Reactivation of Cumbre Vieja volcano

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 374 (6572) ◽  
pp. 1197-1198
Author(s):  
Marc-Antoine Longpré
Keyword(s):  
Cumbre Vieja

Diffuse H2 degassing studies: a useful geochemical tool for monitoring Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nemesio M. Pérez ◽  
Gladys V. Melián ◽  
Pedro A. Hernández ◽  
María Asensio-Ramos ◽  
Eleazar Padrón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Emission Rate ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Sequential Gaussian Simulation ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Soil Degassing ◽  
Geothermal Activity ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

<p>Hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) is one of the most abundant trace species in volcano-hydrothermal systems and is a key participant in many redox reactions occurring in the hydrothermal reservoir gas. Although H<sub>2</sub> can be produced in soils by N<sub>2</sub>-fixing and fertilizing bacteria, soils are considered nowadays as sinks of molecular hydrogen (Smith-Downey et al. 2006). Because of its chemical and physical characteristics, H<sub>2</sub> generated within the crust moves rapidly and escapes to the atmosphere. These characteristics make H<sub>2</sub> one of the best geochemical indicators of magmatic and geothermal activity at depth. Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma, Canary Islands) is the most active basaltic volcano in the Canaries with seven historical eruptions being Teneguía eruption (1971) the most recent one. Cumbre Vieja volcano is characterized by a main north–south rift zone 20 km long, up to 1950 m in elevation and covering an area of 220 km<sup>2</sup> with vents located at the northwest and northeast. Cumbre Vieja does not show any visible degassing (fumaroles, etc.). For that reason, the geochemical volcano monitoring program at Cumbre Vieja volcano has been focused on soil degassing surveys.  Here we show the results of soil H<sub>2</sub> emission surveys that have been carried out regularly since 2001. Soil gas samples were collected in about 600 sampling sites selected to obtain a homogeneous distribution at about 40 cm depth using a metallic probe and 60 cc hypodermic syringes and stored in 10 cc glass vials. H<sub>2</sub> content was analysed later by a VARIAN CP4900 micro-GC. A simple diffusive emission mechanism was applied to compute the emission rate of H<sub>2</sub> at each survey. Diffuse H<sub>2</sub> emission values were used to construct spatial distribution maps by using sequential Gaussian simulation (sGs) algorithm, allowing the estimation of the emission rate from the volcano. Between 2001-2003, the average diffuse H<sub>2</sub> emission rate was ∼2.5 kg·d<sup>−1</sup> and an increase of this value was observed between 2013-2017 (∼16.6 kg·d<sup>−1</sup>), reaching a value of 36 kg·d<sup>−1</sup> on June 2017, 4 month before the first recent seismic swarm in October, 2017 at Cumbre Vieja volcano. Six additional seismic swarms had occurred at Cumbre Vieja volcano (February 2018, July-August 2020; October 8-10, 2020; October 17-19, 2020, November 21, 2020 and December 23-26, 2020) and changes of diffuse H<sub>2</sub> emission related to this unrest had been observed reaching values up to ∼70 kg·d<sup>−1</sup>. Diffuse H<sub>2</sub> emission surveys have demonstrated to be sensitive and excellent precursors of magmatic processes occurring at depth in Cumbre Vieja. Periodic diffuse H<sub>2</sub> emission surveys provide valuable information to improve and optimize the detection of early warning signals of volcanic unrest at Cumbre Vieja volcano.</p>

Groundwater and soil CO2 efflux weekly monitoring network for the surveillance of Cumbre Vieja volcano, Canary Islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Amonte ◽  
Alana Mulliss ◽  
Elizabeth Sampson ◽  
Alba Martín-Lorenzo ◽  
Claudia Rodríguez-Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Volcano Monitoring ◽  
Co2 Efflux ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

<p>La Palma Island (708.32 km<sup>2</sup>) is located at the north-western end of the Canary Archipelago and is one of the youngest of the archipelago. In the last 123 ka, volcanic activity has taken place exclusively at Cumbre Vieja, the most active basaltic volcano in the Canaries, which is located at the southern part of the island. Since no visible geothermal manifestations occur at the surface environment of this volcano, during the last 20 years there has been considerable interest in the study of diffuse degassing as a powerful tool in the volcano monitoring program. In this study we have used two different geochemical approaches for volcano monitoring from October 2017 to November 2019. First, we have developed a network of 21 closed static chambers to determine soil CO<sub>2</sub> effluxes. Additionally, we have monitored physical-chemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity -EC-) and chemical/isotopic composition and dissolved gases in the water of two galleries (Peña Horeb and Trasvase Oeste) and one water well (Las Salinas). Soil CO<sub>2</sub> effluxes for the alkaline traps showed an average value of 7.4 g·m<sup>-2</sup>·d<sup>-1</sup> for the entire Cumbre Vieja volcano. The gas sampled on the head space of the traps can be considered as CO<sub>2</sub>-enriched air, showing an average value of 1,942 ppmV of CO<sub>2</sub>. Regarding the CO<sub>2</sub> isotopic composition (δ<sup>13</sup>C-CO<sub>2</sub>), most of the stations exhibited CO<sub>2</sub> composed by different mixing degrees between atmospheric and biogenic CO<sub>2</sub> with slight contributions of deep-seated CO<sub>2</sub>, with an average value of -19.3‰. The results of the physical-chemical parameters measured in waters showed mean temperature values of 23.7ºC, 19.6ºC and 22.1ºC, 7.40, 6.27 and 6.60 for the pH and 1,710 µS·cm<sup>-1</sup>, 411 µS·cm<sup>-1</sup> and 41,100 µS·cm<sup>-1</sup> for the EC, for Peña Horeb, Trasvase Oeste and Las Salinas, respectively. The δ<sup>13</sup>C-CO<sub>2</sub> composition of the dissolved gas has a mean value of -7.8‰, -10.2‰ and -3.8‰ vs. VPDB for Peña Horeb, Trasvase Oeste and Salinas, respectively. The highest values of CO<sub>2</sub> efflux coincided with the stations showing highest CO<sub>2</sub> concentration values located at the southern end of Cumbre Vieja, where the most recent volcanic eruption took place, and also on the northwest flank. This is in accordance with the results obtained for Las Salinas well, located in the south of the island, which show a high concentration of dissolved CO<sub>2</sub> and δ<sup>13</sup>C-CO<sub>2</sub> values with a strong deep-seated CO<sub>2</sub> contribution. This study represents an interesting contribution to detect early warning signals of future unrest episodes at Cumbre Vieja.</p>

scholarly journals Far-Field Tsunami Impact in the North Atlantic Basin from Large Scale Flank Collapses of the Cumbre Vieja Volcano, La Palma

2015 ◽  
Vol 172 (12) ◽  
pp. 3589-3616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Tehranirad ◽  
Jeffrey C. Harris ◽  
Annette R. Grilli ◽  
Stephan T. Grilli ◽  
Stéphane Abadie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Atlantic Basin ◽  
North Atlantic Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
La Palma ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

scholarly journals DETECCIÓN DEL INICIO DE REACTIVACIÓN VOLCÁNICA EN LA ISLA DE LA PALMA, ISLAS CANARIAS, Y ESTUDIO DE SU EVOLUCIÓN TEMPORAL

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Fernández ◽  
Joaquín Escayo ◽  
Zhongbo Hu ◽  
Antonio G. Camacho ◽  
Sergey V. Samsonov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
La Palma ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

La isla de La Palma es de las de mayor riesgo potencial del archipiélago canario, siendo por tanto importante realizar unestudio en profundidad que permita definir su estado de actividad volcánica. Esto se ha realizado usando observacionesde radar de satélite y una técnica de interpretación original de última generación. Ambas cosas han permitido detectar elinicio de la reactivación volcánica en la isla de La Palma, probablemente décadas antes de una posible erupción. Suevolución temporal muestra una naturaleza cambiante de la deformación volcánica, tanto espacial como temporalmente.El uso de imágenes radar permite obtener resultados con una gran resolución espacial y en un periodo de tiempoprolongado (2009-2020), obteniendo información sobre la naturaleza dinámica de los procesos asociados. Las técnicasgeodésicas empleadas permiten detectar la migración de fluidos inducida por la inyección de magma en profundidad eidentificar la existencia de fuentes de dislocación bajo el volcán Cumbre Vieja que podrían estar asociadas con futurosdeslizamientos, siendo por tanto necesario continuar con la monitorización de este proceso de reactivación utilizandoestas y otras técnicas.

