Vigouroux-Caillibot, Nathalie | DOOR - DOuglas Open Repository

Photograph

Person Preferred Name

Nathalie Vigouroux-Caillibot _none

Person Alternate Names

Nathalie Vigouroux _none

Position

Faculty Member

Field of Activity

volcanology

geothermal geology

geochemistry

Email/Contact

vigourouxcaillibotn@douglascollege.ca

Department

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Science and Technology

Status

current

Affiliation Date

2013-09 to open end

Identifier (Other)

vigourouxn

Education and Credentials
PhD (Simon Fraser University)
MSc (Oregon University)
BSc (McGill University)

Douglas College Faculty Member since September 2013.

Nathalie is a geologist who specializes in volcanology, geochemistry, and geothermal geology. She has spent over 15 years studying active volcanoes and geothermal fields in the Indian Ocean, the Americas, and Southeast Asia. Prior to teaching at Douglas, Nathalie was a post-doctoral researcher with a private renewable energy company in Vancouver. She was involved in developing innovative field instrumentation for geothermal exploration. She is interested in developing and implementing low-cost field technology for everything from mineral exploration to volcano monitoring.

She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at SFU and is pursuing her volcanology research close to home; studying one of the most recent eruptions in Canada and Canada's worst natural disaster, the eruption of Tseax volcano in the 18th century in northwest BC.

Related Works

Video

A video of the Climate Action Panel at the 2022 Better Together Conference. This panel features a discussion of the various ways the Douglas College community is addressing the call for climate action. Welcome and introduction: Dave Taylor, Douglas College Director of Communications Responsive Curriculum Presentation: Brian Chapell, Dean of Science and Technology (4:14) Presentation: Nathalie Vigoroux-Callibot, Earth and Environmental Sciences Instructor (12:35) Climate Action at Douglas College Presentation: Chris Gardner, Director of Facilities & Ancillary Services (21:05) Q&A (34:56)

Development of the MultiGAS for determining fumarole gas chemistry in geothermal systems

Digital Document

Geothermal exploration relies in part on the gas geochemis- try of fumaroles, bubbling springs and steaming ground to offer insight into the nature of the fluids at depth, processes affecting them when rising to the surface, and provide estimates of the temperature of last equilibration of the gases within the reservoir. Traditional measurements involve direct sampling of the gases in pre-evacuated Giggenbach glass bottles before laboratory chemical analysis. Gas component analysis, combined with the isotope ratios of certain components (e.g., CO2, He), provides insight into the proportion of magmatic, crustal, meteoric and atmospheric components in the fluid, and the state of equilibrium and temperature of these fluids at depth. The Multi-component Gas Analyzing System (MultiGAS) was developed by the volcanological community over 10 years ago as a field-portable instrument for in-situ analysis of the major volcanic gas components in diffuse and dilute gas emissions. No two instruments are identical but all consist of various sensor types now capable of simultaneously analyzing for H2O, CO2, CO, SO2 and H2S. In geothermal systems, surface manifestations are often com- prised of gas emissions. In some cases, low temperatures and/or low flow rates make traditional sampling of fumaroles difficult, due to rapid vapor condensation (in water-rich fumaroles) and atmospheric contamination. The MultiGAS is best suited to these types of manifestations, providing a tool that can be used at a wide variety of locations with differing gas emission styles. The MultiGAS has been field-tested in two very different geothermal prospect areas: one characterized by cold, CO2-rich gas seeps and bubbling springs, and the other characterized by steaming ground and fumaroles with temperatures near the boiling point of water. Results of the MultiGAS analysis are compared with the equivalent ratios obtained from traditional sampling and analytical procedures (where possible), in order to identify the ad- vantages and disadvantages of this new technique. The MultiGAS allows for the rapid characterization of the gas geochemistry in the field, aids in mapping/targeting of fumaroles in a large field, and allows for the selection of the most ideal fumaroles to sample using the traditional Giggenbach method.

