Schola Machi A 05 Bull Vol C

Bull Volcanol (2005) 68: 171200 DOI 10.
1007/s00445-005-0430-x
RESEARCH ARTICLE
T. Scolamacchia J. L. Mac as M. F. Sheridan S. R. Hughes
Morphology of ash aggregates from wet pyroclastic surges Volcano, Mexico of the 1982 eruption of El Chichon
Received: 28 May 2004 / Accepted: 5 March 2005 / Published online: 20 October 2005 C Springer-Verlag 2005
Abstract The detailed stratigraphic study of the pyroclastic surge units S1, IU, and S3 produced during the most violent phases of the 1982 eruption of El Chich on volcano, contains a complex succession of hydromagmatic events triggered by the interaction of different proportions of magma and external water. Component analyses of the horizons within single units reveal that almost all wet and cohesive horizons contain ash aggregates. Based on their morphology and internal structure four different types of aggregates were distinguished: (a) accretionary lapilli, (b) armored lapilli, (c) irregular aggregates, and (d) cylindrical aggregates. The rst three types have been described in the volcanological literature (eld and experimental studies); cylindrical forms are reported here for the rst time. These hollow cylindrical aggregates consist of concentric layers of crystals and glass fragments set in a ner-grained matrix. They formed around millimeter-size foliage fragments that are locally preserved in the interior of the aggregates as scorched or completely carbonized vestiges. SEM analyses suggest different mechanisms of formation for the four types of aggregates. Irregular aggregates and armored lapilli formed nearly instantaneously, whereas accretionary lapilli and cylindrical aggregates resulted from progressive aggregation of ash in different regions of the eruptive cloud. All types of ash aggregates contain fractured particles. This common feature suggests that particles ruptured during fragmentation prior to the growth of the aggregates. Broken clasts with cracks lled by a ne-grained matrix only occur inside the cylindrical ash aggregates and to a lesser degree in some types of accretionary lapilli. This suggests that small thermal contrasts at the contact of warm particles with the colder ne-grained matrix of the aggregate
T. Scolamacchia ( ) J. L. Mac as Instituto de Geof sica, UNAM, Coyoac an 04510, M exico D. F., Mexico e-mail: teresasc@tonatiuh.igeofcu.unam.mx Fax: +52-5-5502486 M. F. Sheridan S. R. Hughes Geology Department, University at Buffalo, 876 Natural Science Complex, Buffalo, NY, 14260 USA
cause existing small fractures to propagate and open as the already weakened clasts deform slightly. The occurrence of all four types of aggregates in some horizons indicates that several mechanisms of aggregation occurred nearly simultaneously. The pyroclastic clouds therefore were not only stratied in terms of density but the content of uid phases also were not uniform. A dark-red, Fe-rich amorphous lm (locally rich in P and S) envelops the particles and fosters their preservation in the deposits by forming a hard shell. The composition of this cement reects the abundance of these elements in acid uids of hydrothermal systems that were intersected by the conduit during the eruption. In distal areas, fallout aggregates were incorporated by dissipating pyroclastic surges. Keywords El Chich on . 1982 eruption . Pyroclastic . surges Cylindrical ash aggregates . Fe-S rich lm . Binding forces . Hydrothermal uids
Introduction Ash aggregates are common in many types of pyroclastic deposits worldwide. Their preservation within ash layers as well as their internal structure and grain size distribution are controlled by factors related to the binding mechanisms between particles (electrostatic and/or capillary forces due to condensation of water or ice close to the freezing point), particle and pore density, thickness and degree of turbulence of the eruptive clouds, grain-size distribution and solid-particle concentration within clouds. Several models have been proposed to explain the formation of roughly spherical ash aggregates or accretionary lapilli (Moore and Peck 1962; Fisher and Waters 1970; Heiken 1971; Schmincke et al. 1973; Reimer 1983; Sheridan and Wohletz 1983a; Tomita et al. 1985; Kato 1986; Rosi 1992; Gilbert and Lane 1994; Rose et al. 1995; Veitch and Woods 2001; Bonadonna et al. 2002; Textor and Ernst 2004; Guo et al. 2004). Experiments using particles of different grain
172
A
20
250 km
200
Gulf of Mexico
El Chichn C.V .A.
15
ic ex
200
28
Nicapa
an Gr
400
200 400
Gu
C.A . V.
ate
A.
47
48
44 77
95
Pacific Ocean
ma
la
50
90
S1
54
51 52 53 76 75 63b 66 63 61
43
400
A.de Cal
600 104 105
106
Lindavista
Xochimilco
200
55
Ca
a mb
IU
65
800
S3
100J 1b
84 103b 83
78 18
69 67 45 68
42
82
23 3b
T62
A.Tibia
97 96 95
400
60
30 4 66b 32 109 21 107 2 3 29 66 24 22 26 108 92 120 91 46 93 79 102 101
108
20 90
Escobal
119 118 117
Volcn Ch.
80
800
70
E.Guayabal
41 42 39
37 112 111 36 116 56 89
400
pac Tus
72 98 94
99 100
Volcn
80
60 88 86 60b
Candelaria
71
400
113 114
85
F.Leon
11
S.Pedro Yaspac 15
16 9 14 7 8 33 V.Guerrero
110
G.Victoria
13
10
57 58 59
C. Tonapac
El Carmen
6 35b 35
800
12
Legend Towns Rivers Dome Somma walls
600
El Naranjo
34
El Carrizal
Contour (200 m interval)

14
B
93o15
60
1000
Stratigraphic sections 4 Km 2 3
93o10
Fig. 1 A Sketch map of southern Mexico and Northern Central America. Solid triangles show active volcanoes in Mexico. CAVA = Central American Volcanic Arc, CVA = Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc. B Revised distribution of pyroclastic surge units S1, IU and S3
sizes (Schumacher and Schmincke 1995) have determined the optimum amount of liquid necessary to form ash aggregates of different types. The pyroclastic surge deposits produced during the 1982 eruption of El Chich on volcano in southern Mexico provide an opportunity to evaluate various processes of aggregation inside eruptive clouds. In this paper we analyze the occurrence and grain-size distribution of four different types of ash aggregates that exist within the pyroclastic surge deposits, as well as use their morphological features to interpret their formation within the eruptive clouds. Our results provide new insights to better explain the origin of this important eruption. Summary of the 1982 hydromagmatic surge products The March 29 to April 4 1982 eruption of El Chich on volcano (Fig. 1A) occurred in four eruptive phases (I-IV of Mac as et al. 1997) that produced pyroclastic fall, ow, and surge deposits (Sigurdsson et al. 1984). Pyroclastic surge deposits S1, S2, IU and S3 formed during the two most violent phases of the eruption on April 4 at 01:35 and 11:22 GMT (S.E.A.N. 1982). These deposits have a controversial origin, being considered as either magmatic (Sigurdsson et al. 1984, 1987) or hydromagmatic (Sigurdsson et al. 1987; Mac as et al. 1997). Outcrops exhumed by 20 years
of erosion following the eruption provide additional data for the reappraisal of pyroclastic surge stratigraphy around the volcano. As a result of new eldwork we recognized a different distribution of the deposits (Fig. 1B) and a greater complexity in the depositional processes than previously thought (Sigurdsson et al. 1987; Mac as et al. 1997). Pyroclastic surge S1 crops out at distances farther than 3 km from the crater where it is not buried by subsequent deposits. It consists of six wet cohesive horizons composed mainly of ne to medium ash interbedded with two dry horizons of medium to coarse lapilli (Fig. 2). The Intermediate Unit (IU) extends up to 1.3 km from the crater. The Lower and Upper IU units respectively consist of successions of two and eight wet and dry pyroclastic surge pairs. Pyroclastic surge S3 is well exposed on the eastern part of the volcano. The best exposures are conned to small channels produced by rain runoff between the few hours separating the end of phase III and the beginning of phase IV on April 4. S3 consists of eight varicolored cohesive horizons of ne to coarse ash and minor ne lapilli interbedded with four dry horizons of medium to coarse lapilli. Terminology In this work we use the term horizon in a broad sense to indicate a bed (s) emplaced during a single eruption unit of
Su
115
87 85b
17 20
snu
ba
40
Chapultenango
60 0
17o25
Tectuapan
200
de
10 00 10 00
da Mag lena
80 0
80 0
10 00
173
Eruptive Phase
Lithology
Description
Pumice Accessory lithic Juvenile lithic Block with cooling joints Types of ash aggregates
2m
4 April 1122 GMT
S3
Irregular Cylindrical Armored lapilli Accretionary lapilli

O.L.
> 1m
Oxidized layer
O.L.
S2
10 Laminar alternation of gray coarse

ash and yellow fine pumice lapilli.
F2
Yellow fine-medium lapilli with plane parallel beds of white rounded pumice at the base.
I.U. Upper
8b Light-gray, lilac and white mm-sized laminae of fine ash. 8a Massive bed of gray fine ash. Yellow pumice lapilli to fine blocks with scattered 7 accidental lithics .
6 5
Laminar succession of light gray fine ash Yellow medium to coarse pumice lapilli with minor juvenile lithics.
O.L.
> 10 m
4 April 0135 GMT
B
I.U.
Normal graded, clast supported layer of lapilli to block-sized hydrothermally altered accidental lithics with minor juvenile I.U. lithics, pumice and cristals.
4 Multiple laminae of light gray and white fine ash. O. L.
Medium
2 m
Massive gray to light-green block-and-ash flow consisting of juvenile lithic blocks in a matrix of coarse lapilli at the base and medium yellow lapilli with scattered fine blocks of accidental lithics at the top
> 15 m
Gray to light-green massive block-andash flow, lithic rich at the base.
2 Gray medium to fine ash with minor white
F1
I.U. Lower
pumice lapilli
1 Yellow pumice lapilli with scattered hydrotermalized

