Abstract
Because many volcanoes are densely vegetated, understanding of the interactions between active lava flows and trees is essential for robust hazard modeling. Tree molds − lava flow features generated when advancing lava engulfs and combusts trees − are widely documented but have, to date, only been described qualitatively. Detailed, quantitative studies of molds can, however, provide insights into the nature of lava-forest interactions. Here, we present a unique characterization of the chemical, textural and thermal interactions between lava and a tree (an Albizia), taking as a case type a basaltic pāhoehoe lava flow that traveled 20 km through Hawaiian rainforest on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone between June and December 2014. The dataset includes chemical analyses of lava (major, trace and volatile species) at the lava-tree contact, quantitative descriptions of lava texture (density, vesicle and crystal populations), and thermal analysis to fingerprint the devolatilization and combustion of wood as well as with cooling and crystallization of lava around the tree. We use these results to construct a three-stage thermal model to describe heat transfer between the lava and the tree, showing how the interaction facilitates combustion of wood and release of its volatile species (CO2 and H2O) into the lava, whilst triggering enhanced cooling and crystallization of lava surrounding the tree. Chemical analyses reveal that the inflating pāhoehoe at the lava-tree contact was strongly CO2-enriched (up to 1200 ppm), and textural data show that lava is denser at the contact. Moreover, lava crystallinity indicates a cooling rate of ∼70°C min–1 at the lava-tree contact, a rate well above the expected cooling rates (30°C min–1) for pāhoehoe more distant (40 m away) from the tree. We conclude that the tree had a local cooling effect on the lava that could potentially influence lava properties at larger scale if tree density, trunk diameter and moisture content are sufficiently high.
Introduction
Many effusive centers (e.g., Hawaii, Etna, the Virunga region, La Réunion) are densely vegetated and in climatic settings that favor rapid vegetation regrowth after inundation by lava (e.g., Ziegler, 2002; ). Forest inundation by lava flows is thus a common phenomenon, which has been frequently described during eruptions at, for example, Etna (; ), Piton de la Fournaise () and Kilauea (; ; ; ). As a result, it is well known that when lava invades a forest, it causes widespread combustion of the trees, shrubs and undergrowth comprising the biotic system as, for example, during the eruption of Kilauea Iki (Kilauea, Hawaii) in 1959 (). In a film, taken by the U.S. Geological Service and the National Park Service, of lava flooding the crater of Kilauea Iki at the onset of the 1959 eruption1, flaming trees in and around the active lava flows are clearly visible: “their bright yellow flames flashing like giant sparklers” (). Regarding trees and forest litter buried by lava, the narrator of the film1 comments that “for some time individual tree trunks give off super-heated organic gases that burst into bright yellow flame as they explode from the surface of the lake” (). The question is: does this interaction have an effect on the lava thermal, chemical and textural properties?
When relatively low viscosity lava (< 103 Pa s, ) contacts a cold, damp tree, it has been long established that the engulfing lava cools rapidly to form a cast around the tree trunk (; ; ; ; ). Isolated within its cast, the tree heats to combustion and burns slowly to leave a mold with the same size and form as the trunk within the solidified lava flow (; ). This creates a tree mold and if the lava level drops during emplacement then the tree cast will instead remain as a standing “lava-tree” (; ; ). Although the formation of such structures and their associated cave systems are well described (e.g., ; ; ), thermal and physio-chemical interactions between the tree and the lava during heating, drying and combustion have not been described or modeled. To date, lava-trees and tree molds have been mainly used to determine lava dynamics in terms of flow direction and thickness (; ; ; ; ). However, , , and Wasilewski et al. (2000) have hinted at potential chemical and thermal interactions between a combusting tree and the engulfing lava. constrained the possible influence of a forest on the emplacement of an entire lava flow system, showing that lava-trees and tree molds can act as obstacles capable of locally diverting the flow path. Although no impact on the overall cooling of the lava flow was found, a distinction was noted between the down-flow cooling rate of lava that was deposited against tree trunks and lava that cooled in the far field (). Thus, several key questions remain unanswered. These include:
- •
What thermal and physio-chemical processes occur at the lava-tree contact?
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Is there any chemical exchange between the lava and the tree?
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How much heat is transferred between the tree and lava, and in which direction?
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Can the presence of trees enhance lava cooling rates?
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Could heat and chemical exchanges between trees and lava affect the whole flow field?
Here, we aim to provide answers to these questions. To do this, we detail the formation of a tree mold in an engulfing lava, providing quantitative data for the chemical and thermal exchanges between the lava and the tree via employment of a number of analytical techniques. These data provide a basis for a thermal model that examines lava ↔ tree heat exchanges, and allows evaluation of possible lava cooling (and heating) effects.
Based on a survey of available sites at La Réunion, Etna and Hawaii, obtaining a sample set that can define the interaction around a single tree, and with depth in the flow, is not straightforward. This is due to four main reasons. First, tree molds are often too narrow to access for sampling. Second, the cost of installing a drill rig to extract an entire tree or mold is prohibitively expensive and logistically more difficult to deploy than traditional (hammer and chisel) sampling. Thirdly, many potential cases (e.g., on Etna and Kilauea) are in National Parks and the destructive sampling of a lava tree in such a protected environment would be against Park permit rules. Finally, good examples are often buried by subsequent flow units and/or inflation, as was the case for all potential sites we visited on Piton de la Fournaise; which was our first (initial) site chosen for this study. All of these points make suitable sampling cases relatively rare, and hence likely explains the lack of data in the literature to qualify and quantify the thermal interaction between a tree and an active lava. This is why we focus on a particularly well-exposed and large (meter-diameter) tree-mold in Kilauea’s 2014 lava flow field just north of the town of Pāhoa (Hawaii, United States).
