Endogenous growth of persistently active volcanoes

Abstract

LAVA lakes and active strombolian vents have persisted at some volcanoes for periods exceeding the historic record. They liberate prodigious amounts of volatiles and thermal energy but erupt little lava, a paradox that raises questions about how volcanoes grow. Although long-lasting surface manifestations can be sustained by convective exchange of magma with deeper reservoirs, residence times of magmas beneath several basaltic volcanoes are ∼10–100 years^1,2, indicating that where surface activity continues for more than 100–1,000 years, the reservoirs are replenished by new magma. Endogenous growth of Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) through dyke intrusion and cumulate formation is a well-understood consequence of the steady supply of mantle-derived magma^3,4. As we show here, inferred heat losses from the Halemaumau lava lake indicate a period of dominantly endogenous growth of Kilauea volcano during the nineteenth century. Moreover, heat losses and degassing rates for several other volcanoes, including Stromboli, also indicate cryptic influxes of magma that far exceed visible effluxes of lavas. We propose that persistent activity at Stromboli, and at other volcanoes in different tectonic settings, is evidence of endogenous growth, involving processes similar to those at Kilauea.