California's Dormant Supervolcano: Cooling Down but Quake Threat Remains

Researchers at Caltech have used advanced imaging techniques to study the Long Valley Caldera, a dormant supervolcano in California. The high-resolution images reveal that the volcano's magma chamber is covered by a solidified lid of crystallized rock due to the cooling and solidification of liquid magma. While the region is not expected to experience another supervolcanic eruption, the cooling process may still cause earthquakes and small eruptions. The research, which utilized fiber optic cables and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), marks the first time such deep, high-resolution images have been produced. The team plans to further explore the caldera's magma chamber by using a longer cable to reach depths of 15 to 20 kilometers.