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Characteristics of rootless cone tephra emplaced by high-energy lava–water explosions

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Abstract

The effects of external water during hydrovolcanic eruptions are difficult to quantify; however, research investigating the explosive interactions between surface lava flows and water has provided new insights into explosion dynamics. Previous work has focused on relatively low-energy lava–water explosions from a 100-m-diameter cone in the Rauðhólar cone group in Iceland. For comparison, we study ejecta derived from higher-energy explosions at the 400-m-diameter Pu‘u Kīholo rootless cone in Hawai‘i, one of the largest rootless cones on Earth. This comparative approach elucidates the effect of lava–water mixing conditions and range of explosivity on ejecta characteristics. Utilizing grain size analysis, we found that Pu‘u Kīholo beds typically have median grain sizes at the cone rim that are smaller than − 3 ϕ (8 mm) and are on average finer-grained than those of the Rauðhólar cone. Ash-sized grains, the most energetically significant ejecta size fraction, typically make up > 20% of bed ejecta, with a maximum of 90%, both greater proportions than found in beds of the Rauðhólar cone. Utilizing grain morphology, crystal texture, and surface feature analysis, we found that the abundance of ash-sized grains associated with high heat transfer rates (i.e., active particles) increases at Pu‘u Kīholo as explosivity increases, which is an important consideration for energy modeling. This dataset also includes ejecta from the finest-grained beds, and therefore highest-energy lava–water explosions, studied to date.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources for the access to the study area, which required a permit. We are grateful to Gary Huss, Phillip Ooi, Elizabeth Koeman-Shields, and Jessica Galacgac for the instrumentation access and training. This work was improved by discussions with Frank Trusdell, Don Swanson, Bruce Houghton, Scott Rowland, and Carolyn Parcheta. We acknowledge journal reviews by Alison Graettinger, an anonymous reviewer, and associate editor Pierre-Simon Ross. Lastly, this work could not have been done without the field assistance and good company of Jenn Randell-Tamaariki and Bryant Quinonez-Servin.

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Hawai‘i Bullard Fellowship and HIGP (publication number 2416) and SOEST (publication number 11018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hawai‘i, 1680 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Erin P. Fitch

  2. Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Sarah A. Fagents

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  1. Erin P. Fitch
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  2. Sarah A. Fagents
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Correspondence to Erin P. Fitch.

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Editorial responsibility: P-S. Ross

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Fitch, E.P., Fagents, S.A. Characteristics of rootless cone tephra emplaced by high-energy lava–water explosions. Bull Volcanol 82, 62 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-020-01393-5

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