Rapport sur la crise du mois de mars 1995 du volcan Aoba (République du Vanuatu)

Le volcan Aoba (République du Vanuatu) a manifesté des signes précurseurs d'une activité éruptive au début du mois de mars 1995 : explosion phréatique, réchauffement du lac intracaldérique Voui accompagné de l'émission continue d'un panache de gaz à la surface du lac, enregistrement d'un trémor de forte amplitude. Cette crise volcanique fait suite à une crise tectonique survenue au mois de décembre 1994 et associée à un foyer sismique superficiel localisé à proximité d'Aoba. Il n'existe cependant aucune donnée géophysique concernant l'activité du volcan pendant les mois précédant la crise. Une mission de terrain effectuée entre le 18 mars et le 4 avril 1995 avec 5 stations sismologiques, dont 2 stations analogiques révèle une faible sismicité caractérisée essentiellement par des micro séismes de type volcano-tectonique, au nombre d'environ un événement par heure. Cette sismicité est très superficielle, localisée sur les flancs du volcan et peut résulter de réajustements de contraintes dans la structure volcanique. La sismicité de type volcanique ou trémor est extrêmement faible (quelques événements au cours des 2 semaines de mesures). L'amplitude de ces signaux, ainsi que celle du bruit de fond a fortement diminué, d'un facteur 10 à 30, par rapport aux trémors et au bruit de fond enregistrés au début de la crise. Cette diminution très nette de l'activité sismique s'est accompagnée d'une diminution du dégazage à la surface du lac Voui. Il faut toutefois envisager la possibilité de nouvelles crises dans les mois à venir pouvant mener à une phase éruptive. (Résumé d'auteur

Localization with multicomponent seismic array

International audienceSeismo-volcano source localization is essential to improve our understanding of volcano systems. The lack of clear seismic wave phases prohibits the use of classical location methods. Seismic antennas composed of one-component (1C) seismometers provide a good estimate of the back-azimuth of the wavefield. The depth estimation, on the other hand, is difficult or impossible to determine. In order to determine the source location parameters (back-azimuth and depth), we extend the 1C seismic antenna approach to 3Cs. This communication discusses a high resolution location method using a 3C array survey (3C-MUSIC algorithm) with data from two seismic antennas installed on an andesitic volcano in Peru (Ubinas volcano). After introducing the 3C MUSIC processing, we evaluate the robustness of the location method on a full wavefield 3D synthetic dataset generated using a digital elevation model of Ubinas volcano and an homogeneous velocity model. Results show that the back-azimuth determined using the 3C array has a smaller error than a 1C array. Only the 3C method allows the recovery of the source depths. Finally, we applied the 3C-MUSIC to two seismic events recorded in 2009. Therefore, extending 1C arrays to 3C arrays in volcano monitoring allows a more accurate determination of the source epicenter and now an estimate for the depth

Source geometry from exceptionally high resolution long period event observations at Mt Etna during the 2008 eruption

During the second half of June, 2008, 50 broadband seismic stations were deployed on Mt Etna volcano in close proximity to the summit, allowing us to observe seismic activity with exceptionally high resolution. 129 long period events (LP) with dominant frequencies ranging between 0.3 and 1.2 Hz, were extracted from this dataset. These events form two families of similar waveforms with different temporal distributions. Event locations are performed by cross-correlating signals for all pairs of stations in a two-step scheme. In the first step, the absolute location of the centre of the clusters was found. In the second step, all events are located using this position. The hypocentres are found at shallow depths (20 to 700 m deep) below the summit craters. The very high location resolution allows us to detect the temporal migration of the events along a dike-like structure and 2 pipe shaped bodies, yielding an unprecedented view of some elements of the shallow plumbing system at Mount Etna. These events do not seem to be a direct indicator of the ongoing lava flow or magma upwelling

Seismo-volcano source localization with triaxial broad-band seismic array

International audienceSeismo-volcano source localization is essential to improve our understanding of eruptive dynamics and of magmatic systems. The lack of clear seismic wave phases prohibits the use of classical location methods. Seismic antennas composed of one-component (1C) seismometers provide a good estimate of the backazimuth of the wavefield. The depth estimation, on the other hand, is difficult or impossible to determine. As in classical seismology, the use of three-component (3C) seismometers is now common in volcano studies. To determine the source location parameters (backazimuth and depth), we extend the 1C seismic antenna approach to 3Cs. This paper discusses a high-resolution location method using a 3C array survey (3CMUSIC algorithm) with data from two seismic antennas installed on an andesitic volcano in Peru (Ubinas volcano). One of the main scientific questions related to the eruptive process of Ubinas volcano is the relationship between the magmatic explosions and long-period (LP) swarms. After introducing the 3C array theory, we evaluate the robustness of the location method on a full wavefield 3-D synthetic data set generated using a digital elevation model of Ubinas volcano and an homogeneous velocity model. Results show that the backazimuth determined using the 3C array has a smaller error than a 1C array. Only the 3C method allows the recovery of the source depths. Finally, we applied the 3C approach to two seismic events recorded in 2009. Crossing the estimated backazimuth and incidence angles, we find sources located 1000 ± 660 m and 3000 ± 730 m below the bottom of the active crater for the explosion and the LP event, respectively. Therefore, extending 1C arrays to 3C arrays in volcano monitoring allows a more accurate determination of the source epicentre and now an estimate for the depth

Crustal structure below Popocat\'epetl Volcano (Mexico) from analysis of Rayleigh waves

