Search

Hydrothermal eruptions are the most violent and hazardous phenomena within geothermal fields. The largest of these may produce kilometer-sized craters and breccia deposits that are tens of meters thick. The geological and hydrothermal priming that leads to these types of eruptions is poorly understood. To understand large hydrothermal eruptions, we investigated a series of prehistoric events at the Rotokawa geothermal field in New Zealand. By revising the stratigraphy and distribution of hydrothermal breccia deposits and correlating these with componentry, crater morphology, and subsurface geological structure, we estimated the frequency, priming processes, triggers, and dynamics of multiple eruptions. Seventeen large hydrothermal eruptions occurred centuries to millennia apart in the period from ca. 22 cal ka B.P. to ca. 3.4 cal ka B.P. Of six hydrothermal eruptions since ca. 7 ka, four produced oval-shaped craters up to 2 km in diameter, creating a broad, shallow depression within the geothermal field. The two youngest eruptions occurred northeast of earlier eruption centers and have narrower and elongated vents. We infer that in the central depression, newly formed craters rimmed by breccia deposits and high-relief country rock hosted temporary lakes tens of meters deep. Crater-lake breakout(s) and/or seismic events caused sudden pressure reduction above the hydrothermal aquifer, triggering hydrothermal eruptions. Northeast of the basin, hydrothermal alteration produced caprocks above intensively fractured areas. In this case, earthquakes are the most likely trigger for cap-rupture and eruption. All eruptions excavated shallow and large craters mostly within partially altered Oruanui Formation and pre-fragmented breccias. The size and localization of the eruptions was likely due to a combination of (1) availability of undisturbed porous ignimbrite hosting large thermal aquifers, (2) efficient crater excavation within or alongside pre-fragmented breccia, and (3) the location of fracture and fault zones that channeled deep fluid upflow, favoring priming processes. This study highlights how an interplay of tectonic, magmatic, and hydrologic processes is responsible for the timing, dynamics, and ultimate size of hydrothermal eruptions in geothermal fields. Some events may be very large and destructive depending on the right priming and geological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal eruptions are characterised by violent explosions ejecting steam, water, mud, and rock. They pose a risk to tourism and the operation of power plants in geothermal areas around the world. Large events with a severe destructive threat are often intensified by the injection of magmatic fluids along faults and fractures within volcano-tectonic rifting environments, such as the Taupo Volcanic Zone. How these hydrothermal eruptions progress, how craters form and the scale of ejecta impacts, are all influenced by the local geology and reservoir hydrology. By analysing breccia lithology, undisturbed strata proximal to the explosion sites, and conducting tailored decompression experiments, we elucidate the eruption sequence that formed Champagne Pool, Wai-o-tapu, New Zealand. This iconic touristic site was formed by a violent hydrothermal eruption at ~ 700 years B.P. Samples from undisturbed drill cores and blocks ejected in the eruption were fragmented in shock-tube experiments under the moderate pressure/temperature conditions estimated for this system (3–4 MPa, 210–220 °C). Our results show that this was a two-phase eruption. It started with an initial narrow jetting of deep-sourced lithologies, ejecting fragments from at least a 110-m depth. This event was overtaken by a larger, broader, and dominantly shallower eruption driven by decompression of much more geothermal fluid within a soft and porous ignimbrite horizon. The second phase was triggered once the initial, deeper-sourced eruption broke through a strong silicified aquitard cap. The soft ignimbrite collapsed during the second-phase eruption into the crater, to repeatedly choke the explosions causing short-term pressure rises that triggered ongoing deeper-sourced eruptions. The eruption spread laterally also by exploiting a local fault. These results are relevant for hydrothermal eruption hazard scenarios in environments where strong vertical variations in rock strength and porosity occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam-driven eruptions are caused by explosive vaporization of water within the pores and cracks of a host rock, mainly within geothermal or volcanic terrains. Ground or surface water can be heated and pressurized rapidly from below (phreatic explosions), or already hot and pressurized fluids in hydrothermal systems may decompress when host rocks or seals fail (hydrothermal eruptions). Deposit characteristics and crater morphology can be used in combination with knowledge of host-rock lithology to reconstruct the locus, dynamics, and possible triggers of these events. We investigated a complex field of >30 craters formed over three separate episodes of steam-driven eruptions at Lake Okaro within the Taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand. Fresh unaltered rock excavated from initially >70 m depths in the base of phase I breccia deposits showed that eruptions were deep, "bottomup" explosions formed in the absence of a preexisting hydrothermal system. These phreatic explosions were likely triggered by sudden rise of magmatic fluids/gas to heat groundwater within an ignimbrite 70 m below the surface. Excavation of a linear set of craters and associated fracture development, along with continued heat input, caused posteruptive establishment of a large hydrothermal system within shallow, weakly compacted, and unconsolidated deposits, including the phase I breccia. After enough time for extensive hydrothermal alteration, erosion, and external sediment influx into the area, phase II occurred, possibly triggered by an earthquake or hydrological disruption to a geothermal system. Phase II produced a second network of craters into weakly compacted, altered, and pumice-rich tuff, as well as within deposits from phase I. Phase II breccias display vertical variation in lithology that reflects top-down excavation from shallow levels (10-20 m) to >70 m. After another hiatus, lake levels rose. Phase III hydrothermal explosions were later triggered by a sudden lake-level drop, excavating into deposits from previous eruptions. This case shows that once a hydrothermal system is