29

The Mode of Eruptions and Their Tephra Deposits
Tetsuo KOBAYASHI1 and Mitsuru OKUNO2
1

Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kagoshima University
1-21-35 Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-0065 Japan
E-mail: koba@sci.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
2
Department of Earth System Science, Faculty of Science, Fukuoka University
8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180 Japan

Abstract
In accordance with the physical properties of the magma and the scale of eruption, the types of
explosive eruptions are classified as follows: hawaiian, strombolian, vulcanian, sub-plinian, and plinian
eruptions for magmatic eruptions; and surtseyan and phreatoplinian for phreatomagmatic eruptions.
The mode of transportation of tephra is divided into the three categories of fall, flow, and surge. Eachtephra layer has a characteristic depositional structure, produced not only by the mode of eruption but
also by the transportation mode. As tephra layers are deposited during active periods, while loam
layers accumulate during quiescent periods, a thick tephra sequence consisting of alternating tephra andloam layers will form around an active volcano.
The preservation or erosion of tephra depends on not only the thickness of the deposits but also thecohesion of the tephra and the environment of deposition. Where thin tephra layers are deposited, they
can become difficult to identify as individual tephra layers, due to bioturbation of the soil. In suchcases, we have to use different techniques to correlate the tephra not only by the morphological featureof the pumice grains, but also by the petrological properties of the pumice, glass shards andphenocrysts.
Key words: eruption, flow, magmatic, phreatomagmatic, surge, tephra

1. Introduction

2. Mode of Eruptions

Depending on the chemical and physical nature of
the erupting magma and the environment around thevent (dry or wet), the mode of eruption varies widely.
The solidified and/or molten particles of magma
which become fragmented during the eruption andejected above the vent are generally called tephra.
(Thorarinsson, 1944). The eruption style and theweather conditions are main controlling factors oftransportation and dispersal of the tephra, which normally show a wide distribution. As tephra accumulates on the ground instantaneously over the geological time scale, it is very effective as a key marker
in geological successions. Tephrochronology is one
division of volcanology, and is gaining importantvalue in various scientific fields, such as the correlation of tephras with the age estimations of archeological sites. However, if the tephra is not preserved
well, various research techniques have to be applied to
identify the tephra. In this article, we describe themodes of eruption, the sedimentary structures ofrepresentative tephra deposits and field occurrence oftephra sequences.

An eruption occurs when magma migrates upward,
often driven by expansion of dissolved gas, and is discharged on to the surface of the earth. When groundwater is heated by ascending magma, enormous
amounts of vapor may be formed causing steam
explosions. In this type of eruption, magma may notreach the surface of the earth, and ejected materials
are cold accessory or accidental rocks, which aresometimes hydrothermally altered. Magmatic (juvenile) material may not be ejected at all. This is generally called a phreatic eruption (Barberi et al., 1992).
On the other hand, magmatic eruptions mainly
eject fragmented magma. Modes of eruptions vary
widely depending on the physical and chemical natureof the magma. The amount of erupted material also
varies widely, sometimes exceeding 100 km3 in bulk
volume.
Phreatomagmatic eruptions occur when magma
interacts with near-surface water, and this type issometimes more explosive than normal magmatic
eruptions. Phreatomagmatic eruptions most commonly involve basaltic magma, and often produce
lateral blasts around the crater. Phreatomagmatic

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T. KOBAYASHI and M. OKUNO

eruptions occur especially in water-rich environments
such as seashores, shallow lakes, crater lakes, caldera
lakes, etc. (White and Houghton, 2000).
Explosive magmatic eruptions are classified inFig. 1, and divided into five types: hawaiian, strombolian, vulcanian, sub-plinian and plinian, based on

Fig. 1 Diagram explaining eruption column height and‘explosiveness’ (after Cas and Wright, 1987).

the scales of the explosiveness and dispersal (Walker,
1973). Explosiveness and dispersal are correspondent to degree of fragmentation of the deposit andheight of eruption column, respectively. Figure 2
shows representative sketch of each eruption type(Moriya, 1992). When the viscosity of the magma islow, a mild eruption (hawaiian and strombolian) will
occur. Eruptions become more violent (vulcanian toplinian) as the viscosity of the magma increases.
Plinian eruptions are the most explosive, and discharge large quantities of pumice (Walker, 1981).
Plinian eruptions generally involve silicic magma,
although some basaltic plinian eruptions are known(Walker and Croasdale, 1972). Although vulcanianeruptions sometimes occur as a kind of phreatomagmatic eruption (Self et al., 1979), phreatomagmatic
implications are not included in Japanese terminology(Moriya, 1992). Hence, violent explosions accompanied by shock waves and a high eruption column areclassified as vulcanian in Japan.
Large eruption columns commonly reach up to
several tens of kilometers into the atmosphere. Ashand pumice are then carried by the prevailing winds
before falling to the surface of the earth. In somecases, the eruption column does not rise completely,

Fig. 2 Representative sketches of eruption columns: (a) phreatic, (b) phreatomagmatic (c) hawaiian,(d) strombolian, (e) vulcanian and (f) plinian eruptions (after Moriya, 1992).

The Mode of Eruptions and Their Tephra Deposits

Fig. 331

Model of generation of pyroclastic flows from lava domes and a tremendous pyroclastic flow cascading down theslope of Unzen volcano, 1993 (Volcanological Society of Japan).

and a partial or full column collapse can occur, flowing down the slopes of the volcano, as a pyroclastic
flow. These flows are common in plinian, sub-plinian,and vulcanian eruptions. The deposit consists of vesiculated pumice and/or scoria and ash. Depending on
the components, they are classified as pumice flows or
scoria flows, and are generally called ignimbrite.
Pyroclastic flows also occur when a lava dome
and/or lava flow explodes or gravitationally collapses(Fig. 3). This mode of eruption is called a Peléean or
Merapi type (Macdonald, 1972). The pyroclastic
flows thus formed are mainly composed of dense
essential material, and are called block-and-ash flows.

3. Classification of Tephra
Based on the mode of transportation, tephra isclassified into three types of deposits: fall deposits,
pyroclastic flow deposits, and pyroclastic surge deposits (Wright et al., 1980). The resulting sedimentary
structures of these three are quite different from eachother (Fig. 4).
3.1 Fall deposits
Fall deposits are formed from an eruption column
which rises high into the atmosphere to generate an
eruption cloud which disperses downwind. Since
winnowing of particles occurs during transportation,
the fall deposits are generally well sorted, and show
mantle bedding (Fig. 4-a). This good sorting normally produces clast-supported deposits. Each clast
is angular to sub-angular in shape. Due to freespaces among the clasts, the deposits are usually veryloose and tend to collapse (Fig. 5-a). Although grain
size distribution is mainly controlled by the height ofthe eruption column and the velocity and direction of
atmospheric winds (Walker, 1973), there is a generaltendency for coarse material to accumulate in proximal areas, while finer material is carried to distal
areas.

Fig. 4

Geometric relations of the three main types ofpyroclastic deposits (after Wright et al., 1980).

3.2 Pyroclastic flow deposits
Pyroclastic flows are a mixture of incandescentsolid clasts and gas, which flow down slopes into
topographic lows such as valleys and depressions as akind of density flow (Fig. 4-b). Large volume pyroclastic flows spread in the shape of a fan at the foot ofthe volcano, and can bury valleys to form a vast
pyroclastic flow (ignimbrite) plateau. Pyroclastic
flow deposits normally consist of large clasts in an ash
matrix, and are generally massive and poorly sorted.
Large fragments are normally rounded due to abrasion
during the flow (Fig. 5-b).

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T. KOBAYASHI and M. OKUNO

(b)

(c)

(a)
Fig. 5Photos of representative outcrop of each tephra.
(a) Bunmei pumice fall deposit of Sakurajima volcano, (b) Ito ignimbrite from the Aira caldera,(c) Yamakawa base surge deposit, Ibusuki volcanic area.

