Volcano-tectonic deformation of the submarine flank of Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands

<p>The land and seascape of the Canary Islands witnesses a long history of volcanic growth and volcano-tectonic deformation. This interplay has generated a spectacular morphology that stretches over almost 8 km (vertically) from the foot of the western volcanic islands at 4.000 m water depth to the top of the Pico del Teide at 3.718 m above sea level. On 19^th September 2021, Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, experienced its longest eruption in historic times, lasting for three months. The eruption was accompanied by widespread deformation, expressed among others by tens of thousands of earthquakes, meter-scale vertical elevation changes, fractures and eruptive fissures that opened along the onshore flank, and the build-up and collapse of volcanic cones. It is now a major task for researchers to identify and untangle the different deformation patterns in order to learn about volcano-tectonic and related sedimentary processes before, during, and after the eruption. Because the largest volume of the volcano locates underwater, a comprehensive analysis of volcano-tectonic deformation requires marine data. Here we present a synthesis of legacy hydroacoustic data from the last century together with new data collected in recent years and especially after the 2021 eruption. The new data include multibeam bathymetry from VULCANA_1015, VULCANA_0318 and VULCANA_III_LP_0921/1021-0222 cruises which were supported by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) funds through the VULCANA project. These data cover the submerged flank down to a water depths of 1940 m with a 10x10 m grid spacing. We further collected multibeam and sediment echosounder data from the lower part of the island slope and adjacent abyssal seafloor between the islands of La Palma and El Hierro during RV MARIA S. MERIAN Cruise 113 in January 2023. Together the different data cover the western side of La Palma, which has collapsed repeatedly in a likely catastrophic manner over geologic times, with the Cumbre Nueva debris avalanche at 125&#8211;536 ka representing the youngest event. We use the data to map sedimentary and tectonic structures including fault outcrops, submarine canyons and channels, mass-transport deposits, landslide scars and blocks as well as folded and faulted strata between the coast and about 4500 m water depth. The results add to a land-to-sea analysis of volcano-tectonic deformation at Cumbre Vieja volcano including the spatial extent and outline of the mobile western flank, which seems to be moving into the Atlantic Ocean.</p>