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Assessing the role of hydrothermal alteration on volcano morphology, instability, and unpredictable volcanic hazards

Project description

New advances in volcanic eruption prediction

Volcanic eruptions pose a significant threat to over 10 % of the global population, often leading to catastrophic disasters due to unpredictable explosive events or flank collapses. Despite advancements in technology, accurately predicting these eruptions remains a challenge. The ERC-funded ROTTnROCK project seeks to address this issue by delving into the role of hydrothermal alteration, a process that weakens volcanic rock and makes it prone to sudden failures. This project integrates remote sensing, mineralogy, chemistry, rock mechanics, and modelling. By mapping where and how this alteration occurs, analysing its chemical impact on rock strength, and creating dynamic 4D simulations of volcanic stability, ROTTnROCK aims to enhance hazard assessment and prediction.

Objective

More than 10% of the world’s population are at risk to the direct impacts of volcanic eruptions. Volcano monitoring aims to detect and correctly interpret volcanic hazards and to provide early and accurate warnings of impending eruptions. Yet, despite technical and scientific advances, volcanoes still produce unexpected explosive eruptions or sudden flank collapses. Each year, such unpredictable events result in volcanic disasters that devastate unprepared communities and destroy unprotected infrastructures. Previous work by the PIs indicates that volcanic hazards are caused by hydrothermal alteration, which progressively and imperceptibly changes the chemical and physical state of rocks inside a volcano, creating a soft and unstable (or “rotten”) interior. However, the link between “soft” volcanoes and unpredictable volcanic events remains enigmatic. The ROTTnROCK project aims to achieve a ground-breaking advance in our understanding of hydrothermal alteration processes that act inside active volcanic systems. Specifically, we will identify where and at which scales alteration occurs (WP1), explore the chemical fingerprint of alteration and effects on rock properties and strength using laboratory methods (WP2), and develop 4D volcano stability simulations and, therefore, an innovative and optimised hazard assessment workflow (WP3). The ROTTnROCK project combines innovative approaches from traditionally distinct geoscience disciplines (remote sensing, mineralogy and chemistry, rock mechanics, and modelling). This project will revolutionise our understanding of hydrothermal alteration and its effects on volcano hazards, and pave the way for strategies to forecast and mitigate unexpected volcanic events caused by hydrothermal alteration and circumvent disasters at volcanoes worldwide.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2023-SyG

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Host institution

GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNG
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 651 605,00
Address
TELEGRAFENBERG
14473 POTSDAM
Germany

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Region
Brandenburg Brandenburg Potsdam
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 651 605,00

Beneficiaries (4)

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