Dynamics of diffuse carbon dioxide emissions from Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleazar Padrón ◽  
Nemesio M. Pérez ◽  
Fátima Rodríguez ◽  
Gladys Melián ◽  
Pedro A. Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Canary Islands ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

Diffuse H2 and He degassing survey to study of hidden potential geothermal systems in La Palma, Canary Islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fátima Rodríguez ◽  
Antonio Polo Sánchez ◽  
Katherine Dale ◽  
Chloe Codner ◽  
Alba Martín ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rift Zone ◽  
Average Distance ◽  
Hydrothermal Systems ◽  
Soil Gas ◽  
Geothermal Systems ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

<p>La Palma is one of the eastern islands of the Canary Archipelago located off the West African continental margin. Volcanic activity in the last 123 ka has taken place exclusively at the southern part of the island, where Cumbre Vieja volcano has been formed. Cumbre Vieja, one of the most active basaltic volcano in the Canaries, host seven historical eruptions being Teneguía eruption (1971) the most recent one. Cumbre Vieja volcano, characterized by a main north–south rift zone 20 km long and covering an area of 220 km<sup>2</sup>, does not show any visible degassing that show the existence of active geothermal systems. For that reason, geochemical prospecting of soil gases and volatiles in the soil matrix itself of Cumbre Vieja can provide useful information to investigate the presence of permeable areas and potential upflow areas for the degassing of geothermal systems at depth.</p><p>We report herein the results of an intensive soil gas study, focused on non-reactive and/or highly mobile gases such as helium (He) and hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>), in Cumbre Vieja, with geothermal exploration purposes. He has unique characteristics as a geochemical tracer: it is chemically inert and radioactively stable, non-biogenic, highly mobile and relatively insoluble in water. H<sub>2</sub> is one of the most abundant trace species in volcano-hydrothermal systems and is a key participant in many redox reactions occurring in the hydrothermal reservoir gas.</p><p>Soil gas samples were collected at 1,201 sites selected from June 2019 to September 2019, with an average distance between sites of ≈ 250 m, at ≈ 40 cm depth using a metallic probe. He content was analyzed by means of a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS; Pfeiffer Omnistar 422) and hydrogen concentrations by a micro-gas chromatograph (microGC; VARIAN CP490). Soil He concentration showed values up to 23.9 ppm with an average of 5.73 ppm. Soil H<sub>2</sub> concentrations measured ranged from typical atmospheric values (≈ 0.5 ppm) up to 19.8 ppm. The mean value measured for H<sub>2</sub> was 0.78 ppm. Although He concentration values showed high spatial variability, the highest values can be observed in the north–south rift zone of Cumbre Vieja and around the surface contact with Cumbre Nueva ridge. Spatial distribution of H<sub>2</sub> concentration showed the highest values in the north-west area of Cumbre Vieja volcano. The results showed here are useful to identify the possible existence of permeable portions of deep-seated actively degassing geothermal reservoirs. However, a multidisciplinary approach is essential to obtain additional information about possible geothermal systems underlying at Palma island with the last goal of the selection of appropriate locations for future exploratory wells.</p>

Helium emission at Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands

2012 ◽  
Vol 312-313 ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleazar Padrón ◽  
Nemesio M. Pérez ◽  
Pedro A. Hernández ◽  
Hirochika Sumino ◽  
Gladys Melián ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Cumbre Vieja ◽  
Helium Emission

Magma storage and underplating beneath Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma (Canary Islands)

2005 ◽  
Vol 236 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 211-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Klügel ◽  
Thor H. Hansteen ◽  
Karsten Galipp
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Magma Storage ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Cumbre Vieja

Shallow flank deformation at Cumbre Vieja volcano (Canary Islands): Implications on the stability of steep-sided volcano flanks at oceanic islands

2010 ◽  
Vol 297 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 545-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo J. González ◽  
Kristy F. Tiampo ◽  
Antonio G. Camacho ◽  
José Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Cumbre Vieja
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