An array of ten broadband stations was installed on the Popocat\'epetl volcano (Mexico) for five months between October 2002 and February 2003. 26 regional and teleseismic earthquakes were selected and filtered in the frequency time domain to extract the fundamental mode of the Rayleigh wave. The average dispersion curve was obtained in two steps. Firstly, phase velocities were measured in the period range [2-50] s from the phase difference between pairs of stations, using Wiener filtering. Secondly, the average dispersion curve was calculated by combining observations from all events in order to reduce diffraction effects. The inversion of the mean phase velocity yielded a crustal model for the volcano which is consistent with previous models of the Mexican Volcanic Belt. The overall crustal structure beneath Popocat\'epetl is therefore not different from the surrounding area, and the velocities in the lower crust are confirmed to be relatively low. Lateral variations of the structure were also investigated by dividing the network into four parts and by applying the same procedure to each sub-array. No well-defined anomalies appeared for the two sub-arrays for which it was possible to measure a dispersion curve. However, dispersion curves associated with individual events reveal important diffraction for 6 s to 12 s periods which could correspond to strong lateral variations at 5 to 10 km depth

Short term forecasting of explosions at Ubinas volcano, Perú

Most seismic eruption forerunners are described using Volcano-Tectonic earthquakes, seismic energy release, deformation rates or seismic noise analyses. Using the seismic data recorded at Ubinas volcano (Peru) between 2006 and 2008, we explore the time evolution of the Long Period (LP) seismicity rate prior to 143 explosions. We resolve an average acceleration of the LP rate above the background level during the 2-3 hours preceding the explosion onset. Such an average pattern, which emerges when stacking over LP time series, is robust and stable over all the 2006-2008 period, for which data is available. This accelerating pattern is also recovered when conditioning the LP rate on the occurrence of an other LP event, rather than on the explosion time. It supports a common mechanism for the generation of explosions and LP events, the magma conduit pressure increase being the most probable candidate. The average LP rate acceleration toward an explosion is highly significant prior to the higher energy explosions, supposedly the ones associated with the larger pressure increases. The dramatic decay of the LP activity following explosions, still reinforce the strong relationship between these two processes. We test and we quantify the retrospective forecasting power of these LP rate patterns to predict Ubinas explosions. The prediction quality of the forecasts (e.g. for 17% of alarm time, we predict 63% of Ubinas explosions, with 58% of false alarms) is evaluated using error diagrams. The prediction results are stable and the prediction algorithm validated, i.e. its performance is better than the random guess

Géodynamique andine : résumés étendus = Andean geodynamics : extended abstracts = Geodinamica andina : resumenes expandidos

Plusieurs volcans actifs d'Equateur présentent la particularité d'être couvert par une calotte glaciaire. Ces volcans se caractérisent aussi par une activité sismique relativement importante alors qu'ils sont manifestement dans un état de repos. Nous avons pu mettre en évidence qu'une proportion importante de l'activité sismique enregistrée sur le volcan Cotopaxi est due à la présence du glacier. Pour parvenir à ce resultat, nous avons comparé les signaux sismiques enregistrés en deux sites proches, l'un sur le glacier et l'autre sur la roche. Nous présentons dans ce résumé les caractéristiques des signaux de glace enregistrés sur le Cotopaxi. Ces signaux ressemblent beaucoup aux signaux basse fréquence d'origine volcanique lorsqu'on compare les enregistrements réalisés sur la roche, en revanche on constate quelques enregistrements effectués dans la glace présentent des différences notables, ce qui permet de différencier les deux types d'activité. (Résumé d'auteur

Families of similar events and modes of oscillation of the conduit at Yasur volcano (Vanuatu)

International audienceGaua Island (also called Santa Maria), from the central part of the Vanuatu arc, consists of a large volcano marked by a caldera that hosts the active Mount Garet summit cone. In this paper, a geochemical study including Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic compositions of 25 lavas emitted since 1.8 Ma is presented, with a focus on the volcanic products that preceded (old volcanics, main cone and pyroclastic series) and followed (Mount Garet) the caldera forming event.All lavas show an island arc signature with enrichment in LILE and depletion in HFSE. Post-caldera lavas define a medium-K calc-alkaline trend, whereas lavas from the former main cone have high-K calc-alkaline compositions. Compared to the pre-caldera volcanic suite, the Mount Garet lavas have similar Th/Nb (~ 1.5), 143Nd/144Nd (~ 0.51295) and 176Hf/177Hf (~ 0.28316) ratios, but higher Ba/La (~ 42 vs. ~ 27) and 87Sr/86Sr (0.70417 vs. 0.70405) ratios and lower Ce/Pb (~ 2.7 vs. ~ 4.6), La/Sm (~ 2.5 vs. ~ 4.0) and 206Pb/204Pb (18.105 vs. 18.176) ratios. High Th/Nb and low Nd and Hf isotopic ratios compared to N-MORB suggest the contribution of ~ 2% of subducted sediment melt to the mantle source of Gaua magmas. Most of the observed differences between pre- and post-caldera lavas can be accounted for by the involvement of at least two portions of the mantle wedge, metasomatized by different slab-derived aqueous fluids. In addition, the lower La/Sm (at a given 143Nd/144Nd) ratios of Mount Garet lavas suggest a higher degree of partial melting (~ 10–15%) compared to the pre-caldera lavas (~ 5%). The Santa Maria Pyroclastic Series (SMPS) eruption probably triggered the caldera collapse, in response to emptying of the magmatic chamber. This event may have allowed new access to the surface for a geochemically distinct batch of magma issued from a separate magma chamber, resulting in the birth and construction of Mount Garet within the caldera. As both magmatic suites were emitted over a very short time, the storage of their parental magmas beneath the volcano is still possible