Lava Flows and Topography
Lava flows cover the majority of our planet's surface, as well as those of other planets and moons. Lava flows present a great hazard to infrastructure and communities. Our group studies many aspects of lava flow emplacement, and one aspect we have been focusing on recently is the interaction of lava with topography.
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Lava flows interact with the pre-existing topography at different scales. The first order control on flow advance is the slope. Then, large and small obstacles can divert, split, and confine a flow, and make the flow advance slower or faster, all depending on the exact configuration. Lava moving on rough surfaces will advance slower than lava on smooth surface. Lastly, lava flows themselves create topography, form channels, levees and obstructions as they develop. We study the interaction between topography and lava flows using lab experiments , numerical models, and field observations.
We used syrup, wax and even molten basalt to investigate how lava flows interact with obstacles such as buildings and dams
We also looked at how sudden changes in slope impact the width and structure of the lava flow channel.
In this experiment, we changed the rate in which "lava" made of wax was injected into the water tank. Unsteady injection caused a more fractured -- and thus less stable -- dome. This is important for hazard assessment during lava dome eruptions.
