PLEASE NOTE: Application deadline date 08 Jan 2024. Applications are no longer being accepted for this project
Project Overview
Large submerged volcanic eruptions pose a serious threat to coastal communities; however, their infrequent occurrence means direct observations are rare. This project aims to address this issue, and determine how deep-sea deposits can be used to reconstruct past eruptions and improve hazard assessments, using unique offshore datasets and novel numerical modelling.
Project Description
Explosive submerged volcanoes pose hazards to people and infrastructure, triggering tsunamis, over-ocean surges, and pyroclastic flows. Their infrequent and destructive nature limits the direct observation of large eruptions. Deep-sea deposits comprise more complete records than terrestrial equivalents, and may therefore enable reconstruction of past eruptions. However, how effectively major eruptions can be reconstructed from deep-sea deposits remains unclear. This project will address this gap, integrating datasets from historical and recent explosive eruptions with novel numerical modelling of linked submarine flows.
[1] Characterise the deep-sea depositional fingerprint of major eruptions, through sedimentological and geochemical analysis of cores offshore from: i) Santorini volcano - four large volume (3-11 km3) deposits can be linked to the most recent major eruptions[1]; ii) Hunga volcano, Tonga - 9 km3 deposits are linked to the most explosive eruption in >100 years[2]; iii) Montserrat - where ocean-entering pyroclastic flows were sampled after eruptions from 1995-2005[3].
[2] Determine how erosion modulates flow behavior and implications for reconstructing erupted volumes. Density currents triggered by large eruptions at both volcanoes travelled >100 km at fast speeds. Geochemical and biostratigraphic analysis of sediment cores, repeat surveys and numerical modelling will determine how flows and volume changed along their course.
[3] Assess how topography controls depositional signatures and associated hazards. Geophysical and core data reveal pronounced topographic steering of flows at both volcanoes. Numerical modelling will determine the influence of complex topography here and at other volcanoes, with wider implications for deciphering past eruptions and assessing the hazards for seafloor infrastructure.
The INSPIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The student will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted at the Marine Geosystems group at National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. The student will have the opportunity to join a NERC-funded research cruise offshore Santorini ‘HYDROMOX’ led by Yeo and visit collaborators in New Zealand. Specific training will include: i) Sedimentological and non-destructive core analysis at the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility at NOC (Clare and Hunt); ii) Geochemical analysis, including XRF and SEM (Hunt); iii) Biostratigraphic analysis (Hunt and Clare); v) Hazards assessment including interpretation of remotely sensed geophysical data (Yeo, Clare); and vi) Numerical modelling in Python using a novel two-layer flow model to construct flow behaviour. These techniques are relevant to a wide range of academic and industry careers.
- Anastasakis, G., 2007. The anatomy and provenance of thick volcaniclastic flows in the Cretan Basin, South Aegean Sea. Marine Geology, 240(1-4), pp.113-135.
- Clare, M.A., Yeo, I., Watson, S., Wysoczanski, R., Seabrook, S. Mackay, K., Hunt, J.E., Lane, E., Talling, P.J., Pope, E., Cronin, S., Ribó, M., Kula, T., Tappin, D., Henrys, S , de Ronde,C.E.J., Urlaub, M., Kutterolf, S., Fonua, S., Panuve, J., Veverka, D., Rapp, R., Kamalov, V., Williams, M. (2023). Fast and destructive density currents created by ocean-entering volcanic eruptions, Science.
- Le Friant, A., Deplus, C., Boudon, G., Sparks, R.S.J., Trofimovs, J. and Talling, P., 2009. Submarine deposition of volcaniclastic material from the 1995–2005 eruptions of Soufrière Hills volcano, Montserrat. Journal of the Geological Society, 166(1), pp.171-182.
