Growth patterns and emplacement of the andesitic lava dome at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat

Watts, R. B., Herd, R. A., Sparks, R. S. J. and Young, S. R. (2002) Growth patterns and emplacement of the andesitic lava dome at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat. In: The Eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, from 1995 to 1999. Geological Society London, Memoir No 21, pp. 115-152. ISBN 9781862390980

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Abstract

Eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat allowed the detailed documentation of a Pélean dome-forming eruption. Dome growth between November 1995 and March 1998 produced over 0.3 km3 of crystal-rich andesitic lava. Discharge rates gradually accelerated from <1 m3 s−1 during the first few months to >5 m3 s−1 in the later stages. Early dome growth (November 1995 to September 1996) was dominated by the diffuse extrusion of large spines and mounds of blocky lava. A major dome collapse (17 September 1996) culminated in a magmatic explosive eruption, which unroofed the main conduit. Subsequent dome growth was dominated by the extrusion of broad lobes, here termed shear lobes. These lobes developed through a combination of exogenous and endogenous growth over many weeks, with movement accommodated along curved shear faults within the dome interior. Growth cycles were recognized, with each cycle initiated by the slow emplacement of a large shear lobe, constructing a steep flank on one sector of the dome. A growth spurt, heralded by the onset of intense hybrid seismicity, pushed the lobe rapidly out, triggering dome collapse. Extrusion of another lobe within the resulting collapse scar reconstructed the steep dome flanks prior to the next cycle.

Item Type:	Book Section
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Volcanoes@UEA (former - to 2018) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences and Natural Hazards (former - to 2017)
Depositing User:	Rosie Cullington
Date Deposited:	26 May 2011 10:07
Last Modified:	28 Mar 2025 01:37
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/31439
DOI:	10.1144/GSL.MEM.2002.021.01.06

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