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At least 541 records · Page 30
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NASA NTRS2018

Silica Dissolution and Precipitation in Galciated Volcanic Environments and Implications for Mars

The surface of Mars exhibits strong evidence for a widespread and long-lived cryosphere. Observations of the surface have identified phases produced by water-rock interactions, but the contribution of glaciers to the observed alteration mineralogy is unclear. To characterize the chemical alteration expected on an icy early Mars, we collected water and rock samples from terrestrial glaciated volcanics. We related geochemical measurements of meltwater to the mineralogy and chemistry of proglacial rock coatings. In these terrains, water is dominated by dissolved silica relative to other dissolved cations, particularly at mafic sites. Rock coatings associated with glacial striations on mafic boulders include a silica-rich component, indicating that silica precipitation is occurring in the subglacial environment. We propose that glacial alteration of volcanic bedrock is dominated by a combination of high rates of silica dissolution and precipitation of opaline silica. On Mars, cryosphere-driven chemical weathering could be the origin of observed silica-enriched phases.

Rutledge, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Monitoring and Modeling the Rapid Evolution of Earth's Newest Volcanic Island: Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai (Tonga) Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Observations

We have monitored a newly erupted volcanic island in the Kingdom of Tonga, unofficially known as Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, by means of relatively frequent high spatial resolution (~50 cm) satellite observations. The new ~1.8 km 2(exp) island formed as a tuff cone over the course of a month‐long hydromagmatic eruption in early 2015 in the Tonga‐Kermadec volcanic arc. Such ash‐dominated eruptions usually produce fragile subaerial landscapes that wash away rapidly due to marine erosion, as occurred nearby in 2009. Our measured rates of erosion are ~0.00256 km 3(exp) / year from derived digital topographic models. Preliminary measurements of the topographic expression of the primary tuff cone over ~30 months suggest a lifetime of ~19 years (and potentially up to 42 years). The ability to measure details of a young island's landscape evolution using satellite remote sensing has not previously been possible at these spatial and temporal resolutions.

Garvin, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Weathering in the Forelands of Two Rapidly Retreating Alpine Glaciers of Volcanic Bedrock in the Three Sisters, Oregon, USA

The glaciers of the Three Sisters volcanoes in Cascadia have retreated dramatically over the past century. In order to understand ongoing chemical weathering and solute transport in the proglacial valleys, waters were sampled from glacier outwash streams, local snowmelt, and proglacial springs and lakes at Collier and Diller Glaciers. To understand weathering and transport processes in the proglacial plains, infrared orbital remote sensing data was used to map compositional variability and highlight weathering products, which were then ground-truthed with laboratory mineralogical and chemical analyses of sediments. The hydrochemistry is significantly affected by a sub- and proglacial mafic weathering system lacking carbonate minerals. Here we report major ion concentrations in meltwaters for the summer 2016 and 2017 melt seasons. Total cation concentrations range from 3 to 250 μeq/l and dissolved bicarbonate concentrations range from 2 to 200 μeq/l. Other dissolved anions are negligible compared to bicarbonate. Dissolved silica concentrations range from 2 to 260 μmol/l, comparable to total dissolved cation concentrations. The highest cation and silica concentrations were measured in moraine-sourced springs. Compositional remote sensing analysis identified alteration zones in the proglacial plains at both Collier and Diller indicating potential hydrated silica. This analysis is consistent with laboratory analysis of sediment samples, which indicate the presence of poorly crystalline phases weathering products, including hydrated silica. Weathered materials are preferentially deposited on moraines due to aeolian and glacial transport, as well as intra-moraine alteration, and at abandoned stream terraces due to fluvial transport. Geochemical measurements indicate that the predominant form of chemical weathering in these periglacial mafic systems is the carbonation of feldspar as well as reactive volcanic glass. The presence of poorly crystalline silicates, as indicated by remote sensing datasets and laboratory analysis, is consistent with rapid weathering of feldspars and glass and formation of Fe-Al-Si-bearing mineraloids in these proglacial valleys. This weathering regime has wide-ranging implications for atmospheric CO2 drawdown due to cold-climate volcanic rock weathering.

