilson

2003

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

189

153

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“…Finally, the non-vesicular nature of volcanic lithofacies may indicate a deep-water environment of 2000m or more (Gill et al, 1990), whereby hydrostatic pressure inhibited volatile exsolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the non-vesicular character of the basaltic lithofacies may indicate a deep-water environment (> 2000 m; cf. Gill et al, 1990). Erupted komatiites and associated Mg-rich basalts imply a high heat flow probably from a mantle plume source (Campbell et al, 1989 The VDF is subdivided into lower and upper sectors for simplicity and weak trends in geochemical affinity (see chapter 6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The argument can be subdivided into two questions: (1) are deep-water explosive eruptions possible?, and (2) can primary pyroclastic material be transported and deposited by a hot, gas-supported, high concentration laminar flow in a submarine environment? The former debate has subsided with the observation of fresh vesicular scoria to depths in excess of 1800m during submersible dives Gill et al, 1990;White et al, 2003) and observed surface discoloration accompanied by large rafts of hot pumice fragments from submerged vents at Surtsey (Kokelaar and Durant, 1983), and Myojin Knoll (Fiske et al, 2001). The latter is more subjective, as alteration/deformation of ancient deposits typically destroys one or more clues of the thermal character and transporting medium.…”

Section: White 2000mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In steam (McBirney, 1963;Cas and Wright, 1987). However, the recent discovery of pumice, deep-sea scoria and vesiculated lava at depths in excess of 2000m Gill et al, 1990;Batiza and White, 2000;Hekinian et al, 2000) have questioned their validity. Such concepts to inferred deep-water conditions in relation to phreatomagmatic and magmatic eruptions have recently been discussed at a Chapman Meeting in 2002 (Dunedin, New Zealand).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical volcanology, stratigraphy, and lithogeochemistry of an archean volcanic arc :

Scott¹

2005

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The 1891 submarine eruption offshore Pantelleria Island (Sicily Channel, Italy): Identification of the vent and characterization of products and eruptive style

Conte

Martorelli

Calarco

et al. 2014

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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High-resolution bathymetry and seafloor sampling have been used to characterize the 1891 submarine eruption of the Pantelleria volcanic complex. This submarine eruption has been documented mainly by historical reports, describing basaltic scoria bombs floating on the sea surface (i.e., lava balloons). In this study, the 1891 eruptive vent has been identified as a small cone (volume of 700,000 m 3 ) rising 90 m from 350 m w.d., and located within a newly discovered submarine volcanic field covering a wide area offshore from the NW coast of Pantelleria; recently, Kelly et al. (2012) confirmed this location by a multibeam and ROV survey. Pyroclasts from the 1891 eruption crop out directly on the seafloor and are fresh scoria clasts (i.e., small bombs, bomb fragments, and lapilli) and glass ash-sized grains; both have been characterized in their morphology, textures, and geochemistry. The distinctive vesicularity and crystallization characteristics displayed by the scoriaceous pyroclasts reflect modes of degassing in both syn and posteruptive regimes; these characteristics, along with the distribution of deposits suggest for the strongest eruptive phase of the 1891 eruption a style analogous to Hawaiian fountaining. Glass grains from a buoyant plume were dispersed northward from the vent, up to distances of 1.5 km, redirected by the Levantine Intermediate Water. The identification of the 1891 submarine eruptive vent offshore Pantelleria, as well as the features of erupted pyroclasts improve our knowledge of submarine explosive eruptions that occur at shallow-intermediate depths and, among these, of the rare eruptions producing lava balloons.

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Explosive Deep Water Basalt in the Sumisu Backarc Rift

Cited by 95 publications

References 20 publications

Deep submarine pyroclastic eruptions: theory and predicted landforms and deposits

Deep submarine pyroclastic eruptions: theory and predicted landforms and deposits

Physical volcanology, stratigraphy, and lithogeochemistry of an archean volcanic arc :

The 1891 submarine eruption offshore Pantelleria Island (Sicily Channel, Italy): Identification of the vent and characterization of products and eruptive style

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