Search

[1] We applied a new simulation model, based on multiphase transport laws, to describe the 4D (3D spatial coordinates plus time) dynamics of explosive eruptions. Numerical experiments, carried out on a parallel supercomputer, describe the collapse of the volcanic eruption column and the propagation of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), for selected medium scale (sub-Plinian) eruptive scenarios at Vesuvius, Italy. Simulations provide crucial insights into the effects of the generation mechanism of the flows - partial collapse vs boiling-over - on their evolution and hazard potential, the unstable dynamics of the fountain, and the influence of Mount Somma on the propagation of PDCs into the circum-Vesuvian area, one of the world's most hazardous volcanic settings. Results also show that it is possible to characterize the volcanic column behavior in terms of percentage of the mass of pyroclasts collapsed to the ground and how this parameter strongly influences the dynamics and hazard of the associated PDCs.

[1] Carbon dioxide is the second most abundant volatile species in magmas after water (Johnson et al., 1994) but its role on eruption dynamics is still largely unknown. The effects of the presence of CO2 in the Agnano Monte Spina eruption (4100 BP, Phlegrean Fields, Italy) are here evaluated by simulating the eruption dynamics from the base of the volcanic conduit up into the atmosphere. The numerical simulations consider multiphase flow dynamics and couple the steady-state, one-dimensional magma ascent model of Papale (2001) and the transient, axisymmetric pyroclast dispersal model of Neri et al. (2003). The main input parameters of the models were based on eruptive conditions estimated from the deposits. A parametric study has been performed on H2O and CO2 concentrations in the erupted magma. The addition of CO2 results in increased volatile saturation pressure and complex non-linear changes in the conduit flow. Nonetheless, within the range of conditions explored, this volatile scarcely affects the eruption style and dynamics in the atmosphere, which are principally controlled by the H2O content. The different roles of the two volatiles in the large-scale eruption dynamics are mostly the result of the competing changes induced by CO2 on vent conditions.