Rutledge, Alicia M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Volcanic Eruption Signatures in the Isotope Enabled Last Millennium Ensemble

Explosive volcanic eruptions are one of the largest natural climate perturbations, but few observational constraints exist on either the climate responses to eruptions or the properties (size, hemispheric aerosol distribution, etc.) of the eruptions themselves. Paleoclimate records are thus important sources of information on past eruptions, often through the measurement of oxygen isotopic ratios (𝛿18O) in natural archives. However, since many processes affect 𝛿18O, the dynamical interpretation of these records can be quite complex. Here we present results from new, isotope-enabled members of the Community Earth System Model Last Millennium Ensemble, documenting eruption-induced 𝛿18O variations throughout the climate system. Eruptions create significant perturbations in the 𝛿18O of precipitation and soil moisture in central/eastern North America, via excitation of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Monsoon Asia and Australia also exhibit strong precipitation and soil 𝛿18O anomalies; in these cases, 𝛿18O may reflect changes to El Niño-Southern Oscillation phase following eruptions. Salinity and seawater 𝛿18O patterns demonstrate the importance of both local hydrologic shifts and the phasing of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation response, both along the equator and in the subtropics. In all cases, the responses are highly sensitive to eruption latitude, which points to the utility of isotopic records in constraining aerosol distribution patterns associated with past eruptions. This is most effective using precipitation 𝛿18O; all Southern eruptions and the majority (66%) of Northern eruptions can be correctly identified. This work thus serves as a starting point for new, quantitative uses of isotopic records for understanding volcanic impacts on climate.

Stevenson, S.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Coral Reef Annihilation, Persistence and Recovery at Earth’s Youngest Volcanic Island

The structure and function of coral reef ecosystems is increasingly compromised by multiple stressors, even in the most remote locations. Severe, acute disturbances such as volcanic eruptions represent extreme events that can annihilate entire reef ecosystems, but also provide unique opportunities to examine ecosystem resilience and recovery. Here, we examine the destruction, persistence and initial recovery of reefs associated with the hydromagmatic eruption that created Earth’s newest landmass, the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcanic island. Despite extreme conditions associated with the eruption, impacts on nearby reefs were spatially variable. Importantly, even heavily affected reefs showed signs of rapid recovery driven by high recruitment, likely from local refuges. The remote location and corresponding lack of additional stressors likely contribute to the resilience of Hunga’s reefs, suggesting that in the absence of chronic anthropogenic stressors, coral reefs can be resilient to one of the largest physical disturbances on Earth.

Refuge population↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The NASA Applied Sciences Program: Volcanic Ash Observations and Applications

Since 2000, the NASA Applied Sciences Program has been actively transitioning observations and research to operations. Particular success has been achieved in developing applications for NASA Earth Observing Satellite (EOS) sensors, integrated observing systems, and operational models for volcanic ash detection, characterization, and transport. While other observations and applications remain to be developed for the current constellation of NASA EOS sensors and integrated with observing and forecast systems, future requirements and capabilities for volcanic ash observations and applications are also being developed. Many of these are based on technologies currently being tested on NASA aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and balloons. All of these efforts and the potential advances that will be realized by integrating them are shared in this presentation.

John J Murray↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Calculating the Height of Volcanic Cloud SO2 With a Lagrangian Trajectory Tool: Raikoke (2019) and Pinatubo (1991) Cases

We have developed a new data analysis tool to reconstruct the altitude of SO2 clouds ejected by avolcanic eruption. Starting with 2D fields of satellite observed SO2 column density, known volcanolocation, and reanalysis wind fields, the Goddard Lagrangian trajectory tool allows us to estimatethe altitude and local concentration of SO2 at the time of observation. We demonstrate this tool forthe June 21, 2019 Mt. Raikoke eruption (8h, 30h and 78 hours after eruption). We use SO2 data fromthe Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite/Nadir Mapper (OMPS/NM) onboard the NASA-NOAASuomi National Polar Partnership satellite and the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument(TROPOMI) onboard the European Copernicus Sentinel 5 precursor satellite and wind fields fromthe NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model. We obtained a wide distribution ofSO2 altitudes between 1 and 19 kilometers in different parts of the Raikoke SO2 clouds, with thehighest SO2 concentration between 11 and 16 km, in good agreement with data from independentSO2 layer height retrievals from TROPOMI and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer(IASI). We then applied this method to the June 15, 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption using SO2 columnmeasurements from the NASA Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) on June 16, 17, 18 andusing wind fields from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis version 2. Weobtained a wide distribution of SO2 heights from 6 km up to 30 km in the northern part of the cloud.We use our new trajectory tool to reconstruct volcanic SO2/aerosol emission sources as functions oftime and altitude, providing inputs to the GEOS model aerosol and chemistry schemes in order tosimulate the dispersion of volcanic SO2 and aerosol clouds from these events.

SO2↗
NASA NTRS1993

Paleomagnetism and Tectonic Interpretations of the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field, Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico

The tectonic response of the Taos Plateau volcanic field in the southern San Luis basin to the late stage extensional environment of the Rio Grande rift was investigated using paleomagnetic techniques. Sixty-two sites (533 samples) of Pliocene volcanic units were collected covering four major rock types with ages of 4.7 to 1.8 Ma. Twenty-two of these sites were from stratigraphic sections of the lower, middle and upper Servilleta Basalt collected in the Rio Grande gorge at two locations 19 km apart. Flows from the lower and middle members in the southern gorge record reversed polarities while those in Garapata Canyon are normal with an excursion event in the middle of the sequence. The uppermost flows of the upper member at both sites display normal directions. Although these sections correlate chemically, they seem to represent different magnetic time periods during the Gilbert Reversed-Polarity Chron...

Matthew P. Golombek↗
NASA NTRS2021

Stratigraphic Evidence for Early Martian Explosive Volcanism in Arabia Terra

Several large paterae in Arabia Terra are suggested to be calderas that produced colossal explosive eruptions (i.e., supereruptions). If these features are indeed explosive calderas, dispersion modeling suggests extensive ash deposits should be common throughout the region. However, such deposits have not previously been linked with the suggested calderas. Here, we describe layered deposits containing minerals both consistent with and diagnostic of altered volcanic ash throughout Arabia Terra. These deposits include Al-dominant minerals such as montmorillonite, imogolite, and allophane among others. Altered ash deposits are found to thin (from 1-km to 100-m thickness) away from the suggested calderas. We estimate that the volcanic ash observed in Arabia Terra is the result of between 1,000 and 2,000 individual explosive eruptions over 500-million years. Our observations support the hypothesis that Arabia Terra hosted supereruptions in the late Noachian-early Hesperian that repeatedly blanketed the region with layers of ash.

Patrick Whelley↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash from the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai Volcanic Eruption

The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano recently resumed activity. Violent eruptions on 2022 January 14th and 15th launched a tall ash plume that produced extremely high lightning rates. Here we report a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF) that was produced by the volcanic lightning and observed from space by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). Observations by radio lightning networks and especially by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) show that the only lightning close enough to produce a TGF detectable by Fermi GBM was from the volcano’s plume. With the observing duration of Fermi, observing a single TGF is consistent with the hypothesis that the volcanic lightning of this eruption produced TGFs at the average rate of thunderstorm lightning. The observation of a strong TGF from space also indicates that the electric field was oriented so as to accelerate electrons upward.

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes↗
NASA NTRS2022

La Soufriere Volcanic Eruptions Launched Gravity Waves Into Space

Atmospheric gravity waves can be excited by explosive volcanic eruptions and may reach Earth's upper atmosphere. In this study, we report on mesoscale concentric gravity waves observed in the mesopause airglow layer following the La Soufriere volcano eruption in April 2021. A large ash plume observed by the spaceborne Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer instrument on April 10 reached ∼20 km. Temporal evolution of the volcanic ash plume was provided by the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager. Nightglow gravity waves were observed by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day Night Band. These waves had horizontal wavelengths of ∼25–40 km, and took about a half-to-1 hr to travel from the tropopause to the mesopause. Some concentric ionospheric disturbance signatures are also seen in Global Navigation Satellite System-total electron content maps. We found the launch of gravity waves to be highly correlated with the elevated ash plume from explosive eruptions.

gravity waves↗
NASA NTRS2022

Volcanic Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Spain: A First Insight to the Particulate Matter Injected in the Troposphere

The volcanic eruption of Cumbre Vieja (La Palma Island, Spain), started on 19 September, 2021, and was declared terminated on 25 December, 2021. A complete set of aerosol measurements were deployed around the volcano within the first month of the eruptive activity. This paper describes the results of the observations made at Tazacorte on the west bank of the island where a polarized micro pulse lidar was deployed. The two and a half months analyzed (16 October – 31 December) reveal that the peak height of the lowermost and strongest volcanic plume did not exceed 3 km (mean of 1.43±0.45 km over the whole period) and was highly variable. It steadily increased until week 11 after the eruption start (and 3 weeks before its end) and started decreasing afterwards. The ash mass concentration has been assessed with a method based on the polarization capability of the instrument. Considering the limitation of current remote sensing techniques to detect large to giant particles, the ash mass concentration on one of the days with the highest ash load is estimated to have peaked in the range 800-3200 μg m(exp -3) in the lowermost layer below 2.5 km.

Cumbre Vieja↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Spectroscopy of Mount Etna Lava Flows as A Proxy for Age: A Potential Analogue to Recent Volcanism on Venus

There is growing evidence of geologically recent volcanism at Venus [1–3], a question that may be resolved by forthcoming missions to our sister planet that will make spectroscopic measurements of the surface. The thick, relatively opaque atmosphere of Venus makes observation difficult, but a few key atmospheric windows in the near-infrared (NIR) around 1 μm make emission from the surface detectable [4]. At these wavelengths, the spectroscopic signature of rocks are due to its primary mineralogy and chemistry, as well as the presence of secondary weathering minerals [2, 5, 6]. If the degree of alteration can be tied to the spectroscopy of Venus analogue materials, then spectroscopy of venusian lava flows can potentially reveal their degree of weathering and thus their age, which in turn gives an estimate of the extent of recent volcanism [2, 7]. A potential Earth analogue to volcanoes on Venus is Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy [8]. This composite volcano is among the most active in the world and features mafic lava flows with definitive ages that exhibit varying degrees of alteration [9]. While Mount Etna is not a perfect analogue due to its different weathering environment, the natural age progression of altered basaltic rock can be a useful comparison. Here, we will investigate how weathering at Mount Etna affects spectroscopic measurements and if this can be used as a proxy for Venus. While planned missions to Venus such as DAVINCI, VERITAS, and EnVision will measure NIR emissivity from the surface, Kirchhoff’s Law states that e = 1 − r, where e is emissivity and r is reflectance, meaning that NIR emissivity can be estimated from reflectance measurements [10]. Given its relative ease, laboratory reflectance spectroscopy is a useful tool to efficiently test potential Venus analogue materials.

Gabriel L Eggers↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Present Day Volcanism on Venus: Evidence from Alteration Experiments

The crust of Venus is thought to be comprised of basaltic rocks with similar composition to terrestrial volcanics, but on Venus they are in contact with a hot caustic atmosphere that should alter them to produce weathering rinds. These weathering rinds should affect orbital measurements (both radar and spectroscopy) of the crust, such has been measured at Idunn Mons. However, the rate of alteration on Venus and specifically how alteration mineralogy affects orbital measurements are not well understood. With the upcoming decade of Venus exploration, laboratory measurements connecting alteration and spectroscopy are critically needed. Here, I will summarize what is known about the composition of Venus lava flows and the rate at which these rocks should alter on the Venus surface. I will then apply this work to Idunn Mons as a case study to show that it should be volcanically active, which may be detectable by the pcoming fleet of missions.

Justin Filiberto↗
NASA NTRS2024

The Relationship Between Volatile Element Abundances and Iron Carrying Capacity in Lunar Volcanic and Impact Vapors

The highly volatile elements (e.g. H, C, S, Cl) released during lunar volcanism provide important insights into the bulk volatile composition of the Moon. Once erupted, some fraction of the species containing these elements may have migrated to the poles where they could have become sequestered in shadowed cold traps such as those found near the lunar South pole. The volatiles trapped in the lunar South pole are of great interest to the upcoming Artemis missions, which will be operating nearby and could sample some of those materials. Volcanic vapor deposits in the polar regions might also be supplemented by volatiles from other sources both exogenous (i.e. comets) and endogenous (i.e. remobilization of lunar volatiles by impact). Characterizing these endogenous sources is challenging because the highly volatile elements often leave little trace behind in the rocks themselves, which are inherently refractory by nature. Minerals are found on vug, vesicle, or fracture surfaces that have characteristics consistent with phases formed via direct deposition of a vapor, as opposed to crystallization from a liquid or via solid state decomposition. One common vapor-deposited species is metallic Fe, typically observed as subhedral to euhedral crystals found on vug or vesicle walls in mare basalts and on select breccia clast surfaces in regolith soil samples returned from the Moon. A particularly striking example is seen below in Fig. 1, where numerous Fe crystals are deposited onto the wall of a vug in Apollo 17 basalt sample 71036. Euhedral Fe crystals are not very common in Apollo breccia samples, though this may be from the limited number of systematic searches that have been performed. However, when Fe crystals are found, they can occur in extremely high abundance(e.g., sample 15402 which was specifically selected because of its numerous Fe crystals, was found to have a clast with 477 euhedral Fe crystals in a 570 x 570 μm area). What struck us as interesting about this was not only that it takes a large amount of Fe to make these crystal-rich deposits, but also that these crystal-rich deposits are not ubiquitous, and therefore they must be controlled by some aspect of their depositional conditions that varies. Since those conditions are inherently difficult to investigate and are critically interesting, we used thermochemical modeling as a tool to investigate the relationship between vapor-deposited Fe and various intensive and extensive parameters. We assumed that a high abundance of Fe in the vapor is required to form these crystals, thus the mass of Fe in the vapor was used to determine the plausibility of the vapor-deposited, euhedral Fe crystals observed in Apollo samples.

thermodynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Observtion of Hunga Tonga Volcanic Eruption Using Hyperspectral Infrared Satellite Sensors

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption, with the largest eruption occurred on 15 January 2022, injected unprecedented amounts of water vapor (H 2 O) and SO 2 to the stratosphere. Using the hyperspectral infrared sounder CrIS we present some unique features of the spectral near 9.6 µm and its great potential value for detecting plume or clouds with the tops above tropopause. It is found the existence of two umbrella clouds and the propagation of the upper plume even in 8-9 hour after the eruption. Using a new Single Field-of-view Sounder Atmospheric Products (SiFSAP) from CrIS and ATMS on JPSS-1 that has a high spatial resolution of about 14 km, this study analyzes the impact of Hunga Tonga eruption on the distribution of H 2 O and ozone, particularly the unprecedented ejection of water vapor in the stratosphere. These results demonstrate the value of hyperspectral infrared sounder and single-field-view products for monitoring the volcanic eruption and studying its impact to climate.

Xiaozhen Xiong↗
NASA NTRS2024

Melt Inclusions in Zircon: A Window to Understanding the Structure and Evolution of the Magmatic System Beneath the Laguna del Maule Volcanic Field

Explosive silicic eruptions pose a significant threat to society, yet the development and destabilization of the underlying silicic magmatic systems are still controversial. Zircons provide simultaneous information on the trace element composition and age of silicic magmatic systems, while melt inclusions in quartz and plagioclase yield important constraints on their volatile content as well as storage depth. Melt inclusions in zircons (MIZs) combine these data from a single mineral grain, recording the age, storage depth, temperature, and composition of magmas, and thus provide unique constraints on the structure and evolution of silicic magmatic systems. We studied MIZs from the Laguna del Maule (LdM) volcanic field in the southern Andes that is among the most active Pleistocene-Holocene rhyolitic volcanic centers worldwide and a potentially hazardous system displaying inflation rates in excess of 25 cm/yr. The host zircon ages suggest that the LdM MIZ record extends to ~30 kyr before eruption, in contrast to the melt inclusions in LdM plagioclase and quartz crystals that formed only decades to centuries before eruption. The major element compositions of MIZs are minimally affected by post-entrapment crystallization, and agree well with the LdM rhyolitic whole rock data. The more evolved major element composition of rle MIZs than rdm MIZs, suggests a long-term deeper connection of the rdm crystal mush to a more primitive magma body than that of the rle. The evidence of slow H diffusion observed in MIZs suggest that their H 2 O contents are not significantly affected by diffusion of H through the host zircon. The storage depths of 1.1 to 2.8 kbars recorded by the H 2 O contents of rdm and rle MIZs are consistent with the optimal emplacement window (2.0 ± 0.5 kbar) of silicic magma reservoir growth, storage, and eruptibility based on thermomechanical modeling (Huber et al. 2019).

Kei Shimizu↗
NASA NTRS2024

Isotopic Evidence of Long-Lived Volcanism on Io

Jupiter’s moon Io hosts extensive volcanism, driven by tidal heating. The isotopic composition of Io’s inventory of volatile chemical elements, including sulfur and chlorine, reflects its outgassing and mass-loss history and thus records information about its evolution. We used submillimeter observations of Io’s atmosphere to measure sulfur isotopes in gaseous sulfur dioxide and sulfur monoxide, and chlorine isotopes in gaseous sodium chloride and potassium chloride. We find 34S/32S = 0.0595 ± 0.0038 (equivalent to δ34S = +347 ± 86‰), which is highly enriched compared to average Solar System values and indicates that Io has lost 94 to 99% of its available sulfur. Our measurement of 37Cl/35Cl = 0.403 ± 0.028 (δ37Cl = +263 ± 88‰) shows that chlorine is similarly enriched. These results indicate that Io has been volcanically active for most (or all) of its history, with potentially higher outgassing and mass-loss rates at earlier times.

Katherine De Kleer↗