A model that uses sound waves from volcanic activity to help understand and forecast volcanic behavior has been developed by a researcher at the UC.
The sound produced by the movement of magma in some volcanoes is similar to a musical instrument. The majority of the energy is below the range of human hearing. We can use the sounds of volcanoes to understand them.
The sound waves from the eruptions at the top of the column are very similar to the sound waves from a trombone. There is a decrease in the distance between the top of the column and the top of the crater. The pitch of the sound increases when this happens.
The movement of magma can be tracked by listening to the pitch. It's possible to give several hours of warning prior to an eruption, which could make a difference to those living near or visiting active volcanoes.
The volcanic melodies were studied by Dr. In Sicily, Italy, there is an active volcano where eruptions frequently occur. The work builds on previous studies of Villarrica inChile and Cotopaxi inEcuador. The model will be adapted to fit a New Zealand context.
There is a connection between the lava lake and the atmosphere in this model. In New Zealand, there are two volcanos that have crater lakes that contain water between the magma and the air above. I want to see if we can adapt the model to make it applicable to the systems that GNS already uses. I'm working on a proxy system for lahars and pyroclastic flows.
The paper "Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna" was recently published.
More information: Mariangela Sciotto et al, Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy), Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20258-9 Journal information: Scientific Reports
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