Impact of volcanic climate perturbation caused by Laacher See eruption onto the proximal environment and terminal eruptive mechanisms

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hans-Ulrich Schmincke (†)
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2008 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 67008224

The Laacher See eruption is uniquely suited to analyze the highly interrelated feedbacks between lithosphere (magma chamber-vent system), hydrosphere (groundwater, surface water) and atmosphere (via climate impact and eruptiontriggered strong precipitation) forcings during the eruption. The existing rough lithostratigraphic subdivision of Laacher See Tephra will be replaced by an eventbased stratigraphic subdivision. This new framework will allow a high-resolution temporal assessment of the eruptive history. A more precise definition of eruptive and noneruptive events in turn will lead to a more substantial analysis of the combination of internal and external processes that have governed the highly complex evolution of the eruption. The work proposed will include a thorough revision and reinterpretation of the existing voluminous database supplemented by fieldwork and lithological, petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. A better understanding of eruptive and noneruptive mechanisms and their causes is important in assessing the manifold impacts of a Plinian eruption on the environment.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants