VESICULATION
As dissolved gases are released from the magma, bubbles will begin to form. Bubbles frozen in a porous or frothy volcanic rock are called vesicles, and the process of bubble formation is called vesiculation or gas exsolution. The dissolved gases can escape only when the vapor pressure of the magma is greater than the confining pressure of the surrounding rocks. The vapor pressure is largely dependent on the amount of dissolved gases and the temperature of the magma.
Gas escape through
Vesicle-rich flow top
Gas escape through
vertical vesicle cylinders
Vesicle-rich flow top
Explosive eruptions are initiated by vesiculation, which in turn, can be promoted in two ways: (1) by decompression, which lowers the confining pressure, and (2) by crystallization, which increases the vapor pressure. In the first case, magma rise can lead to decompression and the formation of bubbles, much like the decompression of soda and the formation of CO2 bubbles when the cap is removed. This is sometimes referred to as the first boiling. Alternatively, as magma cools and anhydrous minerals begin to crystallize out of the magma, the residual liquid will become increasingly enriched in gas. In this case, the increased vapor pressure in the residual liquid can also lead to gas exsolution. This is sometimes referred to as second (or retrograde) boiling. Both mechanisms can trigger an explosive volcanic eruption.
CONTROLS ON EXPLOSIVITY
The amount of dissolved gas in the magma provides the driving force for explosive eruptions. The viscosity of the magma, however, is also an important factor in determining whether an eruption will be explosive or nonexplosive. A low-viscosity magma, like basalt, will allow the escaping gases to migrate rapidly through the magma and escape to the surface. However, if the magma is viscous, like rhyolite, its high polymerization will impede the upward mobility of the gas bubbles. As gas continues to exsolve from the viscous melt, the bubbles will be prevented from rapid escape, thus increasing the overall pressure on the magma column until the gas ejects explosively from the volcano. As a general rule, therefore, nonexplosive eruptions are typical of basaltic-to-andesitic magmas which have low viscosities and low gas contents, whereas explosive eruptions are typical of andesitic-to-rhyolitic magmas which have high viscosities and high gas contents.
SiO2
MAGMA
TYPE
TEMPERATURE
(centigrade)
VISCOSITY
GAS
CONTENT
ERUPTION STYLE
~50%
mafic
~1100
low
low
nonexplosive
~60%
intermediate
~1000
intermediate
intermediate
intermediate
~70%
felsic
~800
high
high
explosive
There are, however, two exceptions to this general rule. Andesitic-to-rhyolitic lavas that have been degassed often erupt at the surface nonexplosively as viscous lava domes or obsidian flows. Similarly, many of the so-called hydrovolcanic eruptions involve basaltic-to-andesitic magmas that erupt explosively in the presence of groundwater or surface water. For more information on the variability of explosivity, see the Volcano Explosivity Index.