Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes on the Earth. Deep drill holes on active volcanoes are exceptionally carried out (e.g. Kilauea, Unzen, Iceland). Although the planned drill-holes on Piton de la Fournaise are not intended for scientific purpose, they offer an extraordinary opportunity to acquire highly valuable information on La Réunion volcanism.We expect to learn much about :
• The structure and evolution of the volcano
• The nature and the evolution of the magmas of the hot spot
• The volcano-tectonic processes
• The hydrothermal activity
• The alteration of the edifice
• The microbiological population at depth and its interactions with the fluids and the rocks
• The hydrogeological system
• The physical properties of the terrains
• The calibration of the geophysical method
(©Oehler - Piton de la Fournaise Dolomieu crater after the 03/2007 eruption collapse)
