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Lava bubble-wall fragments formed by submarine hydrovolcanic explosions on Lō'ihi Seamount and Kīlauea Volcano

D.A. Clague·A. S. Davis·J. L. Bischoff·J.E. Dixon·R. Geyer
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Abstract

Glassy bubble-wall fragments, morphologically similar to littoral limu o Pele, have been found in volcanic sands erupted on Lō'ihi Seamount and along the submarine east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano. The limu o Pele fragments are undegassed with respect to H 2 O and S and formed by mild steam explosions. Angular glass sand fragments apparently form at similar, and greater, depths by cooling-contraction granulation. The limu o Pele fragments from Lō'ihi Seamount are dominantly tholeiitic basalt containing 6.25–7.25% MgO. None of the limu o Pele samples from Lō'ihi Seamount contains less than 5.57% MgO, suggesting that higher viscosity magmas do not form lava bubbles. The dissolved CO 2 and H 2 O contents of 7 of the limu o Pele fragments indicate eruption at 1200±300 m depth (120±30 bar). These pressures exceed that generally thought to limit steam explosions. We conclude that hydrovolcanic eruptions are possible, with appropriate pre-mixing conditions, at pressures as great as 120 bar.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 18.872503842809966° to 19.43195295046888° latitude; -155.3631591796875° to -155.2045440673828° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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D.A. Clague, A. S. Davis, J. L. Bischoff, J.E. Dixon, R. Geyer. 2000. Lava bubble-wall fragments formed by submarine hydrovolcanic explosions on Lō'ihi Seamount and Kīlauea Volcano. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00008910

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