Lava lake explained

Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (sometimes referred to as frozen lava lakes).

Formation

Lava lakes can form in three ways:[1]

Behaviors

Lava lakes occur in a variety of volcanic systems, ranging from the basaltic Erta Ale lake in Ethiopia and the basaltic andesite volcano of Villarrica, Chile, to the unique phonolitic lava lake at Mt. Erebus, Antarctica. Lava lakes have been observed to exhibit a range of behaviours. A "constantly circulating, apparently steady-state" lava lake was observed during the 1969–1971 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi.[2] By contrast, a lava lake at the 1983–1984 Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption of Kilauea displayed cyclic behaviour with a period of 5–20 minutes; gas "pierced the surface" of the lake, and the lava rapidly drained back down the conduit before the onset of a new phase of lake activity.[3] The behaviour observed is influenced by the combined effects of pressure within the reservoir, exsolution and decompression of gas bubbles within the conduit and, potentially, exsolution of bubbles within the magma reservoir. Superimposed upon this is the effect of bubbles rising through the liquid, and coalescence of bubbles within the conduit. The interactions of these effects can create either a steady-state recirculating lake, or a lake level that periodically rises and then falls.[4]

Notable examples

Persistent lava lakes are a rare phenomenon. Only a few volcanoes have hosted persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decades:

The lava lakes at Ambrym volcano disappeared after a large eruption in December 2018.[10]

For many years, Kīlauea had two persistent lava lakes: one in the Halemaʻumaʻu vent cavity within the summit caldera, and another within the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone located on the east rift zone of the volcano.[11] In May 2018, both of these lava lakes disappeared as a result of increased activity in Kīlauea's east rift zone. The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu returned in December 2020, after Kīlauea's first eruption in over two years.[12] The lava lake solidified after the eruption ended in May 2021, but returned again when eruptive activity at Halemaʻumaʻu resumed on September 29, 2021. Following the 2021 eruption, three more occurred on January 5, 2023; June 7, 2023; and September 10, 2023. As of January 2024, Halemaʻumaʻu is not erupting and the lava lake is no longer active.

Nyiragongo's lava lake has usually been the largest and most voluminous in recent history, reaching 700 meters wide in 1982,[13] although Masaya is believed to have hosted an even larger lava lake at the time of the Spanish conquest, being 1,000 meters wide in 1670.[14] The lava lake at Masaya came back in January 2016.[15]

In addition to the aforementioned persistent lava lakes, a certain number of occurrences of temporary lava lakes (sometimes called lava ponds or lava pools, depending on their size and nature[16]) have also been observed and are listed in the following table.

List of volcanoes having displayed past or present lava lake activity

Volcano Location
Persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decades
Ethiopia
Ross Island, Antarctica
Hawaiʻi (Big Island)
Nyiragongo (the largest one in the past century) Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ambrym[17] (two lava lakes in both Benbow and Marum craters since around 1991;[18] following an earthquake in December 2018 both lakes are buried under collapsed craters) Ambrym Island, Vanuatu
Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands
Recent intermittent lava lake activity
Masaya[19] Nicaragua
Tanna Island, Vanuatu
Villarrica[20] Chile
Karthala[21] Grande Comore, Comoros
Piton de la Fournaise[22] [23] (small temporary lava pond in Dolomieu crater) Réunion Island
Ol Doinyo Lengai[24] [25] (only active volcano in the world emitting carbonatite lava) Tanzania
Turrialba[26] (small lake) Costa Rica
Unconfirmed lava lake activity
Telica[27] (possibly in 1971 and 1999–2000) Nicaragua
Tungurahua[28] (possibly in 1999) Ecuador
Tofua[29] (possibly in 2004 and 2006) Tofua Island, Tonga
Nabro[30] (possibly in 2012) Eritrea
Lava lake activity suggested by satellite remote-sensing data
Mount Michael[31] Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands
Mount Belinda[32] Montagu Island, South Sandwich Islands
Mawson Peak[33] Heard Island
Past lava lake activity
Kīlauea Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater (1983-2018, collapsed during the 2018 Puna eruption) Hawaiʻi (Big Island)
Mount Matavanu[34] (during the 1905–1911 eruption) Savai'i Island, Samoa
Nyamuragira[35] [36] (lava lake located within the summit caldera, confirmed for the first time in 1921, drained in 1938, and temporary lava pond in the Kituro cone on the SW flank, during the 1948 eruption) Democratic Republic of the Congo
Capelinhos[37] [38] (in 1958, a Surtseyan eruption) Faial Island, Azores
Surtsey[39] [40] [41] (in 1964, during the 1963–1967 eruption which led to the formation of the island) Iceland
Tolbachik,[42] part of the Klyuchevskaya volcanic complex (last observation of lava lake activity in 1964) Kamchatka, Russia
Etna[43] (in 1974) Sicily, Italy
Ardoukôba[44] (in 1978) Djibouti
Mount Mihara[45] (in 1986)
Stromboli[46] (in 1986 and 1989) Aeolian Islands, Italy
La Cumbre[47] (in 1995) Fernandina Island, Galápagos
Pacaya[48] (in 2000 and 2001) Guatemala
Lava lake activity on other planetary bodies
Loki Patera[49] Io
Janus Patera[50] Io
Io

