Subaqueous volcano

Last updated

White Horse Bluff Clearwater River White Horse Bluff.jpg
White Horse Bluff

A subaqueous volcano is a volcano formed from the eruption or flow of magma that occurs underwater (as opposed to a subaerial volcanic eruptions) [1] . Subaqueous volcanic eruptions are significantly more abundant than subaerial eruptions and are estimated be responsible for 85% of global volcanism by volume [2] .

Contents

They are commonly in the form of gently sloping tuff cones, although they can have more vertical appearance similar to that of a mountain, such as White Horse Bluff in the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field of east-central British Columbia, Canada. [3]

Comparison to subaerial volcanoes

Subaqueous volcanoes can be compared to subaerial volcanoes which are formed and erupt on land. The major differences of volcanic eruptions are due to the effects of pressure, heat capacity or thermal conductivity of water, the presence of steam and water rheology. The thermal conductivity of water is about 20 times that of air and steam has a thermal conductivity nearly 50 times that of water. [4] The study of subaqueous volcanoes has changed substantially. Modern studies offer fresh and unaltered observances can see and map surface features and the water depth is known in areas that allow observation. Ancient studies have had stratigraphic exposure to sections, are easier to work on, have more and better exposures and have an existing relationship to resources. [5]

Subaqueous pyroclastic flows

Some geologists restrict the term "subaqueous pyroclastic flow deposits" to volcaniclastic units that show characteristics of emplacement in a hot state deposited underwater. However, this cannot always be done because of the subsequent process of alteration or diagenesis such as can be found in active hot springs and the associated hydrothermal alteration. Deposits from pyroclastic flows that interact with water then transform into water-supported mass flows are called "subaqueous pyroclastic debris flow deposits" by some geologists. [6] [7]

On the other hand, processes that are associated with eruption, transportation and deposition are notably different because of the presence of water, including the ability to vaporize when in contact with water, a high density and resulting confining pressure, high viscosity relative to air and differences in the thermal conductivity/specific heat capacity of air relative to water. [4]

Deposits in Honshu

Some understanding of subaqueous volcanoes can be inferred from knowledge of volcanic processes based on ancient successions. Subaqueous volcano deposits have been occurring in the south of Honshu, the largest island among Japan's four principal islands. The four subaqueous volcanic deposits that have been documented offer significant evidence to study.

Features

Subaqueous sedimentary deposits

Subaqueous volcanic deposits are associated with subaqueous sedimentary deposits and these deposits range from near shore, off-shore and abyssal mudstone deposits. Unfortunately, paleo-depth constraints for sedimentary strata are poor and subject to contradicting interpretations. However, the depth of emplacement can be conjectured with minor control of water depth. In determining the characteristics of pyroclastic flows in subaerial versus subaqueous deposits, it is commonly believed that water fluidized volcaniclastic flows become normally graded in terms of all components except for large, buoyant pumice blocks which settle to form large pumice layers. However, this phenomenon is usually seen as subaerial ignimbrite (pumice rich pyroclastic flows) deposits. Because of this, the characteristic is not considered clear evidence for the interpretation of the fluidizing agent (hot gas or water) and can therefore only be used in conjunction with other criteria.

Characteristics

Characteristics can be sorted to infer subaqueous eruption or emplacement of silicic pyroclastic deposits. Larger pumice blocks rise for a more extended period of time (minutes to hours) in comparison to smaller pumice fragments because of gases trapped within vesicles and the very fine ash fragments may become entrained into the rising plume of gas and heated water because of the low density and weight. Therefore, subaqueous silicic pyroclastic eruptions may be diminished in the course size fraction as well as the very fine ash size fraction based on the buoyancy of the material in the water medium. These characteristics may be important in determining the style of subaqueous eruption and emplacement mechanism. The characteristics of texture, such as grain morphology and grain size abundances can also provide knowledge on the process of controlling the eruption style or transport/flow properties, whether turbulent or laminar.

Seafloor exploration

Seafloor exploration has discovered that more volcanic eruptions occur at the bottom of the sea than on land. However, the effects of ambient water and hydrostatic pressure on silicic volcanic eruptions in subaqueous settings are not entirely understood because deep marine eruptions are not directly observed and studied. Because of this, information of recent deep-water volcanic eruptions are still incomplete and limited.

