Gradual caldera collapse at Bárdarbunga volcano, Iceland, regulated by lateral magma outflow

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2016 papers

Abstract

Large volcanic eruptions on Earth commonly occur with a collapse of the roof of a crustal magma reservoir, forming a caldera. Only a few such collapses occur per century, and the lack of detailed observations has obscured insight into the mechanical interplay between collapse and eruption. We use multiparameter geophysical and geochemical data to show that the 110-square-kilometer and 65-meter-deep collapse of Bárdarbunga caldera in 2014-2015 was initiated through withdrawal of magma, and lateral migration through a 48-kilometers-long dike, from a 12-kilometers deep reservoir. Interaction between the pressure exerted by the subsiding reservoir roof and the physical properties of the subsurface flow path explain the gradual, near-exponential decline of both collapse rate and the intensity of the 180-day-long eruption.

Related Papers

• → Organization of volcanic plumbing through magmatic lensing by magma chambers and volcanic loads(2009)87 cited
• → Evaluating volumes for magma chambers and magma withdrawn for caldera collapse(2014)52 cited
• → Three-dimensional temperature field simulation of a cooling of a magma chamber, La Primavera caldera, Jalisco, Mexico(2011)25 cited
• → Caldera collapse thresholds correlate with magma chamber dimensions(2023)8 cited
• → Reconciling mechanical models of caldera ring-fault nucleation within the transcrustal magmatic system paradigm(2024)3 cited