Experimental constraints on pre-eruptive conditions at Nabro volcano, Eritrea, 2011, and implications for sulphur emissions
Abstract
We present new experimental constraints on the pre-eruptive magma storage conditions at Nabro Volcano, Eritrea, prior to its 2011 eruption, and discuss the implications for sulphur emissions. We find that the magma was likely stored in the shallow crust prior to eruption, following an intrusion in March 2011. This reservoir was located at ~ 7 km depth, and was recharged immediately prior to the eruption, from a deeper reservoir located at 20 km. The temperature of the magma was 1030 °C with 3 wt% dissolved H 2 O, at redox conditions around the Quartz-Fayalite-Magnetite buffer (QFM). Our experimental results show that most melt inclusions from previous studies record earlier stages of magmatic evolution. Based on the determined pre-eruptive conditions, we calculate the composition and amount of pre-eruptive excess fluid and find that 3–8 wt% of an excess fluid with 1–3 wt% S is needed to explain the amount of SO 2 measured by satellite remote sensing. The abundance of this excess fluid may have contributed to the explosive character of the eruption, whose plume reached the lower stratosphere, assisted by convective transport linked to the Asian monsoon.
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BibTeX
@article{donovan2026experimental,
title = {{Experimental constraints on pre-eruptive conditions at Nabro volcano, Eritrea, 2011, and implications for sulphur emissions}},
author = {Amy Donovan and Joan Andújar and Bruno Scaillet and Iris Buisman and Clive Oppenheimer},
journal = {Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s00410-026-02357-2},
url = {https://insu.hal.science/insu-05750298v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experimental constraints on pre-eruptive conditions at Nabro volcano, Eritrea, 2011, and implications for sulphur emissions
AU - Amy Donovan
AU - Joan Andújar
AU - Bruno Scaillet
AU - Iris Buisman
AU - Clive Oppenheimer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/04
JO - Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
DO - 10.1007/s00410-026-02357-2
UR - https://insu.hal.science/insu-05750298v1
AB - We present new experimental constraints on the pre-eruptive magma storage conditions at Nabro Volcano, Eritrea, prior to its 2011 eruption, and discuss the implications for sulphur emissions. We find that the magma was likely stored in the shallow crust prior to eruption, following an intrusion in March 2011. This reservoir was located at ~ 7 km depth, and was recharged immediately prior to the eruption, from a deeper reservoir located at 20 km. The temperature of the magma was 1030 °C with 3 wt% dissolved H 2 O, at redox conditions around the Quartz-Fayalite-Magnetite buffer (QFM). Our experimental results show that most melt inclusions from previous studies record earlier stages of magmatic evolution. Based on the determined pre-eruptive conditions, we calculate the composition and amount of pre-eruptive excess fluid and find that 3–8 wt% of an excess fluid with 1–3 wt% S is needed to explain the amount of SO 2 measured by satellite remote sensing. The abundance of this excess fluid may have contributed to the explosive character of the eruption, whose plume reached the lower stratosphere, assisted by convective transport linked to the Asian monsoon.
SN - 0010-7999
SN - 1432-0967
ER -