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Effects of Host-rock Fracturing on Elastic-deformation Source Models of Volcano Deflation
Eoghan P Holohan1,2, Henriette Sudhaus3,4, Thomas R Walter5
1UCD School of Earth Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. eoghan.holohan@ucd.ie.
Scientific Reports
|September 10, 2017
Summary
Volcano deformation models can be improved by considering host-rock fracturing. This non-elastic deformation explains changes in magma body shape and depth, enhancing volcanic hazard assessment.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Volcanology
- Solid Earth Geophysics
Background:
- Volcanoes exhibit inflation and deflation during unrest and eruptions.
- Continuum mechanics models, assuming linear elastic deformation, are standard for analyzing ground motion.
- Deformation sources are typically interpreted as magma bodies, crucial for hazard assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how host-rock fracturing influences deformation source models.
- To explain spatio-temporal changes in source model attributes observed during volcanic unrest.
- To refine the interpretation of subsurface magma dynamics and improve hazard assessment.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing discontinuum mechanics models to simulate non-elastic host-rock deformation.
- Analyzing ground motion data from the March-April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise.
- Comparing results from discontinuum models with traditional elastic deformation models.
Main Results:
- Host-rock fracturing progressively alters the shape and depth of elastic deformation sources.
- Deflation-induced fracturing can create inclined source geometries for horizontal magma bodies.
- Fracturing causes upward migration of deformation sources, potentially misinterpreting magma ascent and underestimating volume changes.
Conclusions:
- Non-elastic deformation due to host-rock fracturing is a significant factor in volcano deformation.
- This effect can explain complex spatio-temporal variations in inferred magma body characteristics.
- Incorporating fracturing into models offers a more accurate understanding of subsurface processes and volcanic hazards.
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