The Klyuchevskoy group of volcanoes (KGV) in Kamchatka includes three presently active volcanoes (Klyuchevskoy, Bezymianny, and Tolbachik) located close together in an area of approximately 50 × 80 km. These three volcanoes have completely different compositions and eruption styles from each other. We have analyzed new data recorded by a temporary seismic network consisting of 22 seismic stations operated within the area of Tolbachik in 2014–2015 in conjunction with the data from the permanent network and the temporary PIRE network deployed at the Bezymianny volcano in 2009. The arrival times of the P and S waves were inverted using a local earthquake tomography algorithm to derive 3‐D seismic models of the crust beneath the KGV as well as accurate seismicity locations. High‐resolution structures beneath the Tolbachik volcanic complex were identified for the first time in this study. The tomography results reveal three different types of feeding system for the main KGV volcanoes. The basaltic lavas of the Klyuchevskoy volcano are supplied directly from a reservoir at a depth of 25–30 km through a nearly vertical pipe‐shaped conduit. The explosive Bezymianny volcano is fed through a dispersed system of crustal reservoirs where a lighter felsic material separates from the mafic component and ascends to the upper crust to form andesitic magma sources. For Tolbachik, low‐viscosity volatile‐saturated basalts ascend from two deep reservoirs following a system of fractures in the crust associated with the intersections of regional faults.
Gorely is an active volcano located 75 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka. In 2010-2015, it exhibited strong activity expressed by anomalously high gas emission. In 2013-2014, we deployed a temporary network consisting of 20 temporary seismic stations that operated for one year. We selected 333 events with 1613 P-wave and 2421 S-wave arrival times to build the first tomographic model of this volcano. The seismic model was carefully verified using a series of synthetic tests. Our tomographic model provides a mechanism for volatile feeding of Gorely. An unexpected feature of the model was low Vp/Vs ratios; below 1.4 in some parts. One reason for such low Vp/Vs ratios is gas contamination due to magma degassing. In the central part of the model, directly underneath the Gorely crater, we observe a 2.5 km wide and 1.5 km thick seismic anomaly with a very high Vp/Vs ratio of up to 2. This may represent a magma reservoir with a high melt and/or volatile content. The upper limit of this anomaly, 2.5 km below the surface, may indicate the degassing level, which coincides with the most intense seismicity. Below this reservoir, we observe another columnar high Vp/Vs ratio anomaly. This can be interpreted as a conduit bringing magma and fluids from deeper sources.
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