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ABSTRACTRuapehu (150 km3cone, 150 km3ring-plain) and Tongariro (90 km3cone, 60 km3ring-plain) are iconic stratovolcanoes, formed since ∼230 and ∼350 ka, respectively, in the southern Taupo Volcanic Zone and Taupo Rift. These volcanoes rest on Mesozoic metasedimentary basement with local intervening Miocene sediments. Both volcanoes have complex growth histories, closely linked to the presence or absence of glacial ice that controlled the distribution and preservation of lavas. Ruapehu cone-building vents are focused into a short NNE-separated pair, whereas Tongariro vents are more widely distributed along that trend, the differences reflecting local rifting rates and faulting intensities. Both volcanoes have erupted basaltic andesite to dacite (53–66 wt.% silica), but mostly plagioclase-two pyroxene andesites from storage zones at 5–10 km depth. Erupted compositions contain evidence for magma mixing and interaction with basement rocks. Each volcano has an independent magmatic system and a growth history related to long-term (>104years) cycles of mantle-derived magma supply, unrelated to glacial/interglacial cycles. Historic eruptions at both volcanoes are compositionally diverse, reflecting small, dispersed magma sources. Both volcanoes often show signs of volcanic unrest and have erupted with a wide range of styles and associated hazards, most recently in 2007 (Ruapehu) and 2012 (Tongariro).

We obtained an unprecedented view of the acoustic radiation from persistent strombolian volcanic explosions at Yasur volcano, Vanuatu, from the deployment of infrasound sensors attached to a tethered aerostat. While traditional ground‐based infrasound arrays may sample only a small portion of the eruption pressure wavefield, we were able to densely sample angular ranges of ~200° in azimuth and ~50° in takeoff angle by placing the aerostat at 38 tethered loiter positions around the active vent. The airborne data joined contemporaneously collected ground‐based infrasound and video recordings over the period 29 July to 1 August 2016. We observe a persistent variation in the acoustic radiation pattern with average eastward directed root‐mean‐square pressures more than 2 times larger than in other directions. The observed radiation pattern may be related to both path effects from the crater walls, and source directionality. Acoustic wavefield is sampled with infrasound sensors on a tethered aerostatAcoustic radiation is 2 times stronger eastward of the active crater than in other directionsVisual observations of eruptions show southeast to eastward directed ballistics for large eruptions

Volcanic lakes are often associated with active geothermal circulation, mineral alteration, and precipitation, each of which can complicate the analysis of shallow magma physics, geophysical signals, and chemical signals. The rheology of the lake and associated hydrothermal system affects the eruptive activity as bubbles ascend and burst through the lake producing distinct ejection behavior. We investigate such phenomena by conducting scaled experiments in which heated water‐clay suspensions are decompressed rapidly from relevant pressures. After a jet phase of expanding vapor, the suspensions break up into ejecta that are either angular or droplet geometry. We parameterize these regimes and find a universal clay volume fraction of 0.28 below which the ejecta are form droplets and above which the ejecta are angular. We propose a regime diagram for optical observations of active lakes, which allows rheological characterization and informs volcanic monitoring. A framework to predict the rheology of clay‐rich suspensions in volcanic lakesQuantitative regime boundaries between viscous and brittle eruption behavior in clay suspensionsObservations of steam‐driven eruptions through lakes can be diagnostic of clay content

The rising velocity of an air bubble in a non‐Newtonian shear‐thinning fluid at low Reynolds numbers is generally similar to the Newtonian case given by Stokes' law. However, when the shear‐thinning fluid is subject to mechanical oscillations, the rising velocity could significantly increase. Here, we present a series of experiments quantifying the rising velocity of single bubbles during shaking in very high‐viscosity (2,000–30,000 Pa·s) shear‐thinning silicone oils. Air bubbles (18–30 mm diameter) were injected in a tank mounted on a shaking table. The tank was horizontally oscillated, at accelerations between 0.4 and 2 g. We observed a small increase in the rising velocity of the shaking cases at our experimental conditions. The increase was larger when bubbles were large and accelerations were high. Larger accelerations experienced the largest observational errors and we emphasize the exploratory nature of our results. We also measured the change in bubble diameter during the oscillations and computed the shear rate at the bubble surface. Maximum shear rates were in the range of 0.04–0.08 s−1. At these shear rates, our analysis indicates that shear thinning behavior of our analog fluids is expected to be small and compete with elastic behavior. This transitional viscous/elastic regime helps explain the small and variable results of our experiments. Our results are relevant to the study of earthquake‐volcano interactions. Most crystal‐free silicate melts would exhibit a purely viscous, shear‐thinning behavior in a natural scenario. Seismically enhanced bubble rise could offer an explanation for the observed increased degassing and unrest following large earthquakes. The speed at which air bubbles rise in a liquid is generally well‐known. However, in non‐Newtonian fluids (liquids with non‐constant viscosity), previous experiments have shown that this speed could be significantly increased by shaking the fluid container. In this study, we present experiments where we measure the rising speed of an air bubble in a viscous non‐Newtonian fluid while shaking it. We found that bubbles rose slightly faster during shaking, especially for strong shaking and/or large bubbles. However, the shaking of the table reduced the precision of our measurements, and our results need to be further validated. We were also able to measure how quickly the bubbles deformed during shaking. When the bubbles deform quickly, our fluids may behave like solids rather than liquids. This helps explain why our results are less striking than previous experiments. Our results can be applied to the study of volcanoes. Magma inside a volcano contains vapor bubbles. When an earthquake occurs close to a volcano, these bubbles may accelerate toward the surface and lead to more gas coming out of the volcano. We measured the rising rate of bubbles in shear‐thinning fluids subject to mechanical shakingThe bubble rising velocity increases slightly during shaking versus non‐shaking experimentsNatural magmas are likely to exhibit shear‐thinning behavior and increased bubble rise during large earthquakes We measured the rising rate of bubbles in shear‐thinning fluids subject to mechanical shaking The bubble rising velocity increases slightly during shaking versus non‐shaking experiments Natural magmas are likely to exhibit shear‐thinning behavior and increased bubble rise during large earthquakes

Terrestrial volcanic eruptions are the consequence of magmas ascending to the surface of the Earth. This ascent is driven by buoyancy forces, which are enhanced by bubble nucleation and growth (vesiculation) that reduce the density of magma. The development of vesicularity also greatly reduces the ‘strength’ of magma, a material parameter controlling fragmentation and thus the explosive potential of the liquid rock. The development of vesicularity in magmas has until now been viewed (both thermodynamically and kinetically) in terms of the pressure dependence of the solubility of water in the magma, and its role in driving gas saturation, exsolution and expansion during decompression. In contrast, the possible effects of the well documented negative temperature dependence of solubility of water in magma has largely been ignored. Recently, petrological constraints have demonstrated that considerable heating of magma may indeed be a common result of the latent heat of crystallization as well as viscous and frictional heating in areas of strain localization. Here we present field and experimental observations of magma vesiculation and fragmentation resulting from heating (rather than decompression). Textural analysis of volcanic ash from Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala reveals the presence of chemically heterogeneous filaments hosting micrometre-scale vesicles. The textures mirror those developed by disequilibrium melting induced via rapid heating during fault friction experiments, demonstrating that friction can generate sufficient heat to induce melting and vesiculation of hydrated silicic magma. Consideration of the experimentally determined temperature and pressure dependence of water solubility in magma reveals that, for many ascent paths, exsolution may be more efficiently achieved by heating than by decompression. We conclude that the thermal path experienced by magma during ascent strongly controls degassing, vesiculation, magma strength and the effusive–explosive transition in volcanic eruptions.

The central Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) is an actively rifting continental arc and is well known for its exceptionally high rate of rhyolitic magma generation and frequent caldera-forming eruptions. Two end-member types of rhyolites (R1 and R2) have been previously identified based on differences in their bulk-rock chemistry and mineral assemblage with hydrous phases crystallizing in the R1 type, which are not present or only rare in R2 rhyolites. Here we present new trace element and volatile data from rhyolitic melt inclusions measured in several representative eruptive deposits (R1 and R2 rhyolites) from the central TVZ to examine their volatile concentrations and origin. R1 and R2 show very distinct Cl concentrations, with R2 rhyolites being enriched in Cl by c.1000 ppm. H2O is slightly higher in the R1 rhyolites, whereas CO2concentrations are similar between the two end-member types. The origin of these volatile disparities between R1 and R2 melts is assigned to differences in the initial bulk volatile content of the parental magma, possibly associated with distinct input of fluids from the subduction zone. These disparities in bulk volatile concentrations can lead to variations in relative timing of exsolution of volatile phase(s) prior to melt inclusion entrapment.Supplementary material:Major, trace and volatile composition for the analysed central TVZ rhyolites, and comparison of H2O data between the transmission and reflectance FTIR are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18767.