Geodetic modelling of surface deformation of laboratory magma emplacement

5 months : Feb-June 2022

Active volcanoes experience ground deformation as a response, among others, to magma propagation through the Earth’s crust. The analysis of ground deformation patterns via geodetic modelling may provide important constraints on the dynamics and shape of the subsurface volcanic plumbing systems. Nevertheless, commonly used geodetic models usually take into account simplistic shapes (sphere, dykes, sills), and the results cannot be verified as the modelled systems are buried under the active volcanoes. In addition, these geodetic models are mostly kinematic, not dynamic, and often consider purely elastic deformation of the crust, such that they rarely account either for intrusion propagation or inelastic deformation of the host rock.

In order to quantify the effects of intrusion propagation and inelastic deformation on geodetic modelling results, we propose to perform geodetic modelling on surface deformation data measured in laboratory experiments of dyke emplacement. In the experiments, the dyke-induced surface deformation is monitored using a Structure-from-Motion system and the shape of the dyke is also computed. The aim of this project is to fit the laboratory surface deformation data with using commonly used geodetic models, and compare the modelled dyke geometry with the laboratory dykes. The mismatch between the modelled and the laboratory dykes will allow quantifying the limitations of geodetic modelling commonly implanted at active volcanoes.