The largest volcanic eruptions through Earth’s history lead to draining of magma reservoir at depth, which triggered catastrophic collapse of the overlying volcanic edifice, or caldera collapse.
Even if such phenomenon represents gigantic volcanic hazard, the mechanisms leading to caldera collapse are unclear.
For example, we do not know why the majority of volcanic eruptions do not produce caldera collapse. In this project, we propose to explore the mechanical parameters that lead to caldera collapse, using the engineering numerical software Optum G2.
Learning outcomes: (1) use of commercial numerical software, (2) mechanical stability of rock formations, (3) team work.