Erebus volcano, Antarctica, with its persistent phonolite lava lake, is a classic example of an evolved, CO2-rich rift volcano. Seismic studies provide limited images of the magmatic system. Here we show using magnetotelluric data that a steep, melt-related conduit of low electrical resistivity originating in the upper mantle undergoes pronounced lateral re-orientation in the deep crust before reaching shallower magmatic storage and the summit lava lake. The lateral turn represents a structural fault-valve controlling episodic flow of magma and CO2 vapour, which replenish and heat the high level phonolite differentiation zone. This magmatic valve lies within an inferred, east-west structural trend forming part of an accommodation zone across the southern termination of the Terror Rift, providing a dilatant magma pathway. Unlike H2O-rich subduction arc volcanoes, CO2-dominated Erebus geophysically shows continuous magmatic structure to shallow crustal depths of < 1 km, as the melt does not experience decompression-related volatile supersaturation and viscous stalling.

1st Light Mountain Guides Chamonix France

Institute of Geophysics Czech Academy of Science Prague Czech Republic

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro NM USA

Numeric Resources LLC Salt Lake City UT USA

Tokyo Institute of Technology Volcanic Fluid Research Centre Tokyo Japan

United States Geological Survey Denver CO USA

University of Alberta Department of Physics Edmonton AB Canada

University of Canterbury Gateway Antarctica Christchurch New Zealand

University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology Honolulu HI USA

University of Lausanne Department of Earth Science Lausanne Switzerland

University of Utah Energy and Geoscience Institute Salt Lake City UT USA

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Nat Commun. 2022 Jul 13;13(1):4062. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31694-6. PubMed

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