Redalyc.On the Likelihood of Future Eruptions in the Chilean Southern
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Andean Geology ISSN: 0718-7092 [email protected] Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería Chile Dzierma, Yvonne; Wehrmann, Heidi On the likelihood of future eruptions in the Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone: interpreting the past century's eruption record based on statistical analyses Andean Geology, vol. 39, núm. 3, septiembre, 2012, pp. 380-393 Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería Santiago, Chile Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=173924966006 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Andean Geology 39 (3): 380-393. September, 2012 Andean Geology doi: 10.5027/andgeoV39n3-a02 formerly Revista Geológica de Chile www.andeangeology.cl On the likelihood of future eruptions in the Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone: interpreting the past century’s eruption record based on statistical analyses Yvonne Dzierma1, Heidi Wehrmann2 1 SFB 574, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, D-24118 Kiel, Germany. [email protected] 2 SFB 574, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstr. 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany. [email protected] ABSTRACT. A sequence of 150 explosive eruptions recorded during the past century at the Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) is subjected to statistical time series analysis. The exponential, Weibull, and log-logistic distribution functions are fit to the eruption record, separately for literature-assigned volcanic explosivity indices (VEI) ≥2 and VEI ≥3. Since statistical tests confirm the adequacy of all the fits to describe the data, all models are used to estimate the likelihood of future eruptions. Only small differences are observed between the different distribution functions with regard to the eruption forecast, whereby the log-logistic distribution predicts the lowest probabilities. There is a 50% probability for VEI ≥2 eruptions to occur in the SVZ within less than a year, and 90% probability to occur within the next 2-3 years. For the larger VEI ≥3 eruptions, the 50% probability is reached in 3-4 years, while the 90% level is reached in 9-11 years. Keywords: Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone, Eruption time series analysis, Probabilistic eruption forecasting, Volcanic hazards. RESUMEN. Probabilidades de futuras erupciones en la Zona Volcánica del Sur de Chile: interpretación estadística de la serie temporal de erupciones del siglo pasado. Se presenta un análisis estadístico de la serie temporal de 150 erupciones volcánicas explosivas registradas durante el siglo pasado en la Zona Volcánica del Sur de Chile. Se modeló el conjunto de erupciones mediante la distribución exponencial, de Weibull y log-logística, restringiendo el análisis a erupciones de índice de explosividad volcánica (IEV) mayores a 2 y 3, respectivamente. Como los modelos pasan las pruebas estadísticas, los tres modelos se aplican para estimar la probabilidad de erupciones futuras. Se observan solo diferencias menores entre las predicciones mediante los distintos modelos, con la distribución log-logística dando las probabilidades más bajas. Para erupciones de IEV ≥2, la probabilidad de producirse una erupción dentro de un año es más del 50%, creciendo al 90% en 2-3 años. Para erupciones más grandes, de IEV ≥3, el 50% de probabilidad se alcanza dentro de 3-4 años, y el 90% dentro de 9-11 años. Palabras clave: Zona Volcánica del Sur de Chile, Análisis de series de tiempo de erupciones volcánicas, Predicción estadística de erupciones, Peligros volcánicos. Dzierma and Wehrmann/ Andean Geology 39 (3): 380-393, 2012 381 1. Introduction a collective susceptibility to the tectonic driving forces, which may potentially affect the system on The Chilean Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) is the a large scale. Although individual volcanoes may volcanologically most active part of the Chilean Andes, not be matter of statistical analysis because of too stretching from Tupungatito (33.40°S, 69.80°W) in few eruptions, a compiled investigation will pay the wider Santiago region (Región Metropolitana) credit to their importance for relaxing the system by southwards to Cerro Hudson (45.90°S, 72.97°W) in volumetric magma release and stress changes, and central Patagonia. Several population centres used may reveal changes in the eruption rates of the entire for living, agriculture, industry and commerce are in arc. Also in the context of an interdisciplinary hazard the vicinity of these volcanoes. Coastal lowlands to and risk estimation, it is fundamental to evaluate the mountainous regions are touristically attractive and overall eruption hazard in addition to the individual frequently visited for recreation throughout the year. analyses of single eruption sites. Furthermore, few Larger cities, in particular Santiago de Chile, while cases of registered eruptions were revealed where not in the immediate vicinity of the volcanic chain, an eruption was initially assigned to