Hypothesis and Study Area
One of the most visited sites to observe lava-trees and tree molds is the July 1974 lava flow of Kîlauea, which flowed through two kilometers of Ohia forest leaving behind more than a thousand lava-trees (; ; ). However, Ohia trees have thin trunks and the wood is relatively dry, both of which are factors that likely restrict their influence on lava flow cooling (cf. ; ; ; ; ; ). Therefore, we chose the most recent eruptive episodes of Kilauea, i.e., the events that emplaced the 1983–2018 lava flow field (). Across this lava flow field, the lava is relatively unweathered and the lava interacted with trees that are both larger and wetter than those of the July 1974 eruption. In this regard, following and , the presence of larger, wetter trees should also enhance any thermal interactions.
By 2002, Kilauea’s eruption that began in January 1983 had already covered an area of 105 km2 (). Most of this lava area was emplaced onto vegetated land (Figure 1) that ranged from “wet forest and woodland” around the vent zone (700 m above sea level) to “lowland dry and mesic forest, woodland and shrubland” at sea level (). The interaction between active lava and trees was well-known (cf. Weisel and Stapleton, 1992), where between 12 May and 1 June 2002, alone, ingress of active lava flows into forest ignited fires that burned over 1,000 hectares (). However, no study coming out of this long-lived eruption has, to date, considered interactions between lava and vegetation. Instead, the publications (more than 1,000 references between 1983 and early 2002; ) included provision of data and insights into:
FIGURE 1
- (i)
Cooling and crystallization down an active lava channel ();
- (ii)
Cooling rates down lava tubes ();
- (iii)
Cooling rates of active pāhoehoe surfaces and interiors (),
- (iv)
Variation of eruption temperatures with time (), and
- (v)
Validated heat loss models for lava flowing in tubes (), inflating pāhoehoe () and tube-fed ocean entry lava flow ().
Although detailed information on interaction between lava and vegetation were not provided, these publications allow a hypothesis for lava-tree interaction to be built and generation of a model to be compared with the tree-free cases cited above. We here use two examples to illustrate this. The first was ingress of lava into groves of Ohia trees around Pu’u ‘O’o during January 1997 and 2004 (; Figure 1c), the second was invasion of palm trees at the Waha’ula Heiau and on Pulama Pali in 1997 and 1999, respectively (; Figure 1d). These observations allowed definition of a qualitative model whereby a tree mold is formed in three stages involving:
- (i)
Heating and drying of the tree (cf. );
- (ii)
Onset of combustion (cf. );
- (iii)
Complete combustion to create a skylight (cf. ).
These three stages are illustrated in our collation of archived photographs given in Figure 2 which cover the invasion of:
FIGURE 2
- 1.
Ohia trees by lava from the “amalgamated bend rootless shield” lava flow of March 2004 (Figure 1c), and
- 2.
Coconut palms during burial of Waha’ula Heiau during the night of 10–11 August 1997 to set up the “Waha’ula ocean entry” (Figure 1d).
The Waha’ula Heiau burial event was particularly iconic as it involved burial of one of the most important Heiau (i.e., Hawaiian temple) in Hawaii, which included a sacred grove that contained at least one specimen of every tree growing on the Hawaiian island group (
Albizia Tree Mold in the 2014 Pāhoa Lava Flow
We focus on a tree mold left by an Albizia tree engulfed by the 2014 lava flow (Pu’u ‘Ō’ō, Kīlauea) near Pāhoa village (Figure 1). This lava flow, called hereafter the Pāhoa lava flow, was active for 24 months between June 27, 2014 and June 8, 2016 (
FIGURE 3

(A,B) Helicopter-based photos of the lava flow front, transfer station, cemetery road and the studied tree location (yellow circle) taken on the 24 October by M. Patrick (USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory). (C) Helicopter-based photo of the “27th June” lava flow in the vicinity of Cemetery Road with the distance between the transfer station and the studied tree mold (photo courtesy of M. Patrick, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory). (D) Recently created tree mold in a cooling pāhoehoe lava flow from Pu’u ‘Ô’ô (2003) with color-based temperatures (cf. Appendix of
Materials and Methods
Mapping and Sampling
The tree mold and unburnt remains (i.e., the trunk left felled on the lava flow surface) of the studied Albizia tree were mapped in vertical and basal cross sections, and all dimensions were measured (Figure 4). Six decimeter-sized samples were collected around the tree mold, including four from where the tree was in contact with the lava (Figure 4). These were collected from the bottom (BOT), middle (MID), about 20 cm from the top (TOP2) and at the top (TOP1) of the tree mold. All samples included the lava surface that was in contact with the tree plus a 10–20 cm thickness of lava behind the contact (Figure 4). The sample collected in the middle (MID) was large enough to be cut into two, separating the part in contact with the tree (MID-A) from a part that was 10 cm away from the tree-lava contact (hereafter named MID-B; Figure 4). For two of these samples (BOT and TOP2) we extracted the contact with the tree surface, hereafter referred to as tree mould surface (TMS) samples. The TMS samples were either selected by slicing the 5 mm layer of the rock sample at the contact (TOP2-TMS) or by handpicking chips of the tree mold surface (< 1 mm) (BOT-TMS, TOP2-TMS2). Additionally, a sample was collected from within the root bowl (2BO; Figure 4). Finally, another lava sample was collected 40 m from the tree to serve as a control sample (CN), where textures were typical of the non-affected lava flow − a smooth surfaced, S-Type pāhoehoe following the classification of Wilmoth and Walker (1993). We also collected a sample from a small log of a living Albizia growing 200 m from the mold site.
FIGURE 4

(A) Plan in vertical section of the studied tree mold and its inflation cleft (light brown). In blue are the sample locations. The area once occupied by the standing of tree and its root system is given in gray, and new lava is black. Orange dots denote location of tree ash. (B) Plan in basal cross section of the root bowl.