lithic angular blocks.
3 April 29 March
Fig. 2 Composite stratigraphic section of the 1982 pyroclastic deposits according to this work, showing the different types of ash aggregates found in the pyroclastic surge horizons. All beds to scale unless thickness is given
S1
O.L. O.L. O.L.
pyroclastic surge, whereas eruption unit indicates a deposit made of one or more beds emplaced by a dened eruptive mechanism (Fisher and Schmincke 1984). Each horizon is clearly distinguishable from its neighbor because of overall color differences and locally it is delimited by a red oxidized mm-sized layer or an erosive surface that marks the end of a denite eruptive event. Bed thickness within different horizons is dened following Ingram (1954): lamina (<1 cm), very thin bed (13 cm), thin bed (310 cm), medium bed (1030 cm), thick bed (30100 cm), very thick bed (>100 cm).
Each pyroclastic surge unit consists of a massive to nely laminated, varicolored, slightly vesiculated, poorly sorted mixture of ne to medium lapilli rich in ne ash horizons. These are intercalated with massive or weakly crossstratied moderately to well sorted horizons of medium to coarse pumice lapilli with minor amounts of medium to ne ash (Fig. 3). These horizons have an irregular distribution around the crater. Much of the variability in these features is attributed to the moisture content and temperature of the diluted pyroclastic density currents that are either rich in condensing water vapor (wet) or in superheated steam
174
S3-6
S3-5 S3-4 S3-3 S3-2 S3-1 Fallout C
P.F.2
Fig. 3 Close up of S3 horizons in section 1b; the direction of the ow is perpendicular to the plane of the photo. Scale is 5 cm in diameter
(dry) (Walker 1971; Sheridan and Wohletz 1983b; Wohletz 1983; Fisher and Schmincke 1984). Almost all wet horizons of S1, IU, and S3 contain vesicules (nearly spherical voids) as evidenced in S1-1, S12, S3-3 and S3-4 horizons that occur in topographic lows on the east-southeast anks of the volcano. In some cases (IU-8b, S3-4, S3-5) small variations in the color hues of beds inside single horizons are caused by mm-scale variations in the degree of vesicularity that characterize the deposition of material by multiple eruptive pulses. Generally, the contact between different wet horizons is sharp and plane-parallel, but in some cases (S1-1 and S1-2; S3-3 and S3-4) it undulates irregularly without an exchange of material across the contacts. These undulating contacts are syndepositional structures induced by the load pressure of the overlying bed on the bed beneath that still is plastic because of its high water content. This type of structure is recognized in wet pyroclastic surges elsewhere (Lorenz 1974; Dellino et al. 1990). The following description of pyroclastic surge horizons is based on new data related to the features of distinctive ash aggregates.
all granulometric fractions were washed several times by immersion in ultrasonic baths with distilled water for approximately 1 min, and then dried at 60 C. This samplecleaning method differs from that suggested by Wohletz (1983) and Heiken and Wholetz (1985), who wash their samples with a 10% diluted solution of HCl or alcohol at temperatures of 2030 C, rinsing the sample in distilled water or acetone, or alternatively by immersion in an ultrasonic bath during periods of 30 s to several minutes. Cioni et al. (1992) concluded that diluted HCl at any temperature would completely remove particles attached to grain surfaces but would also cause extensive fracturing resembling hydration cracks and cause the grains to be mistakenly considered as hydromagmatic features (Heiken and Wholetz 1985; Dellino and La Volpe 1995; B uttner et al. 1999). Likewise the use of acetone in the ultrasonic bath for a few minutes could also cause mechanical fractures on the grains (Cioni et al. 1992). Component analyses were carried out with the naked eye or under the binocular microscope, counting between 500 and 800 grains in fractions coarser than 4 , distinguishing between juvenile and non-juvenile fragments. Juvenile fragments were subdivided into three different classes: glass fragments (vesiculated or dense particles), crystals (mainly plagioclase, hornblende, augite, and minor sphene), and different types of ash aggregates (consisting of glass and crystals). Non-juvenile components include hydrothermally altered and fractured lithic fragments, with colors varying from pale-pink to dark-red. Histograms of the grain-size distributions and component analyses (Figs. 4AE) display the median diameter (Md ) and sorting coefcient ( ) parameters of Inman (1952). Ash aggregates Based on their morphology, four different types of ash aggregates (Fig. 5AD) are present in wet pyroclastic surge deposits of the 1982 eruption. To investigate the differences in their accretion processes, the aggregates were analyzed with a eld emission scanning electron microscope (Hitachi S-4000). Mineral phases were identied with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy on clast surfaces. The degree of alteration of different types of aggregates was determined on polished sections by elemental mapping for K, S, P, Fe with an electron probe X-ray microanalizer (JEOL-JXA8900-R), using an accelerating potential of 20 kV, a beam current of 2.0108 A, and a resolution of 10001000 pixels per image. Type A: irregular aggregate This type of aggregate occurs in almost all wet surge horizons in association with other types of ash aggregates. It is common in size-fractions ner than 3 mm, although in some horizons it also appears in coarser fractions (Table 1). At 2 km to the east, in S3-3 it represents the exclusive component in fractions coarser than 4 mm (2 ) and it is not
Granulometric and component analyses A total of 100 samples representing a variety of horizons within units S1, IU, and S3 were analyzed. Three different methodologies were used: (1) dry, hand sieving, with screens spaced at 0.5 intervals between fractions -4.0 to 3.5 ; (2) wet analyses using a scanning-photo sedimentograph (Fritsch, Analysette 20) for the ne-grained fractions from 4.0 to 12 (Stein 1985; Kaye 1999); (3) image analyses of polished thin sections of ash aggregates by counting 400600 points in several cross sections cut at different angles, per sample, with a personal computer version for Windows of the public domain Java image processing ImageJ (available on the Internet at http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nihimage/). In natural samples, ne particles commonly adhere on the surface of larger grains making it difcult to clearly observe their shape and surface features. For this reason
175
Fig. 4 Composite stratigraphic sections of pyroclastic surge deposits accompanied by the granulometric distribution and component abundance of pyroclastic surge units. The upper right corner of the histograms displays the Mean (Md ) and sorting ( ) parameters
of Inman (1952). A S1 unit to the North, West and South, B S1 unit to the East, C IU unit at the moat, D S3 to the East, E S3 to the North and South of the crater, and between the crater and the somma walls (moat)
176
Fig. 4 Continued.
177
Fig. 4 Continued. Fig. 5 Different types of ash aggregates found in pyroclastic wet surge deposits of El Chichon volcano: A irregular type from horizon S3-3 at 2 km E, B cylindrical type from S3-4 at 3.2 km E, C armored lapilli from S1-6, 4.5 km E, D accretionary lapilli from S1-1 at 7.5 km N. Each subdivision on the scale represents one millimeter
178
Table 1 Distribution of the different types of ash aggregates inside the pyroclastic surge units S1-IU and S3 of the 1982 deposits of El Chich on volcano. The table summarizes the presence of these aggregates with respect to the distance from the crater, sector of the volcano (azimuth) and facies of deposit in which they were found. The degree of alteration of Azimuth South South North 1 to 2.5 6.3 3.5 10 76 7 cm 4 cm Red Red Dark red Dark-red 5.7 11 4 cm Red Dark-red Distance from the crater (km) Section Thickness of deposit Color Ash aggregates Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm) Other components AL- WP-JL-C AL- WP-JL-C AL-WP-JL-C
each type is also indicated. Other components are listed in order of abundance: JL- juvenile lithics, AL- accessory/accidental lithics, WP- white pumice, C- crystals; p.d.s. indicates plastic deformation structures in the deposit. See text for discussion
Unit
Horizon
Facies
S1
Laminar
S1 S1
0 0
Massive Massive
2.5 to 0.5 >0 1.5 to 1 2 to 0
S1 1 to 2.5 2 to 1
Massive
North
3.9
52
4 cm
Red
0.5 to 0 2 to 0
X Dark-red Orange X
AL-WP-JL-C
S1
Massive (p.d.s.) East 3.8 2 2 cm Gray
East
3.7
3b
6 cm
Gray
Arm. lapilli (40%) Irregular (381%) Irregular (50%) Arm lapilli (3010%) Irregular (up to 50%) Cylindrical (1%) Arm lapilli (3010%) Irregular (up to 50%) Irregular (28%),
WP-JL- AL-C
S1
Massive
2 1 to 1 2 to 2 1 to 1
Red X X X
WP-JL- C- AL
S1
Massive
East
4.5
90
4 cm
Gray
WP-JL- C
S1
Massive
East
5.1
20
10 cm
Gray
Arm. Lapilli (30%) Arm. Lapilli (<2%), Irregular (36% to 10%) Arm. Lapilli (<2%), Irregular (10%) Cylindrical (3%) Arm lapilli (<1%)
1 to 3 2.5 to 0.5 0.5
X Red Red
WP-JL- C
Irregular (<5%) S1 SSW 8.5 6 2.5 cm
1.5 to 0.5 1
Laminar (p.d.s.)
Gray
Cylindrical (3%)
3.5, 2.5 to 0.5
Red Red X Red 0.5 to 2
WP-JL- C
S1
Laminar
SSE
5.5
15
4 cm
Gray
Arm lapilli (10%) Accr. Lapilli (5%) Irregular (4% to 35%) Arm. Lapilli (20%) Irregular (15%) Accr. Lapilli (10%)
Red X
2 to 1 1.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 1
WP-JL- C
Table 1 Azimuth SSE 2 to 0.5 Red X Red WP-JL- C 2 to 0.5 3, 2 to 0.5 5.8 112 4 cm Gray 2 to 0.5 X WP-JL- C Distance from the crater (km) Section Thickness of deposit Color Ash aggregates Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm) Other components
Continued.
Unit
Horizon
Facies
S1
Massive
S1
Massive (p.d.s)
SSE
7.5
56
46 cm
Gray
S1
Massive (p.d.s) North 3.5 76 5 cm Gray
SE
9.3
87
6 cm
Gray
>1.5 0.5 to 1
X Red Red
WP-JL- C
S1
Massive
1 to 2.5 3 to 0.5
Red Red
WP-JL- C
S1
Massive (p.d.s.) North West 4.5 54 3 cm Gray 7.5 28 7 cm Gray
North
5.9
48
1 to 2.5 cm
Gray
Cylindrical (103%) Arm. Lapilli (1020%) Accr. Lapilli (10%-3%) Cylindrical (310%) Arm. Lapilli (1020%) Accr.lapilli (83%) Irregular (1530%) Arm. Lapilli (<10%) Irregular (13%) Arm. Lapilli (1012%) Irregular (3%) Arm. Lapilli (5%) >1 3.5 to 1.5 Red
WP-JL- C
S1
Massive
1.5 to 0.5 3 to 1.5 1 to 0
X Red
WP-JL- C WP-JL- C
S1
Massive
S1 East 4.5 90 4 cm
East
3.7
3b
35 cm
Brown Brown
Irregular (<10%) Accr.lapilli (100%50%) Arm. Lapilli (8%) Irregular (10%) Accr. Lapilli (5%) Irregular (1040%)
0.5 to 0 2 to 2.5
X Red Red X 1 to 3 0 to 3.5 0.5 to 1.5
WP-JL- C WP-JL- C
S1
Massive (p.d.s.) Massive
S1 S1
2 2
Massive Laminar (p.d.s.) ESE 7.3 89
SE ESE
5.5 4.5
36 113
3 cm 2 to 4 cm
Brown Lightbrown 3 cm Brown
2 to 1
Red
WP-JL- C WP-C-JL
S1
Massive
Arm. Lapilli (5%) Irregular (10%) Accr. Lapilli (10%) X Arm. Lapilli (1025%) Irregular (1060%) Arm. Lapilli (163%)
1.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 1
WP-JL- C
179
Table 1 Azimuth 1 to 2 1.5 to 0 Red Red Orange Red WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP- C- JL WP-JL- C Distance from the crater (km) Section Thickness of deposit Color Ash aggregates Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm) Other components
Continued.
180
Unit
Horizon
Facies
S1 East East ESE 3.6 4.5 4.5 107 90 113 1 to 4 cm 2 cm 3 cm Pink Lilac Lilac
Massive
3.5
76
2 to 7 cm
Brown
S1 S1 S1
5 5 5
Lamina Laminar Laminar
S1
Massive
ESE
4.5
113
3 cm
Darkpink 0.5 to 2.5 3 to 1 3 to 0
2 to 1 2.5 to 1.5 2.5 to 1.5 1 to 1.5 2.5 to 1.5 3 to 0 Red
WP-JL- C
X Red WP-JL- C
S1
Massive
ENE
3.5
82
5 to 7 cm
Pink
Accr. lapilli (2025%) Arm. Lapilli (<20%) Arm. Lapilli (10%) Accr. Lapilli (30%) Arm. Lapilli (30%) Irregular (40%) Accr. Lapilli (10%) Arm. Lapilli (2030%) Irregular (10%) Accr. Lapilli (rim) (5%) Arm. Lapilli (1020%) 0.5 to 2.5
Irregular (15%) IU East 0.5 46 11 cm Gray
Massive
2 to-1
WP-JL- C
IU
Laminar
East
0.5
30
10 cm
Gray
1 to 2.5 0.5 to 0 0.5 to 1.5
WP-JL- C
IU SE 0.6 109 20 cm
Massive
ESE
0.1
108
30 cm
Arm. Lapilli (4060%) Irregular (40%) Accr. Lapilli (50%) Arm. Lapilli (<20%) X Lightblue Gray
WP-JL-C 0.5 to 0 Orange WP-JL- C
IU
8a
Massive
IU East ESE SE East 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 30 29 109 30
8a
Massive
NE
0.3
65
4 cm 3 cm 4 cm 30 cm 20 cm
Gray Gray
X X Orange Orange X Orange
WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C
IU
8a
Massive
IU IU
8a 8b
Massive Laminar
1.5 to 1 0.5 to 2 1.5 to 2 1.5 to 2.5 0.5 to 2 0.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 1 1.5 to 1 Gray Graywhite Gray
IU
8b
Laminar
Accr. Lapilli (rim) (13%) Arm. Lapilli (10%) Irregular (10%) Arm. Lapilli (<2%) Irregular (20%) Arm. Lapilli (<2%) Irregular (4010%) Arm.lapilli (20%) Acc. Lapilli (453%) X
