We evaluated NOVAC (Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change) gas emission data from the 2015 eruption of the Cotopaxi volcano (Ecuador) for BrO∕SO₂ molar ratios. The BrO∕SO₂ molar ratios were very small prior to the phreatomagmatic explosions in August 2015, significantly higher after the explosions, and continuously increasing until the end of the unrest period in December 2015. These observations together with similar findings in previous studies at other volcanoes (Mt. Etna, Nevado del Ruiz, Tungurahua) suggest a possible link between a drop in BrO∕SO₂ and a future explosion. In addition, the observed relatively high BrO∕SO₂ molar ratios after December 2015 imply that bromine degassed predominately after sulfur from the magmatic melt. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the data revealed a conspicuous periodic pattern with a periodicity of about 2 weeks in a 3-month time series. While the time series is too short to rule out a chance recurrence of transient geological or meteorological events as a possible origin for the periodic signal, we nevertheless took this observation as a motivation to examine the influence of natural forcings with periodicities of around 2 weeks on volcanic gas emissions. One strong aspirant with such a periodicity are the Earth tides, which are thus central in this study. We present the BrO∕SO₂ data, analyse the reliability of the periodic signal, discuss a possible meteorological or eruption-induced origin of this signal, and compare the signal with the theoretical ground surface displacement pattern caused by the Earth tides. Our central result is the observation of a significant correlation between the BrO∕SO₂ molar ratios with the north–south and vertical components of the calculated tide-induced surface displacement with correlation coefficients of 47 and 36 %, respectively. From all other investigated parameters, only the correlation between the BrO∕SO₂ molar ratios and the relative humidity in the local atmosphere resulted in a comparable correlation coefficient of about 33 %.

This study performed the first assessment of the volcanic gas output from the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of northern Chile. We present the fluxes and compositions of volcanic gases (H₂O, CO₂, H₂, HCl, HF, and HBr) from five of the most actively degassing volcanoes in this region—Láscar, Lastarria, Putana, Ollagüe, and San Pedro—obtained during field campaigns in 2012 and 2013. The inferred gas plume compositions for Láscar and Lastarria (CO₂/S_tot = 0.9–2.2; S_tot/HCl = 1.4–3.4) are similar to those obtained in the Southern Volcanic Zone of Chile, suggesting uniform magmatic gas fingerprint throughout the Chilean arc. Combining these compositions with our own UV spectroscopy measurements of the SO₂ output (summing to ~1800 t d⁻¹ for the CVZ), we calculate a cumulative CO₂ output of 1743–1988 t d⁻¹ and a total volatiles output of >20,200 t d⁻¹.

Small steam-driven volcanic explosions are common at volcanoes worldwide but are rarely documented or monitored; therefore, these events still put residents and tourists at risk every year. Steam-driven explosions also occur frequently (once every 2–5 years on average) at Lascar volcano, Chile, where they are often spontaneous and lack any identifiable precursor activity. Here, for the first time at Lascar, we describe the processes culminating in such a sudden volcanic explosion that occurred on 30 October 2015, which was thoroughly monitored by cameras, a seismic network, and gas and temperature sensors. Prior to the eruption, we retrospectively identified unrest manifesting as a gradual increase in the number of long-period (LP) seismic events in 2014, indicating an enhanced level of activity at the volcano. Additionally, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) flux and thermal anomalies were detected before the eruption. Then, our weather station reported a precipitation event, followed by an increase in steaming and a sudden volcanic explosion at Lascar. The multidisciplinary data exhibited short-term variations associated with the explosion, including (1) an abrupt eruption onset that was seismically identified in the 1–10 Hz frequency band, (2) the detection of a 1.7 km high white-gray eruption column in camera images, and (3) a pronounced spike in SO₂ emission rates reaching 55 kg s⁻¹ during the main pulse of the eruption as measured by a mini-differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) scanner. Continuous carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature measurements conducted at a fumarole on the southern rim of the Lascar crater revealed a pronounced change in the trend of the relationship between the CO₂ mixing ratio and the gas outlet temperature; we speculate that this change was associated with the prior precipitation event. An increased thermal anomaly inside the active crater as observed in Sentinel-2 images and drone overflights performed after the steam-driven explosion revealed the presence of a ∼50 m long fracture truncating the floor of the active crater, which coincides well with the location of the thermal anomaly. This study presents the chronology of events culminating in a steam-driven explosion but also demonstrates that phreatic explosions are difficult to predict, even if the volcano is thoroughly monitored; these findings emphasize why ascending to the summits of Lascar and similar volcanoes is hazardous, particularly after considerable precipitation.

Modern volcano monitoring commonly involves Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements to identify ground motions caused by volcanic activity. However, InSAR is largely affected by changes in atmospheric refractivity, in particular by changes which can be attributed to the distribution of water (H₂O) vapor in the atmospheric column. Gas emissions from continuously degassing volcanoes contain abundant water vapor and thus produce variations in the atmospheric water vapor content above and downwind of the volcano, which are notably well captured by short-wavelength X-band SAR systems. These variations may in turn cause differential phase errors in volcano deformation estimates due to excess radar path delay effects within the volcanic gas plume. Inversely, if these radar path delay effects are better understood, they may be even used for monitoring degassing activity, by means of the precipitable water vapor (PWV) content in the plume at the time of SAR acquisitions, which may provide essential information on gas plume dispersion and the state of volcanic and hydrothermal activity. In this work we investigate the radar path delays that were generated by water vapor contained in the volcanic gas plume of the persistently degassing Láscar volcano, which is located in the dry Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. We estimate water vapor contents based on sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission measurements from a scanning UV spectrometer (Mini-DOAS) station installed at Láscar volcano, which were scaled by H₂O/SO₂ molar mixing ratios obtained during a multi-component Gas Analyzer System (Multi-GAS) survey on the crater rim of the volcano. To calculate the water vapor content in the downwind portion of the plume, where an increase of water vapor is expected, we further applied a correction involving estimation of potential evaporation rates of water droplets governed by turbulent mixing of the condensed volcanic plume with the dry atmosphere. Based on these estimates we obtain daily average PWV contents inside the volcanic gas plume of 0.2–2.5 mm equivalent water column, which translates to a slant wet delay (SWD) in DInSAR data of 1.6–20 mm. We used these estimates in combination with our high resolution TerraSAR-X DInSAR observations at Láscar volcano, in order to demonstrate the occurrence of repeated atmospheric delay patterns that were generated by volcanic gas emissions. We show that gas plume related refractivity changes are significant and detectable in DInSAR measurements. Implications are two-fold: X-band satellite radar observations also contain information on the degassing state of a volcano, while deformation signals need to be interpreted with care, which has relevance for volcano observations at Láscar and for other sites worldwide.