Abstract
Uturuncu volcano (southwestern Bolivia) is localized within one of the largest updoming volcanic zones, the Altiplano Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC). In several geodetic studies the observed uplift phenomenon is analyzed and modeled by considering a deep source, related to the Altiplano Puna Magma Body (APMB). In this framework, we perform a multiscale analysis on the 2003–2010 ENVISAT satellite data to investigate the existence of a multi-source scenario for this region. The proposed analysis is based on Cross-correlation and Multiridge method, pointing out the spatial and temporal multiscale properties of the deformation field. In particular, we analyze the vertical component of ground deformation during two time interval: within the 2005–2008 time interval an inflating source at 18.7 km depth beneath the central zone of the APVC is retrieved; this result is in good agreement with those proposed by several authors for the APMB. Between August 2006 and February 2007, we identify a further inflating source at 4.5 km depth, beneath Uturuncu volcano; the existence of this latter, located just below the 2009–2010 seismic swarm, is supported by petrological, geochemical, and geophysical evidence, indicating as a possible interpretative scenario the action of shallow, temporarily trapped fluids.
Highlights
The Andean Central Volcanic Zone represents one of the largest updoming volcanic regions on Earth [1,2], in which almost at its center the Uturuncu volcano lies (Figure 1)
We perform the Cross-correlation analysis on the cumulative vertical ground deformation that occurred during the 2005–2008 period (Figure 3), and we analyze the vertical gradient of the vertical deformation component occurring at the central zone of Altiplano Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC) during the 2005–2008 time interval (Figure 4a) and the vertical deformation component at Uturuncu volcano from August 2006 to February 2007 (Figure 5a)
The results of the Cross-correlation analysis, performed on the vertical component of the ground deformation between 2005 and 2008, reveal that a large number of pixels, covering the central part of APVC, are characterized by the same deformation trend observed at P1, while the Uturuncu volcano area is entirely affected by the same deformation trend recorded at P2
Summary
The Andean Central Volcanic Zone represents one of the largest updoming volcanic regions on Earth [1,2], in which almost at its center the Uturuncu volcano (southwestern Bolivia) lies (Figure 1). The magmatism of this area is the result of eastwards subduction of the Nazca oceanic plate beneath the South American continent [3,4]. Geochronological analysis outcomes reveal the activity range around Uturuncu is about 10–15 Ma, with its deposits covered by 0.9–0.5 Ma lava flows; the youngest dating, and so the evidence of the last eruptive activity, is related to the 0.27 Ma summit lava dome [9]
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