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Thermal state and implications for eruptive styles of the intra-Plinian and climactic ignimbrites of the 4.6 ka Fogo A eruption sequence, São Miguel, Azores

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Abstract

The 4.6 ka Fogo A Plinian eruption was a caldera-forming volcanic event on São Miguel Island, Azores. The deposit succession is very complex, composed of a thick trachytic Plinian fallout deposit interstratified with two intra-Plinian ignimbrites (named “pink ignimbrite” and “black ignimbrite” sequentially). The succession ends with a main ignimbrite (named “dark brown ignimbrite”), which represents the deposit of complete collapse of the eruption column and the end of the eruption. In this work, emplacement temperatures of the three ignimbrites are estimated by study of partial thermal remanent magnetization (pTRM) of lithic clasts. A total of 140 oriented lithic clasts were collected from 15 localities distributed along the northern and southern flanks of Fogo volcano. The paleomagnetic data reveal different emplacement temperatures and thermal histories that were experienced by each ignimbrite. The results indicate the presence of five different paleomagnetic behaviours that suggest emplacement temperatures of 350–400 °C for the first (pink) intra-Plinian ignimbrite, temperatures higher than 580–600 °C for the second (black) intra-Plinian ignimbrite and 250–370 °C for the last (dark brown) climactic ignimbrite. The thermal history experienced by each pyroclastic flow and its ignimbrite deposit was also assessed by the use of the magnetite-ilmenite geothermometer to determine the pre-eruptive magma temperature (estimated to be around 900 °C). We interpret the different emplacement temperatures of the Fogo A ignimbrites as being due to a combination of factors. These include (i) collapse from different heights of the eruption column and the resultant different amounts of air entrainment into the gas-particle mixture, (ii) variable content of lithic clasts and (iii) different types of juvenile clasts in the ignimbrites.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Roma Tre University for the use of the paleomagnetic facilities. We are particularly grateful to Prof. M. Mattei and Dr. F. Cifelli for their support during paleomagnetic analysis. We express appreciation to CVARG Centre, University of Azores, São Miguel, for the kind hospitality during the field work. We also would like to thank the reviewer Lucia Gurioli and the editor Steve Self for the very helpful comments that have improved the manuscript. This research forms part of the PhD research of A. Pensa at Monash University, supported by discretionary research funds of Emeritus Professor R.A.F. Cas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University, Wellington Road, 3800, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    A. Pensa & R. A. F. Cas

  2. Roma Tre University, Largo L. Murialdo 1, 00146, Rome, Italy

    G. Giordano

  3. Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Pascoli, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    M. Porreca

  4. Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos (CVARG), Departamento de Geociências, Universidade dos Açores, 9500-801, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

    M. Porreca

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  1. A. Pensa
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Correspondence to A. Pensa.

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Editorial responsibility: S. A. Fagents and S. Self

Electronic supplementary material

SM-A pTRM results of the lithic clasts collected within the pink intra-Plinian ignimbrite

A 1A 2A 3A 4

1. Paleomagnetic site FO-06: clasts FO-06-01, FO-06-03, FO-06-05, FO-06-07, FO-06-08 display one single magnetic component; stable up to temperatures of 440° and 480 °C; the remaining samples FO-06-02, FO-06-04 FO-06-06 show two magnetic components stable up to temperatures of 350° and 400 °C (GIF 55 kb)

2. Paleomagnetic site FO-09: clasts FO-09-01, FO-09-03, FO-09-05, FO-09-06, FO-09-07, FO-09-08 display one single magnetic component; stable up 480° to 520 °C. Of the remaining 2 samples, FO-09-02 and FO-09-04 show two magnetic components stable up to temperatures of 300 and 350 °C (GIF 50 kb)

3. Paleomagnetic site FO-20: clasts FO-20-01, FO-20-02, FO-20-03, FO-20-04, FO-20-05, FO-20-07, FO-20-08, FO-20-09 display one single magnetic component; stable up 300° to 480 °C. The remaining FO-20-06 sample exhibits two magnetic components stable up to temperatures of 300 ° C (GIF 58 kb)

