Temporal Evolution of Magma Flow Conditions during Dome Growth, Insights from Numerical Modelling.

Abstract:

Transitions from effusive to explosive regime at andesitic volcanoes are almost unpredictable at the moment. The reliability of empirical methods based on geophysical precursory patterns is still debated. A better understanding of the physical processes happening in the volcanic system before explosions and associated geophysical signals is needed. At andesitic volcanoes, dome building is often observed during the effusive phase. The weight of a forming dome is expected to have several effects: 1) It obviously induces a ground subsidence in the near field; 2) pressure increase at the top of the conduit causes magma properties and flow conditions evolution; 3) it increases pressure in the surrounding rock such decreasing rock permeability and thus gas loss through the conduit walls, possibly leading to gas pressurisation. Here we use numerical models that couple realistic magma flow conditions in the upper conduit with solid deformation, in 2D axisymmetry, to investigate all these effects. Subsiding effect due to the dome emplacement is simulated by a pressure loading of the rock surrounding the conduit. From realistic initial magma flow conditions in effusive regime (Collombet, 2009), we apply increasing pressure at the conduit top. Volatile solubility increases with pressure, then dome growth causes a decrease of magma porosity and permeability at the top of the conduit. This also causes a decrease of magma viscosity. From magma flow model, we extract pressure and shear stress conditions at the conduit wall, and apply them to the surrounding rock for ground deformation calculation . Darcy flow model is used to study the impacts of permeability decrease inside the conduit and in the surrounding rock on gas loss cinematics. Permeability decrease in the conduit and pressure increase in the surrounding rock cause gas pressurisation.