Despite multidisciplinary evidence for crustal magma accumulation below Santorini volcano, Greece, the structure and melt content of the shallow magmatic system remain poorly constrained. We use three-dimensional (3-D) velocity models from tomographic inversions of active-source seismic P-wave travel times to identify a pronounced low-velocity anomaly (–21%) from 2.8 km to 5 km depth localized below the northern caldera basin. This anomaly is consistent with depth estimates of pre-eruptive storage and a recent inflation episode, supporting the interpretation of a shallow magma body that causes seismic attenuation and ray bending. A suite of synthetic tests shows that the geometry is well recovered while a range of melt contents (4%–13% to fully molten) are allowable. A thin mush region (2%–7% to 3%–10% melt) extends from the main magma body toward the northeast, observed as low velocities confined by tectono-magmatic lineaments. This anomaly terminates northwest of Kolumbo; little to no melt underlies the seamount from 3 to 5 km depth. These structural constraints suggest that crustal extension and edifice loads control the geometry of magma accumulation and emphasize that the shallow crust remains conducive to melt storage shortly after a caldera-forming eruption.
<p>Detailed knowledge about geometry and physical properties of magmatic systems at arc volcanoes promises to better constrain models of magma differentiation, transit and storage in the crust, and to help assess volcanic hazard.</p><p>Unfortunately, low-velocity zones associated with melt accumulation are particularly difficult to image by conventional travel-time tomography due to its limited resolving power, resulting in blurred boundaries and underestimated velocity contrasts.</p><p>Here we alleviate these issues by applying full-waveform inversion (FWI) to study a magmatic system of Santorini - an active, semi-submerged volcano with a known record of large, caldera-forming eruptions.</p><p>We use a 3D wide-angle, multi-azimuth seismic dataset from the recent PROTEUS experiment acquired with ca. 150 ocean-bottom/land seismic stations and ca. 14,000 air-gun shots. We implement a finite-difference immersed boundary method to simulate reflections off the caldera&#8217;s irregular topography, and pressure-velocity conversion to take full advantage of the multi-component data. We perform inversion with careful data-selection, increasing frequency up to 6 Hz, and extensive quality-control based on a phase spatial-continuity criterion.</p><p>A final P-wave velocity model of the upper crust offers a high-resolution image of Santorini magmatic and hydrothermal systems with pronounced low-velocity zones due to a high melt and water content respectively. The features are better resolved and the velocity contrasts distinctly sharper than in the starting model obtained with travel-time tomography. We also recover a previously undetected low velocity anomaly of >40% beneath Kolumbo - a submarine volcanic cone to the NE of Santorini caldera. We interpret this anomaly as a magmatic sill.</p>
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.