Structural architecture of the Colima Volcanic Complex

The Colima Volcanic Complex (CVC) is currently the most active Mexican volcano and is located in the western sector of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, inside the active Colima Rift, a regional N-S-striking extensional structure. The Colima Rift is filled by a similar to 1 km-thick sequence of quaternary lacustrine sediments, alluvium, and colluvium, mostly underling the about 3000-m-thick volcanic pile of the CVC. In this work we present the results of a detailed morphostructural and field study of Quaternary faults and fractures in the CVC and the surrounding area, including the regional structures of the Colima Rift. We also present a geometrical modeling of the faults inside the volcano and a numerical model of the gravity-induced stress and strain fields of the CVC. The study attempts to characterize the geometry, kinematics, and dynamics of the deformation features of the CVC and relate it with the volcano structure, the geology of the substratum, and the geodynamic setting of the region. Our model considers that the observed deformation of the CVC and the surroundings results from the interplay between the active N-S-trending regional extensional tectonics and the southward spreading of the volcano over its basement forming an E-W-oriented volcanotectonic graben. The interaction between regional tectonics and previously unrecognized volcanic spreading can control magma migration and flank instability, in an area where eruptions and sector failures represent a potential high risk for more than 500,000 people.