Gas Emissions From the Western Aleutians Volcanic Arc
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
12-6-2021
Abstract
The Aleutian Arc is remote and highly active volcanically. Its 4,000 km extent from mainland Alaska to Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula hosts over 140 volcanic centers of which about 50 have erupted in historic times. We present data of volcanic gas samples and gas emission measurements obtained during an expedition to the western-most segment of the arc in September 2015 in order to extend the sparse knowledge on volatile emissions from this remote but volcanically active region. Some of the volcanoes investigated here have not been sampled for gases before this writing. Our data show that all volcanoes host high-temperature magmatic-hydrothermal systems and have gas discharges typical of volcanoes in oceanic arcs. Based on helium isotopes, the western Aleutian Arc segment has minimal volatile contributions from the overriding crust. Volcanic CO2 fluxes from this arc segment are small, compared to the emissions from volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula and mainland Alaska. The comparatively low CO2 emissions may be related to the lower sediment flux delivered to the trench in this part of the arc.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Frontiers in Earth Science
Volume
9
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Fischer, Tobias P., Taryn M. Lopez, Alessandro Aiuppa, Andrea L. Rizzo, Tehnuka Ilanko, Katherine A. Kelley, and Elizabeth Cottrell. "Gas Emissions From the Western Aleutians Volcanic Arc." Frontiers in Earth Science 9, (2021). doi: 10.3389/feart.2021.786021.