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: VHP Photo Glossary: Lava lake . Volcanoes.usgs.gov . 2013-08-15.
  2. Swanson et al. (1979) "Ground deformation at Pu'u 'O'o. U.S. Geological Survey Chronological narrative of the 1969-71 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kilauea volcano". US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1056
  3. Wolfe et al. (1988). "Geologic observations and chronology of eruptive events". US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1463
  4. Witham and Llewellin (2006). "Stability of Lava Lakes". '+Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research vol. 158 p.321–332
  5. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Erebus . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2006-07-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060708102822/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1900-02= . dead .
  6. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Erta Ale . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-02-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130217054354/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0201-08= . dead .
  7. 332010. Kīlauea.
  8. News: Remote Mount Michael volcano hosts persistent lava lake . BBC News . 3 July 2019 . BBC News . 3 July 2019.
  9. 223030. Nyiragongo.
  10. Web site: 17 April 2019 . 2019 . Ambrym volcano (Vanuatu) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 17 April-23 April 2019 (Continuing Activity) . 3 April 2024 . Volcano Discovery.
  11. Web site: HVO Kilauea Status . Volcanoes.usgs.gov . 2013-08-15 . 2012-03-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120308071721/http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php/ . dead .
  12. Web site: USGS Volcanoes . 21 December 2020.
  13. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Nyiragongo . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331072223/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0203-03=&volpage=var . dead .
  14. Web site: Pit crater structure and processes governing persistent activity at Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua . Eps.mcgill.ca . 2013-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081839/http://eps.mcgill.ca/~courses/c435/Gravity-papers/rymer%20et%20al%201998.pdf . 2016-03-04 . dead .
  15. Web site: Masaya. www.volcanodiscovery.com. 2016-11-07.
  16. Tazieff . H. . Haroun Tazieff. 10.1016/0377-0273(94)90015-9 . Permanent lava lakes: Observed facts and induced mechanisms . Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research . 63 . 3–11. 1994 . 1–2 . 1994JVGR...63....3T.
  17. 257040. Ambrym.
  18. Web site: Ambrym. 2014-09-03 . 2014-08-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826044309/http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=257040 . dead . volcano.si.edu.
  19. 344100. Masaya.
  20. 357120. Villarrica.
  21. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Karthala . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018000114/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0303-01=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  22. Global Volcanism Program : Fournaise, Piton de la . 10.1029/2007GL031248 . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2007GeoRL..3421301M . Geophysical Research Letters. 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331101410/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0303-02=&volpage=erupt . dead . Michon . Laurent . Staudacher . Thomas . Ferrazzini . Valérie . Bachèlery . Patrick . Marti . Joan . 2007 . 34 . 21 . 55281591 .
  23. Web site: Terre et Volcans News v4 . Terreetvolcans.free.fr . 2013-08-15.
  24. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Lengai, Ol Doinyo . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014104053/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0202-12=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  25. Web site: Etnatao: Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano Tanzania . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/djW31_TkXFI . 2021-12-19 . live. YouTube . 2010-02-11 . 2013-08-15.
  26. Web site: Inspección del interior del cráter activo del volcán Turrialba del 29 de junio del 2017 . 4 July 2017 . rsn.ucr.ac.cr .
  27. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Telica . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331065310/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1404-04=&volpage=var . dead .
