Physical characteristics of scoriae and ash from 2014-2015 eruption of Aso Volcano, Japan

The activity at Aso Volcano was mainly defined as a sequence of ash emissions and occasional ejections of scoria fragments with ash. Ash emissions sometimes started without notable explosions. The measured porosity of scoriae was as high as 0.94. The scoriae had a flattened shape with a low-porosity outer rim. To elucidate the eruptive conditions causing such ash emission and generation of scoriae, we conducted three series of measurements. First, we heated the high-porosity scoriae from Aso Volcano at 900-1150 degrees C and found that the heated scoriae shrunk by losing the gas in the bubbles. At the highest temperature, 1150 degrees C, bubbles segregated from the surrounding melt. Second, we conducted shear deformation experiments of scoriae and ash at 500-950 degrees C and found that the high-porosity scoriae easily fractured by low normal and shear stresses of similar to 10(4) Pa at a low temperature of 500 degrees C. We also found that the fine ash at a high temperature of 950 degrees C was sintered. Third, we measured the permeability of the sintered ash plate and unheated powder-like ash layer. The permeability of the ash plate is less than 2.5 x 10(-13) m(2), while that for the ash powder is greater than 10(-11) m(2). The unheated ash particles could move in the container during the permeability measurements. This effect allowed the formation of pipe-like structures in the ash layer and increased its permeability. On the basis of these measurements, we infer the conditions inside the erupting conduit. There exists high-porosity magma foam in the conduit. The top of the magma foam is cold (<500 degrees C) and has a sufficiently high porosity (>0.7) to be fractured at a low stress level (similar to 10(4) Pa). The fractured magma foam generates the ash layer above the magma foam. The gas flow from the underlying magma foam makes the high-permeability structure in the ash layer. Eventually, the bottom of the ash layer sinters to regulate the gas flow. The pressurized magma foam breaks the sintered ash layer. The breakage at the bottom of the ash layer may not cause a notable explosion but causes ash emission. The fragmented magma foam becomes high-porosity scoriae at a high temperature, which can generate the low-porosity outer rim by shrinkage and flatted shape.