Search

Lava domes exhibit highly unpredictable and hazardous behavior, which is why imaging their morphological evolution to decipher the underlying governing mechanisms remains a major challenge. Using high-resolution satellite radar imagery enhanced with deep-learning, we image the repetitive dome construction-subsidence cycles at Popocatépetl volcano (Mexico) with very high temporal and spatial resolution. We show that these cycles resemble gas-driven rise and fall of the upper magma column, where buoyant bubble-rich magma is extruded from the conduit (in ~hours-days), and successively drained back (in ~days-months) as magma degasses and crystallizes. These cycles are superimposed on a progressive decadal crater deepening, accompanied by heat and gas flux decrease, which could be partially explained by gas depletion within the magma plumbing system. Results reinforce the idea that gas retention and escape from the magma column play a key role in the short- and long-term morphological evolution of low-viscosity lava domes and their associated hazards., S.V. was supported by DGAPA-PAPIIT grant IA102221, T.R.W. by ERC consolidator grant ERC-CoG Q7 646858, R.C. by SEP-CONACYT grant A1-S-30127. We thank DLR for the continuous acquisition of TerraSAR-X spotlight-mode data, ESA and NASA for providing access to open-access data (Sentinel-1, MODIS, OMI), and CENAPRED for providing access to daily volcanic activity reports.

Volcanic plume composition is strongly influenced by both changes in magmatic systems and plume-atmosphere interactions. Understanding the degassing mechanisms controlling the type of volcanic activity implies deciphering the contributions of magmatic gases reaching the surface and their posterior chemical transformations in contact with the atmosphere. Remote sensing techniques based on direct solar absorption spectroscopy provide valuable information about most of the emitted magmatic gases but also on gas species formed and converted within the plumes. In this study, we explore the procedures, performances and benefits of combining two direct solar absorption techniques, high resolution Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultraviolet Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (UV-DOAS), to observe the composition changes in the Popocatépetl’s plume with high temporal resolution. The SO2 vertical columns obtained from three instruments (DOAS, high resolution FTIR and Pandora) were found similar (median difference, We acknowledge financial support from grants UNAM-PAPIIT IA101620 and IN111521. NT and TBo also thank the stipend given by the Mexican Foreign Affairs Department (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores) and its AMEXCID program. Financial support from Conacyt-AEM through grant No. 275239 is acknowledged.

Durante la erupción del volcán de Cumbre Vieja, en la isla de La Palma en 2021, la Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET), en calidad de Servicio Nacional y Autoridad Meteorológica del Estado, prestó diferentes servicios de apoyo al Comité Científico y al Comité Asesor del Plan de Emergencias Volcánicas de Canarias (PEVOLCA). Parte de sus actividades abarcaron la vigilancia y predicción meteorológica, la monitorización y predicción del transporte del penacho volcánico, y la valoración del impacto de las emisiones de gases y cenizas de la erupción volcánica en la calidad del aire en la isla de La Palma y en la región de Canarias.

The growth of oceanic volcanoes is frequently punctuated by large flank collapses, which can generate voluminous debris avalanches and destructive tsunamis. The causes, the mechanisms and the consequences of such instabilities, crucial for risk assessment, remain poorly understood.Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) is a target of particular interest to study such phenomena. Its recent evolution includes the development of a large silicic central volcano and a prominent volcanic ridge along a main NE-SW trending rift zone (NERZ). During the last Myr, these volcanic systems have been truncated by three large flank collapses, the base of which is partly accessible through underground water mining galleries.This thesis develops a systematic analysis of the relationships between volcanic construction and recurrent flank instabilities along the NERZ. Our approach includes field investigations at the surface and in the galleries to identify and sample the volcanic units affected by each landslide and the successions filling their scar; unspiked K/Ar dating (Cassignol-Gillot technique) on fresh separated groundmass to constrain precisely the timing of the landslides; 3-D morphological reconstructions to estimate the volume of the edifices and landslides structures; and whole-rock geochemical analyses to characterize the compositional evolution of the magma prior to and after each collapse event.Our new results show the intermittent functioning of the various sections of the NERZ with a recurrent pattern comprising:(1) The rapid construction of a large volcanic edifice. The resulting load favors the creation of superficial storage levels, the associated evolution of the magma and the eruption of viscous differentiated terms, favoring local inflation of the structure and its destabilization(2) The collapse of a flank of the NERZ, dated at ca. 840 ka, 525 ka, and 175 ka (Güimar, La Orotava and Icod, events respectively)(3) An immediate eruptive response, implying the rapid emptying (, La croissance des volcans océaniques est fréquemment ponctuée par des effondrements latéraux géants qui peuvent générer des avalanches de débris volumineuses et engendrer des tsunamis dévastateurs. Néanmoins, les causes, les mécanismes et les conséquences de telles déstabilisations, critiques pour la caractérisation des aléas, demeurent largement incompris.L'île de Tenerife (Canaries, Espagne) constitue une cible privilégiée pour étudier ces phénomènes. Son évolution récente inclue le développement d'un volcan central différencié et d'une ride volcanique proéminente le long d'une rift-zone principale NE-SW (NERZ). Durant le dernier Myr, ces systèmes ont été tronqués par trois effondrements de flanc géants, dont la semelle est partiellement accessible à la faveur de galeries souterraines à usage hydrogéologique.Cette thèse développe une analyse systématique des relations entre construction volcanique et instabilités récurrentes le long de l’axe de la NERZ. L'approche inclut des investigations de terrain en surface et dans les galeries, afin de reconnaître et d’échantillonner les séquences volcaniques affectées par chaque effondrement et remplissant leurs structures; la datation K/Ar Cassignol-Gillot sur phases séparées pour en contraindre l’âge précisément ; des reconstructions morphologiques 3D afin d'estimer le volume des édifices et des structures gravitaires; des analyses chimiques sur roches totales, visant à caractériser l’évolution de la composition des laves avant et après chaque déstabilisation.Les nouveaux résultats montrent le fonctionnement intermittent des différents tronçons la NERZ, avec un schéma récurrent comprenant :1) la croissance rapide d'un édifice imposant, dont la charge induit la création de niveaux de stockage superficiels et l’éruption de termes différenciés visqueux, favorisant l'inflation locale de la structure et sa déstabilisation2) la rupture proprement dite, datée à environ 840 ka, 525 ka et 175 ka (glissements de Güimar, La Orotava et Icod, respectivement)3) une réponse éruptive immédiate, impliquant la vidange rapide (