3.3 Pyroclastic surge deposits
Pyroclastic surges are also a kind of density
current which are dilute, low particle concentration,
turbulent flows. The deposits are generally topographically controlled, but they tend to mantle topographic highs as thin layers. They are composed mainlyof particles sand-sized or less, and are generally better
sorted than pyroclastic flow deposits. They sometimes show unique sedimentary bed forms such as
dune-forms, low angle cross stratification, etc. (Figs.
4-c and 5-c).
Two types of pyroclastic surges are well known:
ash-cloud surges and base surges. Ash-cloud surges
are formed by the turbulent elutriation of fine ash
from the margins of pyroclastic flows, and flow outward from the main flow. They normally have ahigh temperature, and can burn vegetation to charcoal.
Base surges are direct lateral blasts that mainly occur
during phreatomagmatic explosions. Because cold
surface water is involved, the temperatures of base
surges are generally low compared with those ofash-cloud surges, so the deposits are generally wet andsometimes muddy and sticky.

Fig. 6

4. Distribution and Occurrence of Tephra
When plinian or sub-plinian eruptions occur, thickpumice and/or scoria may accumulate around the footof the volcano. As the eruption column reaches
more than 10-km height, tephra is normally carried tothe east of the vent owing to the prevailing westerlies(Fig. 6). These tephra deposits may be divided into
sub-units that have different facies, color, grain size,
etc. These conspicuous changes are mainly generated from different eruption columns; which occurred
at intervals of a few hours to several months. Further
subdivision may be possible in each sub-unit, which
may be formed either by the fluctuation of a single
eruption column, or by eolian fractionation duringtransportation.
When a large scale caldera-forming eruption
occurs, voluminous co-ignimbrite ash-fall deposits(Sparks and Walker, 1977) may be elutriated from thepyroclastic flows, and spread over vast areas. Thesewide-spread deposits form important key-tephras ingeological successions (Fig. 7). Co-ignimbrite ash iscomposed mainly of fine, vesiculated glass shards;
hence, it is easy to distinguish from other tephra.

Stratigraphic column and isopach maps for Km12 consisting two overlapping tephra from eruptions in
AD 874 and AD 885 (after Fujino and Kobayashi, 1997).

The Mode of Eruptions and Their Tephra Deposits

Fig. 7Isopach map of the Aira-Tn (AT) ash-fall deposit (after Machida and Arai, 1983).
AT ash is one of the biggest wide-spread tephra of the Late Quaternary age in Japan.

Distal tephra of vulcanian and strombolian eruptions is generally fine-grained, so it normally settles
just like fine dust, and is easily reworked. As thevolume of tephra of each eruption is not large, thetephra is easily mixed with soil, and becomes obscure.
However, if an eruption episode is sustained for a long
period, ash will accumulate gradually and form a
distinct ash layer. As tephra of this type is dispersed

Fig. 833

to any direction according to the seasonal wind directions, the isopach pattern of the total thickness oftephra can show an almost concentric semi-circular
distribution centering on the crater (Fig. 8). As the
sand-size portion tends to remain during any
re-deposition process, the resulting deposit can becalled a volcanic sand deposit.

Isopach map of Ushinosune ash from Takachihonomine of the Kirishima volcano group (after Inoue, 1988).
Semi-circular distribution is typical for the tephra of intermittent vulcanian eruptions.

