• Journal of the Geological Society of Korea
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.513-527
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• 2018

We have carried out granulometry and component analysis on pyroclastic deposits of the Maljandeung Tuff, Ulleung Island, to interpret the eruption types and prime dynamic mechanisms. It is divided into three members in the extracaldera area, each of which comprises the lithofacies of coarse tuffs and lapillistones in the lower part, and pumice deposits in upper one. The lithofacies present quantitative evidences in the granularity and component distribution patterns. As compared to the pumice deposits, the coarse tuffs and lapillistones exhibit a relative increase in both the lithic/juvenile and the crystal/juvenile ratios, and a preferential fragmentation of the juvenile fraction. The abundance of lithics and crystals in the tuffs and lapillistones can be attributed to preferential fragmentation of the aquifer-hosting rocks due to explosive evaporation of ground water, and indirect enrichment in lithics and crystals due to removal of juvenile fines from eruptive cloud. The above data exhibit that early phreatopmagmatic phase was followed by purely magmatic fragmentation phases. The coarse tuffs and lapillistones suggest phreatoplinian eruption derived from explosive interaction of magma with ground water near the conduit, while pumice deposits indicate magmatic eruption by magmatic explosion from juvenile gas pressure. In early stage, phreatoplinian eruption occurred from explosive magma/water interaction in connecting confining water with drawdown of the magma column in the conduit; Later it shifted to plinian eruption by explosive expansion of only magmatic volatiles in intercepting water influx due to higher magmatic gas pressure than confining water pressure with rising of the magma column in the conduit.