http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/101780/3/Bartolini_2014_Journal_of_Volcanology_and_geothermal_research_285%20150%20version%20aam.pdf

Volcanic hazard on Deception Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica)

The caldera collapse of Deception Island Volcano, Antarctica, was comparable in scale to some of the largest eruptions on Earth over the last several millennia. Despite its magnitude and potential for far-reaching environmental effects, the age of this event has never been established, with estimates ranging from the late Pleistocene to 3370 years before present. Here we analyse nearby lake sediments in which we identify a singular event produced by Deception Island’s caldera collapse that occurred 3980 ± 125 calibrated years before present. The erupted tephra record the distinct geochemical composition of ejecta from the caldera-forming eruption, whilst an extreme seismic episode is recorded by lake sediments immediately overlying the collapse tephra. The newly constrained caldera collapse is now the largest volcanic eruption confirmed in Antarctica during the Holocene. An examination of palaeorecords reveals evidence in marine and lacustrine sediments for contemporaneous seismicity around the Antarctic Peninsula; synchronous glaciochemical volcanic signatures also record the eruption in ice cores spread around Antarctica, reaching >4600 km from source. The widespread footprint suggests that this eruption would have had significant climatic and ecological effects across a vast area of the south polar region.

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/173354/1/Giralt_Scientific_Report_8_17279.pdf

The timing and widespread effects of the largest Holocene volcanic eruption in Antarctica.

Deception Island is the largest volcano in the actively extending Bransfield Basin, a marginal basin situated behind the extinct South Shetland Islands arc. Deception Island has been well studied but its submerged flanks have not. A multibeam bathymetry survey was conducted around the island in 2005. Data from the flooded caldera show no evidence for recent localized resurgence. The gently-sloped bottom of the caldera basin is consistent with either a broad zone of resurgence on its east side associated with trap door deformation or with higher rates of sediment supply from the east side of the island. Around the island, numerous tectonic and volcanic features on the volcano's east and west flanks are nearly all aligned with the regional strike (~060°) of the Bransfield rift and there is very little evidence for the other fault populations that have been identified on the island. We infer that models that link the ongoing tectonic development of Deception Island to complex regional tectonics are less likely than models in which the dominant regional extension in Bransfield Strait is modulated by the local effects of caldera collapse and possibly a small right-lateral transfer zone offsetting the primary extension axes in the Central and Western Bransfield Basins.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102008001673

Bathymetric constraints on the tectonic and volcanic evolution of Deception Island Volcano, South Shetland Islands

In this paper, the following seismic parameters, the maximum recorded magnitude (
 $$M_{max})$$
 , the Gutenberg–Ritcher b-value and the (normalized) mean seismic activity rate, AR, have been calculated for the Iberian Peninsula and surroundings. A geographic information system has been employed to compile all data, to work with different geographic systems and to generate the maps. An improved version of the National Geographic Institute of Spain earthquake catalog has been considered as input. Due to the detection network evolution and the extent of the territory, completeness values must be sectored to obtain reliable b-values and AR values. So, a previous work on regionalization has been considered. First, a working catalog has been elaborated. To do so, the size of some shocks through specific studies have been reviewed, magnitudes have been converted to moment magnitude (
 $$M_{w})$$
 and dependent events have been removed. Second, for the b-value and the AR calculation a method that considers inhomogeneous catalogs, different magnitudes and various years of completeness has been employed. Also, different decluster parameters and various minimum number of events have been considered. Finally, to represent the values, a multi-resolution grid $$(0.5^{{{\circ }}}\times 0.5^{{{\circ }}}$$
 , $$1^{{{\circ }}}\times 1^{{{\circ }}}$$
 and $$2^{{{\circ }}}\times 2^{{{\circ }}})$$
 has been deployed. The pictures obtained show the seismicity in the terms of size, stress-meter and frequency. The highest $$M_{max}$$
 has been obtained in the SW of the Iberian Peninsula with a marine epicenter. Regarding the b-value, in the contact boundary between the Africa and Eurasian plates this value is around 1.0 or minor. Contrariwise, in the mainland, values higher than 1.2 are predominant. Finally, the highest AR values are found in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula and remarkable values are also present in the NE.