Use of a portable photometer for accelerated exploration: Testing for geothermal indicators in surface waters

Digital Document

When exploration budgets are limited, cost-effective surveying techniques can add considerable value to an exploration program by increasing the return on investment. In western (British Columbia and the Alberta cordillera) and northwestern (Yukon and Northwest Territories) Canada, where water is abundant, sampling creeks, streams and springs and testing the waters for geothermal indicators can facilitate identification of thermal zones both regionally and locally around known hot springs. Such a sampling program can be rapidly and easily accomplished using a photometer, which provides chemical analysis of waters in real-time, enabling the survey team to evaluate and optimize a survey during the course of the field work. With this technique, suspected thermal springs and seeps can be verified and new ones discovered, allowing for the rapid identification and characteriza- tion of thermal anomalies. The cost and time associated with this technique is a fraction of what is required when employing traditional laboratory analysis. A pilot test, performed in the area surrounding Mt. Cayley in southwestern British Columbia (BC), concludes that despite some issues with instrument sensitivity at low concentrations the device provides feasible data for a surface water survey and promises to be an effective tool for the rapid identification of thermal anomalies.

Digital Document

The nature of the magmatic source beneath the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt (GVB) in NW Washington (USA) and SW British Columbia (Canada) has been debated both due to its classification as the northern equivalent of the High Cascades and the alkaline nature of northern basalts. Whole rock studies have shown that the GVB does not share the same magmatic source as the High Cascades (Mullen and Weis, 2013, 2015). Nonetheless, the presence of alkaline basalts in this arc raises questions about the exact source of mantle enrichment and whether it is related to the young age of the downgoing Juan de Fuca Plate (< 10 Ma) or the presence of a slab tear at the northern end of the arc. To gain insight into the source that underlies the GVB, we sampled olivine-hosted melt inclusions from each volcanic centre along the arc. Major, volatile and trace element data reveal a northward compositional trend from arc-typical calc-alkaline magma in the south to OIB-like melts in the north near the slab tear. Furthermore, contributions from the subducting slab are relatively high beneath the southern end of the arc (Cl/Nb> 80) but rapidly decreases to the north (Cl/Nb < 50). Finally, the significant differences in Zr/Nb from south to north (80 and 9, respectively) suggest two distinct mantle sources since one source cannot produce melts with such different ratios. As such, we propose the GVB should be segmented into the Northern and Southern groups, each having its own mantle source. Based on the geographic proximity, the enriched nature of the Northern group melt inclusions is likely controlled by the slab tear at the northern termination of the subducting Juan de Fuca Plate. Melt modelling results show that 3–7 % partial melting of the primitive mantle with a garnet lherzolite residue can reproduce the composition of the Northern group. Melt inclusions from the Southern group, on the other hand, imply a depleted MORB mantle that has been modified by fluids derived from the downgoing slab. Variability within the Southern group itself reflects the amount of hydrous fluids supplied beneath each centre and is correlated with slab age and subsequent degree of dehydration. This study addresses the compositional diversity along the arc and provides evidence that the age of the downgoing plate and the presence of a slab tear exert a strong compositional control over eruptive products within one arc.

Volcanism and glacial interaction in the Wells Gray–Clearwater volcanic field, east-central British Columbia

Digital Document

Chapter: This field guide describes a three-day trip from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Wells Gray–Clearwater volcanic field (WGCVF) in east-central British Columbia. The WGCVF is the site of transitional to alkali olivine basaltic volcanism erupted over the last three million years. The small volume magmas (<1 km3) erupted along preexisting normal faults related to the late stages of Cordilleran terrane amalgamation, along the boundary between the miogeoclinal and pericratonic rocks of the Kootenay terrane and the allochthonous Slide Mountain and Quesnellia terranes west of ancestral North America. The magmas are highly enriched in incompatible elements, especially large-ion lithophile elements, and are interpreted as the result of low degrees of partial melting of a heterogeneous, metasomatized mantle. Upon ascent through the crust, they carried up both crustal and mantle xenoliths. During the eruptive period of the WGCVF, at least four glacial periods have occurred. The interplay between volcanism and glaciation is captured in the wide range of volcanic features found in the region. Field trip participants will view numerous diverse volcanic landforms and deposits: from tuyas to ice-marginal valley-edge deposits, volcanoclastic-lacustrine deposits, and associated pillow lavas and hyaloclastites. Book: This volume, prepared for the 126th GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, offers guides to trips in the Cascadia subduction zone. The active tectonism of the region has had a profound effect on the bedrock and surficial geology of the area, and on human interactions with the geologic environment. These themes are reflected in the trips associated with the meeting. Trip topics relate to bedrock geology, volcanism and Cordilleran glaciation and deglaciation, as well as human interaction with the natural environment. The trips that discuss human interaction cover archaeology, natural hazards and the urban environment, as well as the role that local geology and tectonism have played in shaping colonization of the region since the last glaciation. The field guide volume has something for everyone! --From publisher description.

