Finite element numerical solution for modelling ground deformation in volcanic areas

Abstract

Current understanding of critical stages prior to a volcanic eruption is generally based on elastostatic analysis. We investigate the elastic response of the Earth to an internal load that simulates the effect of a pressurized magma reservoir. Firstly, equations describing the Earth's deformation for elastic models are introduced and the corresponding boundary value problem is formulated in a weak sense. Then, a numerical tool to compute the displacement and stress fields produced by pressurized sources in volcanic areas is described. In doing so, we propose the Finite Element Method for simulating the deformation that Teide volcano (Tenerife, Canary Islands) would undergo, if a hypothetical magma intrusion would take place in a shallow magma reservoir beneath its summit. Furthermore, the numerical approach can be used to estimate the influence of parameters such as size, depth and shape of a pressurized reservoir, the topography and the medium heterogeneities over ground deformation modelling. Therefore, such numerical approaches can be useful to design and/or improve the geodetic monitoring system in volcanic areas. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.