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Aluminum-phosphate-sulfates (APS) of the alunite supergroup occur in igneous rocks within zones of advanced argillic and silicic alteration in porphyry and epithermal ore environments. In this study we report on the presence of woodhouseite-rich APS in ash from the 27 September 2014 hydrothermal eruption of Ontake volcano. Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) and field emission (FE)-SEM-EDS observations show two types of occurrence of woodhouseite: (a) as cores within chemically zoned alunite-APS crystals (Zoned-alunite-woodhouseite-APS), and (b) as a coherent single-phase mineral in micro-veinlets intergrown with similar micro-veinlets of silica minerals (Micro-wormy-vein woodhouseite-APS). The genetic environment of APS minerals at Ontake volcano is that of a highly acidic hydrothermal system existing beneath the volcano summit, formed by condensation in magmatic steam and/or ground waters of sulfur-rich magmatic volatiles exsolved from the magma chamber beneath Mt. Ontake. Under these conditions, an advanced argillic alteration assemblage forms, which is composed of silica, pyrophyllite, alunite and kaolinite/dickite, plus APS, among other minerals. The discovery of woodhouseite in the volcanic ash of the Ontake 2014 hydrothermal eruption represents the first reported presence of APS within an active volcano. Other volcanoes in Japan and elsewhere with similar phreatic eruptions ejecting altered ash fragments will likely contain APS minerals derived from magmatic-hydrothermal systems within the subvolcanic environment. The presence of APS minerals within the advanced argillic zone below the summit vent of Ontake volcano, together with the prior documentation of phyllic and potassically altered ash fragments, provides evidence for the existence within an active volcano in Japan of an alteration column comparable to that of porphyry copper systems globally.

Degassing processes occurring within silicic magma, such as bubble growth, bubble resorption, the welding of magma fragments, and open-system gas loss are crucial in the control of volcanic eruption and lava emplacement, yet their details are still debated. To examine the possibility that these degassing processes are recorded in volcanic glass as heterogeneous Cl distribution patterns, we experimentally simulated these processes by heating rhyolitic obsidian and analyzed the distribution of Cl content in the recovered sample. The results showed that, for bubble growth, Cl diffused toward the bubble interface, leading to Cl depletion around the bubble. For bubble resorption, Cl was discharged from the bubble to the melt, leading to Cl enrichment in the ambient melt. For welding of magma fragments, Cl was depleted near the welded interface because each fragment had degassed Cl at the surface before the welding took place. For open-system gas loss, Cl exsolved at the bubble interface while the bubble itself was being collapsed into a chain of small bubbles and a Cl-depleted tail. These results indicate that Cl distribution is a reliable record of the experienced degassing processes. We then analyzed the Cl distribution in silicic lava from Naruko volcano, Japan, to study the gas flow mechanism. We observed that the glassy matrix was progressively corroded into porous crystalline material. The interface of the glass was highly enriched in Cl. We conclude that a Cl-rich gas fluxed through hot lava and corroded the glass, developing a porous, gas-permeable region.

Lead (Pb) poses a serious public health concern. Breastmilk may be a possible source of Pb exposure in infants, as Pb can be transferred from the maternal blood to breastmilk. The present study was undertaken to determine the Pb exposure and the contribution of lactation as one of the exposure pathways to infants in a Pb mining area, Kabwe, Zambia. Blood, breastmilk and infants' feces were collected from 418 pairs of infants and mothers. The Pb concentrations, isotope ratios in the samples, and biochemistry in mothers' plasma were analyzed. The overall mean of blood lead levels (BLLs) in infants and mothers were 18.0 and 11.3 mu g/dL, respectively. High Pb concentration in breastmilk (range: 0.4-51.9, mean: 5.3 mu g/L) above the WHO acceptable level between 2 and 5 mu g/ L were found and could be one of the sources of Pb exposure in infants. The Pb isotope ratios in infants' feces were the most similar to Pb ratios in the soil samples. The results suggest that infants are also exposed to Pb from the environment. Pb exposure in infants through breastfeeding and soil ingestion could potentially exceed daily intake of Pb which causes neurodevelopmental toxicity. In contrast to the high BLLs in mothers, the plasma biochemical profiles of most analyzed parameters were interestingly within, or close to, the standard reference values. Our data suggest that environmental remediation is urgently needed to reduce the Pb exposure in infants and mothers from the environment in Kabwe in parallel with chelation therapy.

Degassing processes occurring within silicic magma, such as bubble growth, bubble resorption, the welding of magma fragments, and open-system gas loss are crucial in the control of volcanic eruption and lava emplacement, yet their details are still debated. To examine the possibility that these degassing processes are recorded in volcanic glass as heterogeneous Cl distribution patterns, we experimentally simulated these processes by heating rhyolitic obsidian and analyzed the distribution of Cl content in the recovered sample. The results showed that, for bubble growth, Cl diffused toward the bubble interface, leading to Cl depletion around the bubble. For bubble resorption, Cl was discharged from the bubble to the melt, leading to Cl enrichment in the ambient melt. For welding of magma fragments, Cl was depleted near the welded interface because each fragment had degassed Cl at the surface before the welding took place. For open-system gas loss, Cl exsolved at the bubble interface while the bubble itself was being collapsed into a chain of small bubbles and a Cl-depleted tail. These results indicate that Cl distribution is a reliable record of the experienced degassing processes. We then analyzed the Cl distribution in silicic lava from Naruko volcano, Japan, to study the gas flow mechanism. We observed that the glassy matrix was progressively corroded into porous crystalline material. The interface of the glass was highly enriched in Cl. We conclude that a Cl-rich gas fluxed through hot lava and corroded the glass, developing a porous, gas-permeable region.