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January 2, 2025 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication proofread by Sarah Stanley, Eos Central Europe is typically not on most people's radar when it comes to assessing volcanic risk. However, as recently as 11,000 years ago, volcanoes erupted in the Eifel Mountains of western Germany.
For now, the Eifel volcanic field lies dormant, but multiple lines of evidence have hinted that new eruptions could one day occur. Now, Dario Eickhoff and colleagues have applied advanced seismic imaging techniques to peer into the crust beneath the region in unprecedented detail, highlighting multiple subsurface structures that appear to be pockets of magma and magmatic fluids from the upper mantle. The new analysis, published in Geophysical Research Letters , actually revisits data collected in the Eifel region 35 years ago by specialized trucks that direct seismic signals into Earth's crust and then detect reflected waves.
Since then, techniques for processing seismic reflection data have advanced considerably, enabling today's scientists to extract far more detailed images of subsurface features from existing datasets. In addition to imaging previously detected subsurface structures in higher resolution, the team outlined features never seen before. These structures—detected at depths of 10–30 kilometers—are similar to sills, or flat sheets of igneous rock that form between existing crystalline host rock.
The features' characteristics suggest that they may be pockets of magmatic melt, fluids, or supercritical gas that rose into the crust from the upper mantle. The presence of these potential magmatic patches raises the possibility that future eruptions could occur in the Eifel region, should the magma become buoyant enough to ascend to the surface. The researchers call for further study using state-of-the-art volcanic assessment techniques to better clarify the area's volcanic hazards.
More information: Dario Eickhoff et al, Seismic Reflection Imaging of Fluid‐Filled Sills in the West Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany, Geophysical Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL111425 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Provided byEos This story is republished courtesy of Eos, hosted by the American Geophysical Union.
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