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The changing morphology of an open lava channel on Mt. Etna

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Abstract

An open channel lava flow on Mt. Etna (Sicily) was observed during May 30–31, 2001. Data collected using a forward looking infrared (FLIR) thermal camera and a Minolta-Land Cyclops 300 thermal infrared thermometer showed that the bulk volume flux of lava flowing in the channel varied greatly over time. Cyclic changes in the channel's volumetric flow rate occurred over several hours, with cycle durations of 113–190 min, and discharges peaking at 0.7 m3 s−1 and waning to 0.1 m3 s−1. Each cycle was characterized by a relatively short, high-volume flux phase during which a pulse of lava, with a well-defined flow front, would propagate down-channel, followed by a period of waning flow during which volume flux lowered. Pulses involved lava moving at relatively high velocities (up to 0.29 m s−1) and were related to some change in the flow conditions occurring up-channel, possibly at the vent. They implied either a change in the dense rock effusion rate at the source vent and/or cyclic-variation in the vesicle content of the lava changing its bulk volume flux. Pulses would generally overspill the channel to emplace pāhoehoe overflows. During periods of waning flow, velocities fell to 0.05 m s–1. Blockages forming during such phases caused lava to back up. Occasionally backup resulted in overflows of slow moving ‘a‘ā that would advance a few tens of meters down the levee flank. Compound levees were thus a symptom of unsteady flow, where overflow levees were emplaced as relatively fast moving pāhoehoe sheets during pulses, and as slow-moving ‘a‘ā units during backup. Small, localized fluctuations in channel volume flux also occurred on timescales of minutes. Volumes of lava backed up behind blockages that formed at constrictions in the channel. Blockage collapse and/or enhanced flow under/around the blockage would then feed short-lived, wave-like, down-channel surges. Real fluctuations in channel volume flux, due to pulses and surges, can lead to significant errors in effusion rate calculations.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the staff from the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Maurizio Ripepe and his students from the Università di Firenze, in particular Emanuele Marchetti, who made undertaking fieldwork at Mt. Etna possible. J.E. Bailey's research was supported by NASA Headquarters under the Earth System Science Fellowship Grant NGT5-50319; A.J.L. Harris' by NSF grant EAR-0106349; and S.K. Rowland's by NASA grant NAG5-10909 and NAG5-9038.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Andrew J. L. Harris & Scott K. Rowland

  2. Alaska Volcano Observatory, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    John E. Bailey & Jonathan Dehn

  3. Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – Sezione di Catania, Piazza Roma 2, 95123, Catania, Italy

    Sonia Calvari

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  1. John E. Bailey
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Correspondence to John E. Bailey.

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Editorial responsibility: A. Woods

Appendices

Appendix I

Summary of events in channel on 5/30/01. The timeline provides a summary of channel activity and changes in 10-min blocks for the hours that FLIR images were captured (OF = Overflow, S = Surge, P = Surge, B = Blockage, T = Tube) Times are local time. Blockage sites refer to locations shown in Fig. 9

Table 5
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Appendix II

Summary of events in channel on 5/31/01 using the same format and nomenclature used in Appendix I

Table 6
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Bailey, J.E., Harris, A.J., Dehn, J. et al. The changing morphology of an open lava channel on Mt. Etna. Bull Volcanol 68, 497–515 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-005-0025-6

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