BASALTIC SCORIA CONE GROWTH MODELING UTILIZING PALEOMAGNETIC, ANISOTROPIC OF MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND GEOPHYSICAL DATA FROM SOSNICA HILL VOLCANO (LOWER SILESIA, SW POLAND)

Sosnica Hill volcano is located 100 km east of Ohre Rift, in the eastern part of the Fore-Sudetic Block, south of the town of Strzelin, Poland. Basaltic rocks of the Sosnica Hill volcano belong to the Cenozoic European Volcanic province and they are grouped into the “Stzelin-Ziebice concentration”. Basaltic volcanism in this area s occurred during the Oligocene to Pliocene and recent K-Ar radiometric age determinations range from 30.9 Ma to 3.8 Ma. The volcanic succession at Sosnica Volcano includes 40 m thick lava flows sequence and pyroclastic fall deposits (mainly tuff breccias), subvolcanic intrusions such as plug and dikes, and aa-type lava flows. Prior to quarrying, the strombolian scoria cone was 500m –1000 m wide at its base and was 90m -180 m high. The goals of this research are to better understand the complex plumbing system of the Sosnica volcano by investigating the exposed roots at Sosnica, Poland. This research will provide a detailed geological model of the Sosnica Hill volcano based on structural and geophysical data that reveals how magma flowed into and from the volcano. Data from field and various laboratory methods (paleomagnetism, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), Curie point, and rock magnetic data) will be used to constrain the magma emplacement processes. Paleomagnetic data from 22 sites reveal spatially variable directional data that we interpret to indicate subvolcanic deformation associated with the growth of the volcanic construct. Alternatively, the data may indicated an extended period of magma emplacement relative to secular variation of Earth magnetic field. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data from 25 sites shows that magma flowed towards and away from the volcanoes central conduit. Additional studies are being conducted that should allow us to fully characterize the growth and emplacement geometries of the Sosnica Hill volcano.