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On December 22, 2018 the south-western flank of Anak Krakatau collapsed into the sea, removing 93.8 × 106 m3 of subaerial lavas, and generated a tsunami. Synchronously with the collapse, a large volcanic plume of SO2 and ash (14–15 km in height) has formed, marking the onset of a paroxysmal eruption lasting from December 22, 2018 to January 06, 2019. From remote sensing analysis, we show that the eruption can be divided into three main phases. Phase I and II show both tephra and gas emissions while phase III is mostly degassing. The total amount of SO2 injected in the atmosphere is 173±52 kt, while the minimum bulk magma volume emplaced, estimated from a topographic reconstruction, is ?45 × 106 m3. This value compares well with a petrologic-based estimate of 56.4 × 106 m3, making the existence of external sulphur sources and sinks quite unlikely. The ice-rich ash plume formation shows that a strong sea-water/magma interaction was responsible for the phreatomagmatic activity throughout the eruption. However, we distinguish a first Vulcanian blast-derived eruption (lasting 40 min) just after the collapse having a Mass Eruption Rate (MER) of 9 × 105 kgs?1, followed by a sustained lower-intensity eruption resulting in ash emissions over hours (MER = 5 × 105 kgs?1). From December 23, daytime photos show typical Surtseyan activity.

International audience; Eruption style and dynamics are controlled by various parameters including magma supply rate, magma viscosity, volatile content, and the permeability of the conduit. Rapid changes of these parameters can significantly modify the hazards associated to the eruption processes and understanding their relationship with multiparametric geophysical monitoring data can greatly improve our forecasting capacities. From 2008 to 2016, volcanic activity at Tungurahua was characterized by eruptive phases separated by episodes of quiescence. These phases displayed great variability of eruptive patterns including Vulcanian and Strombolian explosions, low pyroclastic fountaining, continuous or sporadic ash emissions and passive degassing. We use the comparison between geophysical data (seismic, acoustic and SO2 emission), recorded by permanent monitoring networks, and the characteristics of the emitted ash to track changes in eruption dynamics during an eruptive phase that lasted from late December 2009 to March 2010. We show that the correlation between the analyzed parameters allows imaging and interpretation of the conditions at the vent. At Tungurahua, these conditions can rapidly change at the time scale of a single eruptive phase, corresponding to various degrees of opening, plugging and permeability of the conduit. Two magma intrusions could be identified during a single eruptive phase showing transitions between violent Strombolian and Vulcanian activity. Changes in the componentry of the analyzed ash samples, together with the geophysical data, nicely highlight these evolutions. Studying these parameters simultaneously provides a unique insight into the physical processes controlling superficial volcanic activity and offers a potential tool for better understanding volcanoes and detecting changes in their activity. The joint interpretation of multiparametric data which we propose is potentially applicable to multiple andesitic volcanoes.

International audience; We present continuous SO2 measurements performed at Tungurahua volcano with a permanent network of 4 scanning DOAS instruments between 2007 and 2013. The volcano has been erupting since September 1999, but on the contrary to the first years of eruption when the activity was quasi-continuous, the activity transitioned in late 2008 towards the occurrence of distinct eruptive phases separated by periods of quiescence. During our study period we distinguish 11 phases lasting from 17 to 527 days separated by quiescence periods of 26 to 184 days. We propose a new routine to quantify the SO2 emissions when data from a dense DOAS monitoring network are available. This routine consists in summing all the highest validated SO2 measurements among all stations during the 10 h of daily working-time to obtain a daily observed SO2 mass. Since measurement time is constant at Tungurahua the “observed” amounts can be expressed in tons per 10 h and can easily be converted to a daily average flux or mass per day. Our results provide time series having an improved correlation on a long time scale with the eruptive phases and with quiescence periods. A total of 1.25 Mt (1.25 × 109 kg) of SO2 has been released by Tungurahua during the study period, with 95% of these emissions occurring during phases of activity and only 5% during quiescence. This shows a contrast with previous volcanic behaviour when passive degassing dominated the total SO2 emissions. SO2 average daily mass emission rates are of 73 ± 56 t/d during quiescent periods, 735 ± 969 t/d during long-lasting phases and 1424 ± 1224 t/d during short-lasting phases. Degassing during the different eruptive phases displays variable patterns. However, two contrasting behaviours can be distinguished for the onset of eruptive phases with both sudden and progressive onsets being observed. The first is characterised by violent opening of the conduit by high energy Vulcanian explosions; and the second by a progressive, in crescendo, development of the activity. The first case is becoming more frequent at Tungurahua making the volcano more dangerous and less predictable.