Conclusions

The conclusions of the studies of subaqueous volcanoes in Japan determine that clear evidence for eruption and/or emplacement of pyroclastic flows continue to be determined from the examination of these deposits although inferential evidence such as grain morphology, sorting and grading can be used to identify and document ancient subaqueous volcanic deposits. The University of California, Santa Barbara will continue to conduct further research which may be able to provide further information on styles of subaqueous volcanic eruptions and/or flow characteristics of volcanic deposits. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuff</span> Rock consolidated from volcanic ash

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock containing 25% to 75% ash is described as tuffaceous. Tuff composed of sandy volcanic material can be referred to as volcanic sandstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyroclastic rock</span> Clastic rocks composed solely or primarily of volcanic materials

Pyroclastic rocks are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroclasts. Pyroclastic rocks are a type of volcaniclastic deposit, which are deposits made predominantly of volcanic particles. 'Phreatic' pyroclastic deposits are a variety of pyroclastic rock that forms from volcanic steam explosions and they are entirely made of accidental clasts. 'Phreatomagmatic' pyroclastic deposits are formed from explosive interaction of magma with groundwater. The word pyroclastic is derived from the Greek πῦρ, meaning fire; and κλαστός, meaning broken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mazama</span> Complex volcano in the Cascade Range

Mount Mazama is a complex volcano in the western U.S. state of Oregon, in a segment of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and Cascade Range. A volcanic peak once existed, but it collapsed following a major eruption approximately 7,700 years ago, to be replaced by a caldera. The volcano is in Klamath County, in the southern Cascades, 60 miles (97 km) north of the Oregon–California border. Its collapse, due to the eruption of magma emptying the underlying magma chamber, formed a caldera that holds Crater Lake. Mount Mazama originally had an elevation of 12,000 feet (3,700 m), but following its climactic eruption this was reduced to 8,157 feet (2,486 m). Crater Lake is 1,943 feet (592 m) deep, the deepest freshwater body in the U.S. and the second deepest in North America after Great Slave Lake in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kikai Caldera</span> Mostly-submerged caldera in the Ōsumi Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

Kikai Caldera is a massive, mostly submerged caldera up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) in diameter in the Ōsumi Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peléan eruption</span> Pyroclastic volcanic eruption due to a viscous siliceous magma

Peléan eruptions are a type of volcanic eruption. They can occur when viscous magma, typically of rhyolitic or andesitic type, is involved, and share some similarities with Vulcanian eruptions. The most important characteristic of a Peléan eruption is the presence of a glowing avalanche of hot volcanic ash, called a pyroclastic flow. Formation of lava domes is another characteristic. Short flows of ash or creation of pumice cones may be observed as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of volcanic eruptions</span>

Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has been observed. Some volcanoes may exhibit only one characteristic type of eruption during a period of activity, while others may display an entire sequence of types all in one eruptive series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Healy Seamount</span> Submarine volcano in New Zealands Kermadec Islands

James Healy Seamount is a submarine volcano located among the South Kermadec Ridge Seamounts south of New Zealand's Kermadec Islands. It consists of a volcanic cone that reaches a depth of 1,150 metres (3,770 ft) below sea level, two 2–2.5 kilometres (1.2–1.6 mi) and 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) wide calderas and a parasitic cone that reaches a depth of 950 metres (3,120 ft) below sea level. The flanks of the volcano are covered with pumice and volcanic rocks, and hydrothermal venting occurs inside the caldera.

Sturgeon Lake Caldera is a large extinct caldera complex in Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is one of the world's best preserved mineralized Neoarchean caldera complexes, containing well-preserved mafic-intermediate pillow lavas, pillow breccias, hyaloclastite and peperites, submarine lava domes and dome-associated breccia deposits. The complex is some 2.7 billion years old with a minimum strike length of 30 km (19 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phreatomagmatic eruption</span> Volcanic eruption involving both steam and magma

Phreatomagmatic eruptions are volcanic eruptions resulting from interaction between magma and water. They differ from exclusively magmatic eruptions and phreatic eruptions. Unlike phreatic eruptions, the products of phreatomagmatic eruptions contain juvenile (magmatic) clasts. It is common for a large explosive eruption to have magmatic and phreatomagmatic components.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submarine eruption</span> Underwater volcanic eruption

Submarine eruptions are volcano eruptions which take place beneath the surface of water. These occur at constructive margins, subduction zones and within tectonic plates due to hotspots. This eruption style is far more prevalent than subaerial activity. For example, it is believed that 70 to 80% of the Earth's magma output takes place at mid-ocean ridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilot Knob (Austin, Texas)</span> Eroded core of an extinct volcano located 8 miles (13 km) south of central Austin, Texas

Pilot Knob is the eroded core of an extinct volcano located in Austin, Texas, United States. It is near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and McKinney Falls State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taupō Volcano</span> Supervolcano in New Zealand

Lake Taupō, in the centre of New Zealand's North Island, fills the caldera of the Taupō Volcano, a large rhyolitic supervolcano. This huge volcano has produced two of the world's most powerful eruptions in geologically recent times.

In volcanology, a subaerial eruption is any sort of volcanic eruption that occurs on the Earth's surface, or in the open air "under the air", and not underwater or underground. They generally produce pyroclastic flows, lava fountains and lava flows, which are commonly classified in different subaerial eruption types, including Plinian, Peléan and Hawaiian eruptions. Subaerial eruptions contrast with subaqueous, submarine and subglacial eruptions which all originate below forms of a water surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahvant Butte</span> Geographic feature in Utah, United States

Pahvant Butte is a tuff cone volcano in the west-central portion of Utah, United States.

