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Insights into the 2018 Mayon Volcano eruption from ground deformation measurements

James Noli Nobora , Kryzelle Faye De Ocampo, Jude Aaron Labuguen, Augusto Ronald Pigtain, Crystel Faye Delos Reyes, Lincoln Paul Olayta, Ma. Antonia Bornas

  • Affiliations: Department of Science and Technology -- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Philippines

  • Presentation type: Talk

  • Presentation time: Friday 08:45 - 09:00, Room R380

  • Programme No: 2.3.2

  • Theme 2 > Session 3

Abstract

Mayon Volcano in southeastern Luzon, Philippines, has exhibited the gamut of effusive to explosive eruptions since the earliest account of its unrest in AD1616. These events produced volcanic hazards that resulted in human casualties and socio-economic losses. In January 2018, the volcano suddenly entered a period of eruption that began with a series of summit lava dome collapses and minor ash explosions before escalating into brief episodes of moderately explosive eruption and lava fountaining. This latter activity was accompanied by an increase in seismicity and sulfur dioxide (SO2) degassing but was preceded by a period of aseismic and mere background degassing activity. In contrast, ground deformation measurements from continuous Global Navigation Satellite Systems (cGNSS), electronic tilt, and precise leveling campaigns already tracked inflation of the edifice as early as January 2017, as magma intruded and migrated in the subsurface. This study focuses on the results of ground deformation monitoring of Mayon Volcano from 2017 to 2018 before and during its eruption. Notably, vertical displacements derived from cGNSS data using GAMIT/GLOBK showed an increase of approximately 10 and 31 mm on the northern and eastern flanks, respectively, during this period. Radially outward horizontal station velocities also indicated an inflating body that propagated from a pressurization source beneath the northern flanks as determined from modeling using the MATLAB-based dMODELS. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the precursory ground deformation behavior of Mayon Volcano for similar eruptions especially those that are particularly lacking in seismic and volcanic gas precursors.