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EffusiveeruptionWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Effusiveeruption
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Aneffusiveeruptionisatypeofvolcaniceruptioninwhichlavasteadilyflowsoutofavolcanoontotheground.Effusive
eruptiondiffersfromexplosiveeruption,whereinmagmaisviolentlyfragmentedwhenexpelledfromavolcano.Theshape
ofthelavaflowscreatedbyeffusiveeruptionsisgovernedbythetypeoflava,rateanddurationoferuption,andslopeof
thesurroundingareas.[1]
Avolcaniceruptioniseffusivewhenlowviscositymagma,usuallybasalticincomposition,isreleasedfromtheEarth's
crust.Inaneffusiveeruption,gasescapedthemagmaasiteruptsandformslavathatflowsdownhillcontinuously.This
typeoflavaflowcanbuildshieldvolcanoes,whicharenumerousinHawaii.[2]
Eruptionsofbasalticmagmaoftentransitionbetweeneffusiveandexplosiveeruptionpatterns.Thebehaviorofthese
eruptionsislargelydependentonthepermeabilityofthemagmaandthemagmaascentrate.Foraneffusiveeruptionto
occur,magmamustbepermeableenoughtoallowtheexpulsionofgasbubblescontainedwithinit.Ifthemagmaisnot
aboveacertainpermeabilitythreshold,itcannotdegasandwilleruptexplosively.Additionally,atacertainthreshold,
fragmentationwithinthemagmacancauseanexplosiveeruption.ThisthresholdisgovernedbytheReynoldsNumber,a
dimensionlessnumberinfluiddynamicsthatisdirectlyproportionaltofluidvelocity.Eruptionswillbeeffusiveifthe
magmahasalowascentvelocity.Athighermagmaascentrates,thefragmentationwithinthemagmapassesathreshold
andresultsinexplosiveeruptions.[3]Silicicmagmaalsoexhibitsthistransitionbetweeneffusiveandexplosiveeruptions,[4]
butthefragmentationmechanismdiffers.[3]The1912Novaruptaeruptionandthe2003Strombolieruptionbothexhibiteda
transitionbetweenexplosiveandeffusiveeruptionpatterns.[4][5]
Effusivebasaltlavaflowscooltoeitheroftwoforms,aorphoehoe.[6]Andesitelavatypicallyformsblockylava
flows.[7]Dacitelavaflowsoftenformsteepsidedmounds,calledlavadomes,duetotheirgreaterviscosity.[8]

AnalavaflowfromMaunaLoa
duringits1984eruption.

TimelapsevideoofKilaueaflank
venteruption,2005

References
1.Marshak,Stephen.Essentialsofgeology.NewYork:W.W.Norton,2013.
2."Effusive&ExplosiveEruptions".TheGeologicalSociety.
3.Namiki,AtsukoManga,Michael(20080101)."Transitionbetweenfragmentationandpermeableoutgassingoflowviscositymagmas".JournalofVolcanologyand
GeothermalResearch169(12):4860.doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2007.07.020.
4.Nguyen,C.T.Gonnermann,H.M.Houghton,B.F.(2014)."Explosivetoeffusivetransitionduringthelargestvolcaniceruptionofthe20thcentury(Novarupta1912,
Alaska)".Geology42(8):703706.doi:10.1130/g35593.1.
5.Ripepe,MaurizioMarchetti,EmanueleUlivieri,GiacomoHarris,AndrewDehn,JonathanBurton,MikeCaltabiano,TommasoSalerno,Giuseppe(2005)."Effusiveto
explosivetransitionduringthe2003eruptionofStrombolivolcano".Geology33(5):341.doi:10.1130/g21173.1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effusive_eruption

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6.Camp,Vic."HowVolcanoesWorkBasalticLava".DepartmentofGeologicalSciences,SanDiegoStateUniversity.Retrieved28October2014.
7.http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/andesiterhyolite_lava.html
8.http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/images/pglossary/dacite.php

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