Table 1 Azimuth Other components WP-JL- C NW 1 to 1.5 0.5 102 20 cm Graywhite Accr. Lapilli (15%) 1.5 to -1 X Distance from the crater (km) Section Thickness of deposit Color Ash aggregates Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm)
Continued.
Unit
Horizon
Facies
IU
10
Massive
IU
10
Laminar
East
0.5
30
5 cm
Graywhite Red Brown 2 to 0.5 Red X X
0 to 1.5 2.5 to 1 Orange-red
WP-JL- C
S3 ESE 0.6 46 6 cm
Lamina
ENE
3.7
83
1 cm
WP-C WP-JL- C
S3
Massive
1 to 2.5 0 to 1 1 to 2 3 to 2
S3 East East East 3.7 3b 35 cm Red 2.7 24 710 cm Red 2.5 19 3 cm Red
Massive
East
1b
7 cm
Pink
1 to 1.5 3 to 2
Dark-red Dark-red Dark-red 2.5 to 0.5 0 and 1 0.5 to 2 Dark-red X Orange
WP-C WP-C WP-JL-C WP-JL-C
S3
Massive
S3
Arm. Lapilli (105%) Irregular (10%) Arm. Lapilli (10040%) Irregular (4010%) Arm. Lapilli (<5%) Irregular (<3%) Arm. Lapilli (8010%) Accr. Lapilli (4020%) Irregular (305%) Irregular (10020%) Arm. Lapilli (10%) Irregular (20%) Irregular (9010%) 1 to 1.5 0.5 to 2.5 0.5 to 3
S3
Massive (p.d.s.) Massive (p.d.s.)
S3 ENE 3.6 103 0.7 cm
Lamina
East
4.7
18
0.5 cm
Red Red
WP-JL-C WP-JL-C 1 to 0.5
S3
Lamina
1.5 to 2.5 1 to 2 1 to 1 2 to 1
Red Dark-red X Red-orange
S3
Lamina
ENE
3.7
83
0.5 cm
Red
0.5 to 3.5 1.5 to 1 1.5 to 2.5 105 2 cm Red 0.5 to 1
WP-JL-C
S3
Massive
NE
Accr. Lapilli (rim) (505%) Accr. Lapilli (10%) Arm. Lapilli (5010%) Irregular (20%) Irregular (802%) Arm. Lapilli (10%) Arm. Lapilli (1005%) Accr. Lapilli (rim) (5010%) Irregular (20%) Arm. Lapilli (10%) Accr. Lapilli (1050%) Arm. Lapilli (5%)
Red-orange
WP-JL-C 181
Table 1 Azimuth Distance from the crater (km) 2.3 0.5 100 4 cm Brown Irregular (505%) Acc. Lapilli (15%) X 1 to 2.5 0.5 WP-JL-C Section Thickness of deposit Color Ash aggregates Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm) Other components
Continued.
182
Unit
Horizon
Facies
S3
Massive (p.d.s.)
South
S3 S3 1 Orange
3 4
Massive Laminar
South East
3.5 2
71 1b
0.5 cm 6 cm
Orange Dark -green Green 3, -2.5 to 1.5 1.5 to 2 3 Red Orange
Armored lapilli (5%) X Arm. Lapilli (5%)
WP-JL-C WP-JL-C
S3
Massive (p.d.s.)
East
3.2
5 cm
WP-JL-C
S3
Massive
East
3.2+5 m
3 cm
Green
2.5 to 2 1 to 2.5 2 to 2.5 1.5 to 0
Orange
WP-JL-C
S3
Massive (p.d.s.) ENE 3.6 103 0.7 cm Green
East
3.7
3b
4 cm
Green
Irregular (105%) Accr. Lapilli (rim) (30%) Cylindrical (210%) Arm. Lapilli (5%) Irregular (<8%) Irregular (50%) Accr. Lapilli (rim) (50%) Arm. Lapilli (<3%) Irregular (<8%) 1.5 to 2 0 to 2.5
Orange
WP-JL-C
S3
Lamina
1.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 0.5 1.5 to 1 Green 1.5 to 2 1.5 to 1.5 Green Green Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow
Orange
WP-JL-C
S3
Lamina
ENE
3.7
83
0.5 cm
WP-JL-C
S3 S3 S3 S3 S3 S3
4 4 5 5 5 5
Massive Massive Laminar Massive Laminar Lamina
South South East East East South
2.3 3.5 2 3.2 3.7 2.3
100 71 1b 3 3b 100
2 cm 3 cm 5 cm 3 cm 3 cm 0.5 cm
0 to 1 0.5 to 1 X 0.5 0.5 71 6 cm Yellow
X X X X
WP-JL-C WP-JL-C WP-C WP-C WP-C WP-C
S3
Massive (p.d.s.)
South
3.5
Arm. Lapilli (<5%) Irregular (70%) Accr. Lapilli (10%) Arm. Lapilli (1015%) Accr. Lapilli (5%) Arm. Lapilli (1015%) X X Arm. Lapilli (10%) Arm. Lapilli (5%) X Arm. Lapilli (<10%) Acc. Lapilli (<5%) X
WP-C
183
Thickness of deposit
associated with other types of ash aggregates. At this location it has a maximum dimension of 9 mm. It is irregular in shape (Fig. 5A) and consists mainly of crystals, juvenile lithics, and mm-sized white rounded pumice immersed in a ne grained matrix of the same composition. Some small armored lapilli also occur as accreted particles (Fig. 6A). A dark-red to orange lm cements the accreted particles in many S1 horizons to the E-SE, to the N, and to the W at variable distances from the crater (Table 1); in Upper IU horizons to the ESE and ENE; in S3-3, S3-4 and S38 horizons between 2 and 4.7 km E and NE. Between the crater and the somma walls (IU-2, IU-4, IU-8a; S3-3, Table 1) this type of aggregate consists of crystals <200 m in maximum diameter (in one case they reach 1 mm) set in a matrix of glass shards arranged in a closely-packed structure. Internally, these aggregates do not show any denite grain size variation from the interior to the margins. The size of the accreted fragments is extremely variable. In the presence of the red lm white pumice up to 3 mm in size are accreted (Fig. 5A), although a great percentage of particles <40 m (5060 wt%) can also be present (Fig. 6B). Grain-sizes ner than 16 m (5085 wt%) predominate in ash aggregates free of a red-orange lm, in this case accreted particles have a maximum grain-size between 100 and 300 m (Fig. 6C). The red-orange lm limited the determination of the composition of the particles and the recognition of their surface features. When the red lm is missing the main components are crystals of plagioclase, hornblende, and augite, and angular glass fragments sometimes with stepped fractures (Heiken and Wholetz 1985; B uttner et al. 1999). Type B: cylindrical aggregate This type of aggregate has not been described previously in the literature. Its occurrence is limited to four horizons: S1-0 at 3.5 km N; S1-1 at 8.5 km SSW, between 5.8 and 7.5 km SSE, and at 5.1 km E; S3-4 and S3-8 both at 3.2 km E of the crater. Generally, these aggregates have a hollow cylindrical shape with a nearly constant central void diameter of 1 mm (0.2), surrounded by concentric layers of crystals, and glass fragments (tens to hundreds microns in dimension), and mm-sized pumice; a thin red lm coats their exterior (Fig. 7A, B). They have an almost uniform overall diameter (46 mm), and length (810 mm), although aggregates up to 12 mm occur in horizons S3-4 at 3.2 km E, and S1-1 at 8.5 km SSW. The presence of mm-sized scorched and non-carbonized leaves observed oating in the water during the sample cleaning process, suggests that this organic material might represent the original core of cylindrical aggregates. This hypothesis was supported in a few cases where mm-sized organic fragments, consisting of non-charred, scorched or completely carbonized leaves or stem fragments, were found inside some aggregates in S1-1 (Figs. 7B, 8A) and in S1-0 at 3.5 km N. Layers representing the rst stages of the accretion process were observed in
Other components
WP-JL-C WP-JL-C X X Yellow Pink 2 cm 30 cm 3 1b 3.2 2 Laminar Massive 9 10 S3 S3 East East
Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm)
Red-orange
WP-JL-C
1.5 to 0.5 1 1 0.5 to 1 0.5 to 2.5 Green 2 cm 3 3.2 East Massive 8 S3
Color
Section
Distance from the crater (km)
Azimuth
Continued.
Horizon
Facies
Table 1
Unit
S3
10
Massive
East
3.5
7 cm
Pink
Arm. Lapilli (25%) Cylindrical (5%) Irregular (1020%) Irregular (1736%) Arm. Lapilli (108%) Arm. Lapilli (<4%) Accr. Lapilli (<5%)
Ash aggregates
0.5 to 1 1
WP-JL-C
184 Fig. 6 A Detail of an irregular ash aggregate from S1-1 horizon at 5.1 km East. Arrow points to an armored lapilli around a juvenile lithic fragment, inside the aggregate. Scale in millimeters. B SEM image of an irregular ash aggregate from S1-5 at 3.5 km to the East of the crater. Notice the abundance of ne material in which coarser clasts are embedded. A micrometric-sized lm homogeneously covers the aggregate. C Detail of an irregular ash aggregate from S1-1 at 3.7 km East. Coarser clasts are fragments of plagioclase (Pl) sometimes with a glass cover (Gc), hornblende (Hbl), and glass shards (Gs) with elongate vesicles
A
Fig. 7 A View along the axis of a cylindrical aggregate found in S34 horizon at section 3, 3.2 km East of the crater. The black bar for scale is 5 mm long. Note the alteration of the external (darker) portion. B View along the axis of a cylindrical ash aggregate from S1-1 horizon found at section 20, 5.5 km E of the crater. The black bar for scale is 1 mm long. The white arrow points to a leaf inside the aggregate. C Transversal view of a cylindrical aggregate from S1-1 horizon at section 56, 7.5 km SSE of the crater. Scale at the bottom in millimeters
few cases (section 20 and 52) between -0.5 and 0 . When the nucleus consists of a carbonized leaf, the internal section is asymmetric and varies along its main axis between 2 (Fig. 7B) and 1.5 mm (0.001) (Fig. 8A, B). The specic identity of the organic material inside the aggregates was difcult to determine because of its small size and rare occurrence. Therefore, ve different types of leaves (chichonal - after which the volcano is named, quelele, guarumbo, cacat e, and palm) as well as wood fragments from the present vegetation, corresponding to the vegetation that existed prior to the eruption were sampled. All of the leaves are longer than 15 cm, but the quelele leaves vary from 2 to 6 cm. They were heated in a furnace to determine their approximate charring temperature (incomplete combustion of the organic material when the leaves have lost their moisture and became dark-brown in color). The results of these experiments show that leaves of chichonal and guarumbo char at 140 C, the leaves of cacat e and palm char at 125 C, and the quelele leaves at 110 C.
Several samples of cylindrical aggregate from S1-1, S34 and S3-8 were immersed in epoxy resin, sectioned at different angles with respect to the main axis (Figs. 8B and 9A, B), and viewed under the Scanning Electron Microscope. The aggregates contain, in order of abundance, crystals of plagioclase, hornblende, augite, scattered Timagnetite (Fig. 8C) and minor vesiculated or dense glass clasts ranging in size from tens to hundreds of microns. Rounded white pumice 0.51.5 (0.01) mm in maximum diameter are also present (Fig. 8A, B). All larger grains are immersed in a ne grained matrix of the same composition. The aggregates have a main size mode between 7 and 8 , with a secondary mode between 3 and 4 . The percentage of material ner than 63 m varies from 62 to 85 wt%, most of which is represented by fragments <16 m (4561 wt%). There are small differences in grain-size distributions between the innermost and outermost parts of aggregates in about one quarter of the samples analyzed. In sections parallel to the axis of hollow samples (Fig. 9A) the innermost
185
50 40
Upper left
%weight
30 50 20 10 40
Upper right
%weight
30 20 10
0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
phi
0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
phi
C
50 40
Bottom left
%weight
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
60 m 500X
phi
Fig. 8 A Transversal view of ash aggregate from S1-1 horizon (sample 199) in Fig. 7B. The black bar is 5 mm long. White arrow points to a carbonized leaf inside the aggregate. B Backscattered images of ash aggregate of Fig. 8A. White arrows point to bubbles inside the matrix. White ellipse on right bottom indicates a broken augite
lled with matrix. The white square box indicates a detail shown in Fig. 8C. The granulometric distributions of different parts of the aggregate are also shown by dotted white arrows. C Detail of quenched titanomagnetite in Fig. 8A
part is coarser grained, with the main mode occurring at 2 and a secondary mode at 5 . In contrast, the main body of the aggregate contains 8183 wt% of particles ner than 4 , with the principal mode at 67 and a secondary mode at 23 . All samples exhibit scattered rounded to sub-rounded bubbles, 0.070.44 (0.01) mm in diameter (Figs. 8B and 9A, B), inside the body of the aggregates. The zone with bubbles contains many fractured (Fig. 8C) or completely broken crystals (Fig. 9C, D). A ne-grained matrix inlls the cracks of the broken crystals. A small amount of deformation causes displacements to open frac-
tures as much as 20 m (Fig. 9C). The original shape of the fractured and slightly deformed crystals is preserved. The outermost part of the aggregates (Fig. 9B), with a maximum thickness ranging from 0.153 mm (Fig. 9A) to 0.200 (0.01) mm, is characterized by a high-density contrast with respect to the other zones (Fig. 9A, B). However, there is no granulometric difference with respect to the body of the aggregate. Particles ner than 4 are abundant (8589 wt%), mostly represented by sizes <16 m (7479 wt%). Compositional X-ray mapping of Fe, K, P, S (Figs. 9EF), indicates that the outermost layer
186
50 40
Inner
% weight
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 phi
50
Intermediate
40
% weight
30 20 10
0
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 phi 5 6 7 8
50
40
External
% weight
30 20
10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
phi
50 40
Intermediate
% weight
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 phi 3 4 5 6 7
50
Intermediate
40
% weight
30 20 10 0
-2
-1
3 phi
50 40
% weight
External
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 phi 5 6 7 8
B
Fig. 9 A Backscattered image of a transversal section of a cylindrical aggregate of S3-4 horizon. Histograms on the left side of the photo show the granulometric distribution of the innermost, intermediate and outermost part of the aggregate. B Oblique backscattered image of a cylindrical aggregate of S3-4 horizon. Histograms in the upper right and bottom left, show the granulometric distribution of the inner part of the aggregate. Arrow points to a broken plagioclase. Square boxes labeled C and D represent quenched crystals enlarged in Fig. 9C-D. C Close up of quenched plagioclases in Fig. 9A. Note the
ne matrix lling the fractures (white arrows). The broken fragments of the crystals have been only slightly shifted from their original position, resembling the shape of the original crystals. White circle encloses similar smaller-scale structures. D Detail of quenched plagioclase in Fig. 9B. Similar smaller scale features are indicated in the upper left. E Compositional maps of P, K, Fe and S of a transversal section of the cylindrical aggregate of Fig. 9A. F Compositional map of P, K, Fe and S of transversal section of the cylindrical aggregate in Fig. 9B
187
C
Pl
1mm
1mm
1 mm
Fe
1mm
Fig. 9 Continued.
188
is characterized by a high Fe-content, and in some cases (Fig. 9E) by a high S-content. Type C: armored lapilli Armored lapilli are typically associated with deposits from turbulent pyroclastic surge clouds where ne and sticky particles adhere onto coarser fragments of different nature (Waters and Fisher 1971; Lorenz 1974; Fisher and Schmincke 1984; Schumacher and Schmincke 1995). Armored lapilli in wet surge deposits at El Chich on consist of crystals and glass fragments (a few to hundreds of microns in size) packed around a juvenile fragment (Fig. 5C). Aggregates with accidental lithic cores, only occur in S1-0 at 5.7 km S, and 3.5 km N, and in S1-1 at distances < 4.5 km E. Armored lapilli range in size from 1 to 9 mm in diameter and most form around sub-rounded to rounded mm-size white pumice. Less commonly they form around angular juvenile lithics or crystals of hornblende or plagioclase (one to a few millimeters in length). Smaller armored lapilli (1 mm to 250 m) only occur in S3-5, and they always consist of few tens to a hundred-microns glass shards surrounding fragments of plagioclase. Backscattered images of red-cemented armored lapilli that coat rounded pumice (Fig. 10A) show a loosely packed structure, lacking any granulometric sorting from core to rim (Fig. 10B). Accreted particles have a unimodal grainsize distribution with a mode at 3 . The particle shape is always angular to subangular. A variable degree of fracturing characterizes coarser (0.51 mm) crystals. Few small particles occur between larger grains as also demonstrated by the low percentage of clasts in the fractions <63 m (1011.5 wt%). The particles are cemented by a few microns thick lm surrounding different shaped bubbles that are widely dispersed throughout the aggregate (Figs. 10C, D). In detail, low (dark portions) and high (white portions) density bands alternate within the lm (Fig. 10E, F). Microbeam analyses of these bands indicate that they are composed of high amounts of Fe > S > P with minor amounts of Si, Al, Na, Mg, K, and Ca. Fe is more abundant in the white bands than in the darker ones. There is a slight increase in Na, Mg, K, and Ca near the crystals to which they adhere (mainly plagioclase, pyroxenes or amphiboles). Microprobe analysis of this material shows a large margin of error (>3%), suggesting that this phase is strongly hydrated. Qualitative determinations of variations in the lm composition were obtained by EDS spectra measured along a transversal line (Fig. 10G). Compositional maps for different elements inside the aggregates (Fig. 10H) only show the relatively large contents of Fe and P, indicating a large concentration of Fe in the external portions. Type D: accretionary lapilli Accretionary lapilli are associated with several types of deposits: ashfall (Moore and Peck 1962; Rosi 1992), pyroclastic ow and co-pyroclastic ow ash fall (Schumacher
and Schmincke 1991, 1995; Bonadonna et al. 2002), pyroclastic surge produced by phreatomagmatic activity and copyroclastic surge ash fall (Fisher and Waters 1970; Moore et al. 1966; Schmincke et al. 1973; Sheridan and Wholetz 1983a; Schumacher and Schmincke 1991, 1995; Ritchie et al. 2002). Two types of accretionary lapilli occur in several horizons of S1, IU and S3 units. The rst type of accretionary lapilli (Fig. 11A), consists of concentric layers of glass shards and crystals (rim type of Schumacher and Schmincke 1991) cemented by a red oxidized lm and exists only on the eastern anks of the volcano in horizons S16, IU-8a, S3-3, and S3-4 (Table 1). It generally ranges in diameter from 1.6 to 6 mm although larger ones (up to 11 mm) occur in 35 cm thick beds of S3-3 and S3-4 horizons (Table 1). The internal structure of samples from S3-3 and S3-4 show the presence of different accreted zones. Grain-size analyses of the inner portions of these aggregates (bottom of Fig. 11B) show a bimodal distribution with a main mode between 7 and 8 and a secondary mode between 3 and 4 . Particles <63 m (6972 wt%), mostly due to fragments ner than 16 m (6569 wt%), are abundant. This ne material engulfs larger crystals of plagioclase and hornblende, some with glass coatings, and irregular to subrounded glass fragments. Rounded, subrounded, or elongated bubbles with maximum diameters ranging from a few microns to 0.7 (0.02) mm are widely dispersed inside the inner portion. A few broken clasts are partially lled with a ne-grained matrix (Fig. 11C). The external portions (upper part of Fig. 11B) consist of coarser particles with a unimodal grain-size distribution at 3 , with minor particles <63 m (2030 wt%). Angular to subangular crystals (mainly plagioclase, hornblende, secondary augite, and scattered Ti-magnetite), and glass fragments are in close contact with each other. No granulometric or density distinction exists. The apparently loosely packed external part is due to the presence of irregular void spaces. Broken clasts (Fig. 11D) are only present inside this zone of the aggregate. The outermost layer is darker than the inner part, and has an irregular rim. Its darker color is due to the high abundance of particles ner than 63 m (7375 wt%), most of which are ner than 16 m (5254 wt%). It contains scattered coarser (up to 140 m) angular and sub-angular crystals and sub-rounded glass fragments. This part has a bimodal distribution with a main mode at 3 and a secondary mode at 7 . The second type of accretionary lapilli (Fig. 5D) is generally gray in color, with a pale orange lm covering its surface. It coexists with other types of ash aggregates, near the distal edge of horizons in several directions around the volcano (Table 1). This type of accretionary lapilli has diameters varying from 250 m to 6 mm, the size being directly related to the thickness of the deposit. In other words, the greater the thickness the larger the aggregates. The maximum lapilli diameter of 11.2 mm occurs inside the S1-1 horizon (Table 1). This type of accretionary lapilli lacks internal structure (Fig. 12A). Grain-size analyses display a bimodal distribution (main mode at 7 and secondary mode at 3 ). The percentage of grains <63 m ranges from
189
60 to 68 wt% with most of the variation due to the presence of fragments <16 m (5561 wt%). Particles up to 500 m (<3 wt%) and 900 m (<1 wt%) are also present. Coarser clasts have variable shapes, ranging from angular to subangular, subrounded and rounded (upper right in Fig. 12A). However, the mineral phases are the same as those of other types of ash aggregates. The main com-
ponents of the coarse fraction are crystals of plagioclase, hornblende and minor augite; Ti-magnetite occurs as either small crystals (up 30 m) locally with apatite included, or as inclusion in plagioclase (Fig. 12B). Some crystals are deeply fractured but without any lling by ne-grained material. Glass appears as non-vesiculated rounded fragments (up to 700 m) or as a vesiculated layer surrounding
50
% weight
40 30 20 10
A B
0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 phi 5 6 7 8 9
Pumice
Pumice
Pl
A
Pumice
Fig. 10 A Polished transversal section of an armored lapillus with a pumice core in S1-1 horizon (sample 8018) at 3.7 km from the crater. B Backscattered image of armored lapillus in Fig. 10A. The white dashed line marks the limit between the core and the aggregate particles. Note the porous structure and the absence of granulometric selection from the inner to the outer part. Square boxes labeled C, D, E are details of the aggregate shown in subgures C, D and E. C Detail of Fig. 10B showing features of the contact between the pumice and the rst accreted particles. White arrows point to bubbles with different shapes. D Detail of Fig. 10B showing the contact between the accreted particles far from the pumice core. White arrows point to bubbles with different shapes. E Detail of lm cementing a crystal of plagioclase (Pl) to the pumice core. F Close up of Fig. 10E showing the banded nature of the lm. White line, AA , shows the prole of EDS analysis in Fig. 10G. G EDS spectra showing the composition of the cementing lm across a line traced from the pumice core to the cemented plagioclase crystal in Fig. 10F. H Compositional map of Fe, P, K, and S for the armored lapilli of Fig. 10B
190
A A A ,
A
distance (nm)
A
distance (nm)
A
distance (nm)
Fig. 10 Continued.
crystals. It represents a large percentage of the ne-grained fraction (matrix). Irregular fractures (up to 25 m wide) cut across the matrix without transecting crystals. Discussion: formation of ash aggregates This study reports four different types of ash aggregates in the wet pyroclastic surges S1, IU, and S3 of El Chich on
volcano; these aggregates are absent in dry surge horizons. Considering that morphology alone is insufcient to infer the genesis of the aggregates, we investigated other parameters: (a) the composition and morphology of accreted particles, (b) the variation of dimension and grain-size of ash aggregates with respect to the grain-size of the sample, the facies of the deposit in which they occur, and the distance from the eruptive center, (c) the nature
191
Fig. 10 Continued.
and distribution of the red lm coating the aggregates, and (d) their internal structure. Composition and morphology of the accreted particles The nature of accreted particles depends on the original grain-size population inside the eruptive clouds (Sheridan and Wohletz 1983a; Reimer 1983; Gilbert and Lane 1994). All accreted particles in the four types of ash aggregates at El Chich on are juvenile material. Accessory lithic fragments from the old dome destroyed during the eruption, occur only as aggregation nuclei in the S1-0 horizon, and less frequently in S1-1 in medial zones to the east. Both horizons were emplaced during the beginning of eruptive phase III, on April 4. Accreted particles in all types of ash aggregates reect the type and abundance of components characteristic of the deposits in which they were immersed, except for horizon S1-0 that is rich in accessory lithic fragments that were never observed as accreted particles. The absence of accreted accessory/accidental lithic fragments in aggregates from S1-0 and S1-1 samples indicates that non-juvenile material was poorly fragmented during the eruption. This observation suggests that aggregate formation was not a mineral selective process, but rather depended on clast density. The larger dimensions (>3 ) of the lithic clasts with respect to juvenile fragments caused them to concentrate in the basal portions of the density currents rather than being uplifted into the upper more dilute portions. Most accreted particles consist of phenocrysts of plagioclase and hornblende, secondary pyroxene (augite), and
scattered Ti-magnetite, some with inclusions of apatite, and sub-millimeter to millimeter-sized white pumice. These components are generally embedded in a ne-grained matrix (mostly <16 m) of glass shards and microcrystals. Types and abundance of mineral phases correspond to that of the fresh pumice (Luhr et al. 1984). Phenocrysts (tens to hundreds of microns) in all types of aggregates are generally covered with glass. Glass coatings are common on free crystals occurring in the same or ner fractions of wet pyroclastic surge horizons, but do not occur on free crystals within dry surge horizons, where crystal surfaces are clean and glass-free. Sheridan and Wohletz (1983b) and Heiken and Wholetz (1985), explained this feature as the result of less energetic fragmentation due to an excess of water in the hydrovolcanic rupturing of the melt. Phenocrysts and glass with cracked surfaces occur in all types of ash aggregates suggesting that the fracturing process was previous to their aggregation. Fractures on the surface of glass fragments (hydration cracks) occurred under both natural (Dellino and La Volpe 1995) and experimental conditions (Wohletz 1983; B uttner et al. 1999; B uttner et al. 2002). They are interpreted as the results of a rapid contraction of a particle surface that occur when the already fragmented, but still hot melt enters again in contact with liquid water. This mechanism could be responsible for forming similar cracks that pierce the surface of glass particles inside the aggregates. In contrast, phenocrysts represent about 24% of the melt by volume (Luhr et al. 1984). Therefore, they had less probability of entering into contact with liquid water at high velocities, and fracturing due to a thermal shock, during
