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Volcano-tectonic structures and CO2-degassing patterns in the Laacher See basin, Germany

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Abstract

The Laacher See Volcano is the youngest (12,900 year BP) eruption center of the Quarternary East-Eifel Volcanic Field in Germany and has formed Laacher See, the largest volcanic lake in the Eifel area. New bathymetric data of Laacher See were acquired by an echo sounder system and merged with topographic light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data of the Laacher See Volcano area to form an integrated digital elevation model. This model provides detailed morphological information about the volcano basin and results of sediment transport therein. Morphological analysis of Laacher See Volcano indicates a steep inner crater wall (slope up to 30°) which opens to the south. The Laacher See basin is divided into a deep northern and a shallower southern part. The broader lower slopes inclined with up to 25° change to the almost flat central part (maximum water depth of 51 m) with a narrow transition zone. Erosion processes of the crater wall result in deposition of volcaniclastics as large deltas in the lake basin. A large subaqueous slide was identified at the northeastern part of the lake. CO2-degassing vents (wet mofettes) of Laacher See were identified by a single-beam echo sounder system through gas bubbles in the water column. These are more frequent in the northern part of the lake, where wet mofettes spread in a nearly circular-shaped pattern, tracing the crater rim of the northern eruption center of the Laacher See Volcano. Additionally, preferential paths for gas efflux distributed concentrically inside the crater rim are possibly related to volcano-tectonic faults. In the southern part of Laacher See, CO2 vents occur in a high spatial density only within the center of the arc-shaped structure Barschbuckel possibly tracing the conduit of a tuff ring.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the kind support of the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach, “Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektion Nord, Koblenz” and the logistical assistance of Ansgar Hehenkamp. LiDAR data and aerial photos have been kindly provided by “Landesamt für Vermessung und Geobasisinformation Rheinland-Pfalz, LVermGeo.” We would also like to thank the numerous students of the Institute of Geosciences (Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany) who supported the data collection during several field campaigns. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions which significantly improved the manuscript.

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  1. Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Burgweg 11, 07749, Jena, Germany

    Andreas Goepel, Martin Lonschinski, Lothar Viereck, Georg Büchel & Nina Kukowski

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  1. Andreas Goepel
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  2. Martin Lonschinski
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Correspondence to Andreas Goepel.

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Goepel, A., Lonschinski, M., Viereck, L. et al. Volcano-tectonic structures and CO2-degassing patterns in the Laacher See basin, Germany. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 104, 1483–1495 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-014-1133-3

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