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STRUCTURAL CONTROL ON ACTIVE VOLCANOES: A TOOL TOWARDS AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF VOLCANIC DYNAMICS AND MONITORING DATA

Nicolas Vigide 1,2, Julian Olivar1,2, Fabricio Carbajal2, Jose Mescua3, Federico Carballo4, Sebastian Garcia2

  • Affiliations: 1Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; 2Observatorio Argentino de Vigilancia Volcánica (OAVV), Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR), Argentina; 3IANIGLA, CCT Mendoza, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina; 4Dirección de Geomática, Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR) 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 116

  • Programme No: 3.15.21

  • Theme 3 > Session 15

Abstract

Understanding the structural control on active volcanoes is key to analyze the locations and characteristics of volcanic activity and to evaluate the potential associated hazards. For this reason, the Observatorio Argentino de Vigilancia Volcánica (OAVV) has been working on the development of a structural control database for the active volcanoes of Argentina. To achieve this goal, we have carried out an analysis combining two different approaches: (1) at the scale of volcanic edifices, based on the distribution of morphostructural lineaments detected in a high-resolution DEM; and (2) at a detail outcrop-scale, based on structural characterization and the measurement of kinematic indicators. The mesoscale morphostructural lineaments define domains, which can be associated to regional or local faults, or directly represent zones with high fracture density. Moreover, the outcrop-scale survey allows fault zone characterization, while the inversion of kinematic indicators allows us to define a local stress field. The combination of both analyses defines areas of potential structural damage that are susceptible to volcano-tectonic processes, that allow the ascent of fluids outside the main volcanic vent. At the moment, we have defined a new structural context around Copahue volcano, the preferential structures for the ascent of fluids on Planchón-Peteroa Volcanic Complex, and proposed a new structural model considering the stress regime at Laguna del Maule Volcanic Complex. Also, the integration of structural data, alongside conventional monitoring techniques (seismology, deformation, fluid geochemistry, among others) has proven to be an effective tool, allowing a better interpretation of magmatic-hydrothermal fluid dynamics.