192
A
50 40
2nd external
weight %
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
B
phi
50
2nd internal
weight %
40 30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
phi
50
Transition 1-2
40
weight %
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
phi
50 40
1st external
weight %
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
phi
50 40
1st internal
weight %
30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
phi
Fig. 11 A Transversal section of an accretionary lapilli from S3-3 horizon at 3.7 km E. A second process of aggregation is marked by the dotted line. B Backscattered image of transversal section of Fig. 11A. Notice the variation in the grain size between the inner and outer portions of the aggregate. See text for discussion. C and
D are details shown in Fig. 11C, D. C Broken glass fragment inside the rst aggregate near a bubble (center). Plagioclase (Pl) covered by glass (Gc) (bottom left). D Detail of a fractured (upper part) and broken (bottom part) plagioclase in Fig. 11B. The arrows point to ne matrix inside the fracture
193
1984). The vesiculation of melt entrapped in the inclusions at high pressure, and rapidly decompressed during magma ascent is the most likely mechanism to explain the fractures observed in crystals. Grain size and dimensions of ash aggregates In this work we were not able to statistically evaluate the variations between the types of ash aggregates, the host horizons, and the distance from the crater, as it was done elsewhere (Schumacher and Schmincke 1991, 1995; Ritchie et al. 2002; Bonadonna et al. 2002). The reasons for this include: (1) the lack of proximal exposures of the S1 unit, which shows the widest dispersion, (2) the burial or erosion of most of the S3 horizons, and (3) the limited distribution of the IU unit. Accretionary lapilli are visible at outcrop scale in only a few horizons (IU-8b at 0.6 km to the SE, S3-3 and S3-4 at 3.2 km to the E). No other types of ash aggregates were directly observed in the eld. Most ash aggregates became noticeable during hand-sieving, although they were covered with ne ash until they were cleaned. The only horizon that can be traced almost continuously from proximal (0.6 km) to distal zones (4.7 km) on the eastern ank of the volcano is S3-3. Therefore, it can be used as a reference horizon to evaluate lateral variations of ash aggregates with distance from the crater and with thickness of the deposits. The red color of S3-3 is due to its highly oxidized character. Only close to the crater it is light brown in color. Between the crater and the somma walls, three types of ash aggregates coexist within S3-3. These are in order of abundance: armored lapilli, accretionary lapilli, and irregular ash aggregates (Table 1). The size of the armored lapilli (8 mm) depends on the diameter of its core (56 mm). The accreted material (2 mm in thickness) is made of glass and crystals <30 m (8090 wt%). Irregular aggregates consist mainly of glass fragments and crystals <90 m (70 wt%) and between 64 and 30 m (1020 wt%). Accretionary lapilli are structureless and contain mainly glass fragments (6430 m) that reach up to 80 wt% of the total. The larger ratio of core/accreted zone in armored lapilli responsible for their larger dimension in proximal zones compared to armored lapilli (3 mm) at further distances, was already noted by Schumacher and Schmincke (1995) for accretionary lapilli (core type) in pyroclastic surge deposits of Laacher See volcano. They concluded that close to the source where a minimum of condensation occurs, water condenses preferentially on small particles resulting in liquid lms capable of binding ash particles <350 m. This mechanism can explain the smaller size of the accreted particles around coarse nuclei in the armored lapilli of S3-3 near the vent. In these locations a red lm does not cement the accreted particles, and crystals and glass fragments are arranged in a densely packed structure around the core. No aggregates exist in S3-3 up to a distance of 2 km, but accidental lithics fragments from the old dome
Fig. 11 Continued.
fragmentation. The presence of a vesicular melt coating observed both on free crystals and those inside of aggregates rules out the possibility that their surface fractures were caused by mutual impacts inside the expanding magma of the venting system as suggested by Fisher (1963). Best and Christiansen (1997) reported fractured and broken felsic phenocrysts in several cooling units of Tertiary ash ow tuffs in the Great Basin (USA). They pointed out that despite the role of the relatively large elastic moduli of the host crystal in preventing a signicant decompression of the gas inside melt inclusion, stress within the crystal in the neighborhood of the inclusion may grow to exceed its tensile strength, causing the crystal to crack as the surrounding magma decompresses. Once the crystal cracks, the melt within the inclusion decompresses, volatiles exolve, bubbles nucleate and the crystal eventually breaks apart. Crystals containing many inclusions separated by relatively thin walls are especially prone to breakage, because the cracking threshold decreases with an increase of inclusion size. Inclusions of pink to brown glass up to 80 m in diameter are frequent in phenocrysts of plagioclase, augite, hornblende and Ti-magnetite within fresh pumice of fallouts deposits at El Chich on. They occur either randomly scattered throughout the crystal cores, or more commonly arranged in bands parallel to growth surfaces (Luhr et al.
194
B
50 40 30 20 10 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 phi 4 5 6 7 8 9
% weight
Fig. 12 A Backscattered image of accretionary lapilli of Fig. 5D. Fractures are distributed almost uniformly inside the aggregate, affecting only the ne-grained matrix, but not larger crystals. The
granulometric distribution of the aggregate is shown in the bottom part of the photograph. B Detail showing Ti-magnetite inclusions inside a plagioclase crystal in an accretionary lapilli
are present. Irregular ash aggregates, armored lapilli, and accretionary lapilli (with a concentric structure) occur in various proportions between 2 and 3.5 km E from the vent. This difference in distribution is probably due to the fact that ows were not turbulent enough for aggregates to be formed or they were accelerating down the anks of the cone and caused the abrasion of the aggregates. There is not a clear decrease or increase in the dimension of the ash aggregates with either increasing distance from the crater or thickness of the different horizons contrasting with previous studies (Lorenz 1974; Schumacher and Schmincke 1991, 1995; Sisson 1995; Ritchie et al. 2002; Bonadonna et al. 2002). An exception is represented by the gray slightly cemented, structureless, accretionary lapilli that appear at the outer margin of these horizons in different directions (Table 1). Only in this case, the maximum dimension of the aggregates increases with increasing distance from the crater and thickness of the deposits. Most aggregates have a bimodal size distribution with coarse modes between 2 and 4 , and ne modes between 6 and 8 . The coarse mode in the interval 25063 m reects the granulometric distribution of most wet horizons of pyroclastic surge units S1, IU and S3, where a pronounced mode occurr in the same size range (Figs. 4AE). In some
S1 horizons and in many S3 horizons ner modes between 8 and 4 m, also occur. Thus, the grain-size distribution of the ash aggregates reects the grain-size distribution of the host deposits and is independent of their maximum dimension as observed by other investigators (Bonadonna et al. 2002; James et al. 2003). Occurrence and nature of the red-orange lm The occurrence of a red-orange lm coating the four types of aggregates at El Chich on varies depending on the horizon considered, the distance from the vent, and the azimuth (Table 1). Ash aggregates formed during the beginning of phases III and IV (S1-0 and S3-3 respectively) consist mainly of armored lapilli and irregular aggregates. These clusters are characterized by the presence of a dark-red lm along their main dispersal axis (N-S for S1-0 and E-SE for S3-3). The orange-red lm occurs discontinuously on all types of aggregates in S1-1, the most widely dispersed horizon, to the E-SE, is scarce to the W, and occurs as far as 5.9 km to the N (Table 1). Other horizons show a variable degree of red-orange covering (S1-2, S1-5, S1-6), or are free of any surface coating (S3-5, S3-9, S3-10). Ash aggregates to the
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South (S3-3, S3-4, S3-5) are free of surface coating. Among the horizons of IU deposited during phase III, characterized by a distribution limited to the rst 1 km, an orange-red lm is only present in the last-emplaced wet horizons (IU-8A, 8B and 10). EDS and EPMA analyses performed on the cementing lm of irregular, cylindrical, and accretionary lapilli revealed that it consists of abundant Fe with minor P and S, while the composition of the lm on armored lapilli surrounding a pumice core, show unusual enrichments in S and P, besides the high-Fe content, with variable amounts of Na, Mg, K, and Ca. Although the composition of this lm might appear anomalous, it is not unexpected, since large amounts of sulfur (2.21013 g) were emitted during the 1982 eruption (Luhr and Logan 2002). Part of this sulfur was released as an oxidized vapor phase in the eruptive clouds (Varekamp et al. 1984; Luhr et al. 1984). In addition, Luhr et al. (1984) pointed out that the El Chich on trachyandesite melt was not only extremely rich in SO3 (1.24 wt%), but also rich in P2 O5 . The unusual high values of 34 (5.8 ) of the bulk magma were explained by a loss of H2 S present either as gas or a uid phase at depth. This is considered consistent with the development of a small high-T hydrothermal system beneath El Chich on (Rye et al. 1984). Clusters of particles with different sizes produced polymodal distributions in fallout deposits, and leachate analyses on fresh ash indicated high concentrations of SO4 , Cl, and F (Varekamp et al. 1984). In addition, samples of stratospheric clouds taken in late May-July 1982 (MacKinnon et al. 1984) showed that a signicant portion of the clouds contained angular fragments (240 m), many of which belong to larger irregular clusters (1050 m). SEM analyses of these clusters indicated that they consist mainly of glass shards, with minor plagioclase, Ca-pyroxene, Casulfate, K-feldspar and Fe-Ti oxides. These particles were coated by sulfuric acid droplets, and larger (0.51 m) sulfate gel droplets with various amounts of Na, Mg, K, Ca and Fe, depending on the mineral phase to which they adhered. The sulfate gel droplets were more abundant on samples collected in May with respect to those taken in July, suggesting that the formation of this gel was related to the initial conditions of the eruptive clouds. MacKinnon et al. (1984) proposed the formation of the sulfate gel droplets as a result of a reaction between the solid phase and a large concentration of SO2 plus water vapor at relatively high temperature. Sulfuric acid aerosols, instead of a gel phase, would form either by the dilution and progressive cooling of the plume or alternatively in particular regions of the clouds due to its heterogeneity (MacKinnon et al. 1984). Luhr et al. (1984) indicated that the mac minerals at El Chich on were unusual for their high FeO content. The high Fe content of the amorphous lm in different types of aggregates (Figs. 9E, F, 10EG), suggests that at least part of this element was already dissolved in the uid phase that cemented the aggregates. The high iron-concentration on surfaces of different types of ash aggregates was likely enhanced during post-depositional alteration. Bigham et al. (1996) described a poorly crystalline and metastable phase that represents a common Fe-precipitate
