Volcano electrical tomography unveils edifice collapse hazard linked to hydrothermal system structure and dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Catastrophic collapses of the flanks of stratovolcanoes constitute a major hazard threatening numerous lives in many countries. Although many such collapses occurred following the ascent of magma to the surface, many are not associated with magmatic reawakening but are triggered by a combination of forcing agents such as pore-fluid pressurization and/or mechanical weakening of the volcanic edifice often located above a low-strength detachment plane. The volume of altered rock available for collapse, the dynamics of the hydrothermal fluid reservoir and the geometry of incipient collapse failure planes are key parameters for edifice stability analysis and modelling that remain essentially hidden to current volcano monitoring techniques. Here we derive a high-resolution, three-dimensional ele

SUBMITTER: Rosas-Carbajal M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4960541 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature