Signs of magma pockets under ancient volcanoes in Germany

Jan. 3 () –

Multiple structures that appear to be pockets of magma and magmatic fluids from the upper mantle have been discovered beneath the Eifel volcanic field (Germany) where there were eruptions 11,000 years ago.

Central Europe is not usually the focus of public attention when it comes to assessing volcanic risk. For now, the Eifel volcanic field in western Germany is dormant, but multiple lines of evidence have hinted that new eruptions could one day occur.

Now, Dario Eickhoff and his colleagues at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have applied advanced seismic imaging techniques to observe the crust beneath the region in unprecedented detail, EOS reportspublication of the American Geophysical Union.

The new analysis, published in Geophysical Research Lettersactually reviews data collected in the Eifel region 35 years ago by specialized trucks that direct seismic signals into the Earth’s crust and then detect the reflected waves. Since then, techniques for processing seismic reflection data have advanced considerably, allowing today’s scientists extract much more detailed images of subsurface features from existing data sets.

In addition to imaging previously detected underground structures at higher resolution, the team described features never seen before. These structures, detected at depths of between 10 and 30 kilometersare similar to sills, or flat sheets of igneous rock that form between existing crystalline bedrock. The characteristics suggest that They may be pockets of molten magma, fluids, or supercritical gas that rose to the crust from the upper mantle.

The presence of these possible magmatic patches raises the possibility that future eruptions could occur in the Eifel region, if magma becomes buoyant enough to rise to the surface. The researchers call for more studies to be conducted using state-of-the-art volcanic assessment techniques to better clarify the area’s volcanic hazards.