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Illuminating magmatic plumbing systems, fluids pathways, and eruptions with seismology

Miriam Christina Reiss1, Corentin Caudron2, Diana Roman3

  • Affiliations: 1Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany. 2Laboratoire G-Time, Department of Geosciences, Environment, and Society, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium 3Carnegie Science, Washington D.C., USA

  • Presentation type: ECR Invited talk

  • Presentation time: Tuesday – 01.07.25, 11:40 - 12:05, Room R380

  • Theme 8

Abstract

Seismology is a key approach to monitoring volcanoes and imaging magmatic systems at depth. However, only few systems on Earth are well-monitored and even fewer well-understood. In particular, we lack constraints on how the structure and dynamics of a magmatic system relate to the observed seismic signals. Accordingly, studying magmatic systems with different properties and consequently seismic signals may illuminate poorly-understood aspects of magmatic plumbing systems. Here, we focus on Earth’s only active carbonatite volcano, Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania, a peculiar endmember of volcanism in a young rift segment. Famous for its cold lava and effusive eruptions, Oldoinyo Lengai is an ideal case for study of a particularly elusive signal: Volcanic tremor. Traditionally thought to be a shallow, low frequency signal, difficult to locate due to a lack of clear onsets, it can last between minutes to years and may look different from volcano to volcano. At Oldoinyo, we observe high frequency tremor related to carbonatitic eruptions, as well as narrow-band and quasi-harmonic tremors linked to melt transport and structures at depth. By integrating seismic imaging, seismicity source studies, and recent geodetic and geochemical studies, we construct a detailed conceptual model of melt reservoirs, fluid pathways, and melt transport; and provide an overview of Oldoinyo’s eruptive activity. We show how Oldoinyo’s plumbing system acts an accommodation zone between two rift segments and that the Natron border fault may play a significant role in the generation and transport of carbonatite melt. Incorporating recent tremor observations from other volcanoes, we propose that linking real-time observations and physical properties of the system holds the key to understanding the dynamics of magmatic plumbing systems.