Topographic Controls on Pyroclastic Density Current Hazard at Aluto Volcano (Ethiopia) Identified Using a Novel Zero‐Censored Gaussian Process Emulator

Tierz, Pablo; Spiller, Elaine T.; Clarke, Ben A.; Dessalegn, Firawalin; Bekele, Yewubinesh; Lewi, Elias; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Wolpert, Robert L.; Loughlin, Susan C.; Calder, Eliza S.. 2024 Topographic Controls on Pyroclastic Density Current Hazard at Aluto Volcano (Ethiopia) Identified Using a Novel Zero‐Censored Gaussian Process Emulator. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129 (5), e2023JB028645. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB028645

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023JB028645

Abstract/Summary

Aluto volcano (Central Ethiopia) displays a complex, hybrid topography, combining elements typical of caldera systems (e.g., a central, flat caldera floor) and stratovolcanoes (e.g., relatively high and steep, radial flanks, related to eruptions occurring clustered in space). The most recent known eruptions at Aluto have commonly generated column-collapse pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), a hazardous phenomenon that can pose a significant risk to inhabited areas on and around the volcano. In order to analyze and quantify the role that Aluto's complex topography has on PDC hazard, we apply a versatile probabilistic strategy, which merges the TITAN2D model for PDCs with a novel zero-censored Gaussian Process (zGP) emulator, enabling robust uncertainty quantification at tractable computational costs. Results from our analyses indicate a critical role of the eruptive vent location, but also highlight a complex interplay between the topography and PDC volume and mobility. The relative importance of each factor reciprocally depends on the other factors. Thus, large PDCs (≥0.1–0.5 km3) can diminish the influence of topography over proximal regions of flow propagation, but PDCs respond to large- and small-scale topographic features over medial to distal areas, and the zGP captures processes like PDC channelization and overbanking. The novel zGP can be applied to other PDC models and can enable specific investigations of PDC dynamics, topographic interactions, and PDC hazard at many volcanic systems worldwide. Potentially, it could also be used during volcanic crises, when time constraints usually only permit computation of scenario-based hazard assessments.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB028645
ISSN:	2169-9313
Date made live:	23 May 2024 15:10 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537477

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB028645

ISSN:

2169-9313

Date made live:

23 May 2024 15:10 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537477