Eruptive Styles at the Teide Volcanic Complex

Abstract

The wide variety of volcanic products composing the Teide Volcanic Complex (TVC) reflects an unusual assemblage of eruptive styles, with a wide range of phenomena represented and only plinian and phreato-plinian styles truly lacking. This diversity is due to spatial and temporal variations in magma composition (mafic magmas of the rift zones and felsic magmas of the central edifice), variable magmatic volatile contents and the interaction of magma with external water (snow, groundwater, etc.). Overall, strombolian eruptions are the most frequent eruptive style at the TVC. Explosive eruptions of felsic material tend to be of low volume, for example, the largest explosive event during the Holocene, Montaña Blanca (ca. 2 ka), produced ~0.2 km³ DRE of phonolitic pumice during an eruptive sequence that reached explosivity of sub-plinian magnitude. Examples of phreatomagmatic activity (surge deposits) have been described both on the northern flanks of Teide volcano as well as from the summit area of Pico Viejo volcano. Until now most studies on volcanic hazard assessment have focussed on ash fall and lava flow hazards in the Canary Islands, but phreatomagmatic eruptions and their potential effects may have to be seriously considered as well.