La Palma 2021: Petrological insights into magmatic evolution in an ongoing volcanic crisis

Volcanic eruptions are an ever-present threat to society with typically between five and forty volcanoes in active eruption around the world on any given day (Smithsonian Institution). Whilst volcanic eruptions are not rare phenomena, there are still limitations with respect to forecasting future eruptive activity and understanding how magma evolves both before, during and at the conclusion of eruptive episodes.

Typically syn-eruptive processes are studied using geophysical observations of earthquakes and ground deformation, which only yields information on the shallower portions of the magmatic plumbing systems. Then, following eruption cessation, petrologists can study the erupted rocks and crystal cargo to understand the deeper processes that affected the initiation, longevity and conclusion of volcanic activity.

However, the advances in rapid sample processing techniques and petrological data collection, coupled with the ongoing eruption of Cumbre Vieja on La Palma presents a time-sensitive opportunity to synthesise these classically syn-eruptive (observational) and post-eruptive (petrological) approaches. Thus we propose to combine rapid near-real-time petrological data on the magmatic plumbing system of La Palma with the monitoring work already being undertaken by INVOLCAN (the local volcano monitoring agency).

In this project we will undertake systematic sampling of the eruptive materials from Cumbre Vieja, undertake rapid analysis of the bulk rock samples and crystal cargo, and interpret any changes in magma compositions and timescales. These data will be compared with real-time monitoring data collected by INVOLCAN, and help to forecast how the eruption may evolve over time.

A key output of this (aside from the detailed knowledge of the Cumbre Vieja magmatic system) is the development and refinement of a series of protocols for rapid collection of petrological data, and integration with pre-existing monitoring data. This will allow effective integration of petrological data with classic monitoring techniques, to develop future eruption forecasting tools.