Lava flow in a channel with a bifurcation

Abstract

Etna poses risks to inhabited areas with its frequent effusive eruptions. During the 1989 and 1991 eruptions the Italian Department of Civil Protection diverted the lava from its natural path into an artificial channel, reducing the risk of lava inundation. The intervention resulted in the creation of a bifurcation between the natural and the artificial channels. In this paper magma dynamics in the bifurcation is investigated by solving the equations of mass and momentum balance with a simplified two-dimensional geometry, describing magma as an homogeneous, isothermal incompressible fluid with Newtonian rheology. Results show the important role played by the slope of the artificial channel and the effect of the width of the artificial mouth on the efficiency of the diversion.