from acid sulfate waters in a pH range between 2 and 4. This schwertmannite, ideal formula is Fe8 O8 (OH)6 SO4 *nH2 O, is yellow in color and usually occurs in mixtures with others minerals that range from amorphous (ferrihydrite) to well crystalline (jarosite). The Fe/S ratio in schwertmannite ranges from 8 to 4.6 (Bigham et al. 1996), and it may be partly or fully substituted by anions such as arsenate, nitrate and phosphate. Bigham et al. (1996) indicates the existence of a paragenetic relationship between schwertmannite and associated minerals (ferrihydrite, goethite, jarosite) over a wide range of pH (2.86.5); changes in pH and solution, concentrations of Fe, and SO4 control the gradual hydrolysis of schwertmannite and its conversion into goethite. Solubility and stability relations for Fehydroxysulfate minerals over a reasonable range of sulfuric acid concentrations indicate their formation at a temperature around 60 C (Merwin and Posnjac 1937; Bigham et al. 1996; Bigham and Nordstrom 2000). Fe-rich precipitates have also been recognized in hydrothermal submarine vents (Murray 1979). Studies on hydrothermal uids in seawater at shallow depths (Pichler and Veizer 1999; Savelli et al. 1999) indicated the presence of amorphous or slightly crystallized phases (ferrihydrite and proto-ferrihydrite respectively). Direct precipitation from solution can occur either by slow hydrolysis of Fe3+ or due to oxidation of a Fe2+ bearing solution (Murray 1979). Pichler and Veizer (1999) report that an increase in Eh and pH and a decrease in temperature at the contact of cold, oxygenated, alkaline seawater and hydrothermal uids, controls the oxidation of Fe2+ and causes a rapid (1 cm/year) precipitation of an Fe3+ amorphous phase over a range of temperatures between 60 and 93 C. The particular composition of the lm binding ash aggregates in wet surge horizons at El Chich on may be thus attributed to different amounts of interplay between ground water, magmatic and hydrothermal uids during various hydromagmatic events. In fact, a variable degree of alteration, strongly related to the color of wet pyroclastic surge deposits, was observed at La Fossa di Vulcano, Italy (Dellino et al. 1990; Capaccioni and Coniglio 1995). The differences in color were attributed to syn-depositional processes related to the reactivity of acid condensed solutions on fresh highly fragmented pyroclasts. The rst stage of alteration consisted in the precipitation of Fe-Al hydroxides followed by a regular increase in pH, due to cations exchange between acidic water solutions and silicate glass. At the last stage authigenic smectites with a different degree of crystallinity were produced. A comparison between red and gray samples revealed that a higher degree of alteration (supported by a high C.I. of smectites) occurred on red samples. Therefore, the occurrence and abundance of the red lm of ash aggregates at El Chich on can be related to the amount of uids that were present in the eruptive clouds or in portions of them, during specic eruptive events. The greater variety of cemented aggregates in medial and distal zones of the volcano reects the enhanced binding action of hygroscopic acid uids (mainly H2 SO4 ) because of increase in relative humidity due to a higher degree of condensation of water vapor.
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Internal Structure The internal structure of the aggregates provides a key to reconstruct the accretion process. SEM analyses of the aggregates revealed that armored lapilli and irregular aggregates are structureless, while cylindrical aggregates show distinctive accreted layers. Accretionary lapilli can be either structureless or composed of different accreted layers. These variations are related to the specic aggregation process. The absence of granulometric and/or density sorting inside armored lapilli and irregular ash aggregates, suggests that they formed almost instantaneously, but along different paths. While the shape of the accreted particles provides evidence of the main fragmentation mechanism (magmatic or hydromagmatic, Wohletz 1983; Heiken and Wholetz 1985; B uttner et al. 2002), the relationship between the modication structures of particles shape or surface features may furnish some clues to the post-fragmentation processes. In the irregular ash aggregates, most of the particles are blocky. In some cases, stepped structures were observed on glass particles. This feature as described in both natural and experimental situations (Heiken and Wholetz 1985; B uttner et al. 1999; Dellino et al. 2001; B uttner et al. 2002) was interpreted as due to the brittle fragmentation of the melt that occurs during highly energetic phases of explosive magma-water interaction. Pyroclastic surge deposits at El Chich on were produced by an alternation of multiple highly energetic explosions (responsible for the deposition of dry horizons) and less energetic pulsating explosions (responsible for the deposition of wet horizons), as a consequence of different proportions of water entering in contact with magma. Thus particles formed during highly energetic episodes (dry horizons) were available and could have been likely incorporated in ash aggregates formed during less energetic eruptive pulses (wet horizons). Irregular aggregates consisting of particles ranging in size between 350 m and 2 mm, have been obtained in experimental studies (Schumacher and Schmincke 1995) for water contents greater than 50% in volume. The intensity of spraying and the size of water droplets represented an important factor in controlling the size of accreted particles. Coarser particles (12 mm) were mainly accreted when the water was quickly sprayed without intervals, in larger droplets. A spontaneous and rapid aggregation (clotting) of particles of different sizes and densities, due to an excess of the liquid phase inside the eruptive clouds, can be thus envisaged as the main cause of accretion in irregular ash aggregates. Considering that hygroscopic compounds (such as sulfuric acid) induce condensation in unsaturated air, particles inside pyroclastic clouds were likely already coated by layers of a liquid phase at lower humidity (Gilbert and Lane 1994) with respect to those suggested by Schumacher and Schmincke (1995). The size of acid liquid droplets increased due to an increase in the relative humidity inside the clouds, when further condensation of water vapor occurred (at greater distances from the vent, see above). Thicker liquid layers
around particles determined the accretion of bigger clasts at greater distances. An accretion process due to the electrostatic attraction between charged particles in a uid free phase medium (James et al. 2002) is excluded, because of the large dimensions of the aggregates found in the deposits (up to 10 mm), with respect to those obtained in experiments (maximum 800 m). The large dimensions of this type of ash aggregate (up to 8 mm) at El Chich on, with respect to those obtained experimentally, is not surprising considering that they occur in medial distal exposures of S3-3, in conditions of a large concentration of acid uids, and that irregular clusters up to 50 m were still present in the stratosphere a few months after the eruption (MacKinnon et al. 1984). The presence of mm-sized armored lapilli found as accreted particles in some irregular aggregates, suggests that accretion processes occurred inside the eruptive ow, at different scales, for different liquid contents, and at different times, prior to the nal aggregation process. Scattered secondary mineral phases as Ca-sulphate were observed in irregular aggregates without a red lm. This is not surprising considering the presence of primary anhydrite crystals in pumices of this eruption (Luhr et al. 1984), which can explain the binding forces needed between particles in the absence of a red lm, as suggested elsewhere (Gilbert and Lane 1994). However, Zimbelman et al. (2005) recently pointed out that Al-Fe hydroxysulfate minerals, as well as gypsum and anhydrite can be subjected to many cycles of solution and re-deposition in low pH environments at the surface of active volcanoes, as the minerals go through supercial wet and dry periods related to seasonal climate and to variations in the rate of degassing. Soluble Fe-sulfate minerals may precipitate directly from acid surface waters at the interface between saturated and unsaturated zones (Bigham and Nordstrom 2000) where the evaporation tends to an accumulation of dissolved species. This considered both Ca-sulfates and Fe-hydroxysulfates found in ash aggregates could have resulted from post-depositional processes. These processes, however, do not explain the different degree of alteration observed in closely spaced horizons, with a similar degree of permeability, as well as the occurrence of these phases being limited to wet surge deposits. The most common type of armored lapilli surrounds white pumice cores. Angular and subangular particles are held in contact through a micrometric-thick lm that surrounds bubbles with different shapes. The presence of bubbles widely dispersed within the aggregate, suggests an instantaneous vaporization of a liquid phase, and a rapid accretion of particles. The aggregation in armored lapilli was therefore triggered by the movement of coarser hot fragments (pumice) uplifted into portions of the clouds rich in condensing water vapor where particles of different types, already coated with thick layers of acid droplets were dispersed. This contact stimulated the instantaneous vaporization of water, and a contemporaneous drop in local pH conditions which determined the precipitation of an amorphous phase rich in Fe>S>P which froze the bubbles guaranteeing their preservation. This liquid phase
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covering the particles likely results from a combination of hydrothermal and magmatic uids (see above). In contrast, the concentric zones observed in cylindrical aggregates and some types of accretionary lapilli suggest that accretion of particles occurred in several stages during turbulent transport in the eruptive ows, or in different regions of a plume that contains diverse grainsize populations as suggested elsewhere (Gilbert and Lane 1994). Concentric accretionary lapilli (rim type lapilli of Schumacher and Schmincke 1991) mainly occur in medial zones (3.24.5 km) on the E-SE slopes of the volcano (Table 1). Their ner-grained inner portion suggests that aggregation started in a region of the surge cloud rich in ne fragments (matrix) where coarser ones randomly uctuated. The presence of vesicles inside the matrix indicates that condensation of water vapor took place during accretion as suggested by Sheridan and Wohletz (1983a). A postdepositional re-vaporization of binding uids inside a hot deposit (Schumacher and Schmincke 1991) did not likely occur considering the nature of the deposits that contain ash aggregates (cohesive and vesiculated with plastic deformation structures). In some cases, already coherent accretionary lapilli were set in motion again inside the ow, or picked up by subsequent surge ow, as indicated by the lack of evidence for particles exchange between the rst-formed accretionary lapilli and the second accreted part (Fig. 11B). The process of aggregation may have continued in portions of the cloud (horizontally or vertically) richer in coarser particles, since the second accreted portion lacks ne-grained material. The external rim, similar to the outer portion of the rst accretionary lapilli, suggests that the aggregates moved in portions of the eruptive cloud where ner particles were abundant. Aggregates with spherical shapes, consisting of particles ranging in size from 350 m to 2 mm, formed in experiments with liquid contents between 30 and 50% in volume (Schumacher and Schmincke 1995), therefore it is reasonable to assume that similar or lower concentrations of a liquid phase were present during the formation of this type of ash aggregate at El Chich on. Concentric zones inside cylindrical ash aggregates, suggest a similar mechanism of formation to that of rim type accretionary lapilli. However, several differences exist between the two types of aggregates such as: their shape, their distribution around the vent and their abundance inside single horizons. Cylindrical aggregates have a similar overall diameter (36 mm) and length (812 mm). Millimeter-sized organic fragments represent the nucleus around which the accretion began. The shape of the core inuenced the overall morphology of these aggregates. The accretion occurred uniformly around small rigid wood fragments, determining a well-developed cylindrical form with a uniform void section 0.91 mm in diameter (Figs. 7A, 9A) that was preserved even after the fragment was removed. Instead the accretion took place asymmetrically around irregular shaped and softer leaves, determining a roughly cylindrical shape with an elongated void section which varies up to
500 m (0.02) in diameter along the main axis (Figs. 7B, 8A, B). The temperature range between 110 and 140 C at which different types of organic fragments are charred, is only indicative for the conditions existing inside the eruptive clouds. In fact, considering the erosive capacity of pyroclastic clouds up to 3.5 km from the crater (Sigurdsson et al. 1984, 1987), the carbonized material found embedded in some cylindrical aggregates of the S1-1 horizon could have been picked up from the underlying fallout deposits A1-A2. Quelele leaves represent the most common organic material found inside fallouts A1-A2 and considering their small dimensions, they could represent those around which cylindrical aggregates began their formation. Therefore, the charring temperature of the quelele leaves (110 C) might be considered as a good approximation of the formation temperatures of the cylindrical aggregates. Cylindrical aggregates are absent in proximal zones. Their occurrence is limited to four horizons (S1-0, S11, S3-4 and S3-8), where they represent only 310% of the total components abundance of the sample and lack of lateral continuity. These evidences indicate that their formation was determined by the presence of millimeter-sized organic fragments set in motion when the clouds became buoyant and highly turbulent in medial-distal zones of the volcano and was strictly related to the availability of organic debris on the ground, susceptible to remobilization or disintegration. Horizontal rolling or saltation near the substrate in the direction of the ow can be excluded as a dominant accretion process. If we consider that during a windy day, large leaves and other debris are uplifted and remain suspended in the air for several seconds, it is logical to extrapolate this process to diluted density currents, where sticky particles dispersed in the cloud adhered around mm-sized leaves in turbulent movement during the entire process of accretion, until reaching a maximum dimension of 12 mm and/or a maximum weight of 0.23 g, after which they fallout and deposit. This explains why the dimensions of these aggregates are not related to the distance from the crater. Aggregates of the same dimensions were found both at 8.5 km SSW in S1-1 and at 3.2 km E in S3-4. A progressive accretion in the basal part of a density current, a higher-concentrated and coarser-grained zone, with respect to the upper dilute part (Cole and Scarpati 1993; Sohn 1997) should have destroyed these mm-size cylinders by the interaction with larger particles. Similarly to rim type accretionary lapilli, vesicles (few to tens of microns in diameter) are widely dispersed within cylindrical aggregates. Coarser clasts are often fractured as they are in other types of ash aggregates, but only in these two types of ash aggregates the clasts are broken. The presence of matrix that lls some of the broken crystals, suggests that fractures opened during the process of accretion. Fractures and micro-cracks in crystals and glass fragments can be both mechanically (Komorowski et al. 1991) and thermally induced (B uttner et al. 1999). The occurrence of mechanical fracturing supposes a close-packing fabric in the moving debris, where grains collide with each
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other. This type of micro-crack shows no or small lateral displacements (0.55 m wide) between broken pieces (Komorowski et al. 1991; Bonadonna et al. 2002). In this case, sub-angular submicrometer particles chipped from the edges of the microblocks were sometimes observed within the microcracks (Komorowski et al. 1991). In contrast, in cylindrical aggregates and concentric accretionary lapilli, a ne-grained matrix of variable nature intrudes the cracks displacing both sides away up to 20 m (in cylindrical aggregates), but preserving the original shape of the clast. Broken clasts are found in the intermediate portion of the aggregates and they are never in touch with each other, a reason that stands against a mechanical origin or a post-depositional origin. Considering that both crystals and glass fragments were already weakened by primary fracturing during fragmentation (see above), we believe that small thermal stresses arising at the contact with a colder ne-grained medium (matrix), during the accretion in different parts of the clouds, caused a further opening of fractures, followed in some cases by the intrusion of the viscous medium. The presence of vesicles in both types of ash aggregates support this hypothesis indicating that condensation of water vapor took place during accretion. In fact, turbulent uid motion is an irregular condition of ows in which various quantities show a random variation with time and space, thus not only velocity, but also other ow parameters such as temperature, pressure, sediment concentration at all points along a streamline, would vary instantaneously (Garde 1994). A different genesis is proposed for the structureless gray accretionary lapilli that predominate in distal facies of the deposits (Table 1). Their distribution suggests that they were deposited from a co-surge ash fall, although no distinctive bed deposited by fallout was recognized in any of the horizons. The sparse orange lm on their surface that favored their preservation inside the deposit however is missing in the internal part of the aggregate, indicating that the accretion process occurred in portions of the clouds with very low concentrations of acid uids. The shape of coarser particles (hundreds of microns in size) is extremely variable, indicating that they were probably transported to other portions of the clouds, before being uplifted and accreted. Fractured clasts are present but they are not broken and no matrix penetrates them. Vesicles are absent, suggesting that no condensation of water vapor occurred during accretion and the clasts were already cold enough in higher portions of the clouds, to prevent any further thermal stress responsible for the opening of fractures. The fractures in this type of aggregate divert around coarser clasts and mainly affect the ne-grained material. Because these fractures resemble desiccation cracks, their genesis could be ascribed to the subsequent emplacement of hotter deposits (i.e. fallout) directly above them (as S1-1 at 7.5 km to the N, underlying fallout B). Alternatively, considering that in most cases they have an elongated shape, the load of overlying deposits could have caused their mechanical fracturing.
Conclusions A complex succession of wet and dry pyroclastic surges erupted during the nal phases of the 1982 eruption of El Chich on that occurred on April 4, 1982 at 0135 GMT (III) and 1122 GMT (IV). Considering its stratigraphic position, pyroclastic surge S1, emplaced at the start of phase III, represents the most violent episode. The eight eruptive events that occurred during this period involved different proportions of ground water and magma. Ash aggregates are present in almost all of the wet S1 horizons. They appear as irregular-shaped agglomerates associated with armored and accretionary lapilli and locally with cylindrical aggregates (S1-1 horizon). The distribution and internal structures of these four types of aggregates suggest that they were formed by different mechanisms. The variable amounts and composition of the uid phase in the surge cloud as well as different grain sizes of the constituent particles mainly controlled the process of aggregation. Pyroclastic surge S1 contained variable amounts and types of acid uids from an active hydrothermal system during its deposition. The presence of these uids is consistent with the existence of a hot water hydrothermal system at the time of the eruption (Casadevall et al. 1984; Rye et al. 1984). The type and abundance of aggregates in the deposit show that falling ash was contemporaneous with the horizontal pyroclastic density currents in medial zones, and became a predominant component of the surge deposits in distal zones. Smaller hydromagmatic events produced the pyroclastic surge deposits of IU, as evidenced by the conned distribution of these deposits inside the somma crater. The absence of altered ash aggregates and juvenile components within the Basal IU and the rst Upper-IU wet and dry horizons indicate that no acid uids were available during these hydromagmatic episodes. Rather acid-bearing clouds developed during the nal hydromagmatic events of Upper IU (IU-8a, IU-8b, IU-9 and IU-10). Phase III continued with the establishment of a plinian column that emplaced a lithic-rich horizon (B). Its subsequent collapse formed more pyroclastic ows (F2). After a pause of approximately 5 h, indicated by widespread erosion of the F2 surface, phase IV began with a plinian column rich in pumice that deposited fall layer C. The eruption continued with a succession of hydromagmatic events that emplaced nine wet and four dry pyroclastic surge horizons (S3 unit). Most of the surges were smaller events mainly directed to the east. The third of these deposits (S3-3) resulted from the most violent episode, based upon its wide distribution. The strong degree of alteration of ash aggregates within the S3-3 horizon indicates an extremely high content of acid uids in these eruptive clouds. The removal of acid species progressively increased in medial to distal zones towards the east due to the cooling of eruptive clouds. Particles of different grain sizes and densities clotted because of their thick coating of acid uids. They fell in the form of mud rain (Gilbert and Lane 1994), as indicated by the common occurrence of irregular-shaped ash aggregates.
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The presence of four different types of ash aggregates in the S3-4 horizon indicates that these eruptive clouds were not only stratied in density (Valentine 1987) but also contained variable amounts of condensing water vapor and acid uids that originated from the rupture of the active hydrothermal system. The rare occurrence of smaller unaltered armored lapilli in the S35 horizon suggests that this event produced highly fragmented material that was carried within dilute eruptive clouds and that no uids from the hydrothermal system were involved. The last deposit that gives evidence for the incorporation of waters from the hydrothermal system is the S38 horizon. The occurrence of such a variety of ash aggregates in the wet surge deposits of El Chich on is not surprising, considering that previous studies of distal fallout deposits and ash dispersed in the stratosphere (Varekamp et al. 1984; Rye et al. 1984; MacKinnon et al. 1984) reported the common occurrence of clustered particles due to condensation of acid aerosols (mainly of sulfuric acid) on suspended particles. That condensing water vapor is the main cause for the binding action of acid uids is supported by the fact that the different types of aggregates occur only in wet surge horizons. Dry surge horizons contain only slight evidence for alteration of juvenile components. In fact loss of volcanic sulfur from eruptive clouds may occur in both dry and wet conditions. Fujita et al. (2003) pointed out the importance of condensing water vapor and/or liquid droplets for removal of H2 SO4 from volcanic clouds. The strong polymodality and poor sorting of most samples from S1 and S3 is likely due to aggregation processes that efciently removed ne-grained material from the clouds, as suggested for other deposits (Lane et al. 1993; Gilbert and Lane 1994; Schumacher and Schmincke 1991; Bonadonna et al. 2002). The presence of cylindrical aggregates, within pyroclastic surge sequences in other areas may indicate an older vegetation cover existed in places where none had been detected before.
Acknowledgments This work was supported by CONACYT grants (27993-T and 38586-T to JLM), a CONACYT-CNR bilateral project to JLM. NSF grant (EAR-0087665) supported the work of MFS on this project. The help of several people is gratefully acknowledged: M. Reyes (Instituto de Geolog a) and C. Linares (L.U.P.) of UNAM, and P. Bush, Director of the U.B. Instrumentation Center of SUNY at Buffalo, for their support with the SEM analyses. Discussions with C. Siebe, and earlier revisions of the manuscript by W.A., Dufeld, and R.I. Tilling were useful to improve this work. S. Lane and C. Bonadonna gave us some very penetrating and helpful reviews.
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Bull Volcanol (2005) 68: 171200 DOI 10.

