Reported ultra-low lava viscosities from the 2021 La Palma eruption are potentially biased
Guillem Gisbert, Valentín R. Troll, James M.D. Day, Harri Geiger, Francisco-José Pérez-Torrado, Meritxell Aulinas, Frances M. Deegan, Helena Albert, Juan Carlos Carracedo
Abstract
Magma viscosity is a major factor controlling volcanic eruptions and lava runout distances. An accurate characterisation of a given volcano or volcanic field is therefore fundamental for realistic forecasting of the impact of ongoing or future volcanic events. The 2021 eruption of Tajogaite volcano on La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain; 19/09/2021 to 13/12/2021) offers an exceptional volcanological test site due to the sustained visual, geophysical, and petrological monitoring that took place there (e.g., ref. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ). Access to the emitted materials throughout the eruption allowed detailed sampling of lava flows and proximal pyroclastic deposits, from which physical parameters of erupted lavas, such as viscosity, could be derived.