Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Volcanology
Practical guide for volcano observatories on paleomagnetic sampling of pyroclastic deposits from active volcanoes
Published: 2025-11-15
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Volcanology
This brief guide is designed to teach workers at observatories of volcanoes exhibiting explosive activity how to take samples of pyroclastic deposits for paleomagnetic studies. Paleomagnetism is a powerful tool for studying volcanoes, both dormant and currently active. Studies of the rock magnetic and paleomagnetic characteristics of volcanic rocks can provide important information about volcanic [...]
Modelling the transport and dispersion of volcanic co-PDC ash clouds using NAME: an evaluation of source geometry and mass eruption rate
Published: 2025-11-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are gravity currents that frequently form during explosive volcanic eruptions. These ground-hugging density currents consist of high-temperature mixtures of pyroclasts (e.g., ash, pumice), lithics, and gas. They have the potential to generate co-PDC plumes, which detach from the underlying PDC as they buoyantly rise into the atmosphere. Co-PDC plumes, composed [...]
Anomaly detection of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferograms with semi-supervised machine learning
Published: 2025-11-01
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Volcanology
The aim of this research is to detect Earth's deformation from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images through a semi-supervised machine learning algorithm called Least-Squares Two-sample Test (LSTT). This algorithm computes the probability distributions of two samples to assess if they belong to the same probability distribution. At the same time, it gives the divergence of these [...]
Assessing Volcanic Hazards and Financial Exposure: A Closer Look at Insurance Industry Preparedness
Published: 2025-10-23
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Volcanology
Within the insurance and reinsurance sectors, volcanoes and their secondary impacts are often an overlooked risk due to the long return periods associated with large explosive eruptions, and relatively low economic and insured losses from eruption events compared to other natural hazards such as large magnitude earthquakes. However, with continued population growth, globalisation and climate [...]
Eocene lacustrine–volcaniclastic deposits at Aliabad (Central Iran): A possible Proto-basin of the Oligo-Miocene Qom Formation
Published: 2025-10-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Volcanology
Central Iran hosts intricate Cenozoic successions where the Oligo‑Miocene Qom Formation forms a major hydrocarbon reservoir. The stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental relationship of the Eocene Aliabad deposits to this formation has been controversial. This study integrates stratigraphic logging, petrography, geochemistry (XRD/XRF), and ichnology on 46 thin sections from Aliabad and 157 [...]
Hunga eruption on 15 January 2022: Was there a precursor plume one hour before the eruption?
Published: 2025-09-04
Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences, Volcanology
This note is aimed at the examination of a precursor plume one hour before the paroxysmal Hunga eruption on 15 January 2022, following a claim made in Van Eaton et al. (2023). After examination of a number of satellite and meteorological data, it is concluded in agreement with Prata et al. (2024) that this claim results from a misinterpretation of satellite imagery.
CHAPTER 4.4 Pyroclastic Density Currents
Published: 2025-08-23
Subjects: Volcanology
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are hot mixtures of gases and volcanic rock of diverse size, nature, or density, capable of flowing over long distances at velocities of tens to hundreds of kilometers per hour. They typically originate from the gravitational collapse of explosive eruption columns, lava domes or lava-flow fronts, unstable upper-flank material or from explosive lateral blasts. [...]
Best practices for the analyses of CO2 fluids by Raman Spectroscopy
Published: 2025-08-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Raman spectroscopy is a key method for determining CO₂ densities in geological fluids, yet acquisition, calibration, and processing methodologies vary widely between laboratories. This study evaluates how these parameters affect precision and accuracy. We show that spectral non-linearity can cause a single instrument to show variable relationships between CO2 density and spectral parameters as [...]
QuakeMigrate: a Python Package for Automatic Earthquake Detection and Location Using Waveform Migration and Stacking
Published: 2025-07-26
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Volcanology
QuakeMigrate is a modular, open-source Python package providing a framework to efficiently and automatically detect and locate microseismicity. From raw seismic waveforms and a modest number of physically meaningful inputs and tuneable parameters, it produces catalogues of earthquakes including hypocentres, their associated uncertainties, phase arrival times, and local magnitude estimates, all of [...]
Tephra fallout and associated deposits (Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, 3rd edition, book chapter)
Published: 2025-07-22
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
The lifecycle of volcanic fall deposits begins with explosive fragmentation, continues as particles rise through the atmosphere, and culminates with sedimentation on the ground. This chapter explores how fall deposits can reveal the unique eruption and transport processes that shaped them. While we can directly observe modern eruptions to understand their dynamics, unobserved volcanic events are [...]
Volcano-tectonic controls on magmatic evolution at Campi Flegrei, Italy: insights from thermodynamic modelling
Published: 2025-07-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Campi Flegrei caldera (Naples, southern Italy) is one of the most hazardous volcanoes on Earth, having produced more than 70 eruptions in the past 15 kyr, and currently showing significant signs of unrest within a densely populated part of Europe. Post-15 ka eruptions span a range of eruptive styles and compositions, which broadly correlate with the spatial and structural location of vents within [...]
Crystal cargo perspectives on magma assembly and dynamics during the 2021 Tajogaite eruption, La Palma, Canary Islands
Published: 2025-07-08
Subjects: Volcanology
The 2021 eruption of Tajogaite was the longest duration eruption, most voluminous, and had the largest human impact in recorded history on La Palma, Canary Islands. Extensive geophysical and geochemical data were collected during both the preceding unrest and eruptive event. Petrological monitoring was largely restricted to rapid stereo microscope observation and a few supporting in-depth studies [...]
Machine Learning Insights into the Geochemical Life Cycle of the Columbia River Flood Basalts
Published: 2025-07-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Stratigraphy, Volcanology
Flood basalts are challenging to characterize in detail, despite enormous their erupted volumes, due to their age and chemical homogeneity. Here we explore machine learning (ML) approaches for classification and pattern identification in whole rock geochemical data of the Columbia River Flood Basalts (CRFB), which provide key constraints on magma generation, transport, and emplacement. We utilize [...]
Field evidence for non-linear IP effects in a volcanic hydrothermal system using reciprocal data.
Published: 2025-06-28
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
In electrical geophysical methods it is often assumed that the resistivity or chargeability, behaves linearly with the applied electrical current. However, non-linearity has been reported in Induced Polarization (IP) and can be caused by oxidation-reduction reactions or reactions at the surface of clay minerals. Methods to determine the presence of non-linear effects exist and involve analysis of [...]
Improving magmatic CO2 reconstruction using X-ray Computed Tomography to accurately quantify melt inclusion volumes and geometries
Published: 2025-06-04
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Melt inclusions provide valuable insights into magmatic systems, allowing the study of otherwise inaccessible melts. Trapped volatile contents, commonly in the form of bubbles within melt inclusions, allow direct sampling and study of magmatic volatiles that are otherwise lost due to saturation and degassing. Quantifying magmatic volatiles such as CO2 is a complex process requiring multiple [...]