The 79
ad Plinian eruption of Vesuvius produced first a white pumice fallout from a high steady eruptive column, and then a grey pumice
fallout originating from an oscillatory eruptive column with several partial column collapse events after which there was
a total column collapse. This first total collapse was followed by renewed Plinian activity and produced the last grey pumice
(GP) fallout deposit of the eruption. Textural characteristics (vesicularity and microcrystallinity) of a complete sequence
of the pumice fallout deposits are presented along with the major element compositions and residual volatile contents (H
2O, Cl) to constrain the degassing processes and the eruptive dynamics. Large variations in residual volatile contents exist
between the different eruptive units. Textural features also strongly differ between white and grey pumices, but also within
the grey pumices. The degassing processes were thus highly heterogeneous. We propose a new model of the 79
ad eruption in which pre-eruptive conditions (H
2O saturation, magma temperature and viscosity) are the critical controls on the diversity of the syn-eruptive degassing processes
and hence the eruptive dynamics. Cl contents measured in melt inclusions show that only the white pumice and the upper part
of the grey pumice magma were H
2O saturated prior to eruption. The white pumice eruptive units represent a typical closed-system degassing evolution, whereas
the first grey pumice one, stored under similar pre-eruptive saturation conditions, follows a particular open-system degassing
evolution. We suggest that the oscillatory regime that dominated the grey pumice eruptive phase is linked to pre-eruptive
water undersaturation of most of the grey magma, and the associated time delays necessary for H
2O exsolution. We also suggest that the high residual H
2O content of the last grey pumice, deposited after the renewal of Plinian activity following the first total column collapse
event, is due to syn-eruptive saturation of GP magma and reduced H
2O exsolution efficiency resulting from speciation of dissolved H
2O in the melt.
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