Obsidian Dome is a 550-650 year old, 1.5 by 1.8 km extrusion of high silica rhyolite situated along the Inyo Craters in eastern California. Field, and observations of drill core, reveals discrete metre-scale thick zones of rhyolitic glass exposed along the margin of Obsidian Dome as well as within its interior. Millimetre-scale flow-banded obsidian, pumice and rhyolite range from planar to chaotically folded, the latter a product of ductile, compressive deformation. Fractures, some of which display en-echelon splitting patterns are a result of brittle failure. Taken together, these features along with others, result from flow during lava dome growth and suggest complex emplacement patterns signified by vesiculation, crystallization and repeated brittle-ductile deformation, owing to episodic crossing of the glass transition. Evidence further shows that gas loss from the system occurred due to explosions, pumice formation and also brecciation of the melt as it episodically crossed the glass transition. Loss of gas by these mechanisms along with the inherent high viscosity of rhyolite melt explains the large amount of glass found on and within Obsidian Dome and other similar rhyolite extrusions in comparison to less silica-rich systems.

The evolution of rhyolitic lava from effusion to cessation of activity is poorly understood. Recent lava dome eruptions at Unzen, Colima, Chaiten and Soufrière Hills have vastly increased our knowledge on the changes in behaviour of active domes. However, in ancient domes, little knowledge of the evolution of individual extrusion events exists. Instead, internal structures and facies variations can be used to assess the mechanisms of eruption. Rhyolitic magma rising in a conduit vesiculates and undergoes shear, such that lava erupting at the surface will be a mix of glass and sheared vesicles that form a permeable network, and with or without phenocryst or microlites. This foam will undergo compression from overburden in the shallow conduit and lava dome, forcing the vesicles to close and affecting the permeable network. High temperature, uniaxial compression experiments on crystal-rich and crystal-poor lavas have quantified the evolution of porosity and permeability in such environments. The deformation mechanisms involved in uniaxial deformation are viscous deformation and cracking. Crack production is controlled by strain rate and crystallinity, as strain is localised in crystals in crystal rich lavas. In crystal poor lavas, high strain rates result in long cracks that drastically increase permeability at low strain. Numerous and small cracks in crystal rich lavas allow the permeable network to remain open (although at a lower permeability than undeformed samples) while the porosity decreases. Flow bands result from shear movement within the conduit. Upon extrusion, these bands will become modified from movement of lava, and can therefore be used to reconstruct styles of eruption. Both Ngongotaha and Ruawahia domes, from Rotorua caldera and Okataina caldera complex (OCC) respectively, show complex flow banding that can be traced to elongated or aligned vents. The northernmost lobe at Ngongotaha exhibits a fan-like distribution of flow bands that are interpreted as resulting from an initial lava flow from a N – S trending fissure. This flow then transitioned into intrusion of obsidian sheets directly above the conduit, bound by wide breccia zones which show vertical movement of the sheets. Progressive intrusions then forced the sheets laterally, forming a sequence of sheets and breccia zones. At Ruawahia, the flow bands show two types of eruption; long flow lobes with ramp structures, and smaller spiny lobes which show vertical movement and possible spine extrusion. The difference is likely due to palaeotopography, as a large pyroclastic cone would have confined the small domes, while the flow lobes were unconfined and able to flow down slope. The vents at Ruawahia are aligned in a NE – SW orientation. Both domes are suggested to have formed from the intrusion of a dyke. The orientations of the alignment or elongation of vents at Ngongotaha and Ruawahia can be attributed to the overall regional structure of the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ). At Ngongotaha, the N – S trending elongated vent is suggested to be controlled by a N – S trending caldera collapse structure at Rotorua caldera. The rest of the lobes at Ngongotaha, as well as other domes at Rotorua caldera, are controlled by the NE – SW trending extensional regional structure or a NW – SE trending basement structure. The collapse of Rotorua caldera, and geometry of the deformation margin, are related to the interplay of these structures. At Ruawahia, the NE – SW trending vent zone is parallel to the regional extension across the OCC, as shown by the orientation of intrusion of the 1886AD dyke through the Tarawera dome complex. The NE – SW trending regional structures observed at both Rotorua caldera and Okataina caldera complex are very similar to each other, but differ from extension within the Taupo rift to the south. Lava domes, such as Ngongotaha, that are controlled by this structure show that the ‘kink’ in the extension across Okataina caldera complex was active across Rotorua caldera during the collapse at 240 ka, and possibly earlier. This study shows the evolution of dyke-fed lava domes during eruption, and the control of regional structures in the location and timing of eruption. These findings improve our knowledge of the evolution of porosity and permeability in a compacting lava dome, as well as of the structures of Rotorua caldera, the longevity of volcanic activity at dormant calderas and the hazard potential of dyke-fed lava domes.

