Three-dimensional electrical structure beneath the Changbaishan volcano (NE China): Implications for magmatic plumbing systems and diverse eruption styles

The Changbaishan volcano (CBSV) complex is the largest and most active intracontinental volcanic system in Northeast Asia and comprises multiple active edifices. Although these volcanoes are associated with asthenospheric upwelling induced by Pacific Plate subduction, they exhibit pronounced differences in magma composition and eruptive behavior. Here, a high-resolution crust-to-mantle three-dimensional (3D) electrical resistivity model of CBSV is presented, developed from densely sampled Magnetotelluric (MT) surveys and 3D inversion. The resulting model delineates a trans-lithospheric magmatic network and a dynamic plumbing architecture, consistent with an evolutionary paradigm characterized by “deep-source homology and shallow differentiation” across the volcanic field. Joint interpretation of electrical structures together with seismicity and geodetic deformation indicates ongoing magma recharge beneath the volcanic field. These results provide a robust basis for volcanic hazard assessment at CBSV and offer practical constraints for monitoring strategies. More broadly, a conceptual framework is proposed to account for the diversity of intracontinental eruption styles far from plate boundaries, in which fault architecture and topographic loading exert primary control on magma transport pathways and eruption dynamics. Overall, this work shifts the interpretation of intracontinental volcanism from a “magma-composition-centered” view toward a “tectonic-melt coupling” framework, with implications for volcanic systems worldwide.