An overview of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

作者:Bull Katharine F*; Buurman Helena
来源:Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2013, 259: 2-15.
DOI:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.06.024

摘要

In March 2009, Redoubt Volcano, Alaska erupted for the first time since 1990. Explosions ejected plumes that disrupted international and domestic airspace, sent lahars more than 35 km down the Drift River to the coast, and resulted in tephra fall on communities over 100 km away. Geodetic data suggest that magma began to ascend slowly from deep in the crust and reached mid- to shallow-crustal levels as early as May, 2008. Heat flux at the volcano during the precursory phase melted similar to 4% of the Drift glacier atop Redoubt's summit. Petrologic data indicate the deeply sourced magma, low-silica andesite, temporarily arrested at 9-11 km and/or at 4-6 km depth, where it encountered and mixed with segregated stored high-silica andesite bodies. The two magma compositions mixed to form intermediate-silica andesite, and all three magma types erupted during the earliest 2009 events. Only intermediate- and high-silica andesites were produced throughout the explosive and effusive phases of the eruption. The explosive phase began with a phreatic explosion followed by a seismic swarm, which signaled the start of lava effusion on March 22, shortly prior to the first magmatic explosion early on March 23, 2009 (UTC). More than 19 explosions (or "Events") were produced over 13 days from a single vent immediately south of the 1989-90 lava domes. During that period multiple small pyroclastic density currents flowed primarily to the north and into glacial ravines, three major lahars flooded the Drift River Terminal over 35 km down-river on the coast, tephra fall deposited on all aspects of the edifice and on several communities north and east of the volcano, and at least two, and possibly three lava domes were emplaced. Lightning accompanied almost all the explosions. A shift in the eruptive character took place following Event 9 on March 27 in terms of infrasound signal onsets, the character of repeating earthquakes, and the nature of tephra ejecta. More than nine additional explosions occurred in the next two days, followed by a hiatus in explosive activity between March 29 and April 4. During this hiatus effusion of a lava dome occurred, whose growth slowed on or around April 2. The final explosion pulverized the very poorly vesicular dome on April 4, and was immediately followed by the extrusion of the final dome that ceased growing by July 1, 2009, and reached 72 M m(3) in bulk volume. The dome remains as of this writing. Effusion of the final dome in the first month produced blocky intermediate- to high-silica andesite lava, which then expanded by means of lava injection beneath a fracturing and annealing, cooling surface crust. In the first week of May, a seismic swarm accompanied extrusion of an intermediate- to high-silica andesite from the apex of the dome that was highly vesicular and characterized by lower P2O5 content. The dome remained stable throughout its growth period likely due to combined factors that include an emptied conduit system, steady degassing through coalesced vesicles in the effusing lava, and a large crater-pit created by the previous explosions. We estimate the total volume of erupted material from the 2009 eruption to be between similar to 80 M and 120 M m(3) dense-rock equivalent (ORE). The aim of this report is to synthesize the results from various datasets gathered both during the eruption and retrospectively, and which are represented by the papers in this publication. We therefore provide an overall view of the 2009 eruption and an introduction to this special issue publication.

  • 出版日期2013-6-1