Mapping of seismic parameters of the Iberian Peninsula by means of a geographic information system

Ash emitted during explosive volcanic eruptions may disperse over vast areas of the globe posing a threat to human health and infrastructures and causing significant disruption to air traffic. In Antarctica, at least five volcanoes have reported historic activity. However, no attention has been paid to the potential socio-economic and environmental consequences of an ash-forming eruption occurring at high southern latitudes. This work shows how ash from Antarctic volcanoes may pose a higher threat than previously believed. As a case study, we evaluate the potential impacts of ash for a given eruption scenario from Deception Island, one of the most active volcanoes in Antarctica. Numerical simulations using the novel MMB-MONARCH-ASH model demonstrate that volcanic ash emitted from Antarctic volcanoes could potentially encircle the globe, leading to significant consequences for global aviation safety. Results obtained recall the need for performing proper hazard assessment on Antarctic volcanoes, and are crucial for understanding the patterns of ash distribution at high southern latitudes with strong implications for tephrostratigraphy, which is pivotal to synchronize palaeoclimatic records.

/pdf/potential-ash-impact-from-antarctic-volcanoes-insights-from-2kitoh0hgc.pdf

Potential ash impact from Antarctic volcanoes: Insights from Deception Island’s most recent eruption

Spain has been taking part in Antarctic research through annual austral summer campaigns since 1987. The volcanic Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands is one of the main working areas. The information collected is numerous and diverse so in many cases is the same one. Also, this information is stored in several alphanumeric and graphic digital formats, and the maps are made in different geodetic and cartographic representation systems. The fundamental data are unified and integrated in SIMAC, a unique information system that can to be used as a “gate” through which the various scientific groups working on Deception Island may exchange data. SIMAC is an example of an Information System applied to Earth Sciences.

The Multidisciplinary Scientific Information Support System (SIMAC) for Deception Island

Deception Island (62.93° S, 60.57°W) is one of the few active volcanoes in the Antarctica, whose most recent eruptions took place in 1842, 1967, 1969 and 1970. In the following paper geodetic investigations carried out in this area during the last years are described. During the continuous Spanish campaigns in Antarctica, several scientific groups have developed different projects in order to control deformation the island suffers as a result of its volcanic activity. With this purpose, a geodetic network has been designed and improved. Nowadays, the network consists of twelve stations around Port Foster which are provided with WGS-84 geodetic coordinates with respect to the ITRF2000, and another station at the Spanish Base Juan Carlos I on Livingston Island. Time analysis of these coordinates will lead us to get the horizontal deformation model. On the other hand, a levelling network has been designed to obtain the vertical deformation model. This network is denser in those areas where the volcanic activity is stronger, as at Fumarole Bay and the Hill of Obsidians. GPS, levelling and gravimetric measurements have also been collected in secondary points to obtain an experimental geoid model which makes possible an adequate reference frame for physical applications.

Geodetic Research on Deception Island

Deception Island (63° S, 60° W) is situated in the South Shetland Islands, and it is the main active volcano in the Bransfield Strait, with recent eruptions in 1842, 1967, 1969 and 1970. Its volcanic and seismic activity has been monitored from 1986 to study the geodynamic activity on the island. In this paper we present the objectives and some results obtained in DECVOL project, a crossdisciplinary study which was planned to evaluate the volcanic status of the island after the crisis occurred during the 1998/1999 campaign, as well as the goals and activities which have been carried out in the framework of GEODEC project, a multidisciplinary project to continue with the studies on the island.

Alicia García-García

Papers

The Multidisciplinary Scientific Information Support System (SIMAC) for Deception Island

Geodetic Research on Deception Island

Geodynamical Studies on Deception Island: DECVOL and GEODEC Projects

Diseño, desarrollo, objetivos y estado actual de las redes geodésicas establecidas en la Antártida durante las campañas antárticas españolas