Morphological evolution of the 2021 Tajogaite cone (Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Spain) between January 2022 and July 2024

Article Article scientifique Article Morphological evolution of the 2021 Tajogaite cone (Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Spain) between January 2022 and July 2024 eng 2026-07-17 author Civico R. 0000-0002-5015-2155 author Ricci T. 0000-0002-0553-5384 author Kueppers U. 0000-0003-2815-1444 author Ortega-Ramos V. 0000-0001-6220-009X author Przeor Przeor Monika 0000-0002-7582-3680 448209 Services communs du département des sciences de la terre (DETCO) author Taddeucci J. 0000-0002-0516-3699 author Cabrera-Perez Ivan 0000-0002-9773-876X 418592 author Stoiber W. author Scarlato P. 0000-0003-1933-0192 author D’Auria L. 0000-0002-7664-2216 92 10.1007/s00445-026-02012-5 0258-8900 https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00445-026-02012-5 Volcanic eruptions shape the landscape. While some events may locally cause mass loss (e.g. gravitational failure, explosive excavation, or collapse following magma withdrawal), constructive processes are dominant: volcanic deposits create new land, cover the landscape, and build new cones around vents. The 2021 Tajogaite eruption (La Palma, Spain) produced a cinder cone complex that was initially 187 m taller than the pre-eruption topography (January 2022). This new volcanic edifice presented an unparalleled chance to quantitatively track its post-eruptive morphological changes. To this end, we are using seven UAS surveys with visible optical cameras between January 2022 and July 2024. This unique dataset allows us to constrain these changes at high temporal and spatial resolution. Over the course of our observation period, the cone “shrank” by more than 11 m in height and lost almost 0.79 × 106 m3 of volume. The rate of these changes was highest at the beginning (6.3 cm height loss/day between January and March 2022) and then decreased exponentially. Towards the end of the observation period (August 2023 to July 2024), the average rate was 0.5 cm/day. These quantifications show that surface processes (wind, rain) accounted for only approximately 10% of the volume loss, with ca. 56 × 103 m3 redeposited at the base of the cone. We attribute most of the observed shape change of the Tajogaite cone to local endogenous processes, either in the shallow plumbing system under the cone, such as (1) decrease of magmatic pressure, bubble collapse, and magma drainage, (2) volume loss due to cooling, or within the cone itself, by, e.g. (3) compaction of tephra deposits. Explosive eruption Deformation Subsidence Magma drainage Unoccupied aerial systems, UAS Structure- from-motion, SfM Photogrammetry Dewey 550 42 Département des sciences de la Terre 154 false 1272 Crustal Deformation and Fluid Flow https://doi.org/10.5069/G97W69FW https://doi.org/10.5069/G9445JQG https://doi.org/10.5069/G90C4T1M https://doi.org/10.5069/G9VQ30WQ https://doi.org/10.5069/G9QZ286V https://doi.org/10.5069/G9M61HHW Bulletin of volcanology 88 8 1138fa80-324c-4b9d-9e0d-7eadf54d8389 Article (Published version) Public Article_scientifique_from_crossref.pdf 4875083 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 becc726eb6c4ea2c7dd49bfd50ed4494cbea0bf1a92f72250a2e09ff23cdd0cc Vignette Public Captura de pantalla 2026-07-19 a las 9.31.45.png 454212 image/png openAccess Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département des sciences de la Terre

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Morphological evolution of the 2021 Tajogaite cone (Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Spain) between January 2022 and July 2024	Bulletin of volcanology			2026	5	2

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