L’éruption phréatomagmatique du Montchié, chaîne des puys, Massif Central français (13,6 ± 1,0 ka)

A previously unknown phreatomagmatic eruption, dated to 13.6 ± 1.0 thousand years ago, has been identified at the Montchié volcano within the Chaîne des Puys UNESCO World Heritage Site in France's Massif Central. This discovery challenges the existing understanding of the volcano as a simple basaltic Strombolian cone with multiple craters, revealing instead a complex final eruptive phase characterized by trachy-andesitic (latite) magma containing amphibole, pyroxene, and feldspar phenocrysts. The study employed thermoluminescence dating at four distinct sites and LiDAR surveys to reconstruct the relative chronology of the volcano's craters, providing new insights into the late Pleistocene construction of this UNESCO-listed tectonic arena.

Miallier, D., Pilleyre, T., Boivin, P., & Sanzelle, S. (2013). L’éruption phréatomagmatique du Montchié, chaîne des puys, Massif Central français (13,6 ± 1,0 ka). Quaternaire, vol. 24/2, 99–107. https://doi.org/10.4000/quaternaire.6512