The fluid dynamics of expanding lava deltas

当熔岩进入海洋时，熔岩向外扩散并凝固，形成了一个被称为熔岩三角洲的新陆架。在过去的几年里，这类事件发生了很多重要的例子，尤其是2018年在夏威夷的基拉韦厄火山，以及2021年在拉帕尔马的坎布尔维耶哈火山。这些事件的物理性质是复杂的，由于周围水相对于空气的密度更高，驱动浮力会发生变化，而由于熔融材料的快速冷却，会发生流变变化。我们将制定连续统模型来捕捉主要的物理过程，并对这些模型进行分析和数值集成，以产生可与观测结果进行比较的预测。

EPSRC : Jesse Taylor-West : EP/R513179/1When lava enters the ocean, the molten rock spreads out and solidifies, creating a new shelf of land known as a lava delta. There have been a number of significant examples of such events over the last few years, notably at Kilauea, Hawaii in 2018, and Cumbre Vieja, La Palma in 2021. The physics of these events are complex, with changes to the driving buoyancy force due to the higher density of the ambient water relative to air, and rheological changes occurring due to the rapid cooling of the molten material. We will formulate continuum models to capture the dominant physical processes and these models will be analysed and integrated numerically to yield predictions that can be compared with observations.