a wrong source are located inside drainage channels from the Andes volcano - such a problem becomes inconsequential and would, in the event of a volcanic eruption, be when regarding compiled data sets. threatened by possible lahars and pyroclastic flows. An additional advantage of combining all SVZ The entire region is endangered by fallout tephra eruptions is the possibility to regard larger eruptions from explosive eruptions, which may cover large (VEI ≥3), which are usually too infrequent to be areas at long distances from the eruptive source, assessed for each volcano individually. Although also reaching Argentina to the east. Estimating the this collective approach does not allow us to specify risk posed by this volcanic arc segment is thus of where the next eruption is most likely to occur, the paramount importance for the most densely populated exact site becomes less important by the potential region of Chile and Argentina. of a larger eruption to be more devastating for a Continuous monitoring, i.e. the surveillance of much wider area. seismic activity, gas release and composition, ground This paper therefore aims at describing the typical deformation, scientific constraints on the regional temporal eruption behaviour of the SVZ as a coherent tectonics and geochemistry are the most powerful tools subduction system by means of several statistical for assessing the current state of a volcano. Recent distributions. These models are then used to infer an efforts by the ʻObservatorio Volcanológico de los estimate for the probability of future eruptions. With Andes del Surʼ (OVDAS, part of SERNAGEOMIN, these results we provide a probabilistic part of volcanic the Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería), in hazard assessment, to be combined with results of the Chile have greatly improved the monitoring of these various continuous monitoring techniques. volcanoes by the installation of a large number of seismometers on the Chilean volcanoes considered 2. Tectonic setting and volcanic activity at the SVZ as most active (Fernando Gil, personal communica- tion, 2010). However, in-detail monitoring requires Volcanism in the SVZ is driven by the subduc- substantial funds for staff and instrumentation and tion of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American can therefore only be performed for selected volca- Plate, which takes place in an oblique direction of noes. Monitoring and scientific investigation in the approximately 80-82°ENE at a rate of 70-90 mm/ Andes are additionally complicated by the still poor year. The incoming plate dips uniformly at about accessibility of some volcanoes at high altitudes in 25° to a depth of 90-100 km (Stern, 2004). At the rugged terrains. Moreover, the unexpected 2008 northern boundary, the dip angle at depth shallows violent eruption of Chaitén volcano should be taken to less than 5°, considered as the reason for the lack as an alert that not only those volcanoes with a recent of volcanism in the North-adjacent Pampean flat slab (historical) eruptive record should be recognised in segment. The southern end of the SVZ is defined by hazard considerations. the subducting Chile Ridge. Since all these volcanoes are located in the same In the active arc over a length of 1,400 km, several volcanic arc, formed by subduction of the Nazca calderas and more than 60 large volcanic complexes Plate beneath the South American Plate, they share tower over numerous smaller cones (Fig. 1; López- 382 ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE ERUPTIONS IN THE CHILEAN SOUTHERN VOLCANIC ZONE... Escobar et al., 1995; Stern et al., 2007). Of those, twenty have erupted not only in the Pleistocene/ Holocene, but also produced a series of eruptions in historical times. The historical records investigated in this study are taken from the Global Volcanism Program webpage (www.volcano.si.edu, Siebert and Simkin, 2002-) and literature compilations, in particular from Petit-Breuilh (2004). Only eruptions from a minimum volcanic explosivity index (VEI, defined by Newall and Self, 1982; Simkin and Siebert, 1994) upwards are considered in this study. The eruption chronologies from the different sources are largely in agreement with each other. In the cases where discrepancies exist on eruption occurrence and VEI-assignment, the eruptions were included in the analysis if at least one source states them to be large enough (VEI ≥2), and no other source explicitly discredited them. The eruption records were converted into time series by calculating the repose times between successive eruptions. Following the convention established by Klein (1982), the repose time is defined as the interval from the onset of one eruption to the onset of the next one, thereby neglecting the duration of the eruptions. The repose times are resolved on a yearly scale. This results from the precision of the available source data, which sometimes do not provide exact dates, and is sufficient for most purposes. For those years in which several eruptions took place, repose times of ʻzero yearsʼ are accumulated and as such included in the statistical analysis.