Upper crustal structure of an active volcano from refraction/reflection tomography, Montserrat, Lesser Antilles

Abstract

To better understand the volcanic phenomena acting on Montserrat, the SEA-CALIPSO seismic experiment (Seismic Experiment with Airgun-source – Caribbean Andesitic Lava Island Precision Seismo-geodetic Observatory) was conducted in 2007 December with the aim of imaging the upper crust and the magmatic system feeding the active Soufriére Hills Volcano. The 3-D survey covered an area of about 50 × 40 km and involved the deployment of 247 land stations and ocean-bottom seismometers (OBSs). A subset of the data, recorded by four OBSs and four land stations on a southeast to northwest line, has been analysed, and traveltimes have been inverted to obtain a 2-D seismic velocity model through the island. Inverted phases include crustal and sediment P waves and wide-angle reflections. The resulting velocity model reveals the presence of a high velocity body (3.5–5.5 km s-1) beneath the island, with highest velocities beneath the Soufriére and Centre Hills, corresponding primarily to the cores of these volcanic edifices, built of a pile of andesite lava domes and subsequent intrusions. In the offshore region, velocities in the surficial sediment layer vary from 1.5 to 3.0 km s-1, consistent with a mainly calcareous and volcaniclastic composition. A wide-angle reflector is observed at a depth of ∼1200 m below the seabed, and appears to deepen beneath the island. The upper crust beneath this reflector has velocities of 4.0–6.0 km s-1 and is inferred to correspond to plutonic and hypabyssal rocks and sedimentary material of the old arc. The high velocity region beneath the island, extends into the crust to a depth of at least 5 km, and is believed to be caused by an intrusive complex, possibly of intermediate composition. A low velocity zone, as would be expected in the presence of an active magma chamber, was not observed perhaps due to the limited resolution beneath ∼5 km depth. Our results so far provide the first wide-angle seismic constraints on the upper crustal structure of the island to a depth of 10 km, and will help understanding the processes that drive volcanism at Montserrat and other island arc volcanoes.