[Rockhounds] Large magma bodies found beneath dormant volcanoes, surprising scientists

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

New Cornell University led-research challenges the long-standing belief
that active volcanoes have large magma bodies that are expelled during
eruptions and then dissipate over time as the volcanoes become dormant.

Researchers used seismic waves to identify magma chambers
<https://phys.org/tags/magma+chambers/> beneath the surface of six
volcanoes of various sizes and dormancy within the Cascade Range, which
includes half of the U.S. volcanoes designated by the U.S. Geological
Survey as "very high threat." The team found that all of the volcanoes,
including dormant ones, have persistent and large magma bodies.

The study, led by postdoctoral researcher Guanning Pang, was published
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01630-y> in *Nature Geoscience* and
co-authored by Geoffrey Abers, professor in geological sciences
<https://phys.org/tags/geological+sciences/>.

Their results are surprising given that some of these volcanoes, such as
the Crater Lake volcano in Oregon, have not been active in millennia.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-large-magma-bodies-beneath-dormant.html