In flight fragmentation reduces bomb size range and hazard during explosive volcanic eruptions
Coarse, molten fragments of low-viscosity magma (volcanic bombs) that are ejected during explosive volcanic eruptions represent a source of hazard and a record of past eruptions. After ejection, bombs tend to break up during flight, but how much this affects their dispersal is unclear. Here, we use high-speed and high-definition imaging of three recent explosive eruptions to parameterise the in-flight fragmentation of bombs. We estimate that in-flight fragmentation involves 73% of bombs coarser than ∼ 0.2 m, with bomb-to-bomb collisions and aerodynamic frictional (drag) forces being the main drivers of in-flight fragmentation, depending on eruption style. Drag force increases with increasing bomb velocity and size, selectively fragmenting the coarsest and fastest bombs, acting as a self-limiting factor for the range and energy of falling bombs. These findings pose a quantitative basis for incorporating the in-flight fragmentation processes into the interpretation of volcanic deposits and for modelling hazards from falling bombs.
Authors
- Danilo M. Palladino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2459-079X)
- Luca D’Auria (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7664-2216)
- Tullio Ricci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0553-5384)
- Daniele Andronico (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8333-1547)
- Jacopo Taddeucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0516-3699)
- Elisabetta Del Bello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8043-7410)
- Piergiorgio Scarlato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1933-0192)
- M. A. Alatorre‐Ibargüengoitia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2924-4263)
- María Asensio‐Ramos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8042-588X)
- Clothilde Biensan
Institutions
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (IT)
- Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ES)
- Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (MX)
- Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (ES)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-10-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20900-2
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Particle Dynamics in Fluid Flows
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.29
Funders
- European Commission
- Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
- H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions