A MPG/SGT seminar presentation by Dr. Kate Scholz.
Title: Insights from Modeling Magmatic Processes: Deep Long Period
Earthquakes and Dikes at Stratovolcanoes
Abstract:
Magmatic plumbing systems span the entirety of the Earth’s crust and
involve complex feedback between thermal, mechanical, and
compositional processes across a wide range of timescales. Numerical
modeling of magmatic processes provides a powerful tool for
reconciling the differences in the spatial and temporal resolution of
observations at these complex systems. In this presentation, I explore
this via two case studies. In the first study, I examine how magmatic
degassing during quiescence is recorded by deep long-period
earthquakes (DLPs) beneath Mauna Kea by developing a physics-based
fracture model for fluid-driven DLPs from which synthetic seismograms
are computed and compared with the observed seismograms. In the second
study, I combine finite element modeling of the stress in the crust
with a suite of dike models to investigate how stratovolcanic
topography influences dike propagation in the shallow crust. Together,
these two case studies underscore how models enrich our understanding
of the fundamental processes that shape volcanoes and highlight future
high-priority avenues for inquiry when existing models fail to
adequately explain volcanic phenomena.
