Influence of the Fragmentation Process on the Eruptive Dynamics of Vulcanian Eruptions: an Experimental Approach

During volcanic eruptions, the ejection velocity of the gas-pyroclast mixture is one of the main parameters that control the behavior of the eruptive column near the vent. Together with other factors such as density of the mixture, temperature and vent geometry, it determines whether a buoyant plume can develop or if the column will collapse leading to a pyroclastic flow. Thus, an accurate description of the relationship between conduit pressure and ejection velocity is required for an adequate hazard analysis. In addition, ejection velocities obtained from field observations allow us to estimate pre-eruption conduit pressures. Theoretical and experimental studies to date have largely neglected the effects of the magmatic fragmentation on the dynamics of the gas-pyroclast mixture. The eruptive dynamics of Vulcanian eruptions has been investigated using the 1-D shock-tube theory, which consists of pressurized magma separated from the air by a diaphragm. After the rupture of the diaphragm, a shock wave propagates into the air and a rarefaction wave propagates into the magma. If the differential pressure is high enough, a fragmentation front develops and travels through the magma while the fragments are ejected. For this study, fragmentation, ejection and shock wave velocities were simultaneously measured for each fragmentation experiment performed on natural volcanic samples with diverse porosities and different applied pressures (5-25 MPa). To this end, we used a synchronized array of dynamic pressure transducers, laser beams and receivers, charged wires and piezo film sensors. Our results show that the fragmentation process plays an important role in the dynamics of the gas-particles mixture for the following reasons: 1) the energy consumed by fragmentation reduces the energy available to accelerate the gas-particle mixture; 2) the grain-size distribution produced during fragmentation controls the mechanical and thermal coupling between the gas phase and the particles; 3) the fragmentation process may produce heterogeneities in the density of the flow. In volcanic eruptions these factors reduce the ejection velocity for a given pressure and may affect the density of the gas-pyroclast mixture. These variations could affect the eruptive dynamics significantly.