What Controls the Sizes and Shapes of Volcanic Ash? Integrating Morphological, Textural and Geochemical Ash Properties to Decipher Eruptive Processes

Abstract:

Volcanic ash particles encompass a diverse spectrum of shapes as a consequence of differences in the magma properties and the magma ascent and eruption conditions. We show how the quantitative analysis of ash particle shapes can be a valuable tool for deciphering magma fragmentation and transport processes. Importantly, integrating morphological data with ash texture (e.g. bubble and crystal sizes) and dissolved volatile data provides valuable insights into the physical and chemical controls on the resulting ash deposit.

To explore the influence of magma-water interaction (MWI) on fine ash generation, we apply this multi-component characterisation to tephra from the 2500BC Hverfjall Fires, Iceland. Here, coeval fissure vents spanned sub-aerial to shallow lacustrine environments. Differences in the size and morphology of pyroclasts thus reflect fragmentation mechanisms under different near-surface conditions. Using shape parameters sensitive to both particle roughness and internal vesicularity, we quantify the relative proportions of dense fragments, bubble shards, and vesicular grains from 2-D SEM images. We show that componentry (and particle morphology) varies as a function of grain size, and that this variation can be related back to the bubble size distribution. Although both magmatic and hydromagmatic deposits exhibit similar component assemblages, they differ in how these assemblages change with grain size. These results highlight the benefits of characterising ash deposits over a wide range of grain sizes, and caution against inferring fragmentation mechanism from a narrow grain size range. Elevated matrix glass S concentrations in hydromagmatic ash (600–1500 ppm) compared to those in magmatic ash and scoria lapilli (200–500 ppm) indicate interrupted vesiculation. In contrast to the subaerial ‘dry’ deposits, fragmentation during MWI likely occurred over a greater range of depths with quench rates sufficient to prevent post-fragmentation degassing. High thermal stresses resulting from rapid quenching of glass may have contributed to the finer grain size (higher fragmentation efficiency) of this deposit.