Obsidian Dome is a 550-650 year old, 1.5 by 1.8 km extrusion of high silica rhyolite situated along the Inyo Craters in eastern California. Field, and observations of drill core, reveals discrete metre-scale thick zones of rhyolitic glass exposed along the margin of Obsidian Dome as well as within its interior. Millimetre-scale flow-banded obsidian, pumice and rhyolite range from planar to chaotically folded, the latter a product of ductile, compressive deformation. Fractures, some of which display en-echelon splitting patterns are a result of brittle failure. Taken together, these features along with others, result from flow during lava dome growth and suggest complex emplacement patterns signified by vesiculation, crystallization and repeated brittle-ductile deformation, owing to episodic crossing of the glass transition. Evidence further shows that gas loss from the system occurred due to explosions, pumice formation and also brecciation of the melt as it episodically crossed the glass transition. Loss of gas by these mechanisms along with the inherent high viscosity of rhyolite melt explains the large amount of glass found on and within Obsidian Dome and other similar rhyolite extrusions in comparison to less silica-rich systems.

Obsidian Dome is a 550-650 year old, 1.5 by 1.8 km extrusion of high silica rhyolite situated along the Inyo Craters in eastern California. Field, and observations of drill core, reveals discrete metre-scale thick zones of rhyolitic glass exposed along the margin of Obsidian Dome as well as within its interior. Millimetre-scale flow-banded obsidian, pumice and rhyolite range from planar to chaotically folded, the latter a product of ductile, compressive deformation. Fractures, some of which display en-echelon splitting patterns are a result of brittle failure. Taken together, these features along with others, result from flow during lava dome growth and suggest complex emplacement patterns signified by vesiculation, crystallization and repeated brittle-ductile deformation, owing to episodic crossing of the glass transition. Evidence further shows that gas loss from the system occurred due to explosions, pumice formation and also brecciation of the melt as it episodically crossed the glass transition. Loss of gas by these mechanisms along with the inherent high viscosity of rhyolite melt explains the large amount of glass found on and within Obsidian Dome and other similar rhyolite extrusions in comparison to less silica-rich systems.

abstract: Silicic volcanoes produce many styles of activity over a range of timescales. Eruptions vary from slow effusion of viscous lava over many years to violent explosions lasting several hours. Hazards from these eruptions can be far-reaching and persistent, and are compounded by the dense populations often surrounding active volcanoes. I apply and develop satellite and ground-based remote sensing techniques to document eruptions at Merapi and Sinabung Volcanoes in Indonesia. I use numerical models of volcanic activity in combination with my observational data to describe the processes driving different eruption styles, including lava dome growth and collapse, lava flow emplacement, and transitions between effusive and explosive activity. Both effusive and explosive eruptions have occurred recently at Merapi volcano. I use satellite thermal images to identify variations during the 2006 effusive eruption and a numerical model of magma ascent to explain the mechanisms that controlled those variations. I show that a nearby tectonic earthquake may have triggered the peak phase of the eruption by increasing the overpressure and bubble content of the magma and that the frequency of pyroclastic flows is correlated with eruption rate. In 2010, Merapi erupted explosively but also shifted between rapid dome-building and explosive phases. I explain these variations by the heterogeneous addition of CO2 to the melt from bedrock under conditions favorable to transitions between effusive and explosive styles. At Sinabung, I use photogrammetry and satellite images to describe the emplacement of a viscous lava flow. I calculate the flow volume (0.1 km3) and average effusion rate (4.4 m3 s-1) and identify active regions of collapse and advance. Advance rate was controlled by the effusion rate and the flow’s yield strength. Pyroclastic flow activity was initially correlated to the decreasing flow advance rate, but was later affected by the underlying topography as the flow inflated and collapsed near the vent, leading to renewed pyroclastic flow activity. This work describes previously poorly understood mechanisms of silicic lava emplacement, including multiple causes of pyroclastic flows, and improves the understanding, monitoring capability, and hazard assessment of silicic volcanic eruptions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geological Sciences 2016

Small-scale volcanoes represent diverse group of landforms which vary in morphology, morphometry, and mechanisms of their formation. They are the most common volcanic form on Earth, and their existence and basic characteristics were also predicted for Mars. Availability of high-resolution image data now allows to search, identify and interpret such small volcanic features on the martian surface. This thesis extends our knowledge about the small-scale volcanoes with the following objectives: (a) to document the existence of martian analogues to some of the terrestrial volcanoes, in particular scoria cones, tuff cones, tuff rings and lava domes; (b) to establish their morphological and morphometrical parameters; and (c) to examine the effect of environmental factors, which differ on Earth and Mars, on the mechanisms of formation of the scoria cones. Interpretation of remote sensing images and digital elevation models reveals that scoria cones, tuff rings and cones, and lava domes exist on different parts of the martian surface and, in some cases, far away from previously well-known volcanic provinces. Scoria cones have been identified in the volcanic field Ulysses Colles situated within the Tharsis volcanic province; tuff cones and tuff rings have been found in the Nephenthes/Amenthes region at the...