Two other samples were taken from the J74 lava flow from two lava-trees situated at 0.9 and 1.5 km from the vent (T5 and T3, as respectively named in
Textural Analyses
To quantify the proportion and size distribution of vesicles and crystals, thin sections and cut surfaces of CN, TOP1, TOP2, MID-A, BOT and 2BO were digitally scanned and backscatter SEM images collected. For each sample, three to six images were taken at a magnification of 25× (for a total of 32 images), and three at 100× were taken from each 25× image, (for a total of 56 images, see example for BOT in Supplementary Materials 1Supplementary Figure 3). Images were then processed using the MATLAB-based program FOAMS (
Chemical Analyses
Bulk rock major element analyses were carried out on four samples (TOP2, TOP2-TMS, 2BO and CN) to characterize any compositional differences between tree-contact lava (TOP2) and the control sample (CN), as well as between the tree mold and the root bowl (2BO). Additionally, sample TOP2-TMS was analyzed to compare with the bulk TOP2 sample. Samples were powdered (≤ 100 μm) with a PM100 Retsch planetary crusher at the Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV, Université Clermont Auvergne, France). Bulk rock major elements were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
Trace element concentrations were analyzed for four bulk samples (CN, TOP2, T5 and T3) and for five TMS samples (TOP2-TMS, TOP2-TMS2, BOT-TMS, T5-TMS, T3-TMS). Trace elements were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). For major element analysis, powdered samples were mixed with LiBO2, placed in a graphite crucible, and melted in an induction oven at 1050°C for 4.5 min, resulting in a homogeneous glass bead. The glass was then dissolved in a solution of deionized water and nitric acid (HNO3) and finally diluted by a factor of 2000. The final solutions were analyzed using a Jobin-Yvon Ultima-C ICP-AES. Trace element concentrations were analyzed following a method modified from
Additionally, we carried out volatile analysis on the same set of samples as for trace element analysis, using a CHNS-O Flash analyzer 2000 equipped with an MAS200R autosampler (Thermo Fischer Inc.). For this analysis, 10 mg of powdered sample was mixed with 10 mg of V2O5 to optimize combustion, and flash combustion was carried out at 1800°C. Volatiles were then separated by a chromatographic column and analyzed with a thermal conductivity detector.
Mineral and glass chemistry analyses were carried out on the polished thin sections of CN, TOP1 and BOT using an electronic microprobe CAMECA SX 100 (at 15 KeV with a 15 nA and 8 nA current beam for minerals and glass, respectively). Compositional data were then used to determine lava temperature using the
Thermal Analyses
To better constrain the cooling effect on lava textures, measure the dissolved water content in partially crystallized samples, and characterize the different steps of wood combustion, we used simultaneous thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These analyses were carried out on samples CN, TOP1, TOP2-TMS and BOT-TMS, together with the wood sample. We used a TA Instruments SDT Q600 and a NETZSCH STA449C Jupiter TGA-DSC-MS at Lancaster University (United Kingdom), employing methods already used for analysis of volatile-poor volcanic rocks by
The TGA technique continuously measures sample weight during a controlled heating program, providing total volatile concentrations and characterization of degassing patterns. DSC data characterizes heat flow within the sample, recording events such as crystallization, with peak areas directly proportional to the enthalpy change during the phase transition (
In parallel with the TGA-DSC analysis, three qualitative experiments of wood combustion were performed at Lancaster University. Three different-sized (2 × 1.5 mm diameter, 3 × 5 mm and 5 × 5.5 mm) cylinders were prepared from the collected sample of Albizia wood and their weight and volume recorded. Cylinders were then individually placed in a Carbolite Gero 30–3000°C oven and heated in air from ambient to 400°C at 30°C min–1. The duration of wood combustion and post-combustion sample mass were recorded. In order to examine the effect of wood grainsize on the decomposition reaction we carried out two experiments on wood powder with different grainsizes (500–125 μm and 250–106 μm). Sample preparation, measurement error and reproducibility, heating programmes, and DSC calibration are described in detail in Supplementary Materials 3Supplementary Figures 5, 6 and Supplementary Table 4.
Results
Morphology of the Tree Mold
The studied tree mold, where the trunk stood while being heated and burnt by the surrounding lava flow, is approximately cylindrical and is 2.2 m deep and 0.59 m wide. A cavity at the base of this vertical mold is approximately circular in plan and semi-circular in section (Figures 3f, 4a,b). This cavity is a root bowl of 0.9 m diameter and 1 m in height, and has four major roots spreading radially away from it along the lava-substrate interface (see Figure 4b for exact measurements). Cavities left by the burnt-out roots are as wide as 0.8 m, can be followed for up to 3.3 m, and wood-ash covers a red oxidized soil along the floor of each root. The mold itself displays two inflation clefts on one side of the mold (0.5 and 0.3 m high, respectively) and one large open inflation crack on the opposite side, giving access to the root bowl (Figure 4a). The tree mold displayed oxidation rings, with lava color changing from red/brown near the surface to more metallic tones toward the base (i.e., TOP2 is less metallic than 2BO), and a gray/black color away from the contact. The top of the tree mold shows clear imprints of the tree bark with remnant charcoal and ash within samples.
Next to the mold, the unburnt trunk remains (Figure 3f). Immersed in inflating S-type pāhoehoe, the base of the tree eventually burnt through and the 5.4 m long exposed part of the trunk fell onto the lava flow surface. In total, the entire trunk was thus 7.6–7.9 m high (mold length plus unburnt trunk lying on the lava flow surface). The combusted length of the trunk thus varies between 2.2–2.5 m (equal to the mold depth), where the non-combusted length was 5.4 m long. The lowermost 1.15 m of the felled trunk was charred; the uppermost 4.25 m was gray and barkless. Branches and canopy of the felled tree added a further 18 m to the height, meaning the total height of the tree was 24–25 m.
