Local Effects of a Kimberlite Eruption?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Malapine
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Effects Local
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

A Kimberlite eruption, characterized by the violent ascent of diamond-bearing lava, poses significant local dangers but does not entirely obstruct transcontinental migration routes. Historical context suggests that an eruption near Washington, Arkansas, during the Texas Revolution could have harmed nearby populations but would not have rendered the Southwest Trail impassable. Kimberlite eruptions primarily produce cold ashfalls rather than hot pyroclastic surges, making them less lethal than other volcanic events. Understanding the dynamics of these eruptions is crucial for assessing their impact on surrounding areas.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Kimberlite Volcanology
  • Knowledge of volcanic eruption dynamics
  • Familiarity with geological deposits and ashfall characteristics
  • Basic principles of thermodynamics related to gas expansion
NEXT STEPS
  • Research Kimberlite Volcanology: Transport, Ascent, and Eruption
  • Study the effects of volcanic ash on local ecosystems and populations
  • Examine case studies of historical volcanic eruptions and their impacts
  • Explore the relationship between eruption dynamics and ashfall characteristics
USEFUL FOR

Geologists, volcanologists, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in the effects of volcanic eruptions on human populations and ecosystems.

Malapine
Messages
15
Reaction score
5
Are there any thoughts on what effects a Kimberlite eruption would have on nearby populations, if one occurred in modern history? They were supposedly quite violent based on the estimated rates of ascent of the diamond-bearing lava, but how does that translate to VEI or megatons, etc. ?

[ Specifically: in the 1830s, several key players in the Texas Revolution (Houston, Bowie, Crockett, etc.) were hanging out in Washington, Arkansas, about 15 miles south of Crater of Diamonds. If there had been an eruption at that time, could it have harmed the townspeople or made the Southwest Trail impassable? ]
 
Earth sciences news on Phys.org
Any volcanic activity would be locally dangerous, but not so dangerous that it could not be bypassed, so it would not prevent transcontinental migration.

If the eruption had covered a greater area in recent times, then there would be diamonds scattered widely across the region, but the kimberlite diamond pipes are a local feature.

Diamond is a high pressure - low temperature mineral. It is unlikely that a red-hot fluid lava would be involved. It is more likely that erosion has exposed the deep kimberlite pipe, which continues to be weathered on the surface, concentrating diamonds in the soil.

Malapine said:
They were supposedly quite violent based on the estimated rates of ascent of the diamond-bearing lava, ...
Where is the reference to that high rate of ascent?
 
Last edited:
Almost tektites !!
But seriously, per Wiki, 'potentially from anomalously enriched exotic mantle compositions', you'd have bad stuff launched into stratosphere, then raining down for miles around...

This 'pop-science' discussion may amuse : https://www.wired.com/2017/05/crazy-eruptions-spit-diamonds/
 
Nik_2213 said:
Almost tektites !!
How high could you get at Mach 1.0 = 343 m/s ?
KE = PE; ½·m·v² = m·g·h ; ½·v² = g·h ;
h = ½·v² / g ;
h = 0.5 * 343 * 343 / 9.8 = 6 km.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Nik_2213
Baluncore said:
How high could you get at Mach 1.0 = 343 m/s ?
KE = PE; ½·m·v² = m·g·h ; ½·v² = g·h ;
h = ½·v² / g ;
h = 0.5 * 343 * 343 / 9.8 = 6 km.
Then what form will the cloud take?
Vesuvius, on the first day, formed a pine-shaped cloud directly upwards. Ash raining down on Pompeii was cool and safe. It did eventually collapse roofs; but there was a thick layer of cold ash on Pompeii and people were still alive in strong cellars and walking on top of ashes next morning when a hot pyroclastic flow overtook and slew them all.
Whereas in St. Pierre, on 8th of May, 1902, everyone save one person in a strong cellar was killed... but from the descriptions and even photos of the next two weeks, there was little ash deposited (3...7 cm in the city?)

From a geological deposit, how do you distinguish cold (and safe) ashfall from the thin but fatal pyroclastic surge?
From the properties of volcano, how do you predict if the eruption will result in safe cold ashfalls or dangerous hot surges?
Do kimberlite eruptions produce cold ashfall or hot surges?
 
snorkack said:
From a geological deposit, how do you distinguish cold (and safe) ashfall from the thin but fatal pyroclastic surge?
From the properties of volcano, how do you predict if the eruption will result in safe cold ashfalls or dangerous hot surges?
Do kimberlite eruptions produce cold ashfall or hot surges?
I would expect kimberlite eruptions to be cold and safe. They are mostly CO2 expanding noisily near the surface. They often occur underwater or from cracks below the local topography. If they flow for long enough, a heap of ash can build up downwind.

As a neighbour, or for a graduate study project, you need to pick a volcano with a small and symmetrical cone. That will produce ash to fertilise the soil, without the risk of repeated pyroclastic flows. Ugly shaped cones, that show evidence of angry explosions, do not make good neighbours. Vulcanologists die when they cannot get away fast enough. It is safer to select a career in archaeology, once things have quietened down a little.

The most dangerous volcanic eruptions occur when one side of an old, several kilometre high volcanic cone is blown off, that releases a huge volume of quickly expanding hot gas and ash in an instant steam explosion. That then flows downhill as a red-hot cloud, accelerating towards the coast where people live. The key places to avoid are those where ignimbrites are going to be found later.