Permeability evolution in variably glassy basaltic andesites measured under magmatic conditions

Abstract : Heat from inflowing magma may act to seal permeable networks that assist passive outgassing at volcanic conduit margins and in overlying domes, reducing the efficiency of overpressure dissipation. Here we present a study of the evolution of permeability – measured under magmatic conditions - with increasing temperature in glassy and glass-poor basaltic andesites from Merapi volcano (Indonesia). Whereas the permeability of glass-poor rocks decreases little up to a temperature of 1010°C, glassy specimens experience a pronounced decrease in permeability above the glass transition once the viscosity of the crystal suspension is low enough to relax under external stresses. Changes in temperature alone are thus not enough to significantly modify the permeability of the glass-poor rocks that commonly form Merapi's dome. However, the presence of glass-rich domains in a dome may lead to local sealing of the volcanic plumbing between eruptions, exacerbating localized overpressure development that could contribute to explosivity.