Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology

by Parfitt, Liz; Wilson, Lionel

• ISBN13: 9780632054435
• ISBN10: 0632054433
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-11
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology is a comprehensive overview of the processes that control when and how volcanoes erupt. Understanding these processes involves bringing together ideas from a number of disciplines, including branches of geology, such as petrology and geochemistry; and aspects of physics, such as fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. This book explains in accessible terms how different areas of science have been combined to reach our current level of knowledge of volcanic systems. It includes an introduction to eruption types, an outline of the development of physical volcanology, a comprehensive overview of subsurface processes, eruption mechanisms, the nature of volcanic eruptions and their products, and a review of how volcanoes affect the environment. Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology is essential reading for undergraduate students in earth science.

Author Biography

Dr Elisabeth Parfitt is currently a Honorary Research Fellow at Lancaster University, UK, and has previously been a faculty member of the University of Leeds, UK and the State University of New York at Buffalo in the USA.

Professor Lionel Wilson heads the Planetary Science Research Group in the Environmental Science Department at Lancaster University, UK, where he has worked for the past 37 years, and is a visiting Professor at the University of Hawai’i and Brown University in the USA.

Both have focused their research on the physical processes that control volcanic eruptions.

Table of Contents

Preface

Volcanic Systems

Introduction

Styles of Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic Systems

The Structure and Aims of This Book

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Magma Generation and Segregation

Introduction

Rock Melting Mechanisms

Volcanism and Plate Tectonics

Melting and Melt Segregation in the Mantle

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Magma Migration

Introduction

Diapiric Rise of Melt

The Change from Diapir Rise to Dyke Formation

Dyke Propagation

Trapping of Dykes

Consequences of Dyke Trapping

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Magma Storage

Introduction

Evidence for Magma Storage Within the Crust

Formation and Growth of Magma Chambers

Magma Chambers and Their Impact on Volcanic Systems

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

The Role of Volatiles

Introduction

Volatiles in Magma

The Solubility of Volatiles in Magma

Bubble Nucleation

Bubble Growth

Magma Fragmentation and the Influence of Volatiles on Eruption Styles

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Steady Explosive Eruptions

Introduction

Influence of Gas Bubbles Prior to Magma Fragmentation

Acceleration of the Gas-Magma Mixture

Controls on Exit Velocity

Eruption Plumes in Steady Eruptions

Fallout of Clasts from Eruption Plumes

Unstable Eruption Columns

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Transient Volcanic Eruptions

Introduction

Magmatic Explosions

Transient Eruptions Involving External Water

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Pyroclastic Falls and Flows

Introduction

Fallout of Clasts from Eruption Columns

The Application of Eruption Column Models

Pyroclastic Density Currents and their Deposits

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Lava Flows

Introduction

Origin of Lava Flows

Types of Lava Flow

Lava Flow Rheology

Rheological Control of Lava Flow Geometry

Lava Flow Motion

Lengths of Lava Flows

Surface Textures of Lava Flows

Effects of Ground Slope and Lava Viscosity

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Eruption Styles, Scales and Frequencies

Introduction

Chemical Composition and Styles of Volcanic Activity

Chemical Composition and Effusive Eruptions

Chemical Composition and Explosive Eruptions

Summary of Compositional Controls on Eruption Character

Magnitudes and Frequencies of Volcanic Eruptions

Elastic and Inelastic Eruptions

Eruptions of Exceptional Magnitude

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Volcanic Hazards and Volcano Monitoring

Introduction

Types of Volcanic Hazard

Hazard Assessment

Monitoring Volcanoes and Short-Term Eruption Prediction

Hazard Mitigation

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Volcanoes and Climate

Introduction

Evidence for the Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on Climate

Satellite Monitoring of Climate Change After Volcanic Eruptions

The Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on Climate

Volcanoes and Mass Extinctions

Summary

Further Reading

Questions to Think About

Volcanism on Other Planets

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