Petrography and Texture
All lava samples (CN, TOP1, TOP2, MID, BOT) have a porphyritic to glomeroporphyritic texture with phenocrysts and microlites of olivine, plagioclase and minor pyroxene, within a glassy or microlithic matrix. Most phenocrysts are euhedral, with zoned plagioclases and frequently broken, subhedral olivines. Vesicles are typically extensively interconnected and characterized by convoluted, irregular shapes. The two samples away from the tree contact (CN and MID-B) are qualitatively distinguishable from the TMS samples. Sample CN displays higher crystallinity and vesicularity, whereas MID-B contains rounder, non-connected vesicles. In contrast, the tree-contact samples (TOP2, MID-A and BOT) have a distinctive, thin (0.5 mm) vesicle-rich layer that is not observed in far-field sample CN. There are no other significant textural variations from the top to the bottom of the tree mold (see Supplementary Materials 1Supplementary Figure 3). Root bowl sample 2BO presents a markedly different texture from the other samples, with a metallic, non-glassy surface. The veneer of this sample is similar to that found in lava tube linings, which often have smooth, glazed red-to-gray surfaces (cf.
Sample densities vary between 1550 and 2230 kg m–3, with a mean of 1895 ± 200 kg m–3 (Table 1). The Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE) is 3010 ± 10 kg m–3 (measured with four powdered samples; CN, TOP2, TOP2-TMS and 2BO). Sample CN is the least dense sample (mean of 1550 kg m–3), while TOP1 density (mean of 1790 ± 100 kg m–3) is intermediate between CN and all other samples (Table 1). There are no other vertical variations in density within the remainder of the tree mold.
TABLE 1
| Name | CN | TOP1 | TOP2 | MID-A | BOT | 2BO |
| Density (kg m–3) | 1553 | 1792 | 1900 | 1937 | 1833 | 2231 |
| Porosity ? (%) | 48 | 40 | 37 | 35 | 38 | 26 |
| Tot Crystals (%) | 30 | 13 | 25 | 26 | 19 | 43 |
| Tot Crystals corr (%) | 58 | 22 | 40 | 40 | 31 | 52 |
| vol.% tot CSD | 57.7 | 21.9 | 40.8 | 39.8 | 30.9 | 57.8 |
| vol.% microlites | 9 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 25 |
| vol.% microphenocrysts | 44 | 15 | 21 | 27 | 18 | 3 |
| vol.% phenocrysts | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 30 |
| vol.% microlites + microphenocrysts | 53 | 18 | 33 | 37 | 26 | 28 |
| Nv (mm3) | 35.56 | 36.66 | 60.54 | 65.31 | 73.28 | 46.81 |
| Nv corr (mm3) | 68.39 | 62.13 | 96.10 | 100.48 | 118.19 | 57.09 |
| Depth (m) | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.15 | 0.84 | 1.65 | 2 |
| Cooling Rate (°C min–1) | 21 | 101 | 58 | 49 | 71 | 68 |
Summary table for textural parameters measured in this study.
Tot Crystals is the total crystal percentage, Tot Crystals corrected is the total crystal percentage without vesicles. vol. % tot CSD, is the percentage of crystal obtained from the CSD method. Nv is the number of vesicles per area (mm3). Depth is the distance of sampling from the top surface of the lava flow. Cooling rate is obtained using microlites + microphenocrysts.
Sample porosities span 26–48% (mean values in Table 1) and are shown in Figure 5. Heterogeneous porosity is observed with distance from the tree and occurs over two spatial scales: firstly, between the lava-tree contact samples (TOP1, TOP2, MID, 2BO) and distal sample CN, and secondly, within each sample at the tree mold. CN and TOP1 samples are more porous (48% and 40%, respectively), which may reflect buoyant rise of vesicles toward the lava flow surface (Wilmoth and Walker, 1993). Otherwise, all samples collected at the tree mold have a lower porosity (close to, or in, the P-Type pāhoehoe field) than CN (which is in the S-Type field; Figure 5). In this regard, we use S-Type and P-Type pāhoehoe to define the density or degassing state of the lava, where the “S” in S-type stands for “spongey” to evoke the vesicle-rich nature of the sample, and the “P” in P-type stands for “pipe-(vesicle-bearing)” as such lava sometimes contains vertical pipes (Wilmoth and Walker, 1993). The key distinction is that P-Type is more degassed, and hence denser, than S-Type (
FIGURE 5

Density-derived porosity as a function of depth in the mold (median value with range for each sample). The vertical-dashed line defines the porosity-defined limit between S-Type and P-Type pāhoehoe lava, as taken from data in
Cumulative vesicle size distribution, normalized to the control sample CN, shows differences between tree-contact and far-field lava (Figure 6). All tree-contact samples have a higher vesicle volume fraction, and, with the exception of surface sample TOP1, the enrichment factor of vesicles in the predominant 2–3 mm range is 30–55 times that found in CN. However, the proportion of vesicles between 3–4 mm is lower than CN. The root bowl sample (2BO) is enriched in 0.5 mm vesicles relative to CN. The full vesicle size distributions for each sample are provided in Supplementary Materials 1Supplementary Figure 1.
FIGURE 6

Cumulative vesicle size distribution normalized to the control sample (CN). Most of the samples show an enrichment in vesicle size between 2 and 3 mm. TOP1 has seen a coalescence phenomenon which explains the depletion in the 2–3 mm range and increase > 5 mm (
The total vesicle-free crystal volume proportion varies between 22% (TOP1) and 58% (CN), with a mean of 42% (Table 1). The crystal population densities (CSD, Figure 7) for all the samples range from −10.3 to 13.2 (ln of population density, mm4) and are, as typical, inversely correlated with crystal length (i.e., the trends indicate smaller populations of larger crystals). The CSD slopes are not linear, with all lava samples displaying upwardly concave CSD curves, a pattern that has been observed in other volcanic rocks (
FIGURE 7

CSD for each sample showing the population density (pop den) fraction versus the size of crystals. Dotted lines delimit the crystals families: microlites, microphenocrysts and phenocrysts.
CSDs of CN, TOP, MID-A and BOT are characterized by a break in slope at the transition between microlites and microphenocrysts, which occurs between 0.18 mm (MID-A) and 0.47 mm (BOT; see Supplementary Materials 1Supplementary Figure 2). The microphenocryst population is volumetrically the most important, accounting for > 75% of the total crystal volume. The phenocryst population is the smallest of the three crystal populations, accounting for < 8% vol. for all samples (CN, TOP1, TOP2, MID, BOT and 2BO). Sample 2BO is texturally distinct, having a larger fraction of microlites (25 vol.%, as opposed to ≤ 12 vol.% in all other samples), and phenocrysts (30 vol.%, as opposed to ≤ 8 vol.%), and being poor in microphenocrysts (3 vol.%; Table 1).
