2015/10/12 by Carolina Muñoz-Sáez, Atsuko Namiki, Michael Manga · 6 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena #Landslides and related hazards #Seismic Waves and Analysis #Electrical conduit #Geology #Volcano #Thermal #Seismology #Geophysics #Petrology #Earth science #Meteorology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/2015jb012364
openalex publication_date 2015/10/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11
Abstract We compare and contrast data collected in 2012 and 2014 from the El Tatio geyser field, Chile. We identify geyser systems that evolve over time, including changes in the interval between eruptions, development of new thermal features, and interactions between geysers. We study three different cases: (a) an isolated geyser, which is periodic and has nearly identical eruptions every cycle; (b) a geyser and coupled noneruptive pool, where the geyser has nonregular cycles and several preplay eruptions before the main eruption; and (c) two geysers and a mud volcano, which have nonregular cycles and are all interacting. Though geysers erupt with different styles, we recognize some common features: the conduit recharges with liquid during the quiescent period, bubbles enter the conduit before eruptions, and eruptions occur when water boils in the upper part of the conduit. The episodic addition of heat may govern the periodicity, while the depth where heat is added dictates the eruption style: conduits with deeper heat input are more likely to show preplay or minor eruptions. The interactions between thermal features can be explained by pressure transmission in subsurface permeable layers between geyser conduits.