Magma fragmentation and particle size distributions in low intensity mafic explosions: the July/August 2015 Piton de la Fournaise eruption

Low-intensity mafic explosions, often overlooked but frequent and hazardous, were studied during the July/August 2015 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise. The research revealed that surface tension instabilities and inertial forces drive magma fragmentation, producing coarse-skewed particle size distributions with median diameters ranging from -8 to -10 ϕ. Over time, these distributions shifted toward more symmetrical shapes as grain sizes became finer due to in-flight fragmentation of magma droplets. The study combined visual and thermal documentation with sample analysis to elucidate the dynamics of magma fragmentation and its implications for vent-proximal hazard assessment.

Edwards, M. J., Pioli, L., Harris, A. J. L., Gurioli, L., & Thivet, S. (2020). Magma fragmentation and particle size distributions in low intensity mafic explosions: the July/August 2015 Piton de la Fournaise eruption. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69976-y