Chemical Analyses
Bulk chemistry results reveal a basaltic composition with a mean of 50.1 wt.% SiO2 and 3.0 wt.% alkalis (Mg# = 0.75), except for sample 2BO, which is slightly more alkali-rich (3.7 wt.%; Table 2). Trace element analyses are presented in Figure 8, with concentrations normalized to the control sample or the bulk composition, to highlight any heterogeneity attributable to interactions with the tree. Results show that tree-contact samples (TMS) are significantly enriched in chalcophile elements with respect to the control sample (Figure 8). In particular, enrichment factors (CN normalized concentrations) for Pb, Tl and Cd are 2.5, 3.5 and 3.4 respectively in TOP2-TMS. Similarly, samples T3 and T5 from the J74 lava-trees display enrichment factors (Figure 8; concentration ratio of tree mold surface/control samples) of 4.5 (Tl), 2 (Cr), 2.5 (Ag and Sn) and 1.5 (Rb). Other trace elements show no divergence between the bulk compositions and CN (see Supplementary Materials 2Supplementary Table 1 for all data).
TABLE 2
| Oxide wt.% | Bulk Chemistry | ||||
| CN | TOP2 | TOP2_TMS | 2BO | Analytical error | |
| SiO2 | 50.08 | 50.09 | 50.23 | 50.17 | 0.70 |
| Al2O3 | 13.55 | 13.48 | 13.60 | 13.54 | 4.01 |
| Fe2O3 (tot) | 12.16 | 12.16 | 12.16 | 12.05 | 3.24 |
| MgO | 7.04 | 7.01 | 6.90 | 7.05 | 1.36 |
| CaO | 11.30 | 11.18 | 11.39 | 11.02 | 0.70 |
| Na2O | 2.32 | 2.39 | 2.26 | 2.52 | 2.71 |
| K2O | 0.65 | 0.70 | 0.76 | 1.14 | 2.37 |
| TiO2 | 2.42 | 2.39 | 2.43 | 2.38 | 0.21 |
| MnO | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.84 |
| P2O5 | 0.25 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.27 | 7.01 |
| Ba | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 8.36 |
| Sr | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 3.65 |
| LOI | –0.28 | –0.24 | –0.30 | –0.39 | – |
| Total% | 99.69 | 99.61 | 99.91 | 99.97 | – |
Bulk composition (ICP-AES) of the collected samples from the 27th June Pāhoa lava flow, near the tree-mold (TOP1, TOP2, MID-A, BOT).
Analytical error is 2σ. LOI is given by H2O+ + H2O–.
FIGURE 8

Trace element diagrams for (A) samples in contact with tree as normalized to the control sample (CN); (B) the J74 lava flow: two samples in contact with tree (T3-TMS and T5-TMS) as normalized to their bulk composition (T3-bulk and T5-bulk, respectively).
CHNS-O analyses reveal that all TMS samples (TOP2-TMS, BOT-TMS, T3-TMS, T5-TMS) are enriched in CO2 (0.22 vs 0.12 wt.%) relative to bulk samples (CN, 2BO, T3 and T5), and all are significantly more CO2-rich than the control sample (< 0.05 CO2 wt.%, Figure 9). Small glassy chips carefully handpicked from the irregular tree-contact surface have even higher CO2 concentrations (0.28 wt.% for TOP2-TMS2). Similarly, the J74 tree-contact samples (T5-TMS and T3-TMS) are enriched in CO2 (0.35 and 0.41 wt.%), in comparison to bulk sample concentrations of 0.13 and 0.26 wt.%, respectively (Figure 9). Conversely, H2O concentrations are constant (∼0.13 wt.%) in all Pāhoa lava samples (including TOP2-TMS, TOP2-TMS2 and BOT-TMS), whereas the J74 samples show clear enrichment at the tree surface contact (i.e., T3-TMS and T5-TMS), reaching up to 0.37 wt.%. Overall, the Pāhoa samples are less volatile-rich than those from lava-tree contacts of the J74 lava trees. SO2 and NO2 concentrations were below detection limits.
FIGURE 9

CHNS-O values for CO2 and H2O for (A) samples in contact with tree, and (B) the J74 samples. Samples in contact with tree are enriched in meteoric volatiles (CO2). The handpicking method increases this discrepancy, as shown by the concentration in CO2 for BOT-TMS and TOP2-TMS2 affects.
Backscattered electron image and semi-quantitative chemical maps were produced for TOP2-TMS sample, chosen due to its large diversion from the bulk lava composition (see Supplementary Materials 2Supplementary Figure 4). These images show a clear contrast between the tree-contact rim of the sample and its interior. The rim, which is ≤ 10 μm wide, is enriched in Fe, S and K and contains abundant oxide microlites. Beyond this rim, a 50–100 μm-wide zone appears Na-depleted, while further way the sample is enriched in Na and Ca. Mg remains constant everywhere (Supplementary Materials 2Supplementary Figure 4).
Lava flow emplacement temperatures calculated using olivine-glass geothermometers range between 1125–1145°C and absolute error is 60°C (see Supplementary Materials 2Supplementary Table 2). This compares with typical eruption temperatures of around 1155°C (mean from Table 1 of
Thermal Measurements and Combustion
TGA results reveal a distinction between degassing of volatiles from meteoric sources at low temperature, and magmatic volatiles at high temperature (
FIGURE 10

TG and dTGA curves with temperature for TOP2-TMS and CN. Major mass loss occurred at low T (i.e., between 300 and 450°C with a peak at 364.6°C) and is far greater for TOP2-TMS (–0.057%, red arrows) than for CN (–0.010%, black arrows), which corresponds to meteoric degassing. The second mass loss occurred at high T (i.e., ± 1100°C) and is in the same range for both samples, which corresponds to a magmatic degassing.
