On the fate of pumice rafts formed during the 2012 Havre submarine eruption

Jutzeler, M.; Marsh, R.; Carey, R.J.; White, J.D.L.; Talling, P.J.; Karlstrom, L.

Abstract

Pumice rafts are floating mobile accumulations of low-density pumice clasts generated by silicic volcanic eruptions. Pumice in rafts can drift for years, become waterlogged and sink, or become stranded on shorelines. Here we show that the pumice raft formed by the impressive, deep submarine eruption of the Havre caldera volcano (Southwest Pacific) in July 2012 can be mapped by satellite imagery augmented by sailing crew observations. Far from coastal interference, the eruption produced a single >400 km2 raft in 1 day, thus initiating a gigantic, high-precision, natural experiment relevant to both modern and prehistoric oceanic surface dispersal dynamics. Observed raft dispersal can be accurately reproduced by simulating drift and dispersal patterns using currents from an eddy-resolving ocean model hindcast. For future eruptions that produce potentially hazardous pumice rafts, our technique allows real-time forecasts of dispersal routes, in addition to inference of ash/pumice deposit distribution in the deep ocean.

Citation

Jutzeler, M., Marsh, R., Carey, R., White, J., Talling, P., & Karlstrom, L. (2014). On the fate of pumice rafts formed during the 2012 Havre submarine eruption. Nature Communications, 5, Article 3660. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4660

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 14, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Apr 22, 2014
• Publication Date: Apr 22, 2014
• Deposit Date: Oct 24, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 15, 2017
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Article Number: 3660
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4660
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1394947