Eruptive mechanisms and processes at Udo tuff cone, Udo Island, Korea

우도응회과의 분출기기구와 분출과정

Eruptive mechanisms and processes at Udo tuff cone can be inferred from indicative characters of products, bedforms and lithofacies, and ring faults. In terms of bedforms and lithofa-cies in particular, massive lapilli tuff beds and chaotic lapilli tuff beds are derived from subaerial falls of aggregated tephra of wet tephra finger jets, occurring dominantly at the lower sequences of proximal part at the tuff cone. Crudely stratified lapilli tuff are derived from subaerial falls of slightly aggregated tephra of less wet tephra finger jets, whereas reversely graded lapilli tuff beds are from slightly disaggregated subaerial falls of continuous uprush. Both beds frequently occur in the middle sequences at proximal and near medial part of the tuff cone. Block and lapilli tephra lenses, ash-coated lapilli tephra beds(lenses) and thin-bedded tuff beds are derived from extremely disaggregated subaerial falls of dry tephra in the continuous uprush, frequently occurring at the upper sequences of medial part at the tuff cone. Udo tuff cone is a basaltic volcano emergent through the sea water surface while water could flood across or into the vent area. Emergence of the tuff cone was from the type-Surtseyan eruption characterized by earlier tephra finger jets and later continuous uprush columns of tephra with copious volumes of steam. Explosions began when boiling of wter produced a bubble column reducing the hydrostatic pres-sure, allowing exsolution of gases from the magma. This expansion of magma into a vesiculating froth fragmented the magma and permitted mixing of magma and water so that a more vigorous generation of steam could proceed. Tephra finger jetting explosions continued to build the crater rims, then remove water from the vent that their deposits flowed like slsurries until the continuous uprush explosion ensued. Continuous uprush explosions were associated with most rapid accumula-tion of tephra. The increasing volume rate led to partial removal of water from the vent area by the newly tephra ring so that more vigorous activity could be attended by a reducing water supply. This might restrain surplus of cold water entering the vent and thus enhance the vigour of the eruption by allowing optimal heat exchange. Eventually the crater became so deep and unsuported that piecemeal sliding, or massive subsidence on indipping ring faults, filled and closed the vent, and the cycle of explosions and collapse began anew.