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Remote determinations on fumarole outlet temperatures in an eruptive volcano
Author(s) -
Tsunogai Urumu,
Cheng Lin,
Ito Masanori,
Komatsu Daisuke D.,
Nakagawa Fumiko,
Shinohara Hiroshi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl070838
Subject(s) - fumarole , volcano , plume , geology , panache , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , remote sensing , mineralogy , meteorology , geochemistry , geography
Direct measurement of the fumarole outlet temperature in active volcanoes is impractical. Therefore, we used an aircraft to sample H 2 in the volcanic plume ejected from Sakurajima volcano to remotely estimate the highest fumarolic temperatures of the volcano based on hydrogen isotopic fractionation between H 2 and magmatic H 2 O. We successfully estimated that the δD of the fumarolic H 2 in September and December 2014 was −135 ± 13‰ and −113 ± 11‰, respectively, and that the corresponding highest outlet temperatures were 1050 ± 120°C and 1199 ± 139°C. Although the temperatures were higher than those determined by using infrared remote sensing, we concluded that they are more reliable estimates of the highest fumarole outlet temperatures. Combined with plume sampling by using aircraft, remote temperature sensing based on the δD of H 2 in volcanic plumes can be widely applied to active volcanoes to determine the highest fumarole outlet temperatures.