Melt inclusion evidence for long term steady-state volcanism at Las Sierras-Masaya volcano, Nicaragua

Digital Document

Las Sierras-Masaya volcanic system is a persistently active basaltic caldera complex in Nicaragua. While there has been almost no juvenile material erupted since 1772, Masaya volcano has been persistently degassing for >150 years. An additional unusual behaviour for the Las Sierras-Masaya volcanic complex is its ability to produce large caldera-forming basaltic Plinian eruptions with the most recent occurring about 1800 years ago. Here we present melt inclusion analyses that provide constraints on the magmatic system over time. Melt inclusions hosted in plagioclase and olivine crystals were analyzed for major, trace and volatile elements (S, Cl, F, H2O). The data supports a consistent parental magmatic source with restricted compositional variability explained by simple fractional crystallization of plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene and magnetite at a nearly constant temperature. This broadly agrees with previous whole rock geochemical studies showing that the overall chemical signature of volcanic products at Masaya has remained largely unchanged for ~60,000 years and that both shallow fractionation and degassing processes dominate the whole evolution of the magmatic series. Based on volatile element in melt inclusions and gas composition and flux measurements, we determine the magmatic flux to be ~0.19 km3 yr−1 implying that up to 47 km3 of magma may have degassed since the last effusive eruption. As at other persistently active basaltic volcanoes (e.g., Mt. Etna, Italy; Kilauea, Hawaii, USA), this magmatic flux must involve significant endogenous storage which is likely accommodated by extensional tectonics. However, Masaya volcano differs in its apparent simplicity with respect to its stable chemistry and its fully interconnected magmatic system.

Element flux to the environment of the passively degassing crater lake-hosting Kawah Ijen volcano, Indonesia, and implications for estimates of the global volcanic flux

Digital Document

Volcanoes play an important role in the global cycling of elements by providing a pathway from the deep Earth to its surface. Here, we have constrained the flux to the environment for most elements of the periodic table for the passively degassing, crater lake-hosting Kawah Ijen volcano in the Indonesian arc. Our results indicate that emissions of Kawah Ijen are dominated by acid water outflow, especially for the ligands (Cl, F, Br), with active fumaroles contributing significant (semi)metals (e.g. Se, As, Sb, Hg), as well as C and S. The compositional signature of emissions from Kawah Ijen is similar to that of major volcanic emitters such as Etna, but element fluxes are smaller. This result provides the prerequisite foundation for extrapolating a small set of measured volcanic gas emissions to a global volcanic flux estimate. However, the aqueous flux (i.e. seepage of volcanic hydrothermal fluids and volcano-influenced groundwater) is at least as important in terms of element release, and the consideration of the gaseous flux alone thus represents a significant underestimate of the impact of volcanoes on their environment and the contribution of volcanic hydrothermal systems to global element cycling.

The sources of volatile and fluid‐mobile elements in the Sunda arc: A melt inclusion study from Kawah Ijen and Tambora volcanoes, Indonesia

