Phreatic activity on Dominica (Lesser Antilles) – constraints from field investigations and experimental volcanology

Abstract:

Dominica has one of the highest concentrations of potentially active volcanoes worldwide. In addition to this activity, abundant geothermal manifestations are observed at the surface, especially in the southern part of the Island. The Boiling Lake – Valley of Desolation area is one of the most vigorous ones, hosting hot springs, mud pools, fumaroles, and steam vents. Intense alteration and many, predominantly phreatic explosive features, of varying scales characterize the whole area. The most prominent manifestation of such a phreatic eruption is the Boiling Lake, a high temperature volcanic crater lake and popular tourist attraction. Thus phreatic activity is one of the main volcanic hazards on the Island, to date largely unpredictable in time and magnitude. The conditions causing these eruptions, as well as their trigger mechanisms and magnitude need to be better understood.

Field mapping, together with the determination of in situ physical (density, humidity, permeability) and mechanical (strength, stiffness) properties yield the characterization of 3 main active areas with high probabilities for phreatic events. Rapid decompression experiments on samples from these areas gave insights into the fragmentation and ejection behavior. These experiments were flanked by chemical analyses and laboratory characterization (porosity, granulometry).

 The results show that hydrothermal alteration likely plays a crucial role in determining the probability of explosive events. High temperature acidic fluids, which lead to an intense alteration of the host rock’s mineralogy, change the rock properties favoring the formation of a low permeability layer above the vent and increasing the likelihood of the site experiencing a steam-blast eruption. The contribution of these results to constraining the conditions for and the dynamics involved in phreatic eruptions provides valuable input to hazard assessment of these frequently visited sites on Dominica and similar hydrothermally active areas worldwide.