Comparison of Explosive Volcanic Eruptions with Effusive Volcanic Eruptions
An Explosive Eruption |
An Effusive Eruption |
Extreme Explosive Eruption |
Extreme Effusive Eruption |
|
Volcano |
Pinatubo (1991) |
Laki (1783) |
Yellowstone (2.059 Ma) |
Siberian Traps (250 Ma) |
Primary magma type |
dacite |
basalt |
rhyolite |
basalt |
Duration of longest eruptive phase |
9 hours |
8 days |
a few hours to days |
|
Duration of emissions |
5 days |
8 months |
670,000+ years |
|
Volume of eruptives (DRE) |
5 km3 |
|||
Bulk volume of pyroclastic fallout |
4 km3 |
0.4 km3 |
||
Dominant type of mass flow |
ignimbrite |
basaltic lava |
ignimbrite |
basaltic lava |
Bulk volume of mass flow |
6 km3 |
15 km3 |
2,450 km3 |
3 million km3 |
Area of mass flow |
400 km2 |
565 km2 |
15,500 km2 |
5 million km2 |
Caldera formed |
2.5 km diameter |
|
75 km long 45 km wide |
|
Eruption columns to |
35 km |
13 km |
||
SO2 emissions |
17 Mt |
122 Mt |
7 Gt sulphur |
|
H2O emissions |
491-921 Mt |
235 Mt |
||
Chlorine emissions |
3-16 Mt |
15 Mt |
||
Fluorine emissions |
7 Mt |
|||
Bromine emissions |
11-25 kt |
|||
Maximum regional SO2 concentrations |
300 ppbm |
1000 ppbm |
||
Average effect on climate |
up to -0.5oC for 3 years |
up to -4oC for 6 years |
+8oC warming low-latitude sea surface |
|
Warming of lower stratosphere |
+3oC within 5 months |
|||
Peak change in surface temperature |
-0.7oC |
+3.3oC in NW Europe |
-10oC for a few months |
|
Northern continental winter temperature |
+3oC |
Explosive eruptions are short-lived but form aerosols in the lower stratosphere that cool Earth. Extrusive eruptions last much longer, extruding much more magma, but inject little into the stratosphere. DRE is dense-rock equivalent. Data for Pinatubo from Self et al. (1996)), Scott et al. (1996), Gerlach et al. (1996), (Bureau et al., 2000) and (Robock, 2002); Laki from Thordarson and Self (2003); Yellowstone from Christiansen (2001), Lanphere et al. (2002), Jones et al. (2005) and (Segschneider et al., 2013); Siberian Traps from Reichow et al. (2009), Black et al. (2012), and Joachimski et al. (2012).