Conference proceeding
Transitions in eruption style at Merapi Volcano (Java, Indonesia); insights from satellite thermal infrared images and numerical modeling
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Vol.2012
Dec 2012
Abstract
Merapi is a 2968 m high volcano located in the Central Java Province of Indonesia and one of the country's most active volcanoes. Episodes of andesitic dome growth are periodically interrupted by explosive eruptions, which have caused at least 429 fatalities in the last 20 years alone. We use thermal infrared (TIR) images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instruments to measure heat flux at Merapi Volcano over the time period from 2006-2010. We also estimate effusion rates at the vent from the heat flux values using the method of Harris and Ripepe (2007, Geophys. Res. Let. 34). Our data set includes over 500 MODIS images and over 40 ASTER scenes that allow us to observe trends in heat flux at the vent over time. We produce a 5-year record of heat flux at Merapi that includes a typical merapi-style, dome-building effusive eruption in 2006 and the explosive VEI 3-4 eruption of 2010. We are able to confirm the accuracy of heat flux measurements and effusion rate estimates from TIR data by comparison with a limited number of ground observations from the 2006 and 2010 eruptions. Our observations capture transitions in activity at Merapi from inactive to active and from effusive to explosive as well as the time scales over which these transitions occur. We use a numerical approach to model magma ascent in the volcanic conduit in order to understand factors that may have led to significant changes in eruption rate and style over this period. We constrain relevant model input and output parameters using previous petrologic, seismic, and geodetic studies of the Merapi system, and vary several critical parameters over reasonable ranges as documented in the literature. Results suggest that chamber pressure and some combination of total volatile content and rate of open-system degassing are the primary parameters controlling the observed transitions in eruption rate and style.
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Details
- Title
- Transitions in eruption style at Merapi Volcano (Java, Indonesia); insights from satellite thermal infrared images and numerical modeling
- Creators
- B. B. Carr - Arizona State UniversityA. B. ClarkeL. VanderkluysenM. De'Michieli VitturiAnonymous
- Publication Details
- American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Vol.2012
- Conference
- American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (2012)
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Identifiers
- 991021015467704721