En comparaison aux éruptions basaltiques effusives, les éruptions basaltiques explosives sont relativement rares et leurs propriétés physiques sont mal comprises. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier les causes à l’origine de l’explosivité des magmas basaltiques en caractérisant les produits volcaniques de l’éruption subplinienne trachybasaltique des Puys de La Vache-Lassolas (Chaîne des Puys, France) et des éruptions phréatomagmatiques et subpliniennes de magma basaltique tholéiitique du Grímsvötn (Islande). Les minéraux, verres matriciels et inclusions magmatiques (MI) ont été analysés à la microsonde électronique afin d’estimer les concentrations en éléments volatils (initiales et finales) et les pressions (P) et températures (T) de cristallisation, en utilisant la thermobarométrie basée sur l’équilibre clinopyroxène-liquide. Une étude expérimentale a été réalisée afin de mieux comprendre les limites de la thermobarométrie clinopyroxène-liquide à des pressions crustales et pendant l’ascension magmatique. Quatre éruptions de Grímsvötn ont été étudiées : deux phréatomagmatiques (celles de 1823 et 2004) et deux (sub-)pliniennes (1873 et 2011). Les éruptions subpliniennes ont des concentrations en éléments volatils plus élevées que celles des phréatomagmatiques. De plus, les premières sont également sujettes à une exsolution plus poussée du gaz dissous, ce qui se traduit par des émissions atmosphériques plus importantes. Quelle que soit l’explosivité d’une éruption du Grímsvötn, les équilibres clinopyroxène-liquide (verre matriciel ou MI) ont enregistré la même profondeur de cristallisation : ~15 km. Ceci suggère que la chambre magmatique superficielle du système magmatique du Grímsvötn puisse agir comme un réservoir dans lequel le gaz exsolvé d’un magma plus profond est stocké et accumulé entre les éruptions. La gamme de variabilité thermique des équilibres clinopyroxène-MI est plus restreinte pour les éruptions du 19ème siècle, ce qui suggère que le système magmatique du Grímsvötn était plus perméable en réponse à l’évènement volcano-tectonique du Laki (1783-84). La température moyenne des équilibres clinopyroxène-verre matriciel des quatre éruptions décroît avec le temps, suggérant que le système magmatique du Grímsvötn, dans son ensemble, est en cours de refroidissement. Les produits des Puys de La Vache-Lassolas ont enregistré une contribution magmatique plus profonde : vers 30 km. Les concentrations initiales en éléments volatils et leurs rapports sont plus proches de ceux des magmas d’arc que de tout autre contexte tectonique. Cette observation remet en question l’existence d’un point chaud sous la Chaîne des Puys. La contribution significative de magma d’origine profonde est en accord avec la cristallisation simultanée du clinopyroxène et de l’olivine. L’éruption des Puys de La Vache-Lassolas a émis 0,5 Tg de HF, 0,7 Tg de HCl et 7,3 Tg de SO2, illustrant le risque volcanique auquel est confrontée la population auvergnate. Afin de mieux contraindre les estimations pétrologiques de pression et température, une étude expérimentale au piston-cylindre a été réalisée. Elle porte sur la stabilité du clinopyroxène dans le magma tholéiitique de l’éruption 2014-15 d’Holuhraun (Islande). L’absence d’olivine dans la gamme de pression entre 0,5 et 1,0 GPa, associée à la présence de clinopyroxène indique que le clinopyroxène est la première phase au liquidus. Ceci confirme l’importance de la thermobarométrie clinopyroxène-liquide pour l’estimation des P et T de cristallisation des magmas tholéiitiques islandais. Les expériences au cours desquelles la pression a été diminuée de 1,0 à 0,5 GPa, puis maintenue constante, montrent que l’équilibre entre clinopyroxène et liquide n’est pas encore atteint après 24 heures à 0,5 GPa. Par conséquent, un temps de résidence de plusieurs jours à P et T constantes est nécessaire pour obtenir des estimations thermobarométriques fiables. / Explosive basaltic eruptions are rare compared to effusive ones and the underlying physical mechanisms are poorly understood. The goal of this thesis is to study the causes of basaltic magma explosivity by characterizing the volcanic products of the subplinian eruption of trachy-basalt at the Puys de La Vache-Lassolas complex (Chaîne des Puys, France) and of phreatomagmatic and sub-plinian eruptions of tholeiitic magma at Grímsvötn volcano (Iceland). Minerals, matrix glasses and melt inclusions (Mis) were analysed with an electron microprobe to estimate volatile concentrations (initial and final), and pressure (P) and temperature (T) of crystallization using clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometry. In addition, an experimental study was performed to better understand the limitations of clinopyroxeneliquid thermobarometry at moderate pressures and during magma ascent. Four eruptions were studied at Grímsvötn: two phreatomagmatic (AD1823 and AD2004) and two subplinian (AD1873 and AD2011). The subplinian eruptions have volatile concentrations higher than the phreatomagmatic ones, together with more efficient gas exsolution, leading to significantly higher atmospheric mass loading. Regardless of the eruptive regime, clinopyroxene-liquid (matrix glass or MI) equilibria in Grímsvötn magmas record the same depth of crystallization, namely ~15 km. This suggests that the shallow magma chamber of Grímsvötn plumbing system may only act as a reservoir in which gas exsolved from deeper origin is stored and accumulates between eruptions. The lower variability of clinopyroxene-MI equilibrium T in the 19th century eruptions, suggests important Grímsvötn magma system permeability following the Laki volcano-tectonic