The DSC results characterize the exothermic peak related to crystallization during cooling, over a range of cooling rates (2–80°C min–1) relevant to subaerial lavas (Figure 11). The measured enthalpy is converted to a volumetric proportion of crystallization as given by
FIGURE 11

Crystallization percentage with cooling rate for TGA-DSC values, obtained with both machines. The color of the symbols corresponds to the different samples. The triangles, circles, squares, and diamonds represent the individual experimental results, whereas the crosses are inferred natural cooling rates based on the measured crystallinity of samples (using CSD method and the general trend equation). Most of the samples in contact with tree show a higher cooling rate than CN not in contact with tree.
Our experiments reveal that there is an inverse relationship between the cooling rate (dT/dt) and extent of in situ crystallization during cooling (Table 1), which is best expressed with an exponential trend X = 72.503e−0.014(dT/dt) (Figure 11). Experiments at the lowest cooling rate (1–2°C min–1) induce almost complete crystallization (up to 80–90% in some samples), whereas only 20–30% crystallization occurs at higher cooling rates of 80°C min–1. At cooling rates between 80 and 5°C min–1 the proportion of crystallization is largely consistent between samples (Figure 11; variation of < 15% crystallization at a given cooling rate), but greater discrepancy occurs at the slowest cooling rates (e.g. ∼63 to ∼90% crystallization at 1–2°C min–1). Experimental results can be related to natural sample textures when the crystallinity is calculated with CSDcorrection, and thus the approximate natural cooling rate can be retrieved using the exponential trend. In reality the conditions are slightly different, in that the experimental lava is completely degassed during crystallization and cooling (e.g.,
The DSC signal during wood heating (Figure 12A) indicates a strongly endothermic event with a peak at 366.7°C. This closely corresponds with the degassing peak (dTGA in Figures 12A,B) and indicates a common process. The mean enthalpy of devolatilization from five sub-sample repeats is 261.58 ± 21.04 J g–1 (see Supplementary Materials 3Supplementary Figure 5a). Note that this experiment was conducted in an oxygen-free (N2) environment, so the exothermic combustion phase was not characterized – this experiment therefore most appropriately simulates the anoxic part of the tree mold, where insignificant atmospheric ingress occurs. Nonetheless, the temperature range of devolatilization in our anoxic experiments, with ignition at 367°C, broadly matched that of
FIGURE 12

TGA and DSC curves with temperature for the Albizia tree wood sample. (A) DSC curve shows a trough at the same temperature as dTGA which means that most of the heat is being produced by volatilization. (B) TGA curve corresponding to mass loss, which is correlates with devolatilization. Most of the mass (mean −81%) is lost at low temperature (365.3°C).
Discussion
Textural and DSC analyses indicate that a thin (≤ 5 mm) layer around the tree mold underwent faster cooling than the surrounding (far-field) lava and the flow surface, due to heat transfer from lava into the tree. The Albizia tree studied here is a poor thermal conductor and has a high heat capacity due to its high water content (∼54% moisture content in a growing tree5; Wood Data Base, 2019), which leads to the strongly endothermic devolatilization reaction quantified via DSC. Its presence thus appears to have enhanced lava cooling at the lava-tree contact – an effect that is quantified below in Stage 1 of our thermal model. We also observe that endothermic devolatilization accompanied the major phase of mass loss of the tree, as revealed by the wood TGA analysis, which involves drying and devolatilization. This mass loss of 86% is somewhat higher than that encountered for Douglas Fir trees during exposure to fire (10–50%;
As the tree loses its mass, the released volatiles (predominantly H2O and CO2) will interact with neighboring lava. This is indicated by the elevated CO2 concentrations in a TMS sample (TOP2-TMS) as determined with CHNS-O analysis (0.10–0.28 wt.%, vs. < 0.04 for CN; Figure 9), and by the greater volatile mass loss in TGA experiments: 0.14 wt.% (TOP2-TMS) vs 0.10 wt.% (CN; Figure 10). Variations between J74 (T3-TMS and T5-TMS) and Pāhoa (TOP2-TMS, TOP2-TMS2, BOT-TMS) lava tree samples may reflect a variable interaction depending on tree type, size, density and water content. Our experimentally derived constraints on CO2 uptake are the diffusivity of CO2 in the lava, which is strongly temperature-controlled, and the solubility of CO2 in basalt. At relevant magmatic temperatures (1125–1145°C, Table 2) CO2 solubility is negligible, both at atmospheric pressure and over the restricted range of plausible pressures encountered within a thin lava flow (< 2 bar). Therefore, the uptake of detectable CO2 by the lava may require either (1) retrograde CO2 solubility so as to increase cooling lava, as established for water (
Thermal perturbations at the tree-lava contact are significant, as demonstrated by three observations. First, the thin (≤ 5 mm) quenched TMS lava layer proves that a large temperature gradient existed between the hot lava (∼1135°C) and tree (∼25°C, the typical ambient temperature for Pāhoa). Second, the heating phase of combustion allows devolatilization, an endothermic reaction, to occur, as shown by the DSC experiment. Third, the experimentally determined relationship between crystallinity and cooling rate, combined with measurements of sample crystallinity using CSDcorrection, demonstrates faster cooling at the tree-lava contact around the walls of the mold than at the lava flow surface. According to the lava cooling model of
The slight discrepancy between crystallization proportions in different samples at the same cooling rates reflects the more silicic residual melt composition at high degrees of crystallization (
We find that lava in contact with the tree is less porous (33%) than the far-field lava (i.e., 59% for CN, at 40 m distance; Figure 4), but with larger vesicles, and matches the definition of a P-Type pāhoehoe (< 30–40% porosity), i.e., it is degassed. Instead, CN is described as a S-Type pāhoehoe (> 30–40% porosity). We suggest that the dominant, large vesicle population witnessed in proximity to the tree relates to the passage of a large volume of released gas from the tree into the lava, which may have also acted to trap and extract the smaller bubble population. This passage of gas into the surrounding lava may also have helped to create anomalies in the chemical composition of the lava at the tree-contact, where we see here an enrichment in CO2 and H2O at the lava-tree contact. Previously characterized chemical anomalies in lava related to interactions with trees have also included enrichment in native iron, ilmenite and fO2 (
Retarded cooling may also occur if a significant phase of exothermic combustion followed the initial endothermic heating phase, as suggested by the texture of the thin tree mold surface, together with the thermometry estimates. The temperature of samples collected from close to the tree mold do appear to be systematically higher than far-field sample CN (1127–1138°C as opposed to 1125–1132°C). Although this temperature difference is significantly smaller than the absolute error in temperature reconstruction (∼60°C;
Finally, whereas all samples have a bulk composition consistent with products of the last twenty years of rift zone eruptions from Kilauea (
A Thermal Model for Heat Losses Involved in Tree Combustion and Mold Formation
Here we develop a thermal model that incorporates our textural, chemical and thermal results to provide a first quantitative description of heat transfer during tree mold formation. Following our observations (Figure 2), we divide the model into three stages (Figure 13). The first stage is tree-heating and drying, during which heat flows from the lava to the tree (Figure 13A). The second is tree-combustion, during which heat flows from the tree to the lava due to exothermic reactions ongoing during combustion (Figure 13B). The third, and final, stage is that of mold-formation, during which heat escapes through the cave (or pipe) system left in the cooling lava flow by complete combustion of the tree trunk and its root bowl (Figure 13C).
