Category: Research

Lava dome morphology inferred from numerical modelling

Source: OXFORD Academic

Lava domes form when highly viscous magmas erupt on the surface. Several types of lava dome morphology can be distinguished depending on the flow rate and the rheology of magma. Here, we develop a 2-D axisymmetric model of magma extrusion on the surface and lava dome evolution and analyse the dome morphology using a finite-volume method implemented in Ansys Fluent software. The magma/lava viscosity depends on the volume fraction of crystals and temperature. We show that the morphology of domes is influenced by two parameters: the characteristic time of crystal content growth (CCGT) and the discharge rate (DR). More“Lava dome morphology inferred from numerical modelling”