scholarly journals Emplacement Temperature of the Overbank and Dilute-Detached Pyroclastic Density Currents of Merapi 5 November 2010 Events using Reflectance Analysis of Associated Charcoal

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haryo Edi Wibowo ◽  
Anggun Purnama Edra ◽  
Agung Harijoko ◽  
Ferian Anggara

Merapi eruption in 2010 produced 17 km high column of ash and southward pyroclastic density current (PDC). Based on the deposits characteristics and distributions, the PDC is divided into channel and overbank facies (pyroclastic flow), and associated diluted PDC (pyroclastic surge). The hot overbank PDCs and the associated dilute-detached PDCs are the main cause of high casualty (367 fatalities) in medial-distal area (5–16 km), especially near main valley of Kali Gendol. We reported the emplacement temperature of these two deposits using reflectance analysis of charcoal. We used both entombed charcoals in the overbank PDC and charcoals in singed house nearby. Samples were collected on 6–13 km distance southward from summit. Charcoalification temperatures of the entombed charcoals represent deposition temperature of the overbank PDCs, whereas those of charcoals in the singed house resembles temperature of the associated dilute-detached PDCs. Results show mean random reflectance (Ro%) values of entombed charcoal mainly range 1.1–1.9 correspond to temperature range 328–444 °C, whereas charcoal in singed house range 0.61–1.12 with estimated temperature range 304–358 °C. The new temperature data of the dilute-detached PDCs in the medial-distal area is crucial for assessing impact scenarios for exposed populations as it affects them lethally and destructively

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 3261-3302 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Douillet ◽  
B. Taisne ◽  
È. Tsang-Hin-Sun ◽  
S. K. Müller ◽  
U. Kueppers ◽  
...  

Abstract. Soft-sediment deformation produces intriguing sedimentary structures and can occur in diverse environments and from a variety of triggers. From the observation of such structures and their interpretation in terms of trigger mechanisms, valuable information can be extracted about former conditions. Here we document examples of syn-eruptive deformation in dilute pyroclastic density current deposits. Outcrops from 6 different volcanoes have been compiled in order to provide a broad perspective on the variety of structures: Ubehebe craters (USA), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Laacher See (Germany), Tower Hill and Purrumbete lake (both Australia). Isolated slumps as well as sinking pseudonodules are driven by their excess weight and occur after deposition but penecontemporaneous to the eruption. Isolated, cm-scale, overturned beds with vortex forms have been interpreted to be the signature of shear instabilities occurring at the boundary of two granular media. They may represent the frozen record of granular, pseudo Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities. Their recognition can be a diagnostic for flows with a granular basal boundary layer. The occurrence of degassing pipes together with basal intrusive dikes suggest fluidization during flow stages, and can facilitate the development of Kelvin–Helmholtz structures. The occurrence at the base of flow units of injection dikes in some outcrops compared with suction-driven local uplifts in others indicates the role of dynamic pore pressure. Variations of the latter are possibly related to local changes between depletive and accumulative dynamics of flows. Ballistic impacts can trigger unconventional sags producing local displacement or liquefaction. Based on the deformation depth, these can yield precise insights into depositional unit boundaries. Such impact structures may also be at the origin of some of the steep truncation planes visible at the base of the so-called "chute and pool" structures. Finally, the passage of shock waves emanating from the vent may be preserved in the form of trains of isolated, fine-grained overturned beds which may disturb the surface bedding without occurrence of a sedimentation phase in the vicinity of a vent. Dilute pyroclastic density currents occur contemporaneously with seismogenic volcanic explosions. They are often deposited on steep slopes and can incorporate large amounts of water and gas in the sediment. They can experience extremely high sedimentation rates and may flow at the border between traction, granular and fluid-escape boundary zones. These are just some of the many possible triggers acting in a single environment, and reveal the potential for insights into the eruptive mechanisms of dilute pyroclastic density currents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2622
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Lombardi ◽  
Pierdomenico Del Gaudio ◽  
Zhengfu Guo ◽  
Maoliang Zhang ◽  
Guoming Liu ◽  
...  

