Abstract
Acoustic Emissions (AE) are effective for monitoring ground deformation and temporal variation of its porosity. AE are complementary to seismic information, related to the same area, though AE and earthquakes focus on observational evidence concerned with substantially different space- and time-scales. AE information is pertinent (i) either for geodynamically stable areas, where it probes the diurnal thermal and/or tidal deformation, (ii) or for seismic areas where it provides some as yet unexploited precursors, (iii) or for volcanic areas, where it appears capable of recognising precursors originated by some hot fluid that penetrates by diffusion into rock pores, from those associated with eventual plutonic magma intrusions, (iv) and also for monitoring periods of time during which a volcano is «inflated» by underground hot fluids compared to others during which it «deflates». Upon direct comparison between 6 data sets concerned with different physical settings, it seems to be possible (fig. 3 and table II) to distinguish a few significantly different behaviours associated either (i) with a mere compression (such as occurs for Stromboli, Vesuvius, and a sample compressed in the laboratory), or (ii) with a slip strain, such as it typically occurs in association with faulting or with diurnal thermal rock deformation.
Highlights
We address the heuristic potential of Acoustic Emissions (AE) as a diagnostic tool for studying microscale processes associated with ground deformation, microfracturing, and porosity variation
Ought to span a limited frequency range, because, according to the aforementioned third explanation, AE is concerned with local geological structures of limited spatial extension, unlike the large seismic energy release that ought to be originated by a tectonic structure other than the AE source, though both sources respond to a common prime deformation and trigger
The same result is observed on Gran Sasso, where the AE is consequent to the thermal daily deformation of rocks, by which AE ought to be associated with slip AE occurring during cooling, i.e. by local nighttime
Summary
We address the heuristic potential of Acoustic Emissions (AE) as a diagnostic tool for studying microscale processes associated with ground deformation, microfracturing, and porosity variation. Such application can be concerned (i) with the study of matter exchanges across soil surface, or (ii) with a few different processes that occur within the ground and that are associated. Our method, when considered a posteriori, is very robust with respect to anthropic or natural perturbations. It would be presumptuous (either in the negative or in the positive sense) to compare either our records, methods of analysis, or results, with previous investigations. Different approaches must be realistically compared with each other with no preconceived understatement or overstatement
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