Modelling Temporal and Spatial Variations in Gravimetric Data at Laguna del Maule, Chile

Abstract:

Since 2013 we have undertaken annual microgravity and deformation surveys at Laguna del Maule, Chile, to characterise the causes of rapid inflation observed since 2007. The maximum increase in residual gravity is 125 ± 12 microgal between 2013 and 2014, but only 60 ± 15 microgal between 2014 and 2015. The spatial pattern of the gravity anomaly also appears to vary with time. During the 2013-2014 interval, the location of the maximum increase in gravity is near the maximum of the deformation pattern observed by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) between 2007 and 2015 (Le Mével et al. 2015, Geophys. Res. Lett.). During the 2014-2015 interval, the maximum increase in gravity occurs approximately 4 kilometers south west of the center of inflation. Here we present initial source models to explain the observed increases in microgravity. The models are decribed in a framework derived from new spatial Bouguer gravity data, which allows for a better interpretation of time-lapse models. We use a Monte Carlo-type Genetic Algorithm to solve for the optimum source parameters of a range of finite geometry models including spherical, ellipsoidal and sill-like bodies. Finally we compare the finite geometry models to free geometry 3D gravity inversion models. Sources for the 2013-2014 interval locate close to the center of deformation at a depth of approximately 2 to 4 km. Sources for the 2014-2015 interval locate approximately 3 km southwest of the 2013-2014 source, at a similar depth. Positive density contrasts of several hundred kg/m³ are recovered from the source models. The 2013-2014 source locates close to the center of an approximately 15 milliGal Bouguer gravity low while the 2014-2015 source locates close to the edge of the gravity low. Our initial interpretation is that the Bouguer gravity low represents a low density magma body and the 2013-2015 residual microgravity increases represent spatially varying injections of fresh dense magma into that body.