Abstract
Since the VEI 4 eruption of November 2002, El Reventador volcano (Ecuador) has been the site of persistent open-vent activity characterized by frequent (hourly) Vulcanian—strombolian explosions and occasional (every few years) effusion of lava flows. The conduit processes that sustain this continuous eruptive activity are still poorly understood. Here, we combine high temporal resolution thermal infrared imaging with seismic recordings and DOAS-derived SO2 fluxes focusing on a period of Vulcanian-style activity on 22–23 February 2017. Thermal imagery captured the emission and ascent dynamics of 26 plumes during the observation period, including those fed by explosions and degassing episodes. While most explosions have associated seismic signals, a few are marked by the absence of measurable seismic activity. Degassing episodes also show very few associated seismic signals. Explosions and degassing events seem to follow a sequence that can be explained by changes in the conduit permeability associated with rapid (over time scales of minutes) rheological stiffening of magma in the uppermost portion of the conduit to reduce degassing efficiency. Periods of open-vent outgassing alternate with periods of conduit capping resulting in system pressurization and leading to Vulcanian explosions that re-open the conduit allowing outgassing to resume.
Resumen
Desde la erupción VEI 4 de noviembre de 2002, el volcán El Reventador (Ecuador) ha sido protagonista de una actividad persistente en sistema abierto (open-vent) caracterizada por explosiones Vulcanianas — Estrombolianas frecuentes (en el orden de horas), y efusión de flujos de lava y piroclásticos ocasionales (en el orden de meses a años). Los procesos en el conducto que sustentan esta continua actividad eruptiva son aún poco conocidos. En este trabajo combinamos el análisis de imagen térmica infrarroja en alta resolución temporal con análisis de señales sísmicas y flujo de SO2 obtenido mediante DOAS, enfocándonos en el periodo de actividad tipo Vulcaniana ocurrida durante el 22 y 23 de febrero de 2017. Las imágenes térmicas registraron la dinámica de emisión y ascenso de 26 plumas durante el periodo de observación, incluyendo aquellas alimentadas por explosiones y episodios de desgasificación. Aunque la mayoría de las explosiones tienen señales sísmicas asociadas, unas pocas se caracterizan por la ausencia de actividad sísmica registrada en los sensores. Los periodos de desgasificación también presentan señales sísmicas asociadas muy pequeñas. Las explosiones y eventos de desgasificación parecen seguir una secuencia o ciclo que puede ser explicado por cambios en la permeabilidad del conducto asociados a una variación rápida (en la escala de minutos) de la rigidez del magma en la parte más somera del conducto, con lo que se limitaría la eficiencia de la desgasificación. La alternancia de periodos de desgasificación en conducto abierto con periodos de taponamiento del conducto da lugar a una presurización del sistema derivando en explosiones Vulcanianas que vuelven a abrir el conducto, lo que reanuda la secuencia con un nuevo proceso de desgasificación.
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Acknowledgements
Fieldwork for this research was conducted as part of the “Trail By Fire” expedition (PI: Y.M.) supported by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) through the Land Rover Bursary, the Deep Carbon Observatory DECADE Initiative, Ocean Optics, Crowcon, Air Liquide, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cactus Outdoor, Turbo Ace, and Team Black Sheep. F.V. acknowledges support from the Region Auvergne Rhone Alpes through its call for projects Pack Ambition Recherche 2018 (project OROVOLC, PI: Y.M.). We thank IGEPN for kindly providing seismic data for this study. This research has been conducted in the context of the Laboratoire Mixte International “Séismes et Volcans dans les Andes du Nord” of IRD. We also thank Sylvie Vergniolle, the Associate Editor, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that improved this paper.
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Editorial responsibility: S. Vergniolle; Deputy Executive Editor: L. Pioli
This paper constitutes part of a topical collection: Open-vent volcanoes.
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Vásconez, F., Moussallam, Y., Bani, P. et al. Ash and gas discharge during open vent activity at El Reventador (Ecuador): explosion-style transitions driven by conduit capping. Bull Volcanol 84, 77 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-022-01585-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-022-01585-1