Geologists to visit, study active Chilean volcano

Cornell geologists are gearing up to deploy scientific monitoring equipment at the remote and active Cordón Caulle volcano along the Andes Mountain range in Chile, thanks to a Frontier Research in Earth Sciences grant from the National Science Foundation.

After remaining dormant for more than 50 years, Cordón Caulle erupted in 2011, becoming one of only two volcanoes that have produced a rhyolitic eruption documented with modern scientific methods. Rhyolitic eruptions contain amounts of silica that make them unusually explosive while often finishing with uniquely thick lava flows. The region near Cordón Caulle has since continued to move upward about one inch per month, likely due to magma refilling the volcano's main chamber.

Researchers from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell Engineering are part of a team using the new $2.5 million grant, led by the University of Nevada, Reno, to travel in January to Chile and deploy new equipment for data analysis, building on previous research involving the volcano.

"Volcanic eruptions are one of the main hazards in subduction zones," said Carolina Munoz-Saez, assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and co-principal investigator. "Silica-rich magma produces highly explosive eruptions such as those occurring in Cordón Caulle, posing a potential risk for populated areas, even distant from the volcano."

The Cornell research team also includes co-principal investigator Matthew Pritchard, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences; Diego Lobos, Ph.D. '24, postdoctoral associate; graduate students Andrea Gomez-Patron and Alonzo Olitt; and Lauren Michel '26, who is funded by a grant from Engineering Learning Initiatives.

Cordón Caulle provides unique access to a shallow magma body. While most magma bodies are three or four kilometers below the surface, Cordón Caulle's is just 200 meters below the surface, under the laccolith - a dome-shaped formation created when rising magma spreads horizontally, forcing apart layers of the Earth's crust. While this is not as common in other systems, it will help the researchers answer questions about magma bodies.

"We hope to better understand the mechanism of emplacement of shallow intrusions and the relationship with the eruption dynamics, as well as the post eruptive behavior of the volcano though measurement of the deformation, landscape evolution, heat flow and degassing," Carolina Munoz-Saez said.

During a visit earlier this year, researchers collected data related to the materials released by the volcano using chemical analyses, installation of geophysical monitoring systems, gas measurements, temperature measurements and drone surveys. While back at home, they continue to learn about its landscape changes through satellite-based monitoring.

The grant will provide researchers the ability to perform a slew of new analyses, including through the use of four global positioning system antennas and receivers that will be installed with the Chilean Southern Volcano Observatory. These systems will track in real-time the movement of the ground and complement satellite observations that are more infrequent and usually not possible in the winter.

"These are important because the volcano has shown increased ground uplift and earthquakes that might indicate magma is moving in the subsurface. As a result, the Chilean Southern Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to yellow - level two out of four - to maintain vigilance," Pritchard said.

"We have some data in hand from previous field expeditions that raise many questions that motivate where future fieldwork will be focused," Pritchard added. "For example, we have thermal infrared images that show some areas of the volcano are hotter than others, so we will explore the reasons why."

Funding will also supports the establishment of a field school which will provide graduate students with knowledge about geologic techniques and training for fieldwork in remote and sometimes harsh environments.

Other institutions involved in the research include the University of Oregon, Rice University, University of Wyoming, the EarthScope Consortium, Universidad de Chile, Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Universidad Austral de Chile, Universidad de Concepción, and Observatorio Vulcanológico de los Andes del Sur.

This article was adapted with permission from a version written by Michelle Werdann and published by the University of Nevada, Reno.