Journal
BULLETIN OF VOLCANOLOGY
Volume 74, Issue 6, Pages 1425-1443Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00445-012-0604-2
Keywords
Submarine volcanism; Explosive eruption; Kermadec arc; Pumice
Categories
Funding
- Royal Society of New Zealand [VUW0613]
- New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology [C01X0702-RJW]
- Victoria University of Wellington
- Natural Environment Research Council [noc010011, noc010004] Funding Source: researchfish
- NERC [noc010011, noc010004] Funding Source: UKRI
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Pyroclastic deposits from four caldera volcanoes in the Kermadec arc have been sampled from subaerial sections (Raoul and Macauley) and by dredging from the submerged volcano flanks (Macauley, Healy, and the newly discovered Raoul SW). Suites of 16-32 mm sized clasts have been analyzed for density and shape, and larger clasts have been analyzed for major element compositions. Density spectra for subaerial dry-type eruptions on Raoul Island have narrow unimodal distributions peaking at vesicularities of 80-85%, whereas ingress of external water (wet-type eruption) or extended timescales for degassing generate broader distributions, including denser clasts. Submarine-erupted pyroclasts show two different patterns. Healy and Raoul SW dredge samples and Macauley Island subaerial-emplaced samples are dominated by modes at similar to 80-85%, implying that submarine explosive volcanism at high eruption rates can generate clasts with similar vesicularities to their subaerial counterparts. A minor proportion of Healy and Raoul SW clasts also show a pink oxidation color, suggesting that hot clasts met air despite 0.5 to > 1 km of intervening water. In contrast, Macauley dredged samples have a bimodal density spectrum dominated by clasts formed in a submarine-eruptive style that is not highly explosive. Macauley dredged pyroclasts are also the mixed products of multiple eruptions, as shown by pumice major-element chemistry, and the sea-floor deposits reflect complex volcanic and sedimentation histories. The Kermadec calderas are composite features, and wide dispersal of pumice does not require large single eruptions. When coupled with chemical constraints and textural observations, density spectra are useful for interpreting both eruptive style and the diversity of samples collected from the submarine environment.
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