Skip to main content

Scientists Developed A New Method For Predicting Volcanic Eruptions



The Colima volcano is regarded as one of the most dangerous
in Mexico due to its large explosive eruptions


 Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, have developed a new method which could more accurately determine the conditions needed for a volcano to erupt. The study will be published on 28 October in Scientific Reports.

The team, composed of PhD students John Browning and Sandy Drymoni and Professor Agust Gudmundsson, used newly collected geological data and historical data on previous eruptions of the Santorini volcano in Greece, to work out the capacity of the volcano's magma-chamber. They were then able to build a model which allowed them to estimate the pressure increase in the magma-chamber when it's being refilled and therefore forecast when it's likely to rupture and potentially cause an eruption.
The team travelled to island of Santorini in Greece to collect data on the type of magma which feeds eruptions. They took measurements of magma-filled fractures (dykes) which are exposed in impressive form along the northern wall of the Santorini caldera. Using geodetic data from 2012, when the volcano was thought to be close to an eruption, the team determined, using their new method, that the magma chamber did, in fact, not rupture at that time. Thus, while great volume of new magma was received by the Santorini chamber in 2012, so that it came close to rupture (and possible eruption), the chamber did not quite reach the rupture stage.

The new model has the potential to forecast when magma chambers in other volcanoes could rupture and potentially lead to eruptions, which should aid emergency planning and risk assessments.

John Browning, said: "We have been able to provide constraints on the volume of magma stored in a shallow magma chamber underneath Santorini Caldera. We believe our new model can be used to forecast the timing of magma-chamber rupture at Santorini and, eventually, at well-monitored volcanoes worldwide. Whilst this is an important step towards reliable prediction of volcanic eruptions, a number of challenges still exist. For example, even if the magma chamber were to rupture we currently have no way of predicting whether the magma-filled fracture (the dyke) injected from the chamber will make it to the surface. In most cases the magma stalls or stops before it reaches the surface. Under which conditions magma stalls in volcanoes (preventing eruption) is among the most important unsolved problems in volcanology."

Reference:
John Browning, Kyriaki Drymoni, Agust Gudmundsson. Forecasting magma-chamber rupture at Santorini volcano, Greece. Scientific Reports, 2015; 5: 15785 

Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Royal Holloway London.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The world’s rarest minerals

Nevadaite (Cu2+,Al,V3+)6[Al8(PO4)8F8](OH)2·22H2O) is a category 1 and 2 rarity–formed from the scarce elements vanadium and copper under very restricted environmental conditions. The crystals are colorful but microscopic, and only known from two localities–Eureka County, Nevada, and a copper mine in Kyrgyzstan. Credit: Robert Downs, University of Arizona. Scientists have inventoried and categorized all of Earth’s rare mineral species described to date, each sampled from five or fewer sites around the globe. Individually, several of the species have a known supply worldwide smaller than a sugar cube. These 2,550 minerals are far more rare than pricey diamonds and gems usually presented as tokens of love. But while their rarity would logically make them the most precious of minerals, many would not work in a Valentine’s Day ring setting. Several are prone to melt, evaporate or dehydrate. And a few, vampire-like, gradually decompose on exposure to sunlight. Their greatest ...
1 comment
Read more

Very Rare Oregon Opal

Exceptional and very rare Oregon opal with visual effect of being underwater when held to light.obtained at Opal Butte Mine. Oregon, USA Visit https://www.thestonehunters.org
Post a Comment
Read more

Making Green Fuels, No Fossils Required

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes proved to be efficient, and potentially   inexpensive, catalysts for reducing carbon dioxide. Credit: Adapted from Angewandte Chemie Using solar or wind power to produce carbon-based fuels, which are commonly called fossil fuels, might seem like a self-defeating approach to making a greener world. But when the starting material is carbon dioxide, which can be dragged out of the air, the approach is as green as it gets. The technology that makes it economically feasible isn't available yet, but a recently published paper presents nice step forward in the effort to not just sequester CO2, but turn it into a useful fuel that is part of a carbon-neutral future. Xiao-Dong Zhou, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of South Carolina, is part of a team that is working on a sustainable approach to harnessing renewable energy. Solar panels and wind turbines are most typically used to produce electricity, bu...
Post a Comment
Read more