I recently wrote my BSc physics dissertation on the effect of magma composition on volcanic eruption style.
One question I struggled to answer confidently was why Plinian/Ultra-Plinian/Sub-Plinian eruptions are so much more violent depending on the evolution level of the magma. I found transient eruptions easier to explain but continuous less so. Obviously viscosity and gas content are major contributors, as well as an inability to degas in more evolved magmas and a higher gas content overall. But I still really struggled to write a cohesive explanation on why they’re more explosive.
Why are Plinean eruptions more explosive than their Hawaiian counterparts?
rocketdogJD2 karma
I recently wrote my BSc physics dissertation on the effect of magma composition on volcanic eruption style.
One question I struggled to answer confidently was why Plinian/Ultra-Plinian/Sub-Plinian eruptions are so much more violent depending on the evolution level of the magma. I found transient eruptions easier to explain but continuous less so. Obviously viscosity and gas content are major contributors, as well as an inability to degas in more evolved magmas and a higher gas content overall. But I still really struggled to write a cohesive explanation on why they’re more explosive.
Why are Plinean eruptions more explosive than their Hawaiian counterparts?
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