Magma fragmentation speed: an experimental determination

The propagation speed of a fragmentation front, combined with the ascent velocity of magma is, in all likelihood, a controlling factor in the dynamics of explosive volcanic eruptions. Direct measurement of the ‘fragmentation speed’ in natural systems appears to be impossible at present. Fortunately, laboratory experiments can provide information on the propagation speed of the fragmentation front. Here we present the results of fragmentation speed determinations using a so-called ‘fragmentation bomb’. These are, to the best of our knowledge, the first in situ fragmentation speed determinations performed on magma. Natural magma samples (Merapi basaltic andesite, Mount St. Helens dacite and Unzen dacite) have been investigated in the temperature range of 20–950°C and at pressures up to 25 MPa. Two techniques have been employed. Firstly, in experiments at 20°C, dynamic pressure transducers were placed above and below the magma samples and the fragmentation speed of the magma sample was derived from an analysis of the decompression curves. Secondly, at elevated temperatures, an alternative technique was introduced and successfully employed. This involved the severing via fragmentation of conducting wires placed within the samples at various heights. Fragmentation speeds are very low, falling in the range of 2–70 m/s and increasing with an increase in the magnitude of the decompression step responsible for the fragmentation. The first high-temperature determination seems consistent with low-temperature results. Implications for explosive volcanism are discussed briefly.