event end of 18th century. Average matrix glass-clinopyroxene equilibrium T decreases with time suggesting that Grímsvötn magma plumbing system as a whole may be slowly cooling over the last two centuries. Puys de La Vache-Lassolas products record a deeper magma contribution, from approximately 30 km depth. Initial volatile concentrations and ratios of the ~8.6 ka eruption are closer to those of arc magmas than to magmas from any other tectonic settings. This observation calls into a question the Chaîne des Puys hotspot hypothesis. The significant contribution of deep-derived magma is coherent with the crystallization of clinopyroxene contemporaneously with olivine. The Puys de La Vache-Lassolas eruption carried 0.5 Tg of HF, 0.7 Tg of HCl and 7.3 Tg of SO2 into the atmosphere illustrating the volcanic hazard to the Auvergne population. In order to better constrain petrological P-T estimations, a piston-cylinder experimental study of clinopyroxene stability in a tholeiitic magma (Holuhraun 2014-15, Iceland) was undertaken. The absence of olivine in the pressure range 0.5-1 GPa and the presence of clinopyroxene indicate that clinopyroxene is the first phase at the liquidus, confirming the importance of clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometers when estimating P and T of crystallization of Icelandic tholeiitic magmas. Experiments in which P was decreased from 1 to 0.5 GPa and then kept constant show that equilibrium between clinopyroxene and liquid is still not reached after 24 hours at 0.5 GPa. Thus a residence time of several days at constant P and T is required to obtain reliable thermobarometric estimates.

On 16 August 2014 an unusual sequence of earthquakes began near the southeastern rim of the ice-covered Bárðarbunga caldera in central Iceland. Over the course of two weeks a dyke propagated 48 km beneath the glacier northeastwards and into the Holuhraun lava field, where it erupted for six months, becoming the largest eruption in Iceland for over 200 years. During this time, a gradual, incremental caldera collapse took place in the central volcano. The rifting episode was captured both geodetically and seismically. In this thesis, I analyse the seismic response to the event, both due to the dyke propagation, and the subsequent caldera collapse. This gives an insight into the underlying processes controlling rifting events, and the nature of the responding crust. The Cambridge seismic network recorded the 2014-15 Bárðarbunga-Holuhraun rifting episode in exceptional detail. I discuss the deployment and operation of this dense seismic network in the remote Icelandic highlands, as well as the campaign deployments on the volcano caldera, on the glacier (above the dyke path) and around the eventual eruption site, as a first response to the crisis. Using this dataset I have accurately located, and analysed, 47,000 earthquakes during the pre-intrusive, intrusive, eruptive and post-eruptive periods. Approximately 4,000 of the recorded earthquakes are associated with the caldera collapse, delineating faults accommodating the subsidence and showing good correlation with geodetic data. The seismicity reveals activation of both inner and outer caldera faults with 60 inward dipping planes on the northern and southern side, indicating a symmetric caldera structure. Detailed analysis of the earthquake source mechanisms shows that 90% can be explained by a double-couple solution, which is in contrast to results from previous studies of Bárðarbunga. I find the dominant failure mechanism during the collapse to be steep normal faulting, with sub-vertical P-axes, striking sub-parallel to the caldera rim. The northern and southern sides of the caldera, however experienced very different seismicity rates, highlighted by the order of magnitude difference in the cumulative seismic moments. The southeastern part of the caldera, whilst experiencing less activity, shows a mixture of failure mechanisms, owing to the interaction of the caldera collapse and the dyke exit. Therefore, this thesis presents evidence of a complex asymmetric caldera collapse, not controlled by a single caldera ring fault. Of the 47,000 earthquakes located, 31,000 delineate the segmented, lateral dyke intrusion as it fractured a pathway through the crust, utilizing pre-existing weaknesses. Despite the extensional rift setting, the dyke emplacement generated exclusively doublecouple earthquakes. At the leading edge of the propagation, earthquake source mechanisms show exclusively strike-slip faulting, in contrast to the conventional model of normal faulting above a propagating dyke. I observe right-lateral strike-slip faulting as the dyke propagates to the NE, and an abrupt change to left-lateral strike-slip faulting as the dyke turns and propagates in a more northerly direction into the northern volcanic zone. This shows that the direction of fault motion is determined by the opening of the dyke, rather than by the regional extension. I am also able to define the thickness of the seismogenic crust under Bárðarbunga as 7 km, based on the depth extent of observed seismicity. The bulk of the seismicity in the volcano is located at 1-4 km below the surface, whereas the dyke exited the caldera at 4-6 km depth, propagating at 6-8 km b.s.l. I hypothesise that the magma storage region is likely located at 4-6 km b.s.l. (6-8 km below the caldera surface), just below the most active caldera seismicity and at similar depth levels to the dyke. Thus, this thesis details the melt distribution and movement at depth from a large basaltic central volcano, and the coupled deformation of the subsiding caldera with the dyke intrusion and eruption.