Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

A viscous-to-brittle transition in eruptions through clay suspensions

Schmid, Diana; Scheu, Bettina; Wadsworth, Fabian B.; Kennedy, Ben M.; Jolly, Arthur; Dingwell, Donald B.

A viscous-to-brittle transition in eruptions through clay suspensions Thumbnail


Authors

Diana Schmid

Bettina Scheu

Ben M. Kennedy

Arthur Jolly

Donald B. Dingwell



Abstract

Volcanic lakes are often associated with active geothermal circulation, mineral alteration, and precipitation, each of which can complicate the analysis of shallow magma physics, geophysical signals, and chemical signals. The rheology of the lake and associated hydrothermal system affects the eruptive activity as bubbles ascend and burst through the lake producing distinct ejection behavior. We investigate such phenomena by conducting scaled experiments in which heated water‐clay suspensions are decompressed rapidly from relevant pressures. After a jet phase of expanding vapor, the suspensions break up into ejecta that are either angular or droplet geometry. We parameterize these regimes and find a universal clay volume fraction of 0.28 below which the ejecta are form droplets and above which the ejecta are angular. We propose a regime diagram for optical observations of active lakes, which allows rheological characterization and informs volcanic monitoring.

Citation

Schmid, D., Scheu, B., Wadsworth, F. B., Kennedy, B. M., Jolly, A., & Dingwell, D. B. (2017). A viscous-to-brittle transition in eruptions through clay suspensions. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(10), 4806-4813. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl073641

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 10, 2017
Online Publication Date May 27, 2017
Publication Date May 27, 2017
Deposit Date Mar 20, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Geophysical Research Letters
Print ISSN 0094-8276
Electronic ISSN 1944-8007
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 44
Issue 10
Pages 4806-4813
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl073641

Files

Published Journal Article (3.1 Mb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
Schmid, Diana, Scheu, Bettina, Wadsworth, Fabian B., Kennedy, Ben M., Jolly, Arthur & Dingwell, Donald B. (2017). A viscous-to-brittle transition in eruptions through clay suspensions. Geophysical Research Letters 44(10): 4806-4813, 10.1002/2017GL073641 (DOI). To view the published open abstract, go to https://doi.org/ and enter the DOI.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations