Journal Articles
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Item Cenozoic diatreme field in Chubut (Argentina) as evidence of phreatomagmatic volcanism accompanied with extensive Patagonian plateau basalt volcanism?(International Union of Geological Sciences, 2007) Nemeth K; Martin U; Haller MJ; Alric VIIn Patagonia, Argentina, at the northern border of the Patagonian Cenozoic mafic plateau lava fields, newly discovered diatremes stand about 100 m above the surrounding plain. These diatremes document phreatomagmatic episodes associated with the formation of the volcanic fields. The identified pyroclastic and intrusive rocks are exposed lower diatremes of former phreatomagmatic volcanoes and their feeding dyke systems. These remotely located erosional remnants cut through Paleozoic granitoids and Jurassic/Cretaceous alternating siliciclastic continental successions that are relatively easily eroded. Plateau lava fields are generally located a few hundreds of metres above the highest level of the present tops of the preserved diatremes suggesting a complex erosional history and potential interrelationships between the newly identified diatremes and the surrounding lava fields. Uprising magma from the underlying feeder dyke into the diatreme root zone intruded the clastic debris in the diatremes, inflated them and mingled with the debris to form subterranean peperite. The significance of identifying diatremes in Patagonia are twofold: 1) in the syn-eruptive paleoenvironment, water was available in various "soft-sediments", commonly porous, media aquifer sources, and 2) the identified abundant diatremes that form diatreme fields are good source candidates for the extensive lava fields with phreatomagmatism facilitating magma rise with effective opening of fissures before major lava effusions.Item Syn- and post-eruptive erosion, gully formation, and morphological evolution of a tephra ring in tropical climate erupted in 1913 in West Ambrym, Vanuatu(Elsevier, 2007) Nemeth K; Cronin SJSyn- and post-eruptive erosion of volcanic cones plays an important role in mass redistribution of tephra over short periods. Descriptions of the early stages of erosion of tephra from monogenetic volcanic cones are rare, particularly those with a well-constrained timing of events. In spite of this lack of data, cone morphologies and erosion features are commonly used for long-term erosion-rate calculations and relative age determinations in volcanic fields. This paper offers new observations which suggest differing constraints on the timing of erosion of a tephra ring may be operating than those conventionally cited. In 1913 a tephra ring was formed as part of an eruption in west Ambrym Island, Vanuatu and is now exposed along a continuous 2.5 km long coastal section. The ring surrounds an oval shaped depression filled by water. It is composed of a succession of a phreatomagmatic fall and base-surge beds, interbedded with thin scoriaceous lapilli units. Toward the outer edges of the ring, base-surge beds are gradually replaced in the succession by fine ash-dominated debris flows and hyperconcentrated flow deposits. The inter-fingering of phreatomagmatic deposits with syn-volcanic reworked volcaniclastic sediments indicates that an ongoing remobilisation of freshly deposited tephra was already occurring during the eruption. Gullies cut into the un-weathered tephra are up to 4 m deep and commonly have c. 1 m of debris flow deposit fill in their bases. There is no indication of weathering, vegetation fragments or soil development between the gully bases and the basal debris flow fills. Gully walls are steep and superficial fans of collapsed sediment are common. Most gullies are heavily vegetated although some active (ephemeral) channels occur. These observations suggest that the majority of the erosion of such tephra rings in tropical climates takes place directly during eruption and possibly for only a period of days to weeks afterward. After establishment of the gully network, tephra remobilisation is concentrated only within them. Therefore the shape of the erosion-modified volcanic landform is predominantly developed shortly after the eruption ceases. This observation indicates that gully erosion morphology may not necessarily relate to age of such a landform. Different intensities of erosion during eruption (related to water supply or rainfall) are probably the major influence on gully spacing, modal depth and form. Longer-term post-eruption processes that could be indicators of relative age may include internal gully deepening (below basal debris flow fill sediments) and possibly widening and side-slope lowering due to undercutting and side-collapse. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item Eroded porous-media aquifer controlled hydrovolcanic centers in the South Lake Balaton region, Hungary: The Boglar volcano(Akad�miai Kiad�, 1999) Nemeth K; Martin U; Philippe MThe volcanic centers next to Balatonboglar township represent 3.5 Ma old products of post-extensional alkaline basaltic volcanism in the Pannonian Basin (eastern Central Europe). They are small, eroded volcanic centers located on the southern shore of Lake Balaton and genetically related to the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field eruptive centers. The relatively small area (500 m x 500 m) contains at least 2 eruptive centers, which are probably related to each other and have built up a complex volcano, called the Boglar Volcano. The volcanic rocks overlie the older Pannonian clastic sedimentary sequence and represent the topographic highs in this area. The areas of lower elevation around the eruptive centers are covered by Pleistocene to Holocene swamp, lake and river clastic sediments, which strongly suggest intense erosion during the last few million years. All volcanic rocks around Balatonboglar are volcaniclastic. There is no evidence of lava flow occurrence. The volcaniclastic sediments have been divided into two lithofacies associations. The largest amount of volcaniclastic rocks is located in the center of the local hills and has been interpreted as a phreatomagmatic crater fill lapilli tuff. They contain large amphibole megacrysts and small olivine crystals. The second lithofacies association is interpreted as lahar deposits. This sequence contains an unusually large amount of fossil tree trunks, which are identified as Abies species. Within a small area in the western hills small outcrops show evidence of maar-lake clastic sediment occurrence. On the hilltops debris shows intimate interaction processes between clastic sediments and basaltic melt. We interpret this to mean that the eruptive centers of Boglar Volcano were formed under subaerial conditions, with explosions fueled by intensive interaction between water-saturated Pannonian sand and uprising basaltic magma.Item Late miocene paleo-geomorphology of the bakony-balaton highland volcanic field (Hungary) using physical volcanology data(Gebruder Borntraeger, 1999) Nemeth K; Martin UA new view is presented of the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (BBHVF), Hungary, active in late Miocene and built up of ca. 100 mostly alkaline basaltic eruptive centers, scoria cones, tuff rings, maar volcanic complexes and shield volcanoes. A detailed map shows the physical volcanology of the monogenetic volcanic field. In areas where thick Pannonian Sandstone beds build up the pre-volcanic strata normal maar volcanic centers have formed with usually thick late magmatic infill in the maar basins. In areas, where relatively thin Pannonian Sandstone beds resting on thick Mesozoic or Paleozoic fracture-controlled, karstwater-bearing aquifer, large unusual maar volcanic sequences appear (Tihany type maar volcanoes). In the northern part of the field large former scoria cones and shield volcanoes give evidence for a smaller impact of the ground and surface water causing phreatomagmatic explosive activity. The Tihany type maar volcanic centers are usually filled by thick maar lake deposits, building up Gilbert type gravelly, scoria rich deltas in the northern side of the maar basins, suggesting a mostly north to south fluvial system in the pre-volcanic surface. Calculating paleosurface elevation for the eruptive centers, two paleo-geomorphology maps are drawn for a younger (4-2.8 Ma) and an older (7.54-4 Ma) scenario. The erosion rate of the volcanic field is estimated to vary between 96 m/Ma and 18 m/Ma. In the western site of BBHVF the erosion rate is higher (more than 60 m/Ma, Tapolca Basin), and an average 50 m/Ma in the center and eastern side.Item Deltaic density currents and turbidity deposits related to maar crater rims and their importance for palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field, Hungary(Massey University., 2001) Nemeth KThe Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (BBHVF), active in the late Miocene, is located in the Central Pannonian Basin and consists of around 100 mostly alkaline basaltic eruptive centers. After volcanism, lake deposition took place inside the maar craters. Above the primary volcaniclastic deposits, thick maar-lake volcaniclastic sediments occur. The steeply dipping (25-35o), 25-30 cm thick, coarse-grained, inverse-to-normal graded beds of reworked tuff represent the foresets of large Gilbert-delta fronts built into the maar crater lakes of the BBHVF. The coarse-grained beds were deposited by low-density granule debris flows and grain flows. 10-15 cm thick beds of fine-grained, cross-bedded reworked volcaniclastic sandstone and mudstone beds are interbedded, probably deposited by turbulent sediment gravity flows. The delta fronts usually indicate transportation from north to south, suggesting a strong north-south trending fluvial system, active during or, shortly after volcanism in the BBHVF. The juvenile fragments of the deltaic sediments are often highly vesiculated, rounded/semirounded glassy lapilli. These suggest that the maar volcanism was related to widespread Strombolian-type explosive volcanism after the maar-forming phreatomagmatic events. Deposits derived from scoria cones were easily washed into the steep walled maar basins and deposited by debris flows into the maar lakes.
