Groundwater drainage from fissures as a source for lahars

Johnson, P. J.; Valentine, G. A.; Stauffer, P. H.; Lowry, C. S.; Sonder, I.; Pulgarin, B. A.; Santacoloma, C. C.; Agudelo, A.

doi:10.1007/s00445-018-1214-4

Groundwater drainage from fissures as a source for lahars

Journal Article · Thu Mar 22 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of Volcanology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-018-1214-4· OSTI ID:1435523

^[1]; Valentine, G. A. ^[2]; Stauffer, P. H. ^[3]; Lowry, C. S. ^[2]; Sonder, I. ^[2]; Pulgarin, B. A. ^[4]; Santacoloma, C. C. ^[4]; Agudelo, A. ^[4]

Univ. at Buffalo, Amherst, NY (United States). Dept. of Geology; Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Univ. at Buffalo, Amherst, NY (United States). Dept. of Geology
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Colombian Geological Service (SGC), Popayán (Colombia)

One mechanism for generating lahars at volcanoes experiencing unrest is the disruption of internal aquifers. These disruptions can trigger releases of large quantities of groundwater. An example of such aquifer disruption occurred at Nevado del Huila Volcano, Colombia, during February and April 2007 when large fractures formed across the summit area of the volcano and lahars were emitted from them. Previous work interpreted that lahar volumes could not be accounted for by melted glacial snow or precipitation, and by elimination suggested that the primary water source was groundwater. Conceptual models have been developed for perched, confined aquifers that have been heated and pressurized by magma intrusions, followed by sudden pressure release and water emission during fracture formation. In this paper, we consider an alternative end member wherein water release from large fissures at volcanoes is driven by simple gravity drainage. We apply numerical modeling to quantify water discharge from the porous medium surrounding a fissure with a low-elevation free exit. If a long fracture with high vertical extent (on the order of hundreds of meters) intersects a highly connected saturated porous medium, large volumes (on order 10³ m³/m of crack length) of water may be released within tens of minutes. The drainage rates from the model may be adequate to account for the Nevado del Huila events if the medium surrounding the crack contains a large volume of water and has high horizontal permeability. Finally, this simple but poorly understood mechanism can present a hazard on its own or compound other processes releasing water from volcanoes.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1435523

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--17-28669

Journal Information:: Journal of Volcanology, Journal Name: Journal of Volcanology Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 80; ISSN 0258-8900

Publisher:: SpringerCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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