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The influence of heterogeneity on the strength of volcanic rocks and the stability of lava domes

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Abstract

The collapse of lava domes, inherently heterogeneous structures, represents a significant volcanic hazard. Numerical and analogue models designed to model dome instability and collapse have incorporated heterogeneity in the form of discrete zones with homogeneous properties. Based on an assessment of dome rock heterogeneity, we explore whether material property heterogeneity (“diffuse” heterogeneity) within these discrete zones can promote dome instability. X-ray computed tomography shows that dome samples are characterised by high microstructural heterogeneities; e.g. porosity varies from 0.07 to 0.20 over millimetric length scales. To explore how microstructural heterogeneity influences sample-scale strength, we performed numerical simulations using Rock Failure and Process Analysis. The mean mechanical properties of the numerical samples were constant, and we introduced heterogeneity by varying their distribution using a Weibull probability function. The models show that increasing heterogeneity can reduce sample-scale strength by more than a factor of 2. To explore the influence of dome-scale heterogeneity, we numerically generated lava domes in Particle Flow Code. The domes have the same bulk strength but are characterised by different degrees of heterogeneity by varying the distribution of cohesion using a Weibull probability function. The models show that a greater degree of heterogeneity induces higher dome-scale displacements and that, when there is also a discrete weakened zone, the addition of diffuse heterogeneity leads to more widely distributed deformation. Therefore, alongside discrete zones defined by different material properties, we find that the diffuse heterogeneity inherent to a dome is sufficient to compromise dome stability and should be incorporated in future modelling endeavours.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by ANR grant MYGALE (“Modelling the phYsical and chemical Gradients of hydrothermal ALteration for warning systems of flank collapse at Explosive volcanoes”; ANR-21-CE49-0010). M. Heap also acknowledges support from the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). M. Heap and C. Harnett also acknowledge support from the Irish Research Council (IRC); the French ministries for Europe and foreign affairs (MEAE) and higher education, research, and innovation (MESRI); and Campus France via the Hubert Curien (PHC) Ulysses Ireland-France funding scheme. We thank The Fleet (Dublin, Ireland) for their hospitality. We thank IPGP for general funding to the Observatoires Volcanologiques et Sismologiques (OVS), the INSU-CNRS for funding provided by Service National d’Observation en Volcanologie (SNOV), and the French Ministère pour la Transition Ecologique et Solidaire (MTES) for the financial support. The authors thank the OVSG-IPGP team for the logistical support and help with data and material collection. This study contributes to the IdEx Université Paris Cité ANR-18-IDEX-0001. The comments of two reviewers, and the editor, helped improve this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Terre Et Environnement de Strasbourg, UMR 7063, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, 5 Rue Descartes, 67084, Strasbourg, France

    Michael J. Heap, Tofig Nazarbayov & Patrick Baud

  2. Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France

    Michael J. Heap

  3. School of Earth Sciences, UCD, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Claire E. Harnett

  4. French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ), Nizami Str. 183, Baku, Azerbaijan

    Tofig Nazarbayov

  5. School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Zhen Heng & Tao Xu

  6. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, 75005, Paris, France

    Marina Rosas-Carbajal & Jean-Christophe Komorowski

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  1. Michael J. Heap
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  2. Claire E. Harnett
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  3. Tofig Nazarbayov
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  4. Zhen Heng
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  5. Patrick Baud
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  6. Tao Xu
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  7. Marina Rosas-Carbajal
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  8. Jean-Christophe Komorowski
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Contributions

M. Heap and C. Harnett conceived and developed the idea for this study. Numerical experiments using PFC were performed by C. Harnett. Numerical experiments using RFPA were performed by Z. Heng and T. Xu. Image analysis was performed by T. Nazarbayov. M. Heap and C. Harnett wrote the first draft of the manuscript, with contributions from all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Michael J. Heap or Claire E. Harnett.

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Editorial responsibility: U. Kueppers

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Heap, M.J., Harnett, C.E., Nazarbayov, T. et al. The influence of heterogeneity on the strength of volcanic rocks and the stability of lava domes. Bull Volcanol 85, 49 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-023-01669-6

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