The Tianchi volcano in the Changbai Mountains is located on the boundary between China and North Korea. There are many times of eruptions of the Tianchi volcano during the Holocene. One of its large eruptions occurred around 1000 years ago dated by 14C method and historical records. Composition of products of the largest Tianchi volcanic eruption studied is characterized by comendi- tic Plinian fallout and unwelded ignimbrite, which are mainly distributed in China and North Korea. Caldera is about 4.4 km long and 3.4 km wide, which had filled with water (e.g. Tianchi Lake). The Tianchi volcanic cone is about 2700 m high above sea level. The Tianchi Lake is located on the summit of the volcanic cone, that is also highest peak of the Changbai Mountains in northeastern China. This study analyzed Cl, F, S and H2O concentrations of melt inclusions in the phenocryst min- erals (anorthoclase and quartz) and co-existing matrix glasses using the electron microprobe and estimated environmental effect of Tianchi volcanic gases. The authors proposed a new method to evaluate future eruption of active volcano and estimate potential volcanic hazards based on contents of volatile emissions. Using this method, we made a perspective of future volcanic hazard in this re- gion.
GUO Zhengfu LIU Jiaqi HAN Jingtai HE Huaiyu DAI Guoliang YOU Haitao
Miocene(16―10 Ma) basalts,together with significantly well-preserved fossils(including animal and plant fossils) in the contemporaneously tephra-rich Maar sediments,are located in Shanwang volcanic region,Shandong Province,China.Distribution area of the basaltic eruption products is about 240 km2.Detailed field observations indicate that most of basaltic rocks are fissure eruptive products and some are central eruptives constrained by linear faults.The well-preserved fossils in the lacustrine deposits have been considered to be a result of mass mortalities.Based on physically volcanologic modeling results,eruption column of the basaltic fissure activities in the Shanwang volcanic region is estimated to have entered the stratosphere.Petrographic observations indicate that the basalts have porphyritic textures with phenocrysts of olivine,pyroxene,plagioclase feldspar and alkali feldspar setting in groundmass of plagioclase feldspar,alkali feldspar,quartz,apatite and glass.Based on observations of tephra,tuff and tuffites collected in the Maar sediments of the Shanwang area,we determined major element oxide concentrations and volatile composition of melt inclusions in phenocrysts and matrix glasses by electron microprobe analysis.Volatile(including S,Cl,F and H2O) concentrations erupted into the stratosphere were estimated by comparing pre-and post-eruptive volatile concentrations.Our determination results show that contents of S,Cl,F and H2O emitted into the stratosphere were 0.18%― 0.24%,0.03%―0.05%,0.03%―0.05% and 0.4%―0.6%,respectively,which was characterized by high-S contents erupted.Amounts of volatiles emitted in the Shanwang volcanic region are much higher than those in eruptions which had a substantial effect on climate and environment.According to the com-positions and amounts of the volatiles erupted from the Miocene basaltic volcanism in Shanwang,we propose a hypothesis that volatile-rich basaltic volcanism could result in the mass mortalities by in-jecting volatiles(e.g.,SO2,H2S,HCl,HF and H2
