Magma Mixing: The Trigger for Explosive Volcanic Eruptions

Abstract

Volcanic eruptions are potentially catastrophic phenomena that can have a huge impact on society and the environment. Understanding the causes, dynamics and timescales of eruptions is of greatest importance for mitigating the medium- to large-scale impact of these natural events. In this chapter we show that the most explosive volcanic eruptions occurred on planet Earth are associated with magma mixing processes. Discriminating whether the mixing process was the cause or the effect of the eruptions is not easy, although there is evidence that mixing might have been the triggering factor. In any case, being magma mixing a common factor it is not wise to ignore its occurrence as it may help in shedding light on eruption dynamics. This will be the focus of this chapter.