Three different types of plumbing system beneath the neighboring active volcanoes of Tolbachik, Bezymianny, and Klyuchevskoy in Kamchatka

Research reveals three distinct volcanic plumbing systems beneath neighboring active volcanoes—Klyuchevskoy, Bezymianny, and Tolbachik—in Kamchatka’s Klyuchevskoy group. Klyuchevskoy’s basaltic lavas ascend vertically from a deep reservoir (25–30 km), while Bezymianny’s explosive eruptions stem from dispersed crustal reservoirs where felsic material separates and rises, forming andesitic magma. Tolbachik’s low-viscosity basalts exploit regional fault intersections, ascending via fracture networks. The study used seismic data from temporary and permanent networks (2014–2015) to map 3D crustal structures beneath the volcanoes, uncovering high-resolution insights into their unique feeding systems for the first time.

Koulakov, I., Abkadyrov, I., Al Arifi, N., Deev, E., Droznina, S., Gordeev, E. I., Jakovlev, A., El Khrepy, S., Kulakov, R. I., Kugaenko, Y., Novgorodova, A., Senyukov, S., Shapiro, N., Stupina, T., & West, M. (2017). Three different types of plumbing system beneath the neighboring active volcanoes of Tolbachik, Bezymianny, and Klyuchevskoy in Kamchatka. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 122(5), 3852–3874. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017jb014082