Study finds 'frictional heat' as a new trigger for explosive

volcanic eruptions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160104130650.htm#.VpRhXjTgKlY.mailto
Date: January 4, 2016
Source: University of Liverpool

Summary: Temperature may be more important than pressure in generating gas bubbles
which trigger explosive volcanic eruptions, a new study into magma ascent has found. The
study, which combined field observation, interpretation of monitored data and controlled
laboratory experimentations, provides a strong argument for the integration of temperature as
a key control in volcanic eruptions models.

FULL STORY

Understanding magma ascent is central to forecasting volcanic disasters. However, it is not possible
to always successfully predict volcanic events due to the lack of complete knowledge of the signals
leading to catastrophes. (Stock image)

Credit: juancat / Fotolia

A new study into magma ascent by geoscientists at the University

of Liverpool has found that temperature may be more important
than pressure in generating gas bubbles which trigger explosive
volcanic eruptions.
In a paper published in Nature, researchers at the University's School of Environmental Sciences
showed that as magma ascends in volcanic conduits, it heats up which can melt its crystal cargo and
force the formation of bubbles. Importantly, they also showed that more bubbles are formed by
heating than through decompression, which had been previously thought.
The study, which combined field observation, interpretation of monitored data and controlled
laboratory experimentations, provides a strong argument for the integration of temperature as a key
control in volcanic eruptions models.
Yan Lavalle, Liverpool Professor of Volcanology who led the research, said: "A good analogy to this
is peanut butter: when it is too cold and viscous, we plunge a knife into it and stir to warm it up and
make it more runny. With volcanoes, magma ascending in volcanic conduit also heats up and this
helps them foam and erupt explosively."
He added: "The fact that temperature may be more important than pressure in the generation of gas
bubbles in ascending magmas is astonishing and requires immediate consideration from the
scientific community. The fundamental nature of this thermal process will very likely find other
important applications in earth sciences as well as in engineering in the years to come. "
Understanding magma ascent is central to forecasting volcanic disasters. It is not possible to always
successfully predict volcanic events due to the lack of complete knowledge of the signals leading to
catastrophes.
To reproduce the volcanic process, the researchers designed laboratory experiments to study friction
in volcanic rocks. They found that friction causes a substantial amount of heat between two rocks
which melts the rock and makes it foam.
In the study, they were also able to show how the action of ascending magma can be understood
using seismometers to monitor earthquakes and tiltmeters to measure ground deformation.
Volcanic eruptions are often compared to uncorking a bottle of Champagne. Pop the cork out slowly
and the wine bubbles up (foams), gas comes out and the wine settles. When it is uncorked rapidly,
the cork shoots up in the air, followed by a messy splash of wine across the kitchen.
These two opposite scenarios also occur with volcanoes which can erupt lava flows or explosively
erupt fragmented bits of lava, including volcanic ash.

It had been thought that the decrease in pressure experienced by magma as it ascends through the
crust and erupts at Earth's surface, causes it to foam. This new work suggests that heating may be
more important than decompression in controlling eruptions.

Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Liverpool. Note: Materials
may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
1.

Yan Lavalle, Donald B. Dingwell, Jeffrey B. Johnson, Corrado Cimarelli, Adrian J. Hornby,
Jackie E. Kendrick, Felix W. von Aulock, Ben M. Kennedy, Benjamin J. Andrews, Fabian B. Wadsworth,
Emma Rhodes, Gustavo Chigna. Thermal vesiculation during volcanic eruptions.Nature, 2015; 528
(7583): 544 DOI: 10.1038/nature16153

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University of Liverpool. "Study finds 'frictional heat' as a new trigger for explosive volcanic eruptions."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 January 2016.
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