Including a pressure dependent relation between static and dynamic elastic moduli in a Finite Element deformation model of Grímsvötn Volcano, Iceland

Surface deformation is an important tool for studying active volcanoes. Numerical deformation models can consider irregular features like crustal heterogeneity and avoid biases due to oversimplification. Dynamic elastic moduli can be derived from seismic velocities, but the static moduli apply to de...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Volcanica
Main Authors: Sonja Heidi Maria Greiner, Halldór Geirsson
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Volcanica 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.30909/vol.07.02.907924
https://doaj.org/article/a9fc280846b740f58034ec32a569b54c
Description
Summary:Surface deformation is an important tool for studying active volcanoes. Numerical deformation models can consider irregular features like crustal heterogeneity and avoid biases due to oversimplification. Dynamic elastic moduli can be derived from seismic velocities, but the static moduli apply to deformation studies since strain amplitudes and time scales differ. There is however no commonly acknowledged relation between the two. We implemented a Finite Element deformation model for the Icelandic subglacial volcano Grímsvötn, including bedrock topography and a 3D elastic structure. Dynamic elastic moduli, derived from seismic tomography and density structures, were converted into static moduli via an empirical pressure-dependent relation. The model requires a deformation source at 3–4.5 km depth, and a co-eruptive pressure changes of 8–70 MPa to fit deformation observed during the 2011 eruption at Grímsvötn. Larger source depths compared to previous deformation studies show the importance of considering crustal heterogeneity and static moduli in deformation models.