The rebirth and evolution of Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka after the 1956 sector collapse

Abstract Continued post-collapse volcanic activity can cause the rise of a new edifice. However, details of such edifice rebirth have not been documented yet. Here, we present 7-decade-long photogrammetric data for Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka, showing its evolution after the 1956 sector collapse....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications Earth & Environment
Main Authors: Shevchenko, Alina V., Dvigalo, Viktor N., Walter, Thomas R., Mania, Rene, Maccaferri, Francesco, Svirid, Ilya Yu., Belousov, Alexander B., Belousova, Marina G.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2020
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00014-5
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00014-5.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00014-5
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Summary:Abstract Continued post-collapse volcanic activity can cause the rise of a new edifice. However, details of such edifice rebirth have not been documented yet. Here, we present 7-decade-long photogrammetric data for Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka, showing its evolution after the 1956 sector collapse. Edifice rebirth started with two lava domes originating at distinct vents ~400 m apart. After 2 decades, activity became more effusive with vents migrating within ~200 m distance. After 5 decades, the activity focused on a single vent to develop a stratocone with a summit crater. We determine a long-term average growth rate of 26,400 m 3 /day, allowing us to estimate the regain of the pre-collapse size within the next 15 years. Numerical modeling explains the gradual vents focusing to be associated with loading changes, affecting magma pathways at depth. This work thus sheds light on the complex regrowth process following a sector collapse, with implications for regrowing volcanoes elsewhere.