Numerical inversion of magma chamber pressurization in volcanic areas: A case study of Changbaishan volcano

Abstract

Volcanoes are commonly associated with significant topographic relief; however, most analytical models of volcanoes consider the Earth's surface as flat and use half-space solutions. Finite element method can take into account topography; we applied the equivalent body force method to the Changbaishan volcanic area to account for the influence of topographic effects on the inversion of magma chamber pressurization and to calculate the influence of the magma-induced stresses on the stability of the surrounding faults. The influence of surface topography should not be ignored when calculating the surface deformation caused by the magma chamber pressurization in a volcanic area. The shallower the burial depth, the closer the surface maximum radial displacement ur to the center of the magma chamber. When the slope reaches 30°, the maximum vertical displacement uz is no longer directly above the magma chamber. An ellipsoidal pressurization was used to satisfactorily simulate the GPS and leveling measurements at the Changbaishan volcanic area from 2002 to 2003. The superposition of the magma-induced stresses and the regional tectonic stresses likely cause the present stress directions around the Changbaishan volcano, which are dominated by the EW direction to the west of Tianchi Lake and the NW-NNW direction to the north of Tianchi Lake. The Coulomb failure stress change caused by the magma chamber is conducive to the distribution of the NW-trending earthquake swarms that mainly occur to the southwest and northeast of Changbaishan crater.