Multitechnique Geochronology of Intrusive and Explosive Activity on Piton des Neiges Volcano, Réunion Island

A groundbreaking multitechnique geochronology approach has revolutionized our understanding of the geological history of Piton des Neiges, Réunion Island's main volcano. Researchers successfully dated major plutonic, metamorphic, and explosive events that were previously elusive, revealing four distinct stages of activity at 2,200–2,000 ka, 1,414 ± 8 ka, 665 ± 78 ka, and 150–110 ka. Notably, the study pinpointed a major Plinian eruption to 188.2 ± 10.4 ka, coinciding with caldera formation, and revised the last eruption date to 27 ka from an earlier estimate of 12 ka. This innovative method, combining zircon U-Pb, phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar, and (U-Th)/He dating techniques, demonstrates the efficacy of diversified approaches in accurately assessing volcanic activity timing, with significant implications for hazard prediction.

Famin, V., Paquez, C., Danišík, M., Gardiner, N. J., Michon, L., Kirkland, C. L., Berthod, C., Friedrichs, B., Schmitt, A. K., & Monié, P. (2022). Multitechnique Geochronology of Intrusive and Explosive Activity on Piton des Neiges Volcano, Réunion Island. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 23(5). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gc010214