established, repeated highly hazardous hydrothermal eruptions may follow that are as large as initial phreatic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden hydrothermal eruptions occur in many volcanic settings and may include high-energy explosive phases. Ballistics launched by such events, together with ash plumes and pyroclastic density currents, generate deadly proximal hazards. The violence of hydrothermal eruptions (or explosive power) depends on the energy available within the driving-fluids (gas or liquid), which also influences the explosive mechanisms, volumes, durations, and products of these eruptions. Experimental studies in addition to analytical modeling were used here to elucidate the fragmentation mechanism and aspects of energy balance within hydrothermal eruptions. We present results from a detailed study of recent event that occurred on the 6th of August 2012 at Upper Te Maari within the Tongariro volcanic complex (New Zealand). The eruption was triggered by a landslide from this area, which set off a rapid stepwise decompression of the hydrothermal system. Explosive blasts were directed both westward and eastward of the collapsed area, with a vertical ash plume sourced from an adjacent existing crater. All explosions ejected blocks on ballistic trajectories, hundreds of which impacted New Zealand's most popular hiking trail and a mountain lodge, 1.4 km from the explosion locus. We have employed rocks representative of the eruption source area to perform rapid decompression experiments under controlled laboratory conditions that mimic hydrothermal explosions under controlled laboratory conditions. An experimental apparatus for 34 by 70 mm cylindrical samples was built to reduce the influence of large lithic enclaves (up to 30 mm in diameter) within the rock. The experiments were conducted in a temperature range of 250 °C–300 °C and applied pressure between 4 MPa and 6.5 MPa, which span the range of expected conditions below the Te Maari crater. Within this range we tested rapid decompression of pre-saturated samples from both liquid-dominated conditions and the vapor-dominated field. Further, we tested dry samples at the same pressure and temperature conditions. Results showed that host rock lithology and state of the interstitial fluid was a major influence on the fragmentation and ejection processes, as well as the energy partitioning. Clasts were ejected with velocities of up to 160 m/s as recorded by high-speed camera. In addition to rare large clasts (analogous to ballistics), a large amount of fine and very fine (<63 μm) ash was produced in all experiments. The efficiency of transformation of the total explosive energy into fragmentation energy was estimated between 10 to 15%, depending on the host rock lithology, while less than 0.1% of this was converted into kinetic energy. Our results suggest that liquid-to-vapor (flashing) expansion provides an order of magnitude higher energy release than steam expansion, which best explains the dynamics of the westward (and most energetic) directed blast at Te Maari. Considering the steam flashing as the primary energy source, the experiments suggested that a minimum explosive energy of 7 × 10 10 to 2 × 10 12 J was involved in the Te Maari blast. Experimental studies under controlled conditions, compared closely to a field example are thus highly useful in providing new insights into the energy release and hazards associated with eruptions in hydrothermal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface expressions of hydrothermal systems such as mud-pools, fumaroles, and collapse or explosion craters are manifold, highly complex and highly variable in space and time. Such features often lend themselves to becoming tourist attractions (e.g. in Yellowstone, USA, or Wai-o-Tapu, NZ), or are present in geothermally exploited areas, as is the case of the Rotokawa geothermal field (New Zealand). The Rotokawa geothermal field is a valuable power resource (174 MWe capacity), representing a critical facility supporting NZ communities and industry. The geothermal area is characterized by abundant hydrothermal surface features that may represent a significant threat to both safety and operability. In particular, the Rotokawa steamfield has been an area of intense hydrothermal activity and site of extensive sulfur mining in the 20th century. The steamfield is generally characterized by a complex pattern of alteration, and its surficial manifestations are controlled mostly by a regional NE-SW trending fracture system, and the presence of the heterogeneous, ash- to pumice-rich Taupo Ignimbrite deposit. At the subsoil level (<1m), the distribution of degassing features has been further affected by mining activity.A field campaign was carried out to assess the surficial distribution of hydrothermal features and temperatures, as well as the physical and mechanical properties of subsoil units within the Rotokawa steamfield. Lab-porosity measurements were also determined on select samples. Four distinct soil domains could be recognized based on their properties, structures and textures: undisturbed Taupo soil units, excavated areas with sulfur-cemented crusts and hummocks on the ground surface, areas dominated by mud and heated pools, and areas of active sinter deposition. The spatial distribution of these domains suggests that fluid circulation, alteration intensity, and degassing are strongly controlled by field/scale faults and permeable contacts/layers within the subsoil. Surface temperatures range from approximately 10 to 100◦C, with the hottest temperatures measured in water pools or in close proximity to sulfur-encrusted areas, and the coolest temperatures measured in mud and undisturbed Taupo units. Regions of mid-high temperature (>50◦C) are commonly, but not exclusively, distributed along inferred fracture systems and/or geological unconformities. Pumice-rich, as well as more permeable (e.g. sand-rich) soil levels act as lateral fluid pathways. The presence of lower-permeability (e.g. ash- or clay-rich) levels within the Taupo Ignimbrite/reworked subsoil, or the formation of sinters, inhibit surficial fluid degassing. The investigation of near-surface environment at Rotokawa allows us to better understand the factors controlling hydrothermal alteration in active and dynamic hydrothermal areas. Furthermore, it demonstrate how complex relations between natural and anthropogenic effects may result in sinkhole-collapse craters or, potentially, explosive events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]