4. Paleomagnetic site FO-21: clasts FO-21-01, FO-21-02, FO-21-03, FO-21-04, FO-21-08, FO-21-09 FO-21-10 display one single magnetic component; stable up 300° to 440 °C. Two samples (FO-21-05, FO-21-06 and FO-21-07) have been discarded because they show unstable behaviour (GIF 60 kb)

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SM-B TRM results of the lithic clasts collected within the black intra-Plinian ignimbrite

B 1B 2B 3

1. Paleomagnetic site FO-10: clasts FO-10-01, FO-10-02, FO-10-03, FO-10-05, FO-10-07 FO-10-08 display one single magnetic component; stable up 480° to 580 °C. One sample (FO-10-04) has been discarded because it shows unstable behaviour (GIF 53 kb)

2. Paleomagnetic site FO-22: clasts FO-22-01, FO-22-02, FO-22-03, FO-22-05, FO-22-06, FO-22-07, FO-22-08, FO-22-09, FO-22-10, FO-22-11 FO-22-12 display one single magnetic component; stable up 580° to 620 °C. One sample (FO-22-04) has been discarded because it displays unstable behaviour (GIF 66 kb)

3. Paleomagnetic site FO-26: All lithic clasts sampled have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 520° to 620 °C (GIF 55 kb)

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SM-C TRM results of the lithic clasts collected within the dark brown ignimbrite

C 1C 2C 3C 4C 5

1. Paleomagnetic site FO-11: clasts FO-11-02, FO-11-05, FO-11-06, FO-11-07, FO-11-08 have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 400° and 520 °C. Of the remaining samples, FO-11-03, show two magnetic components that are stable up to temperatures between 300 °C and 340 °C. Two samples (FO-11-01 and FO-11-04) have been rejected because it displays unstable behaviour (GIF 48 kb)

2. Paleomagnetic site FO-15: clasts FO-15-01, FO-15-02, FO-15-04, FO-15-05, FO-15-06 have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 400° and 480 °C. Of the remaining samples, clasts, FO-15-07, FO-15-09 show two magnetic components, which are stable up to temperatures between 180 °C and 300 °C, while two samples (FO-15-03 and FO-15-10) have been rejected because it displays unstable behaviour (GIF 59 kb)

3. Paleomagnetic site FO-16: clasts FO-16-01, FO-16-02, FO-16-03, FO-16-04, FO-16-05, FO-16-06, FO-16-08 FO-16-09 and FO-16-10 have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 350° and 400 °C. The remaining sample FO-16-07 shows two magnetic components, which are stable up to 350 °C. (GIF 54 kb)

4. Paleomagnetic site FO-18: clasts, FO-18-01, FO-18-02, FO-18-03, FO-18-04, FO-18-06, FO-18-09 and FO-18-10 have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 400° and 520 °C. FO-18-07samples show two magnetic components that are stable up to temperatures of 340° and 400 °C. One sample (FO-18-05) has been discarded because it displays unstable behaviour (GIF 59 kb)

5. Paleomagnetic site FO-23: clasts FO-23-01, FO-23-06, FO-23-07, FO-23-08, FO-23-09, FO-23-10 have a single magnetic component, which is stable up to temperatures of 350° and 520 °C. Of the remaining samples, clasts FO-23-04 and FO-23-05,, show two magnetic components, which are stable up to temperatures between 300 °C and 370 °C. Three samples (FO-23-02, FO-23-03 and FO-23-11) have been rejected because they display unstable behaviour (GIF 62 kb)

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Pensa, A., Giordano, G., Cas, R.A.F. et al. Thermal state and implications for eruptive styles of the intra-Plinian and climactic ignimbrites of the 4.6 ka Fogo A eruption sequence, São Miguel, Azores. Bull Volcanol 77, 99 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-015-0983-2

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