Les dômes de lave sont associés à des éruptions volcaniques violentes et des indices d’explosivité élevés. L’observation et la surveillance de dômes actifs (e.g. St. Helens, Unzen, Montserrat) ont mis en évidence des modes de croissance caractérisés par des phases d’extrusion, d’explosion et des phénomènes d’effondrement, impliquant une structure interne souvent complexe de ces édifices volcaniques. L’étude du Puy de Dôme (Massif Central français), un dôme trachytique âgé de 11 000 ans, grâce à l’apport de l’imagerie géophysique et à la modélisation des données, ainsi qu’à une analyse morpho-structurale détaillée, a permis d’établir un modèle précis de la structure interne du dôme et a fourni de nouvelles contraintes concernant sa croissance et son évolution. L’analyse du Modèle Numérique de Terrain haute résolution (0,5 m) a permis d’identifier différentes unités sur le dôme, morphologiquement distinctes, et associées à des dynamismes éruptifs différents, ainsi que des structures volcano-tectoniques remarquables sur les édifices volcaniques voisins (Petit Puy de Dôme et Puy des Grosmanaux). Différentes méthodes géophysiques (tomographie des résistivités électriques – ERT -, gravimétrie et magnétisme) ont été mises en oeuvre afin d’étudier la structure interne du dôme, et de caractériser la nature des mécanismes à l’origine des zones de déformations identifiées dans l’environnement du Puy de Dôme. L’utilisation de plusieurs méthodes a permis d’étudier des paramètres physiques différents mais complémentaires, bien que l’interprétation globale des résultats géophysiques ait parfois été délicate dans le cas d’un édifice volcanique aussi complexe. Les modèles géophysiques 2D et 3D obtenus montrent que le Puy de Dôme repose sur des édifices volcaniques préexistants, un ensemble de volcans stromboliens dont la présence et/ou l’extension exacte étaient partiellement méconnues jusqu’alors. La structure interne de l’édifice, très hétérogène, est constituée d’une partie centrale très massive, entourée d’une ceinture de brèches d’effondrement, la zone sommitale du conduit étant affectée de nombreuses évidences d’une forte altération hydrothermale, caractéristique des dômes volcaniques. La partie supérieure du dôme est définie par une carapace de roches consolidées, de quelques dizaines de mètres d’épaisseur au maximum, alors que la base de l’édifice forme un talus constitué des dépôts d’effondrements gravitaires et d’écoulements pyroclastiques associés à la croissance du dôme. Enfin, les données gravimétriques et magnétiques ont permis la mise en évidence de la présence d’intrusions sous les édifices du Petit Puy de Dôme et du Puy des Grosmanaux. La géométrie de ces intrusions, déterminées grâce à différentes approches de modélisation, ainsi que la nature des roches qui les composent indiquent des processus de mise en place complexes. / Volcanic domes are associated to violent volcanic eruptions and high explosivity indexes. Observation and monitoring of active domes (e.g. St. Helens, Unzen, Montserrat) underlined growth patterns characterized by extrusion phases, explosions and collapse events, involving the complex inner structure of these volcanic edifices. The study of the Puy de Dôme volcano (French Massif Central), a 11,000 years old trachytic lava dome, through geophysical imaging and data modelling, as well as a detailed morpho-structural analysis, allowed to build a precise model of the inner structure of the dome and provided new constraints about its growth and its evolution. The analysis of the high resolution Digital Terrain Model (0.5 m) allowed to identify distinct morphological units on the dome, as well as volcano-tectonic structures on the neighboring volcanic edifices (Petit Puy de Dôme and Puy des Grosmanaux). Different geophysical methods (Electrical Resistivity Tomography – ERT -, gravity and magnetism) have been implemented in order to study the inner structure of the dome and to characterize the initiating mechanisms of the deformations areas identified in the Puy de Dôme vicinity. The use of several methods allowed to study different, but complementary physical parameters, although the overall interpretation of the geophysical results is sometimes difficult in the case of a volcanic edifice so complex. The 2D and 3D geophysical models obtained indicate that the Puy de Dôme is based on preexisting volcanic edifices, a cluster of strombolian volcanoes whose the presence and/or the exact extension were partially unknown until now. The internal structure of the edifice, highly heterogeneous, is composed of a massive central part, encompassed of collapse breccia, and its summit part highlights evidences of a strong hydrothermal alteration, characteristic feature of volcanic domes. The upper part of the dome is defined by a carapace of consolidated rocks, a few meters thick, whereas the base of the edifice forms a talus composed of collapses and pyroclastic flows deposits associated to the dome growth. Finally, gravity and magnetic data pointed out the presence of intrusions beneath the Petit Puy de Dôme and the Puy des Grosmanaux edifices. The geometry of these intrusions, determined through different modelling approaches, and the nature of the rocks that composed them, indicate complex emplacement processes.

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