Configuration and dynamics of magma chambers beneath arc volcanoes

Abstract

Instead of a chamber at the crust-mantle boundary, as shown in Fig. 5.2, a repeatedly refilled magma chamber situated in the crust is analyzed in this chapter. It is well known that the surface of an active volcano and its surrounding area are gently elevated during a quiet period, they quickly subside immediately after a great eruption, and then become gently elevated again. This type of inflation and deflation is repeated in active volcanoes, resulting in a serrated type of ground deformation over time. It also is well known that the rapid subsidence is due to a pressure drop in the chamber caused by an eruption, and that the gentle uplifting is due to increasing pressure resulting from magma injection into the chamber. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.