Publications

Campus, A; Villeneuve, N; Chevrel, O; Peltier, A; Di Muro, A; Coppola, D (2025). Effusion Rate Trends at Piton de la Fournaise: A Review of 24 Years of Space-Based Thermal Observation. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH, 130(6), e2024JB030962.

Abstract
We combined thermal satellite imagery from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments to reconstruct the effusion rate trends in terms of Time Averaged Discharge Rate (TADR) of 37 eruptions (2000-2023) at Piton de la Fournaise (La R & eacute;union, France). The analysis of quantitative data on durations, locations, final erupted volumes, and TADR trends reveal the occurrence of five groups of eruptions. Group 1: eruptions at or near the summit, low volumes, variable durations, and low, almost steady TADR. Group 2: eruptions located over the entire edifice, low volumes, short durations, and a single-pulse of effusion. Group 3: eruptions located in the S-SE sector, moderate volumes, long durations, and exponentially decreasing TADR. Group 4: eruptions in the N-E-S sectors, moderate volumes, long durations, and waning-waxing TADR trends. Group 5: eruptions located in N-E-S sectors, high volumes, and complex trends. Recognizing different groups unravels the complex eruptive patterns of Piton de la Fournaise, only partially compatible with the pressure-cooker model usually invoked in closed-vent basaltic contexts. Extending the analysis back to 1998 reveals that although the long-term lava output rate has remained nearly constant (similar to 0.7 m3/s, steady-state condition), the occurrence and frequency of different eruptive groups changed after April 2007 summit caldera collapse. Our analysis underlines that: (a) the potential occurrence of Groups 4-5 events in ihabithed areas makes them the most hazardous, (b) the 2007 collapse modified magma transfer from the deep storage zone to the surface, but not the steady-state behavior of the volcano.

DOI:
10.1029/2024JB030962

ISSN:
2169-9356