Abstract
AWORKING model for many active stratovolcanoes involves a magma column with a frozen cap, cooled by a meteoric-water hydrothermal system. Systems with such high latent and specific heat capacities may easily buffer internal temperatures and apparent surface activity during short-term changes in power output. The surface manifestation of volcanic hydrothermal systems takes the form of boiling mud pools, hot springs, fumaroles, and in about 20–30 cases worldwide, hot crater lakes1–7. The latter are rare because they require special conditions to exist: high water supply, confined fumarole discharge, low permeability substratum and effective sub-surface heat transport. Crater lakes at active volcanoes are in a state of dynamic equilibrium whereby annual water losses through evaporation and infiltration are balanced by additions due to, for example, rainfall and runoff. Any change in volcano power output will directly affect the internal energy and surface heat loss of the lake. Vaporization of water within the hydrothermal system, leading to enhanced steam discharge from fumaroles, can also absorb increased power output. For long-term (months to years) power changes, we propose that crater-lake and fumarole discharge variations may well occur before significant signals on seismic and tilt networks are detected. As an illustration of these ideas, we consider here the recent activity at Poas volcano, Costa Rica.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brantley, S. L., Borgia, A., Rowe, G., Fernandez, J. F. & Reynolds, J. F. Nature 330, 470–472 (1987).
Hurst, A. W. in Volcanic Hazards Assessment in New Zealand Vol. 10 (eds Gregory, J. G. & Watters, W. A.) 23–34 (New Zealand Geol. Surv., Lower Hutt, 1986).
Hurst, A. W. & Dibble, R. R. J. Volcan. geotherm. Res. 9, 215–236 (1981).
Shepherd, J. B. & Sigurdsson, H. J. Volcan. geotherm. Res. 13, 119–130 (1982).
Shepherd, J. B. & Sigurdsson, H. Nature 271, 344–345 (1978).
Casadevall, T. J. et al. J. Volcan. geotherm. Res. 23, 169–191 (1984).
Thorpe, R. S., Brown, G. C., Rymer, H., Barritt, S. & Randal, M. Earthquake Info. Bull. 17(2), 44–49 (1985).
Rymer, H. thesis, Open Univ. (1985).
Brown, G. C., Rymer, H. & Thorpe, R. S. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 82, 323–334 (1987).
Rymer, H. & Brown, G. C. Nature 311, 243–245 (1984).
Rymer, H. & Brown, G. C. Bull volcan. 49, 389–398 (1987).
Casertano, L., Borgia, A. & Cigolini, C. Bol. Volc. 14, 95–97 (1984).
Casertano, L. et al. Geofis. Int. 24(2), 315–332 (1985).
Prosser, J. T. & Carr, M. J. J. Volcan. geotherm. Res. 33, 131–146 (1987).
Barquero, J. in Historical Unrest at Large Calderas of the World Vol. 2 (eds Newhall, C. G. & Dzurisin, D.) 878 (USGS Bulletin 1855, Washington DC, 1988).
Scientific Event Alert Network Bull. 13(6), 13–14, 13(9), 8–10 (1988).
Casertano, L. et al. Bull. volcan. 49, 588–598 (1987).
Weisman, R. N. & Brutsaert, W. Wat. Resour. Res. 9, 1242–1257 (1973).
Mayhew, Y. R. & Rogers, G. F. C. Thermodynamic and Transport Proporties of Fluids, 20 (Blackwell, Oxford, 1973).
Ryan, P. J., Harleman, D. R. F. & Stolzenbach, K. D. Wat. Resour. Res. 10, 930–938 (1974).
Rothery, D. A., Francis, P. W. & Wood, C. A. Proc. 6th Thematic Conf. on Remote Sensing. Houston, Texas 1, 283–291 (1988).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, G., Rymer, H., Dowden, J. et al. Energy budget analysis for Poás crater lake: implications for predicting volcanic activity. Nature 339, 370–373 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/339370a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/339370a0
This article is cited by
-
Continuous estimates of heat emission at Mt. Ruapehu using the Unscented Kalman Smoother
Journal of Applied Volcanology (2023)
-
Color and temperature of the crater lakes at Kelimutu volcano through time
Bulletin of Volcanology (2018)
-
Caldera unrest detected with seawater temperature anomalies at Deception Island, Antarctic Peninsula
Bulletin of Volcanology (2018)
-
First study of the heat and gas budget for Sirung volcano, Indonesia
Bulletin of Volcanology (2017)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.