Scientists have mapped what are essentially the bones, blood vessels and nervous system of a "zombie volcano" to develop a comprehensive look inside.
The Bolivian volcano Uturuncu hasn't erupted for about 250,000 years but magma still rumbles though it, and it's been slowly growing in height, according to a new study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The examination by the team of Chinese, British and American researchers could help scientists across the globe better predict if and when 1,400 other potentially active volcanoes might erupt.
Scientists used a combination of data to peer through the volcano, including seismic monitoring that tracked how fast the rumbles caused by the moving magma travel through different kinds of rock. They concluded after analyzing 1,700 small quakes that while there's some activity beneath Uturuncu, the volcano is at low risk for eruption anytime soon.
"Combining our seismic analysis with previous geophysical imaging results and rock physics modeling, we delineate pathways of migrating fluids traveling toward the surface and a shallow gas accumulation zone beneath the crater," the team wrote. "This fluid migration and accumulation explains why Uturuncu volcano still shows signs of activity. Our study exemplifies how seismology combined with rock physics models and petrological analysis can resolve the detailed structure and composition of a volcanic system, critical for assessing eruption hazard."
The researchers said their work also has applications in learning how minerals and elements like copper are deposited in certain areas as magma moves underground.
"...the processes in Uturuncu are particularly interesting because they're telling us about the liquids and the gasses that are moving through there that might become, or maybe even today are, a reservoir of minerals that could be useful for technology," study participant and Cornell University earth sciences professor Matthew Pritchard told a university publication.