ALBERT

Description: In this study, the influence of CO2 on the rheology of silica poor and K-rich melts from highly explosive eruptions from the Colli Albani Volcanic District (Italy) (CAVD) is measured for the first time. The investigated melts range from foidite to tephri-phonolite to tephrite from the CAVD to a phonolite from the Vesuvius (Italy) with CO2 concentrations up to 0.50 wt%. Viscosity and calorimetric measurements are performed in the glass transition range Tg between 600 and 780 °C. Although nominally anhydrous, the investigated melts contain H2O concentrations up to 0.23 wt%. The data exhibit a decrease in viscosity of approx. 100.40 Pa s for the phonolitic composition with ~ 0.07 wt% CO2 and a Tg reduced by approx. 14 °C. For the tephritic composition, Tg is approx. 5 °C lower and has a viscosity reduced by 100.25 Pa s for the sample containing ~ 0.5 wt% CO2. Calorimetric measurements of the tephri-phonolite show lowered onset of Tg by approx. 6 °C for the melt with ~ 0.11 wt% CO2 and Tg of the foidite appears not to be influenced by a CO2 concentration of ~ 0.37 wt% CO2. However, these tephri-phonolitic and foiditic melts foamed during calorimetric measurements preventing a reliable measurement. It would appear that most of this overall drop in viscosity is caused by the small amounts of H2O in the melts with CO2 slightly reducing the viscosity or having no effect on viscosity. Additionally, it is shown that the reduction in viscosity decreases with an increasing degree of the depolymerisation for the investigated melts. Consequently, the explosive style of the CAVD eruptions is mainly caused by crystals and bubbles which form and rise during magma storage and ascent which increases the magma viscosity whereas the CO2 in the melt slightly reduces the viscosity.