T. Scolamacchia J. L. Mac as M. F. Sheridan S. R. Hughes

30 4 66b 32 109 21 107 2 3 29 66 24 22 26 108 92 120 91 46 93 79 102 101

Legend Towns Rivers Dome Somma walls

Contour (200 m interval)

4 April 1122 GMT

Irregular Cylindrical Armored lapilli Accretionary lapilli

10 Laminar alternation of gray coarse

4 April 0135 GMT

4 Multiple laminae of light gray and white fine ash. O. L.

Gray to light-green massive block-andash flow, lithic rich at the base.

2 Gray medium to fine ash with minor white

1 Yellow pumice lapilli with scattered hydrotermalized

S3-5 S3-4 S3-3 S3-2 S3-1 Fallout C

2.5 to 0.5 >0 1.5 to 1 2 to 0

Massive (p.d.s.) East 3.8 2 2 cm Gray

1 to 3 2.5 to 0.5 0.5

Irregular (<5%) S1 SSW 8.5 6 2.5 cm

3.5, 2.5 to 0.5

Red Red X Red 0.5 to 2

2 to 1 1.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 1

Massive (p.d.s) North 3.5 76 5 cm Gray

Massive (p.d.s.) North West 4.5 54 3 cm Gray 7.5 28 7 cm Gray

1.5 to 0.5 3 to 1.5 1 to 0

X Red Red X 1 to 3 0 to 3.5 0.5 to 1.5

Massive (p.d.s.) Massive

Massive Laminar (p.d.s.) ESE 7.3 89

Brown Lightbrown 3 cm Brown

1.5 to 2.5 1.5 to 1

Lamina Laminar Laminar

Darkpink 0.5 to 2.5 3 to 1 3 to 0

2 to 1 2.5 to 1.5 2.5 to 1.5 1 to 1.5 2.5 to 1.5 3 to 0 Red

Irregular (15%) IU East 0.5 46 11 cm Gray

1 to 2.5 0.5 to 0 0.5 to 1.5

WP-JL-C 0.5 to 0 Orange WP-JL- C

IU East ESE SE East 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 30 29 109 30

X X Orange Orange X Orange

WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C WP-JL- C

Graywhite Red Brown 2 to 0.5 Red X X

0 to 1.5 2.5 to 1 Orange-red

Dark-red Dark-red Dark-red 2.5 to 0.5 0 and 1 0.5 to 2 Dark-red X Orange

WP-C WP-C WP-JL-C WP-JL-C

Massive (p.d.s.) Massive (p.d.s.)

S3 ENE 3.6 103 0.7 cm

WP-JL-C WP-JL-C 1 to 0.5

Red Dark-red X Red-orange

0.5 to 3.5 1.5 to 1 1.5 to 2.5 105 2 cm Red 0.5 to 1

Orange Dark -green Green 3, -2.5 to 1.5 1.5 to 2 3 Red Orange

Armored lapilli (5%) X Arm. Lapilli (5%)

2.5 to 2 1 to 2.5 2 to 2.5 1.5 to 0

Massive (p.d.s.) ENE 3.6 103 0.7 cm Green

Massive Massive Laminar Massive Laminar Lamina

South South East East East South

2.3 3.5 2 3.2 3.7 2.3

0 to 1 0.5 to 1 X 0.5 0.5 71 6 cm Yellow

WP-JL-C WP-JL-C WP-C WP-C WP-C WP-C

WP-JL-C WP-JL-C X X Yellow Pink 2 cm 30 cm 3 1b 3.2 2 Laminar Massive 9 10 S3 S3 East East

Fraction ( , log2 Film cover mm)

1.5 to 0.5 1 1 0.5 to 1 0.5 to 2.5 Green 2 cm 3 3.2 East Massive 8 S3

Distance from the crater (km)

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