Dyke emplacement in Tenerife (Canary Islands): Field studies and numerical models

Abstract

Dykes are magma-driven extension fractures and the main conduits for magma in volcanic eruptions. To understand the mechanics of dyke emplacement is thus essential to assess volcanic hazards. To improve the understanding of the processes of dyke initiation from shallow magma chambers and dyke propagation through a mechanicallylayered crust, field measurements and observations from Tenerife (Canary Islands) are used and compared with the results from numerical models. Careful studies of 550 dykes in three profiles in the Anaga massif (Tenerife) include measurements of dyke geometry and orientation. The results of these measurements show that dykes have been injected from a deep-seated reservoir during the shield-building phase. Furthermore, the dyke attitudes agree with the main axial trends of Tenerife that are preserved in the old massifs of Teno, Anaga, and Roque del Conde...