Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain
Incandescent pyroclasts of more than 64 mm in diameter erupted from active volcanoes are known as bombs and pose a significant hazard to life and infrastructure. Volcanic ballistic projectile hazard assessment normally considers fall as the main transport process, estimating its intensity from bomb...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Earth Science, Systems and Society |
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| Online Access: | https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.3389/esss.2022.10063 |
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| author | James M. D. Day Harri Geiger Valentin R. Troll Francisco J. Perez-Torrado Meritxell Aulinas Guillem Gisbert Juan Carlos Carracedo |
| author_facet | James M. D. Day Harri Geiger Valentin R. Troll Francisco J. Perez-Torrado Meritxell Aulinas Guillem Gisbert Juan Carlos Carracedo |
| author_sort | James M. D. Day |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Incandescent pyroclasts of more than 64 mm in diameter erupted from active volcanoes are known as bombs and pose a significant hazard to life and infrastructure. Volcanic ballistic projectile hazard assessment normally considers fall as the main transport process, estimating its intensity from bomb location and impact cratering. We describe ballistically ejected bombs observed during the late October 2021 episode of eruption at La Palma (Canary Islands) that additionally travelled downhill by rolling and bouncing on the steep tephra-dominated cone. These bouncing bombs travelled for distances >1 km beyond their initial impact sites, increasing total travel distance by as much as 100%. They left multiple impact craters on their travel path and frequently spalled incandescent fragments on impact with substrate, leading to significant fire hazard for partially buried trees and structures far beyond the range of ballistic transport. We term these phenomena as bouncing spallation bombs. The official exclusion zone encompassed this hazard at La Palma, but elsewhere bouncing spallation bombs ought to be accounted for in risk assessment, necessitating awareness of an increased hazard footprint on steep-sided volcanoes with ballistic activity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-80e4506984f448c38f7b32a0ed7aa10c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2634-730X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth Science, Systems and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-80e4506984f448c38f7b32a0ed7aa10c2025-01-10T14:04:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Earth Science, Systems and Society2634-730X2022-12-012110.3389/esss.2022.10063Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, SpainJames M. D. Day0Harri Geiger1Valentin R. Troll2Francisco J. Perez-Torrado3Meritxell Aulinas4Guillem Gisbert5Juan Carlos Carracedo61Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States2Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany3Department of Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden4Instituto de Estudios Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (i-UNAT), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain6Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain6Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain4Instituto de Estudios Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (i-UNAT), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainIncandescent pyroclasts of more than 64 mm in diameter erupted from active volcanoes are known as bombs and pose a significant hazard to life and infrastructure. Volcanic ballistic projectile hazard assessment normally considers fall as the main transport process, estimating its intensity from bomb location and impact cratering. We describe ballistically ejected bombs observed during the late October 2021 episode of eruption at La Palma (Canary Islands) that additionally travelled downhill by rolling and bouncing on the steep tephra-dominated cone. These bouncing bombs travelled for distances >1 km beyond their initial impact sites, increasing total travel distance by as much as 100%. They left multiple impact craters on their travel path and frequently spalled incandescent fragments on impact with substrate, leading to significant fire hazard for partially buried trees and structures far beyond the range of ballistic transport. We term these phenomena as bouncing spallation bombs. The official exclusion zone encompassed this hazard at La Palma, but elsewhere bouncing spallation bombs ought to be accounted for in risk assessment, necessitating awareness of an increased hazard footprint on steep-sided volcanoes with ballistic activity.https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.3389/esss.2022.10063volcanicbombhazardLa PalmaCanary Islands |
| spellingShingle | James M. D. Day Harri Geiger Valentin R. Troll Francisco J. Perez-Torrado Meritxell Aulinas Guillem Gisbert Juan Carlos Carracedo Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain Earth Science, Systems and Society volcanic bomb hazard La Palma Canary Islands |
| title | Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain |
| title_full | Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain |
| title_fullStr | Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain |
| title_short | Bouncing Spallation Bombs During the 2021 La Palma Eruption, Canary Islands, Spain |
| title_sort | bouncing spallation bombs during the 2021 la palma eruption canary islands spain |
| topic | volcanic bomb hazard La Palma Canary Islands |
| url | https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.3389/esss.2022.10063 |
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