  28. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Tungurahua . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023013800/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1502-08=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  29. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Tofua . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331072552/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0403-06=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  30. Web site: Eruption volcanique, activité éruptive du volcan Nabro . Activolcans.info . 2013-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130328233838/http://activolcans.info/eruption-volcanique-du-volcan-Nabro-201204.html . 2013-03-28 . dead .
  31. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Michael . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130326004335/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1900-09= . dead .
  32. First recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano (Montagu Island), South Sandwich Islands. 10.1007/s00445-004-0382-6. 2005. Patrick. Matthew R.. Smellie. John L.. Harris. Andrew J. L.. Wright. Robert. Dean. Ken. Izbekov. Pavel. Garbeil. Harold. Pilger. Eric. Bulletin of Volcanology. 67. 5. 415–422. 2005BVol...67..415P. 54187857.
  33. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Heard . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331115059/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0304-01=&volpage=var#bgvn_3111 . dead .
  34. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Savai'i . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-01-03 . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121007004108/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0404-04=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  35. [Haroun Tazieff|Tazieff, Haroun]
  36. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Nyamuragira . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2010-05-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100525115454/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0203-02= . dead .
  37. Web site: GC1QN4C Capelinhos Volcano [Faial] (Earthcache) in Arquipélago dos Açores, Portugal created by almeidara |publisher=Geocaching.com |access-date=2013-08-15].
  38. Web site: Fayal . 2014-04-21 . 2014-04-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140423053450/http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=382010 . dead. volcano.si.edu .
  39. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Vestmannaeyjar . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2012-11-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121105051414/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1702-01=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  40. Web site: Inspired by Iceland stories: Tell us the story of your visit to Iceland . Stories.inspiredbyiceland.com . 2011-05-26 . 2013-08-15 . dead . https://archive.today/20120715210251/http://stories.inspiredbyiceland.com/story/658001 . 2012-07-15 .
  41. Duncan C. Blanchard, From Raindrops to Volcanoes: Adventures With Sea Surface Meteorology, Dover Publications, 1967.
  42. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Tolbachik . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-01-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130122075941/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-24=&volpage=erupt . dead .
  43. 10.1029/2005GL022527. Etna 2004–2005: An archetype for geodynamically-controlled effusive eruptions. 2005. Burton. Michael R.. Geophysical Research Letters. 32. 9. 2005GeoRL..32.9303B. 130560874 .
  44. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Ardoukôba . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-01-03 . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025011310/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0201-126&volpage=var . dead .
  45. Web site: Izu-Oshima Volcano Observatory . 2014-02-20.
  46. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Stromboli . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2013-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130331070349/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0101-04=&volpage=var . dead .
  47. Web site: Global Volcanism Program : Fernandina . Volcano.si.edu . 2013-08-15 . 2012-10-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121016221426/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1503-01=&volpage=var . dead .
  48. Global Volcanism Program : Pacaya . 10.1029/2007GC001791 . 2008GGG.....9.2S02K . Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. Kutterolf . S. . Freundt . A. . Peréz . W. . 2008 . 9 . 2 . 3130048 . free .
  49. Howell . R. R. . R. M. C. Lopes . The nature of the volcanic activity at Loki: Insights from Galileo NIMS and PPR data . Icarus . 186 . 2. 448–461 . 2007 . 10.1016/j.icarus.2006.09.022 . 2007Icar..186..448H.
  50. Book: Davies. Ashley Gerard. Volcanism on Io : a comparison with Earth. 2007. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-85003-2. 184.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lava lake".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.