Seismic tremor reveals active trans-crustal magmatic system beneath Kamchatka volcanoes

The occurrence and the style of volcanic eruptions are largely controlled by the ways in which magma is stored and transported from the mantle to the surface through the crust. Nevertheless, our understanding of the deep roots of volcano-magmatic systems remains very limited. Here, we use the sources of seismovolcanic tremor to delineate the active part of the magmatic system beneath the Klyuchevskoy Volcanic Group in Kamchatka, Russia. The tremor sources are distributed in a wide spatial region over the whole range of crustal depths connecting different volcanoes of the group. The tremor activity is characterized by rapid vertical and lateral migrations explained by fast pressure transients and dynamic permeability. Our results support the conceptual model of extended and highly dynamic trans-crustal magmatic systems.

Automated summary

The occurrence and style of volcanic eruptions are influenced by magma storage and transport mechanisms from the mantle to the surface. However, our knowledge of the deep roots of volcano-magmatic systems is limited. In this study, seismovolcanic tremors were used to map the active part of the magmatic system beneath the Klyuchevskoy Volcanic Group in Russia. The tremors were found to be distributed throughout the crust, connecting different volcanoes, and their activity was characterized by rapid movements explained by pressure changes and permeability. These findings support the concept of extended and highly dynamic trans-crustal magmatic systems.