Researchers from Virginia Tech, in collaboration with international institutions, have made a breakthrough in detecting and tracking a phenomenon known as “transient deformation,” where the land surrounding a volcano inflates like a balloon before an eruption. This process was observed for the first time at Tanzania’s Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, using satellite data to track the land’s subtle movements.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, shows that pressure building inside a volcano’s magma chamber causes the ground to bulge outward. Once the pressure drops, the land subsides. This discovery could be key to predicting eruptions and protecting nearby communities.
“This research allows Tanzanian authorities to better understand the state of the volcano,” said Ntambila Daud, a graduate student and assistant lecturer at Ardhi University. Daud worked with Associate Professor D. Sarah Stamps at Virginia Tech’s Geodesy and Tectonophysics Laboratory.
Ol Doinyo Lengai, meaning “Mountain of God” in Maasai, is unique in that it produces carbonatite lava, which erupts in shades of black or gray and cools to a striking bone-white color. The volcano has a long history of eruptions, posing ongoing risks to local communities, tourism, and air traffic.
The research team, which began installing sensors on the volcano in 2016, has now tracked seven years of data to study land swelling patterns linked to changes in the magma reservoir. They detected rapid uplift between March and December 2022, followed by steady uplift through August 2023. This suggests that the land’s deformation could serve as an early warning of future eruptions.
Daud’s computer models, combined with satellite-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data, can now detect these short-lived, sudden movements in volcanoes, potentially aiding in eruption forecasting. The same method has already been applied to volcanoes in the U.S., including California’s Long Valley Caldera and Alaska’s Akutan volcano.
“This approach provided important insights into the dynamic magma system beneath Ol Doinyo Lengai,” said Stamps, highlighting the importance of this research for advancing eruption prediction and safeguarding communities.
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Reference: https://www.preventionweb.net/news/geoscientists-detect-rapid-uplift-unique-volcano-tanzania