Calabozos is a Holocene caldera in central Chile's Maule Region. Part of the Chilean Andes' volcanic segment, it is considered a member of the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ), one of the three distinct volcanic belts of South America. This most active section of the Andes runs along central Chile's western edge, and includes more than 70 of Chile's stratovolcanoes and volcanic fields. Calabozos lies in an extremely remote area of poorly glaciated mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge River Vent</span> Volcanic crater in Canada

The Bridge River Vent is a volcanic crater in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located 51 km (32 mi) west of Bralorne on the northeastern flank of the Mount Meager massif. With an elevation of 1,524 m (5,000 ft), it lies on the steep northern face of Plinth Peak, a 2,677 m (8,783 ft) high volcanic peak comprising the northern portion of Meager. The vent rises above the western shoulder of the Pemberton Valley and represents the northernmost volcanic feature of the Mount Meager massif.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerro Chao</span> Lava flow complex of Andes volcano Cerro del León

Cerro Chao is a lava flow complex associated with the Cerro del León volcano in the Andes. It is the largest known Quaternary silicic volcano body and part of the most recent phase of activity in the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex.

The Semilir eruption was a major volcanic event which took place in Indonesia during the Early Miocene. This eruption formed the Semilir Formation and Nglanngran Formation. These two geological formations are in the Southern Mountains of East Java. The eruption created two formations which consist of mostly pyroclastic rock. It has incredible thickness. In contrast, The Toba supereruption only formed 600 m (2,000 ft) ignimbrite. The estimated Semilir eruption age date by isotope method is 21 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ticsani</span> Volcano in Peru

Ticsani is a volcano in Peru northwest of Moquegua and consists of two volcanoes that form a complex. "Old Ticsani" is a compound volcano that underwent a large collapse in the past and shed 15–30 cubic kilometres (3.6–7.2 cu mi) of mass down the Rio Tambo valley. Today an arcuate ridge remains of this edifice. "Modern Ticsani" is a complex of three lava domes which were emplaced during the Holocene. Two large eruptions took place during the Holocene, producing the so-called "Grey Ticsani" and "Brown Ticsani" deposits; the last eruption occurred after the 1600 eruption of neighbouring Huaynaputina. The volcano is seismically active and features active hot springs and fumaroles; since 2015 the volcano is monitored by the Peruvian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcaniclastics</span> Geologic materials composed of broken fragments of volcanic rock

Volcaniclastics are geologic materials composed of broken fragments (clasts) of volcanic rock. These encompass all clastic volcanic materials, regardless of what process fragmented the rock, how it was subsequently transported, what environment it was deposited in, or whether nonvolcanic material is mingled with the volcanic clasts. The United States Geological Survey defines volcaniclastics somewhat more narrowly, to include only rock composed of volcanic rock fragments that have been transported some distance from their place of origin.

References

  1. Earle, Steven (September 23, 2019). "Chapter 4 Volcanism". Physical Geology (2nd ed.). BCcampus. ISBN   978-1-77420-028-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. White, James D.L.; Smellie, John L.; Clague, David A. (2003), White, James D. L.; Smellie, John L.; Clague, David A. (eds.), "Introduction: A deductive outline and topical overview of subaqueous explosive volcanism", Geophysical Monograph Series, 140, Washington, D. C.: American Geophysical Union: 1–23, Bibcode:2003GMS...140....1W, doi:10.1029/140gm01, ISBN   978-0-87590-999-8 , retrieved July 5, 2024
  3. "Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes - Wells Gray - Clearwater volcano field". Archived from the original on October 8, 2006.
  4. 1 2 "Subaqueous Pyroclastic Flows" (PDF). University of Minnesota . November 16, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  5. Morton, Ron (August 19, 2008). "Subaqueous Volcanism" (PDF). University of Minnesota . Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  6. Carey, Steven N.; Sigurdsson, Haraldur (February 1980). "The roseau ash: Deep-sea tephra deposits from a major eruption on Dominica, lesser antilles arc". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 7 (1–2): 67–86. Bibcode:1980JVGR....7...67C. doi:10.1016/0377-0273(80)90020-7.
  7. de Haas, Tjalling; Santa, Nikoleta; de Lange, Sjoukje I.; Pudasaini, Shiva P. (September 2020). "Similarities and contrasts between the subaerial and subaqueous deposits of subaerially triggered debris flows: An analogue experimental study". Journal of Sedimentary Research. 90 (9): 1128–1138. Bibcode:2020JSedR..90.1128D. doi:10.2110/jsr.2020.020.
  8. "ssr#00-04". www.nsf.gov. March 5, 2024.