Analytical model of surface uplift above axisymmetric flat-lying magma intrusions: Implications for sill emplacement and geodesy

In this paper, we develop a new axisymmetric analytic model of surface uplift upon sills and laccoliths, based on the formulation of a thin bending plate lying on an elastic foundation. In contrast to most former models also based on thin bending plate formulation, our model accounts for (i) axi-symmetrical uplift, (ii) both upon and outside the intrusion. The model accounts for shallow intrusions, i.e. the ratio a/h > 5 where a and h are the radius and depth of the intrusion, respectively. The main parameter of the model is the elastic length l, which is a function of the elastic properties of the bending plate and of the elastic foundation. The model exhibits two regimes depending on the ratio a/l. When a/l < 5, the uplift spreads over a substantial domain compared to that of the intrusion. In contrast, when a/l > 5, the uplift is mostly restricted upon the intrusion. When the elastic foundation is very stiff, our model converges towards that of a clamped plate. We provide, as supplementary material, a Matlab function that calculates the surface uplift from the set of system and control parameters. We discuss three possible applications of our model: (i) The model can be used to describe sill propagation by introducing a propagation criterion. For realistic values, our model reproduces well the behavior of horizontal intrusions simulated in experiments; (ii) The model can also be used to compute the critical size of saucer-shaped sills. It shows, for instance, that a soft elastic foundation favors the horizontal spreading of sills before they form inclined sheets; (iii) We show that the classical Mogi point source model cannot be used to constrain sill properties from the surface uplift. We thus propose that our model can be used as a valuable alternative to both simple analytical models like Mogi's and more complex numerical models used to analyze ground deformation resulting from sill intrusions in active volcanoes.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► New analytical model for surface uplift induced by shallow axisymmetric sill ► Model is based on thin elastic plate lying on deformable elastic foundation ► Model exhibits two regimes depending on a/l (a: sill radius; l: elastic length scale) ► Model reproduces observations for intrusion and saucer-shaped sill emplacement ► We provide a Matlab function that calculates the surface uplift from the model parameters