Revealing geyser dynamics at The Three Vicuñas

Researchers collect electrical resistivity tomography data at an unexplored cluster of geysers in the El Tatio geothermal field, a site we named “The Three Vicuñas” after a family of vicuñas that visited us daily during the survey. Using an IRIS Syscal Pro and an optimized acquisition protocol, the measurements capture the spatio‑temporal evolution of geyser activity, revealing how fluids circulate through the hydrothermal system. This setting also serves as a natural laboratory to test whether resistivity imaging could become a geophysical early‑warning tool for large volcanic eruptions.
This fieldwork is part of Lore Vanhooren's PhD work.