On the influence of a geothermal system on ground deformation during a volcanic eruption

The measurement of ground deformation during a volcanic eruption is one of the main tools for the monitoring of active volcanoes. The deformation is caused by processes that are occurring in the chamber–conduit system, as well as in the geothermal systems that are heated by ascending magma. The influence of the magma chamber and, to a lesser degree, of the conduit on deformation in host rocks is sufficiently well known theoretically, but no studies have been made to investigate the effects of a hydrothermal system on measurable ground deformation during a volcanic eruption. We made a comparative study of the ground deformation due to two deformation-initiating sources: a fissure conduit with a specified excess pressure and a hydrothermal system that was heated by magma flow. We show that the vertical deformation due to the activity of a geothermal system can exceed that due to magma flow by factors of several times. The spatial distributions of the deformation are also substantially different. The vertical displacement due to a geothermal system has its maximum above the fissure conduit, while when the pressure varies in the conduit it induces a local subsidence of the ground; the maximum ground uplift is at a distance of approximately twice the depth to the top of the conduit. The influence of the geothermal system should be incorporated in interpretations of data that come from the monitoring of active volcanoes.