Changbaishan volcano (China/North Korea; last eruption in 1903 AD) was responsible for a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) 7 eruption in 946 AD. Approximately 186,000 people live around Changbaishan and 2,000,000 tourists/year visit the volcano. An unrest occurred between 2002 and 2006. Despite the relevant hazard, the eruptive history is poorly known, a condition common to many volcanoes worldwide. Here, we investigate the extension of the areas potentially affected by pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) in case of future eruptions following a scenario-based approach. We perform energy cone runs referred to four scenarios from columns of height 3, 10, 20 and 30 km at different vents. By using global datasets on PDCs, we produce spatial probability maps of PDCs invasion. Empirical laws between covered areas, PDC travelled distances, and heights of collapse are provided. In scenarios 3 and 4, PDCs expand at distances up to 42 km and 85 km, respectively. In scenarios 1 and 2, PDCs invade the touristic area and few main roads. Severe effects emerge from scenarios 3 and 4 with the interruption of the China–North Korea land and aerial connections and PDC. Our approach may serve as guide for the rapid evaluation of the PDC-related hazard at poorly known volcanoes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Hornby ◽  
Ulrich Kueppers ◽  
Benedikt Maurer ◽  
Carina Poetsch ◽  
Donald Dingwell

<p>Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) present perhaps the greatest proximal primary hazard of volcanic activity and produce abundant fine ash that can present a range of health, environment and infrastructure hazards. However, direct, fully quantitative observation of ash production in PDCs is lacking, and little direct evidence exists to constrain the parameters controlling ash generation in PDCs. Here, we use an experimental approach to investigate the effects of starting mass, material density and ash removal on the efficiency of ash generation and concurrent clast rounding in the dense basal flow of PDCs. We employ a rotary drum to tumble pumice and scoria lapilli clasts over multiple transport “distance” steps (from 0.2 to 6 km). We observe increased ash generation rates with the periodic removal of ash during the experiments and with increasing starting mass. By scaling to the bed height and clast diameter we obtain a general description for ash production in all experiments as a function of flow distance, bed height and average clast diameter. We confirm that changes in lapilli shape factors correlate with the ash fraction generated and that the grain size of ash produced decreases with distance. Finally, we estimate shear rate in our experiments and calculate the inertial number, which describes the ratio between clast-scale and flow-scale rearrangement during flow. We show that, under certain conditions, fractional ash production can be calculated accurately for any starting mass solely as a function of the inertial number and the flow distance. This work sheds light on some of the first systematic and generalizable experimental parameterizations of ash production and associated clast evolution in PDCs and should advance our ability to understand flow mobility and associated hazards.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Tennant ◽  
Susanna Jenkins ◽  
Annie Winson ◽  
Christina Widiwijayanti ◽  
Hendra Gunawan ◽  
...  

<p>Understanding past eruption dynamics at a volcano is crucial for forecasting the range of possible future eruptions and their associated hazards and risk. In this work we reconstructed pyroclastic density currents and tephra fall from three eruptions at Gede volcano, Indonesia with the aim of gaining further insight into past eruptions and identifying suitable eruption source parameters for future hazard and risk assessment. Gede has the largest number of people living within 100 km of any volcano worldwide, and has exhibited recent unrest activity, yet little is known about its eruption history. For pyroclastic density currents, we used Titan2D to reconstruct geological deposits dated at 1200 and c. 1000 years BP. An objective and quantitative multi-criteria method was developed to evaluate the fit of over 300 pyroclastic density current (PDC) model simulations to field observations. We found that the 1200 years BP geological deposits could be reproduced with either a dome collapse or column collapse as the generation mechanism although a relatively low basal friction of 6 degrees would suggest that the PDCs were markedly mobile. Lower basal frictions may reflect the occurrence of previous PDCs that smoothed the path, reducing frictional resistance and enabling greater runout for the reconstructed unit. For the 1,000 years BP PDC, a column collapse mechanism and higher basal friction was required to fit the geological deposits. In agreement with previous studies, we found that Titan2D simulations were most sensitive to the basal friction; however, we also found that the internal friction – often fixed and considered of low influence on outputs - can have a moderate effect on the simulated average deposit thickness. We used Tephra2 to reconstruct historic observations of tephra dispersed to Jakarta and other towns during the last known magmatic eruption of Gede in 1948. In the absence of observable field deposits, or detailed information from the published literature, we stochastically sampled eruption source parameters from wide ranges informed by analogous volcanic systems. Our modelling suggests that the deposition of tephra in Jakarta during the November 1948 eruption was a very low probability event, with approximately a 0.03 % chance of occurrence. Through this work, we exemplify the reconstruction of past eruptions when faced with epistemic uncertainty, and improve our understanding of past eruption dynamics at Gede volcano, providing a crucial step towards the reduction of risk to nearby populations through volcanic hazard assessment.</p>


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