Seismic Tomography of Erebus Volcano, Antarctica

Abstract

Mount Erebus (77°32′S, 167°10′E; elevation 3794 meters) is the most active volcano in Antarctica and is well known for its persistent lava lake. The lake constitutes an “open window” into the conduit and underlying feeding system and offers a rare opportunity to observe a shallow convecting magmatic system.Imaging and modeling of the internal structure of Erebus volcano are best done through compiling information from arrays of seismometers positioned strategically around the volcano. From these data, the three‐dimensional (3‐D) structure of the conduit can be pieced together. Building this 3‐D model of Erebus was a main goal of the seismic tomographic experiment Tomo Erebus (TE). During the 2007–2008 austral field season, 23 intermediate‐period seismometers were installed to contribute data, through the winter, for the passive‐source aspect of the experiment. One year later, 100 three‐component short‐period stations were deployed to record 16 chemical blasts (see Figure 1).