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Output rate of magma from active central volcanoes

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Abstract

For part of their historic records, nine of the most active volcanoes on Earth have each erupted magma at a nearly constant rate. These output rates are very similar and range from 0.69 to 0.26 m3 s−1. The volcanoes discussed here—Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Fuego, Santiaguito, Nyamuragira, Hekla, Piton de la Fournaise, Vesuvius and Etna—represent almost the whole spectrum of plate tectonic settings of volcanism. A common mechanism of buoyantly rising magma-filled cracks in the upper crust may contribute to the observed restricted range of the rates of output.

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Wadge, G. Output rate of magma from active central volcanoes. Nature 288, 253–255 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/288253a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/288253a0

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