<p>Coarse, molten fragments of low-viscosity magma (volcanic bombs) that are ejected during explosive volcanic eruptions represent a source of hazard and a record of past eruptions. After ejection, bombs tend to break up during flight, but how much this affects their dispersal is unclear. Here, we use high-speed and high-definition imaging of three recent explosive eruptions to parameterise the in-flight fragmentation of bombs. We estimate that in-flight fragmentation involves 73% of bombs coarser than <InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="41598_2025_20900_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="6" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="17" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\sim\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation> 0.2&#xa0;m, with bomb-to-bomb collisions and aerodynamic frictional (drag) forces being the main drivers of in-flight fragmentation, depending on eruption style. Drag force increases with increasing bomb velocity and size, selectively fragmenting the coarsest and fastest bombs, acting as a self-limiting factor for the range and energy of falling bombs. These findings pose a quantitative basis for incorporating the in-flight fragmentation processes into the interpretation of volcanic deposits and for modelling hazards from falling bombs.</p>

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In flight fragmentation reduces bomb size range and hazard during explosive volcanic eruptions

  • C. Biensan,
  • J. Taddeucci,
  • M. Alatorre-Ibarguengoitia,
  • P. Scarlato,
  • D. Andronico,
  • T. Ricci,
  • E. Del Bello,
  • L. D’Auria,
  • M. Asensio-Ramos,
  • D. M. Palladino

摘要

Coarse, molten fragments of low-viscosity magma (volcanic bombs) that are ejected during explosive volcanic eruptions represent a source of hazard and a record of past eruptions. After ejection, bombs tend to break up during flight, but how much this affects their dispersal is unclear. Here, we use high-speed and high-definition imaging of three recent explosive eruptions to parameterise the in-flight fragmentation of bombs. We estimate that in-flight fragmentation involves 73% of bombs coarser than \(\sim\) 0.2 m, with bomb-to-bomb collisions and aerodynamic frictional (drag) forces being the main drivers of in-flight fragmentation, depending on eruption style. Drag force increases with increasing bomb velocity and size, selectively fragmenting the coarsest and fastest bombs, acting as a self-limiting factor for the range and energy of falling bombs. These findings pose a quantitative basis for incorporating the in-flight fragmentation processes into the interpretation of volcanic deposits and for modelling hazards from falling bombs.