Marie Edmonds on Volcanic Gas
Marie Edmonds is Professor of Volcanology and Petrology at Cambridge University. She studies the cycling of volatile elements such as carbon between the atmosphere and the mantle and the role that volatiles play in melting, magma transport, and the style of volcanic eruptions. She describes how all volcanos emit gas and how the gas can reveal a lot about the origin of the magma and also forewarn of eruptions. Here she is using an infrared spectrometer to monitor gases emitted during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea on Hawaii.
Courtesy of Richard Herd
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Podcast Illustrations
After a long period of dormancy, the Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat became active in 1995 and has continued to erupt ever since. The image shows the lava dome with a gas plume shortly before the large dome collapse and explosion sequence of July 12-13, 2003. Marie Edmonds has made detailed measurements of the gas emitted by this subduction-zone-related volcano.
Courtesy of Richard Herd
Diagram illustrating the processes involved in continental rifting.
The various processes that continually cycle carbon from the atmosphere into the ocean where it is deposited in sediments and subducted. Subducted carbonates are then released back into the atmosphere by volcanos at subduction zones, , at mid-ocean ridges, mid-ocean volcanic islands, and in rifting continents. LAB = lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. Carbon fluxes given in millions of tons per year.
The ratio of carbon 13 to carbon 12 in various settings compared to a standard ratio. DOC = dissolved organic carbon.