Deformation patterns, magma supply, and magma storage at Karymsky Volcanic Center, Kamchatka, Russia, 2000–2010, revealed by InSAR

Abstract Under a complex geological region influenced by the subduction of the Pacific plate, Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the most active volcanic arcs in the Pacific Rim. Due to logistical difficulty in instrumentation, shallow magma plumbing systems beneath some of the Kamchatkan volcanoes are poorly understood. InSAR offers a safe and quick method for monitoring volcanic deformation with a high spatial resolution. In this study, a group of satellite radar interferograms that span the time interval from 2000 to 2010 shows eruptive and non-eruptive deformation at Karymsky Volcanic Center (KVC), Kamchatka, Russia. All the interferograms provide details of the activity around the KVC during 2000–2010, as follows: (1) from 2000 to 2004, the Karymsky-AN (Akademia Nauk) area deflated and the MS (Maly Semyachik) area inflated, (2) from 2004 to 2006, the Karymsky-AN area deflated with ongoing eruption, while the MS area subsided without eruption, (3) from 2006 to 2008, as with 2000–2004, the Karymsky-AN area deflated and the MS area inflated, (4) from 2008 to 2010, the Karymsky-AN area inflated up to 3 cm, and the MS area subsided. Point source models suggest that two magma reservoirs provide a good fit to the observed deformation. One source is located beneath the area between Karymsky and AN at a depth of approximately 7.0 km, and the other one is situated beneath MS at a depth of around 5.8 km. Synchronous deformation patterns suggest that two magma systems are fed from the same deep magma source and connected by a fracture zone. The InSAR results are consistent with GPS ground deformation measurements, seismic data, and petrological constraints.