Connections between arc volcanoes in Central Kamchatka and the subducting slab inferred from local earthquake seismic tomography

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Structure of Volatile Conduits beneath Gorely Volcano (Kamchatka) Revealed by Local Earthquake Tomography

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

Three different types of plumbing system beneath the neighboring active volcanoes of Tolbachik, Bezymianny, and Klyuchevskoy in Kamchatka

International audienceThe 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

Mantle and Crustal Sources of Magmatic Activity of Klyuchevskoy and Surrounding Volcanoes in Kamchatka Inferred From Earthquake Tomography

Klyuchevskoy and surrounding volcanoes in central Kamchatka form the Northern Group of Volcanoes (NGV), which is an area of particularly diverse and intensive Pleistocene‐Holocene volcanism. In this study, we present a new seismic tomographic model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath NGV based on local earthquake data recorded by several permanent and temporary seismic networks including a large‐scale experiment that was conducted in 2015–2016 by an international scientific consortium. Having an unprecedented resolution for this part of Kamchatka, the new model reveals many features associated with the present and past volcanic activity within the NGV. In the upper crust, we found several prominent high‐velocity anomalies interpreted as traces of large basaltic shield volcanoes, which were hidden by more recent volcanic structures and sediments. We interpret the mantle structure to reflect asthenospheric flow up through a slab window below the Kamchatka‐Aleutian junction that feeds the entire NGV. The interaction of the hot asthenospheric material with fluids released from the slab determines the particular volcanic activity within the NGV. We argue that the eastern branch of the Central Kamchatka Depression, which is associated with a prominent low‐velocity anomaly in the uppermost mantle, was formed as a recent rift zone separating the NGV from the Kamchatka Eastern Ranges.Key Points: We present a new high‐resolution seismic model of the crust and upper mantle beneath the Northern Group of Volcanoes in Kamchatka. The volcanoes of the Northern group are fed by an asthenosphere flow ascending from a slab window below the Kamchatka‐Aleutian junction. Eastern branch of the Central Kamchatka Depression is a rift separating the Northern Group of Volcanoes from the Eastern Ranges.Russian Ministry of Science and Education http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012190Russian Science Foundation http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004111RFBR http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002261European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110001219