FIGURE 13

Cartoon showing the three-step model for tree mold formation (cf. Figure 2): (A) heating and drying, (B) combustion, (C) skylight. Qheat, combustion heat loss; Qblow, tree mold heat loss; Qrad, radiative heat loss; Qconv, convected heat loss; Qcond, conducted heat loss; Vair, air exit speed; Tair, air temperature in the root mold (see text).
Stage 1: Heating and Drying
The first stage of the thermal model (Figure 13A) describes the initial heat exchange between the lava and the tree to dry and heat the tree prior to combustion. Hence, this flux is Qdry. Following the forest fire literature (
The first term describes the energy required to heat the water in the tree to boiling point, in which M is the wood moisture content (54%), w is the weight of fuel per unit area, Cp(H20) is the specific heat capacity of water (4.18 kJ/kg K), and Tboil is 100°C [see
Given the total height of the main tree trunk (mold depth + non-combusted trunk length) of 7.6 m and the trunk radius of 0.3 m, we have a trunk volume of 2.1 m3 which, for wet and dry wood densities of 950 and 600 kg m–3, converts to a mass of 1975 kg for the water-charged tree (for use in terms 1 and 2) and 1250 kg for the dried-out tree trunk (for use in term 3). For our tree surface area of 14 m2, this gives a weight of fuel per unit area of 140 kg m–2 for the wet case, and 90 kg m–2 for the dry case. This yields 2500, 17100 and 5900 kJ m–2 required to (1) heat the tree-water to boiling point, (2) vaporize the water, and (3) heat the wood to combustion point, respectively.
While
Following our experiments, we can also write the heat budget for stage 1 in terms of work consumed in the vaporization process (Qvap), heat of enthalpy (Qenth) and work done in heating the wood to ignition temperature (Qheat). Here,
in which mH2O is the mass of water heated and vaporized, LH2O+ is the energy involved in heating the water to boiling point and then vaporizing it (2600 kJ kg–1,
To convert the energy (in Joules) to heat flux (in Watts) we need to constrain the duration of stage 1. At 12:02 (Hawaiian Standard Time) on October 24, 2014, the lava flow front was just 170 m west of the tree (Figure 3). Given an advance rate of 400 m/day (
Following
Stage 2: Combustion
The second stage of our thermal model involves combustion of the tree wood remaining in the tree mold (Figure 13B). Once the ignition temperature is reached, the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin components of the wood are exothermically transformed into volatiles and charcoal (our data). This stage may have thus added chemical elements to the lava surrounding the tree mold. In this regard, although
In such a combustion system reactions become exothermic (
in which mcombust is the mass of wood combusted and Lcombust is the latent heat of combustion (20 MJ kg–1). We apply this to the mass of wood that was entirely combusted, as given by the space vacated by the trunk to create the tree and root mold system. This has a volume of 1.4 m3, which when wet (density = 950 kg m–3) would have had a mass of 1325 kg. Our experiments give a mass reduction factor due to combustion by 0.088, so that mcombust would have been 120 kg for a Qcombust of 2.4 GJ. This is consistent with
With an energy release of 104 W m–2 (the energy of combustion calculated here) and a perimeter surface area of 9.4 m2 (for the tree mould and root system, i.e., the perimeter of the space vacated by combusted material), we obtain a heat flux of 95 kW. This is consistent with burn simulations by
Stage 3: Skylight
In the last stage of the thermal model the Albizia tree has entirely combusted, and an open pipe system is created in which temperatures are high, and in which the vertical tree-mold acts as a skylight in a lava tube system (cf. Witter and Harris, 2007; Figure 13C). At this point, there is no chemical or textural interaction between tree and lava, but the presence of the tree mold affects the lava cooling. As with the model of
Following
Here, Uair is the velocity of the air blowing out of the tree mold, ρair is the hot air density (0.24 kg m–3) and Cp(air) is the specific heat capacity of the hot air (1223 J/kg K), ε is emissivity and σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant. For a typical Uair encountered at skylights in lava tubes (2 m s–1; Witter and Harris, 2007) and Tair–heated of 1000°C, this gives Qblow of 0.6 MW m–2 and Qrad–mold of 0.1 MW m–2. Given a perimeter area of 9.4 m2 for the horizontal and vertical pipes making up the trunk and root mold system, and a cross-sectional area to the vertical portion of the mold these convert to 5.44 and 0.04 MW, for a total loss from the open system of 5.48 MW. Following
Comparison With “Tree-Free” Conditions
We now assess to what extent the heat flux from the lava would have been enhanced by the presence of the tree over a tree-free case, and whether the presence of the tree, theoretically, could have increased the lava cooling rate. Following
and the convective heat transfer coefficient (hc),
Using an emissivity (ε) of 0.95 and hc of 50 W m–2 K (
Cooling rates of the interior of the flow per unit distance (dT/dx) can be approximated from total heat loss (Qtot) in
in which v is flow velocity (0.01 m s–1 in this case, from 1000 m day–1), d is flow depth (2 m, the typical depth of inflated pāhoehoe after six hours following
Implications for Thermal Effects of Tree Mold Formation
While stages 1 and 3 serve to accelerate cooling and crystallization around the tree (over the tree-free condition), stage 2 reverses cooling and crystallization trends potentially heating the lava, albeit very locally at the tree-lava contact. In terms of flow emplacement dynamics, stage 1 has the greatest effect on lava cooling as it occurs upon lava emplacement and while lava is flowing around the drying tree. It has the potential to enhance cooling and crystallization rates, while also modifying the lava major element chemistry within 0.1 mm of the contact (Supplementary Materials 2Supplementary Figure 4) and volatile content within 5 mm (Figure 9). However, whether this effect can be transmitted beyond a few cm of the tree mold system, to affect the whole lava flow, depends on several factors including trunk size, tree spatial density and tree moisture content, as well as parameters not tested here such as bark thickness (
Conclusion
Many active volcanoes are forest-clad, so that understanding the physical, chemical and thermal interaction between a lava and the trees it encounters is essential if we are to adequately understand and model lava flow emplacement. To fill this knowledge-gap, we present here a detailed textural, chemical and thermal description of a lava-tree interaction, focusing on a single tree mold that formed in Kilauea’s Pāhoa 2014 lava flow. Results show an enrichment in volatiles (in particular H2O and CO2) and a decrease in vesicularity (and hence increase in density) for lava samples in contact with the tree. This is accompanied by an increase in the population of large vesicles, lower crystallinity and higher concentration of dendritic oxides. Lava surrounding the tree also cooled faster (at > 70°C min–1) than the lava surface (10–30°C min–1). All samples collected at the tree contact behaved similarly as a thin quenched layer formed where accelerated cooling rates applied during the first hours of emplacement due to heating of the tree and vaporization of tree fluids. The exception is a sample from the root bowl, which evolved in a different cooling environment where temperatures were first elevated due to combustion, and then held at high (∼1000°C) levels for around 660 h.
To begin to build a useable thermal model for lava-tree interaction, we have used thermal analyses of the wood engulfed by the lava so as to characterize its mass loss during drying and volatilization, and have identified, described and parameterized three combustion stages in the interaction process: tree drying and fluid volatilization, dry wood combustion and heat loss through an open “cave” (cf.
Several models exist to simulate the theoretical thermo-rheological evolution of lava down-system such as SCIARA (
Statements
Data availability statement
All datasets presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary Material.
Author contributions
JB prepared the samples, carried out the experiments, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript with support from AH, HT, MC, and LG. All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis and manuscript. MB carried out ICP-AES experiments. IV carried out ICP-MS experiments. CF carried out CHNS-O experiments with support from JB. FS supervised FTIR experiments. HT contributed to TGA-DSC experiments. LC analyzed FOAMS data. AH supervised the project and developed the thermal model with support from HT.
Funding
This work is based on JB Master’s thesis at LMV, Université Clermont-Auvergne and was funded by the Agence National de la Recherche through project ANR-LAVA (DS0902 2016; Project: ANR-16 CE39-0009). Fieldwork was supported by Laboratory of Excellence ClerVolc program 6. This is ANR-LAVA contribution n° 14 and ClerVolc contribution no 416.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Matthew Patrick of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the National Park Service for granting us research and sampling permit (Special Use Permit for the Natural Area Reserves System: December 1, 2016 – November 30, 2017). HVO (M. Patrick and T. Orr) are also gratefully acknowledged for the maps and photos that contribute to Figures 1, 3, as well as (unpublished) information regarding activity during the time of tree-inundation. The “pole technique” of LMV (Christophe Constantin, Jean-Luc Devidal, Jean-Marc Henot) is acknowledged for sample preparation and sample analyses. The authors gratefully acknowledge Rick Hazlett for guiding us to a tree mold large enough to climb into, Simon Thivet for image processing, and Ken Koga for translating
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2020.00233/full#supplementary-material
Footnotes
1.^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpQyjVEfx5c
2.^M. Patrick pers.comm.
3.^www.wood-database.com, last accessed the 22/05/2019
4.^http://georem.mpch-mainz.gwdg.de/, last accessed the 28/02/2020.
5.^www.wood-database.com, last accessed the 22/05/2019.
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Summary
Keywords
tree mold, basaltic pāhoehoe-lava flow, Albizia tree, combustion, cooling rate, crystallization, Thermal model
Citation
Biren J, Harris A, Tuffen H, Chevrel MO, Gurioli L, Vlastélic I, Schiavi F, Benbakkar M, Fonquernie C and Calabro L (2020) Chemical, Textural and Thermal Analyses of Local Interactions Between Lava Flow and a Tree – Case Study From Pāhoa, Hawai’i. Front. Earth Sci. 8:233. doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.00233
Received
25 March 2020
Accepted
29 May 2020
Published
30 June 2020
Volume
8 - 2020
Edited by
Antonio Costa, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy
Reviewed by
Sonia Calvari, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy; Alessandra Pensa, Roma Tre University, Italy
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© 2020 Biren, Harris, Tuffen, Chevrel, Gurioli, Vlastélic, Schiavi, Benbakkar, Fonquernie and Calabro.
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*Correspondence: Jonas Biren, jonas.biren@cnrs-orleans.fr
This article was submitted to Volcanology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Earth Science
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