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Linking variable explosion style and magma textures during 2002 at Stromboli volcano, Italy

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Abstract

Microtextural characteristics of fresh ejecta from Stromboli volcano were examined from three periods of differing eruption style and intensity in 2002. Activity shifted from relatively weak and infrequent ash-charged explosions during January through May into two broad cycles of waxing activity in June through late September, and late September through December, followed by the onset on 28 December of the 2002/2003 effusive eruption. Analyzed sets of lapilli from May, September/October, and 28 December show contrasts in the physical properties of magma resident in the shallow conduit during this range of activity. Three distinct textures are observed among the analyzed pyroclasts: low density (LD) with an abundance of subspherical bubbles, the presence of large, irregularly shaped bubbles, and a light-to-transparent glass matrix; transitional texture (TT) with an intermediate number of subspherical bubbles, a high frequency of large, irregularly-shaped bubbles, and a honey colored glass matrix; and high density (HD) with sparse relatively small bubbles, conspicuous large irregular bubbles, and a dark glass matrix. Observational and quantitative data (density, vesicle size) indicate that these textures are linked through variable residence time in Stromboli’s shallow conduit, with an ongoing evolution from LD to HD magma. Calculations suggest that residual LD magma will evolve to HD texture in a period of hours to days. Contrasting amounts of the LD, TT, and HD magmas are present in each sample, with the most TT in May, the most LD in September/October, and the most HD in December. This implies that the shallow magma had a different rheology at each collection period. The viscosity of LD and HD magmas are calculated to be in the range of 2,000 to 2,600 and 3,000 to 5,000 Pa s, respectively, which, with their changing proportions, must have implications for rates of bubble slug ascent and processes of fragmentation. This study suggests that an increasing maturity of magma in Stromboli’s shallow conduit (with resultant increase in viscosity) feeds back to reduce the intensity of explosions, whereas a steady flux of LD magma favors more powerful explosions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Armin Freundt, Jacopo Taddeucci, and Lionel Wilson for reviews that strengthened the quality of the submitted manuscript. Sarah Fagents, Michael Garcia, and Andy Harris also provided valuable reviews of a draft manuscript. Michael Manga imparted indispensable assistance with the viscosity calculations. We thank Anthony Finizola for assistance with the May lapilli collection, and Marco Piermattei and Maurizio Ripepe for collecting and sending the December sample. John Bailey, Andy Harris and Glynn Williams-Jones are gratefully acknowledged for the 2002 eruption logs, as is hospitality of Maurizio Ripepe during the field campaigns. This work was sponsored by National Science Foundation grant EAR-0207734 and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (to Lautze). The May 2002 field work was funded by a Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology internal grant.

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  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawai’i Manoa, 1680 East–West Rd. POST 606A, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Nicole C. Lautze & Bruce F. Houghton

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  1. Nicole C. Lautze
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Correspondence to Nicole C. Lautze.

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Editorial responsibility: D. Dingwell

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Lautze, N.C., Houghton, B.F. Linking variable explosion style and magma textures during 2002 at Stromboli volcano, Italy. Bull Volcanol 69, 445–460 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-006-0086-1

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