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05 06, 2022;12 (1): 7468.

The 2019-2020 volcanic eruption of Late'iki (Metis Shoal), Tonga.

I A Yeo, I M McIntosh, S E Bryan, K Tani, M Dunbabin, D Metz, P C Collins, K Stone, M S Manu
Author Information
  1. I A Yeo: National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton, UK. i.yeo@noc.ac.uk.
  2. I M McIntosh: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Tokyo, Japan.
  3. S E Bryan: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
  4. K Tani: National Museum of Nature and Science (Kahaku), Tokyo, Japan.
  5. M Dunbabin: School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
  6. D Metz: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Tokyo, Japan.
  7. P C Collins: Queens University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
  8. K Stone: Vava'u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA), Vava'u, Tonga.
  9. M S Manu: Natural Resources Division, Tonga Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources, Nuku'alofa, Tonga.
PMID: 35523824 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11133-8

Abstract

Late'iki (previously known as Metis Shoal) is a highly active volcano in the Tofua arc with at least four temporary island-building eruptions and one submarine eruption in the last 55 years. The most recent eruption, commencing in October 2019, resulted in lava effusion and subsequent phreatic explosions, the construction of a short-lived island that was quickly eroded by wave action and possibly further phreatic activity that continued into January 2020. The two-pyroxene dacite from the 2019 eruption is similar to the 1967/8 eruptions suggesting the magma is residual from earlier eruptions and has not undergone further differentiation in the last 50 years. New observations of the 2019 eruption site confirm the lava-dominant character of the volcano summit but a thin veneer of wave-reworked, finely fragmented lava material remains that is interpreted to have been produced by phreatic explosions from hot rock-water interactions during the effusive eruption. A notable absence of quench-fragmented hyaloclastite breccias suggests that non-explosive quench fragmentation processes were minimal at these shallow depths or that hyaloclastite debris has resedimented to greater depths beyond our summit survey area.

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MeSH Term

Disasters
Minerals
Tonga
Volcanic Eruptions

Chemicals

Minerals
Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Article has an altmetric score of 11

Word Cloud

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