A large magma reservoir beneath the Tengchong volcano revealed by ambient noise adjoint tomography

The Tengchong volcano (TCV) is a large active volcano system in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. It is characterized by large-volume magmatic gas emission, active hydrothermal circulation, and intense volcanic and earthquake activities, posing a threat of near future eruptions. However, there is still no available model of the magmatic plumbing system beneath the volcano system, limiting the quantitative assessments of the eruption hazards. Here, we present a high-resolution 3D model of the TCV constructed using ambient noise adjoint tomography. Our 3D model reveals a large basaltic magma reservoir with a volume of ∼7,000 km³ at depths of 20–35 km, which has a melt fraction of ∼2%–4.5%. Our results suggest that the deep crustal magma reservoir is fed by partial melting in the uppermost mantle and is recharging the shallow magma chambers beneath the TCV. Our results are key to understanding the volcanic activities and assessing future eruption hazards.