Pit crater formation and caldera subsidence at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (Chile) documented with satellite, drone, and field observations

Alonzo Olitt; Diego Lobos-Lillo; Matthew Pritchard; Carolina Muñoz-Saez; Patrick Phelps; Philipp Ruprecht

doi:10.30909/vol/zsnc9311

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Published: Jul 2, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30909/vol/zsnc9311

Keywords:

Volcano, Pit crater, Caldera, 2011-2012 Cordón Caulle eruption, Puyehue, Laccolith

Alonzo Olitt

[1] Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. [2] Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Diego Lobos-Lillo

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Matthew Pritchard

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3616-3373

Carolina Muñoz-Saez

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Patrick Phelps

Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA.

Philipp Ruprecht

Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.

Abstract

Pit craters are observed throughout the solar system, but are rarely seen forming. Here we document pit crater formation and characteristics following the 2011–2012 Cordón Caulle rhyolitic eruption using satellite and drone data with field observations. Syn-eruptive shallow intrusion (laccolith) uplift and subsequent subsidence at Cordón Caulle are found to be responsible for the creation of faults and fractures as well as at least 349 collapse pits. At Puyehue volcano, we measure nearly 35 m of subsidence within the 2.5 km wide summit caldera from 2016–2024 using digital elevation models leading to ring fractures and pit craters forming inside the caldera. Some pit craters may form from melting snow buried by tephra deposited during 2011–2012. This study offers a unique example of near real-time pit crater formation and evolution, which may be applied to better understanding these processes on Earth and other planetary bodies.

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How to Cite

Olitt, A., Lobos-Lillo, D., Pritchard, M., Muñoz-Saez, C., Phelps, P. and Ruprecht, P. (2026) “Pit crater formation and caldera subsidence at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (Chile) documented with satellite, drone, and field observations”, Volcanica, 9(2), pp. 521–537. doi: 10.30909/vol/zsnc9311.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Articles

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