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T. KOBAYASHI and M. OKUNO

5. Deposits Formed during Dormant Periods
Once an eruption episode has ceased, it is common
for many volcanoes to enter a long quiescent period,
which may continue for hundreds to more than several
thousand years. During that period, volcanic soil isformed on the tephra layer. In contrast to tephra,
volcanic soil is derived essentially from eolian dusts,
and accumulates very slowly. The soil mainly
consists of fine materials less than sand-sized, andgenerally shows no internal stratification. As the soil

usually contains abundant humus, it is black in color,and called humic soil. If the tephra is much older
than twenty thousand years, humic soils will beweathered and change to yellow-brown soils, which
are collectively known as “loam” in Japan (Nakamura,
1970; Hayakawa, 1995).
As mentioned above, tephra and loam are deposited during eruptive periods and non-eruptive periods,
respectively. Many cycles of such layers are observable around the foot of stratovolcanoes (Fig. 9). The
thickness of the loam sandwiched between the tephra
layers tends to be in direct proportion with the length

Fig. 9 Sequence of many tephra layers at the foot of Onamiike, Kirishima volcano group.

The Mode of Eruptions and Their Tephra Depositsof the dormant period, indicating that the thickness of
the loam steadily increases at a constant rate. If there
are two tephra layers whose eruption ages werealready known, the eruption age of intercalated tephra
between them can be roughly estimated by the proportion of thickness of upper and lower loam layers.

6. Conditions for Preservation of Tephra
Tephra settled on land is easily eroded by wind andredeposited at different places. Tephra deposits arealso mixed with soils due to bioturbation by invasionof plant roots and activities of small insects, worms,
etc. The preservation state of tephra is influenced byits location in the topography, the vegetation, thickness and grain-size of the tephra, deposition frequency,etc.
In relation to topography, flat ground is more conducive to preservation of tephra than sloping ground.
However, there is a possibility of redeposition onto
lowlands or depressions from surrounding high areas.
In relation to vegetation, grassy fields and swamps are
better than arid areas for preservation of tephra. The
vegetation protects tephra from erosion by wind orrain, and provides good conditions for the depositionof eolian dusty material. Peat swamps provide anever better preservation site for tephra.
It is generally thought that a thick tephra tends tobe preserved for a long time. However, even if thin,a sticky tephra such as clayey ash will be preserved inmany cases. Wet tephra, often associated withphreatomagmatic eruptions tends to change to consolidated tephra, which is also very resistant to erosion.
Moreover, even thin tephras are well preserved ifburied quickly beneath other eruptive products. A
good example is that plinian pumice underneath
pyroclastic flow deposits is well preserved. Thintephra layers accumulating during the early stages of asustained eruption episode are also likely to be preserved, because they are quickly buried by successive
tephra accumulation.
For the same reason, awide-spread tephra tends to be preserved at different
active volcanic fields.

7. Recognition and Correlation of Tephra
Thick proximal tephra often shows particular depositional stratification such as reverse grading,alternation of coarse and fine layers, etc. However,at distal locations, a thin, disturbed tephra layer
becomes obscure, being dotted sparsely at the specifichorizon, and finally becoming difficult to identify as adiscrete layer. Even in such a case, we may be able
to correlate it to the apparent tephra at a neighboring
field by tracing the stratigraphic horizon and thechange of grain size. However, there is a limit to theobservation and pursuit of traces of tephra in the field.
It is therefore necessary to correlate tephra not only bymorphological features of pumice grains, but also by

35

petrologic properties, such as the mineral assemblage,
refractive index and chemical composition of glass
shards and phenocrysts (Machida and Arai, 1992).

8. Conclusion
Features of tephra were described in this article not
only by the mode of eruption, but also by the mode oftransportation. We also showed the difference between strata formed during eruptions and non-eruption
terms (tephra layers vs. loam layers), and explained
the conditions under which tephra is preserved andmethods of identification of tephra.
Although tephra is an effective medium forstudying the eruptive history of volcanoes, it is also
likened to fossils that include the depositional environment of those days. Further research on theinfluence of tephra on the environment must also bedone in the near future.

Acknowledgements
The Authors would like to express their appreciation to Prof. M. Taniguchi for his invitation tocontribute to this special issue. We also thank Prof.
T. Nakamura, Prof. H. Moriwaki, and Mr. H. Naruo
for helpful collaboration.
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(Received 30 November 2002, Accepted 20 December 2002)