Recreating unprecedented depth and detail inside volcanoes

Scientists in France have developed a new technique that can image the inside of volcanoes in unprecedented detail and depth, helping to more accurately predict the possibility of an eruption.

Researchers have developed a clever new imaging technique that lets us peer inside giant volcanoes with unprecedented detail and depth.

The image shows the inside of the volcano and the magma pool below. (SCIENCE ALERT SCREENSHOT).

A research team at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics (PIGP-France) borrowed ideas from medical imaging and optical microscopy to come up with their approach, Science Alert reported on September 30.

This is a new method that builds on an existing technique called matrix imaging and helps overcome some of the difficulties in volcano mapping, such as not having many sensors (seismic wave receivers) to record seismic waves reflected through the Earth.

These waves can be interpreted to determine the different types of materials and compositions in the earth's crust. With the help of matrix imaging, that interpretation becomes significantly easier.

"Volcanic eruptions require precise monitoring of magma pressure and expansion for better forecasting. Understanding deep magma storage is crucial for risk assessment, but imaging these systems is challenging ," according to the study published in the journal Nature .

For their experiment, the researchers chose the La Soufrière volcano in Guadeloupe, a French overseas region in the Caribbean. Coverage by the seismometer network used at the site is described by the researchers as 'sparse.'

"Matrix imaging technology successfully decoded wave deformations, revealing the internal structure of La Soufrière volcano at depths of up to 10km ," according to the researchers.

Findings from this study include the presence of multiple complex magma layers stored underground and how these layers connect to other deep geological structures.

This additional data provides a better understanding of what is happening inside the volcano, meaning it can more accurately predict when an eruption will occur.

The good news is that no additional sensors are needed, since matrix imaging can work with existing data. The researchers believe that these methods could be applied in other locations as well.