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UNAM Uses AI to Map Popocatépetl’s Magma System, Imaging Two Chambers

AI-driven seismic tomography built from 2019–2024 CENAPRED records delivers unprecedented resolution to guide upcoming attenuation studies.

Overview

  • Researchers imaged two of three inferred magma reservoirs to depths of about 10 kilometers, finding them composed of roughly 70% crystallized rock.
  • The tomography indicates mostly stalled, crystallized magma that can episodically reheat, with daily movement inferred from surface emissions.
  • The team trained machine-learning models to automatically detect and classify Popocatépetl tremors, enabling higher-resolution seismic imaging.
  • The deeper third reservoir remains unresolved with the current dataset, and the scientists plan energy-loss analyses and additional monitoring to investigate it.
  • Core results appear in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, with a follow-up methods paper under review at the Journal of South American Earth Sciences.