Dyke Propagation Through a Partially Submerged Volcanic Edifice

Abstract:

We have studied using analogue experiments the ascent of magma through a volcanic edifice. The edifice is simulated using a cone of gelatine and the magma is an aqueous solution. The latter is injected at the base of the cone and propagates through the edifice in hydraulic fractures that represent dykes. The buoyancy of the magma with respect to the edifice is varied by adjusting salt concentration in the aqueous solution and/or sugar concentration in the gelatine. The system is axisymmetric. After the gelatin is released from its mold, it is partially submerged in a layer of water that represents the surrounding ocean. Because the gelatin is denser than water, its weight generates an axisymmetric stress field in the edifice whose amplitude depends, for a given edifice density, on the depth of the water which represents ''sea-level''. We derive the geometry and amplitude of this stress field by using birefringence in the gelatin that results from its photoelasticity. We document the geometry of the dykes as they propagate and the elevation of eruptive fissures on the edifice as a function of the dimensionless parameters governing the system. Positive buoyancy of the magma tends to favour summit eruptions and increasing weight of the edifice (lower sea-level with respect to edifice height) tends to favour flank eruptions. We compare the experimental results with a dataset from Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion Island and draw some general conclusions about expected changes in eruptive behaviour as a volcanic island grows to greater and greater altitude above sea-level.