Digital Document

[1] Subduction zone recycling of volatiles (H2O, Cl, S, F) is controlled by the nature of subducted materials and the temperature‐pressure profile of the downgoing slab. We investigate the variability in volatile and fluid‐mobile trace element enrichment in the Sunda arc using melt inclusion data from Kawah Ijen and Tambora volcanoes, together with published data from Galunggung, Indonesia. Combining our results with data from other arcs, we investigate the mobility of these elements during slab dehydration and melting. We observe correlations between Sr, H2O and Cl contents, indicating coupling of these elements during subduction zone recycling. Sulfur is more variable, and fluorine contents generally remain at background mantle values, suggesting decoupling of these elements from H2O and Cl. Partial melting and dehydration models constrain the source of Sr and the volatiles and suggest that the altered oceanic crust (AOC) is the main source of the hydrous component that fluxes into the mantle wedge, in agreement with thermo‐mechanical models. Sediment melt remains an important component for other elements such as Ba, Pb, Th and the LREE. The Indonesian volcanoes have variable concentrations of volatile and fluid‐mobile elements, with Kawah Ijen recording higher AOC‐derived fluid fluxes (Sr/Nd and H2O/Nd) compared to Galunggung and Tambora. Kawah Ijen has H2O/Ce ratios that are comparable to some of the most volatile‐rich magmas from other cold slab subduction zones worldwide, and the highest yet measured in the Sunda arc.

The November 2002 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise, Réunion: Tracking the pre-eruptive thermal evolution of magma using melt inclusions

Digital Document

The November 2002 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in the Indian Ocean was typical of the activity of the volcano from 1999 to 2006 in terms of duration and volume of magma ejected. The first magma erupted was a basaltic liquid with a small proportion of olivine phenocrysts (Fo81) that contain small numbers of melt inclusions. In subsequent flows, olivine crystals were more abundant and richer in Mg (Fo83–84). These crystals contain numerous melt and fluid inclusions, healed fractures, and dislocation features such as kink bands. The major element composition of melt inclusions in this later olivine (Fo83–84) is out of equilibrium with that of its host as a result of extensive post-entrapment crystallization and Fe2+ loss by diffusion during cooling. Melt inclusions in Fo81 olivine are also chemically out of equilibrium with their hosts but to a lesser degree. Using olivine–melt geothermometry, we determined that melt inclusions in Fo81 olivine were trapped at lower temperature (1,182 ± 1°C) than inclusions in Fo83–84 olivine (1,199–1,227°C). This methodology was also used to estimate eruption temperatures. The November 2002 melt inclusion compositions suggest that they were at temperatures between 1,070°C and 1,133°C immediately before eruption and quenching. This relatively wide temperature range may reflect the fact that most of the melt inclusions were from olivine in lava samples and therefore likely underwent minor but variable amounts of post-eruptive crystallization and Fe2+ loss by diffusion due to their relatively slow cooling on the surface. In contrast, melt inclusions in tephra samples from past major eruptions yielded a narrower range of higher eruption temperatures (1,163–1,181°C). The melt inclusion data presented here and in earlier publications are consistent with a model of magma recharge from depth during major eruptions, followed by storage, cooling, and crystallization at shallow levels prior to expulsion during events similar in magnitude to the relatively small November 2002 eruption.

Sulfide breakdown controls metal signature in volcanic gas at Kawah Ijen volcano, Indonesia

Digital Document

Immiscible sulfide liquid is thought to be an important intermediary in volcanic degassing of sulfur and chalcophile elements by concentrating and transferring metals from magma to hydrous fluid. Here, we track the interaction of sulfide liquid with a fluid exsolving from basalt at Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia. As in many other volcanic systems, neither sulfide nor fluid is preserved. Instead, the reaction is recorded in changes in metal and sulfur concentrations in the melt during magma ascent, and shows a two-stage evolution; deep-seated progressive breakdown of sulfide during which metal concentrations in the melt are largely controlled by the sulfide, followed by fluid–melt partitioning controlling metal concentrations at shallow depth once this sulfide has been exhausted. Present-day fumarole gases have similar Zn/Cu, Pb/Cu and Mo/Cu ratios to the reconstructed sulfide, but are enriched in Tl, As and Sb. These enrichments are also observed in melt inclusions in the most recent dacitic deposits at Kawah Ijen. This suggests that the fumarole gases are sourced from a deep, degassing sulfide-saturated basalt, preserved in Zn/Cu, Pb/Cu and Mo/Cu ratios, which subsequently interact with a shallow dacitic melt that enhances Tl, As and Sb emissions.

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