Long-period Tremor Research Articles

Unravelling the excitation mechanism of very long-period (VLP) tremors in the Gulf of Guinea: evidence for vibrations of thin surface crustal plates

SUMMARY The Gulf of Guinea exhibits a continuous emission of narrow-band and long-period signals (16, 26 and 27 s) on teleseismic records, yet the underlying excitation mechanism remains unclear. This study establishes a connection between these tremors and the vibration of thin, decoupled crustal plates at unexplored volcanoes in the gulf. We first formulate the damped plate oscillation equation, by incorporating the vibration of the thin surface crustal plate and magma flow in the subsurface sill. The findings reveal that a fundamental-mode vibration with a period of several dozen seconds can be induced by a crustal plate that is less than 1.0 km thick but extends over tens of kilometres in both length and width, given a subsurface sill depth exceeding 10.0 cm. The thin plate hypothesis also allows for excitation of a few overtone modes, but such waves in higher frequencies diminish over long distances, leaving only the monotonous fundamental-mode vibration at teleseismic stations. The long duration of Guinea tremors at each recurrence is attributed to the presence of low viscosity basaltic magma, which influences the damping factor. Direct wave loads at the shallow gulf serve as the primary vibration source, accounting for seasonal variations and recurring patterns. Sporadic energy bursts may also occur due to large storms. Radiation patterns of Guinea tremors are linked to the geometric structure of the thin plate. Our theoretical estimates of tremor spectra closely align with observed data, confirming the model’s accuracy in capturing reported Guinea tremor characteristics. This study provides valuable insights into the origins of very long-period tremors at continental volcanoes.

ГЕОДИНАМІКА

The purpose of the research is to find possible ways to use microseisms, caused by standing waves in water bodies. According to the theory, standing waves arise when two traveling waves, moving towards each other collide. The first of them falls on an obstacle and the second one reflects from it. The conditions of excitation the waves and swinging of damped waves are presented. Evidence shows that the wave pressure at the antinodes at the boundaries of the water medium separation and the soil is proportional to the wave amplitude on the water. The possibility of using standing waves in seismic exploration is confirmed by the observation data of storm microseisms at remote stations. To increase the transmission range, it is advisable to use long-period microseisms, which provide low damping. One method to reduce the risk of an earthquake involves the initiation of weak seismicity by artificial sources in order to periodically relieve excess tectonic stress. One of the most powerful sources of lithospheric deformations is the natural oscillations of the liquid level in large water bodies. The study considers the idea of using the resonance effect of tidal-seiches vibrations to initiate weak seismicity. Artificial excitation of the seiche is achieved when controlling a water culvert. Transmission network supports multiplexing of communication channels with separation by physical nature and transmission media. When managing culverts, seiches oscillations are artificially swung with phase-shift oscillations. Phase shift of the exciting wave relative to the damping wave, in turn, causes variations in seiche periods, which leads to proportional variations in the periods of microseisms. This solution allows encoding messages by the durations of seiches and microseisms, with their subsequent transmission. Hydrological observations revealed the effect of the dependence of surface seiches periods on water depth. The solution of the inverse problem, with the measured seiches period, allows calculating the water body depth. Method of remote measurement has been proposed using the analysis of ground oscillations of seiches origin. Analysis of variations in the electromagnetic radiation of the geological environment has shown that they are determined by the mechanisms of energy conversion of these processes into the energy of the electromagnetic field. The study of these variations allows us to calculate the depth of the water body. Originality. Methods for using microseismic oscillations excited by standing waves are considered in detail. The methods of managing standing waves are presented: by regulating the depth of the reservoir; by regulating the period of the exciting wave; by regulating the phase of the exciting wave. The dependence of the amplitude of the resulting oscillation of standing waves on the phase of the exciting oscillation of the same period was investigated. Innovative developments protected by patents of Ukraine are presented, which imply the economic use of microseisms caused by standing waves of water bodies. It is noted that both the necessity and the possibility for using one or another method of performing a specific task are determined by internal and external objective conditions that exist at a certain time in a certain space.

Maximum covariance direction method for unconventional seismic sources

SUMMARYWe propose a new array covariance matrix analysis method, named ‘maximum covariance direction method’ (MCD method), to detect and locate unconventional seismic sources of weak signals without clear onsets. The MCD method builds a normalized-covariance matrix of time-shifted seismic waveforms recorded in a seismic array and determines the existence of source based on the consistency of the maximum covariance direction with the theoretical prediction. Synthetic tests demonstrate effectiveness of the MCD method in detecting one and multiple isolated sources with low signal-to-noise ratios. As a data application, we study 1-hr long-period tremors (LPTs) around Aso Volcano of Japan in 2014 November 24. A total of 26 LPTs are detected near the Naka-dake first crater of Aso Volcano, with the uncertainties of source location of about 7 km. Using the recorded background noise at the seismic stations, we show that the MCD method can detect LPTs even when the LPT signals are buried in the background noise and become indiscernible in the seismic data. Unlike traditional methods that employ the coherent features of seismic signals for source detection, the MCD method places emphases on both the coherence of seismic signals and consistency of the direction of the coherent signals from a potential source location. The synthetic tests and data application indicate that the MCD method provides a good alternative to other traditional methods for detecting and locating unconventional seismic sources, with a major improvement of avoiding source misidentification in the presence of strong incoherent signals.

The Response of Repetitive Very‐Long‐Period Seismic Signals at Aso Volcano to Periodic Loading

AbstractTriggering of volcano seismic activity and eruptions by tides, atmosphere pressure, rainfall, and earthquakes have been in constant debate. However, there is limited evidence concerning the triggering of very‐long‐period signals (VLPs), which are closely linked to volcano conduit dynamics. Persistent and repetitive VLP event beneath the Aso volcano, historically termed long‐period tremor (LPT), manifests episodic pressurization and depressurization events in a crack‐like shallow conduit. Here we show that LPT activity display no appreciable spectral peaks associated with major diurnal/semidiurnal tidal constituents or barometric pressure. Instead, passing surface waves of ∼0.01 m/s from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake elevated LPT activity and preferentially increased the likelihood of depressurization events. We suggest that the hydrothermal reservoir near the LPT source behaves like a confined (unconfined) aquifer against short‐period (long‐period) stress. A high stress rate of ∼102 Pa/s is sufficient to enhance the permeability of the conduit plug/wall and preferentially promotes depressurization events.

Possible Linkages between Microseisms in the Andaman-Nicobar Region and Swells in the South Indian Ocean

AbstractMicroseism source characterization and its genesis play a key role in linking microseism records to prevailing atmospheric and oceanic conditions. In the present study, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of microseisms in the Andaman-Nicobar region using ocean-bottom seismometers and nearby continental stations data for the deployment period of January–April 2014. We attempted to establish a linkage between microseisms and ocean wave parameters derived from the ERA5 dataset. The short-period secondary microseisms (2–5 s) show a marked difference compared with long-period secondary microseisms (6–10 s) and are associated with local climatology and geomorphology. In contrast, long-period microseisms are related to distant sources in the South Indian Ocean. The primary microseisms (11–20 s) are weak in the Andaman region and do not correlate with any ocean wave parameters.

Relation between ocean wave activity and wavefield of the ambient noise recorded in northern Poland

The temporal and spatial variations of the wavefield of ambient noise recorded at ‘13 BB star’ array located in northern Poland were related to the activity of high, long-period ocean waves generated by strong storms in the Northern Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Northern Pacific Ocean between 2013 and 2016. Once pre-processed, the raw noise records in time- and frequency-domains, and spectral analysis and high-resolution three-component beamforming techniques were applied to the broadband noise data. The power spectral density was analysed to quantify the noise wavefield, observing the primary (0.04–0.1 Hz) microseism peak and the splitting of the secondary microseism into long-period (0.2–0.3 Hz) and short-period (0.3–0.8 Hz) peaks. The beam-power analysis allowed to determine the changes in the azimuth of noise sources and the velocity of surface waves. The significant wave height, obtained by combining observed data and forecast model results for wave height and period, was analysed to characterise ocean wave activity during strong storms. The comparison of wave activity and beam-power led to distinguish the sources of Rayleigh and Love waves associated to long-period microseisms, of short-period microseisms, and of primary microseisms. High, long-period ocean waves hitting the coastline were found to be the main source of noise wavefield. The source of long-period microseisms was correlated to such waves in the open sea able to reach the shore, whereas the source of primary microseisms was tied to waves interacting with the seafloor very close to the coastlines. The source of short-period microseisms was attributed to strong storms constituted of short-period waves not reaching the coast.

Real-time and in-situ assessment of conduit permeability through diverse long-period tremors beneath Aso volcano, Japan

Long-period signal (LPs, 0.2–2 s) and very long-period signal (VLP, 2–100 s) observed in the shallow volcanic plumbing system are typically repetitive and time-invariant in their location and source mechanism, offering in-situ probes of hot fluid transport over the eruption cycles. While the amplitude and activity of volcanic-tectonic earthquakes and LP events have been commonly used to infer overpressure within their source region, one missing link is an observable that may permit inference on the change in the permeability of the conduit plug/wall, which can regulate the degree of pressurization, affect the mechanical strength of the surrounding rock, and consequently the likelihood of an upcoming eruption. Here we show that during the 2011–2016 eruption cycle at Aso volcano in Japan, long-period tremor events, a VLP of ~15 s period, with opposite waveform polarity can be systematically detected and categorized as pressurization and depressurization events in the same crack-like conduit. We suggest that, depending on the strength of the surrounding rock and the permeability of the crack-like conduit wall/plug, pressurization due to magmatic heat and vaporization is more likely to occur when a less permeable conduit plug/wall can effectively keep the gas inside the crack-like conduit. On the other hand, depressurization is prone to occur if the conduit wall/plug permeability is sufficiently high to allow gas to escape from the conduit. Considering the amplitude of LPT proportional to the conduit overpressure, contrasting energetics of these diverse LPT events allows us to define whether the conduit is prone to pressurization or depressurization, providing a framework to infer how the permeability of the conduit wall/plug may evolve over an eruption cycle.

Sudden changes in the amplitude‐frequency distribution of long‐period tremors at Aso volcano, southwest Japan

AbstractWe observed the activity of long‐period tremors (LPTs) with a period of ~15 s at Aso volcano, Japan, during a 3 year period including the 2014 eruptions. The number of LPTs detected systematically increased 3 months before the Strombolian eruptions. LPT activity can be divided into five stages based on rapid changes in the maximum LPT amplitude. The amplitude‐frequency relation follows an exponential distribution during each stage before the Strombolian eruptions, with different characteristic amplitudes for each stage, indicating that the scale of the source property changed in stages. However, during a stage that persisted for 6 days after the onset of Strombolian activity, the amplitude‐frequency relation temporarily followed a power law distribution, indicating that the LPT source process no longer had a characteristic scale. In the last stage, the amplitude‐frequency relation returned to an exponential distribution. We therefore conclude that the physical source of volcanic LPTs changed during the eruption period.

P08 阿蘇火山の土砂噴出活動に先行した長周期微動の活動変化(ポスターセッション)

P08 阿蘇火山の土砂噴出活動に先行した長周期微動の活動変化(ポスターセッション)

Observations of mount etna seismicity during the 2002–2003 eruption based on deep-sea gravimeter data

This paper concerns observations made by a broadband deep-sea gravimeter installed on the plat-form of the SN-1 multiparameter seafloor observatory. The observatory was deployed at a distance of 25 km from the east coast of Sicily in southern Italy at a depth of 2105 m and was operated in a self-contained mode from October 2002 to February 2003 (134 days). The proximity to Mount Etna and the period of eruptive activity starting in late October 2002 lent added interest to this experiment. The seismic activity of Mount Etna, as recorded by the gravimeter, is characterized by the presence of two signal types, viz., a long-period volcanic tremor of variable amplitude and volcano-tectonic earthquakes. The bulk of energy in the long-period tremor occurs in the spectral interval between 2 and 5 s. The long-period seismic signals due to volcanic and global earthquakes were used to estimate resonant characteristics for Etna’s heterogeneous structures.

Characteristics of isolated hybrid tremor (HBT) during a calm activity period at Aso Volcano

Isolated-type tremors having two events with different dominant frequencies are characteristic seismological phenomena observed during the fumarolic activity stage at Aso Volcano. These isolated tremors are called hybrid tremors (HBT) and comprise two parts: an initial part named the “HF-part” with a dominant frequency in the high-frequency region (approximately 10 Hz) and the following part named the “LF-part” with a dominant frequency in the low-frequency region (approximately 2 Hz). The LF-part is observed after the HF-part, and the HBT is accompanied by a long-period tremor (LPT). Hypocenters and source parameters are estimated using seismograms recorded at 64 stations around Nakadake crater. The amplitude distributions of all HF-parts have almost similar trends. Similarly, the amplitude distributions of all LF-parts have almost similar trends. However, the amplitude distributions of HF- and LF-parts are not similar. From these results, we proposed that the hypocenters and source parameters of HF- and LF-parts are not common, but each of them have common hypocenters and source parameters. The hypocenter region of HF-parts was estimated to be just beneath the fumarole region south of the 1st crater: the volume fluctuation is the major source factor. The hypocenter region of LF-parts is estimated to be at a depth of approximately 300 m beneath the first crater: the strike–slip component is the major source parameter. The hypocentral depth of LF-parts is located at the upper end of the crack estimated to be the source of the LPTs. The LPTs and HBTs are observed almost simultaneously. We consider that volcanic fluid is involved in the source mechanisms of both HBT and LPT.

Release of mantle helium from forearc region of the Southwest Japan arc

Shikoku, Japan, is an island located on the forearc region of the western sector of the Southwest (SW) Japan arc that was formed by subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath the Eurasian plate. Noble gas isotope analyses were carried out for 30 bubbling gas samples and spring water samples collected in Shikoku. In addition, chemical and carbon isotope analyses were conducted for six gas samples. Observed 3He/ 4He ratios were 0.17 R/R A to 3.56 R/R A, showing that several samples contain mantle helium components, although some samples contain helium of crustal origin. Geographical distributions of 3He/ 4He ratios show that high 3He/ 4He ratios originate mainly from two areas: one along the Median Tectonic Line (MTL), a major active fault in Japan; the other coinciding with a region in which non-volcanic long-period tremors occur, about 30 km deep [Obara, K., 2002. Nonvolcanic deep tremor associated with subduction in southwest Japan. Science 296, 1679-1681]. This fact indicates that fluids liberated from the slab in the forearc region cause deep tremors and fracturing within the crust, thereby easing the transfer of fluids to the surface that are mixed with mantle helium to the surface. An active fault system can also provide an efficient path for mantle helium transfer.

The 2003 phreatomagmatic eruptions of Anatahan volcano—textural and petrologic features of deposits at an emergent island volcano

Stratigraphic and field data are used in conjunction with textural and chemical evidence (including data from scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and instrumental neutron activation analysis) to establish that the 2003 eruption of Anatahan volcano was mainly phreatomagmatic, dominated by explosive interaction of homogeneous composition low-viscosity crystal-poor andesite magma with water. The hydromagmatic mode of eruption contributed to the significant height of initial eruptive columns and to the excavation and eruption of altered rock debris from the sub-volcanic hydrothermal system. Volatile contents of glass inclusions in equilibrium phenocrysts less abundances of these constituents in matrix glass times the estimated mass of juvenile magma indicate minimum emissions of 19 kt SO 2 and 13 kt Cl. This petrologic estimate of SO 2 emission is an order-of-magnitude less than an estimate from TOMS. Similarly, inferred magma volumes from the petrologic data are an order of magnitude greater than those modeled from deformation data. Both discrepancies indicate additional sources of volatiles, likely derived from a separate fluid phase in the magma. The paucity of near-source volcanic–tectonic earthquakes preceding the eruption, and the dominance of sustained long-period tremor are attributed to the ease of ascent of the hot low-viscosity andesite, followed by a shallow phreatomagmatic mode of eruption. Phreatomagmatic eruptions are probably more common at emergent tropical island volcanoes, where shallow fresh-water lenses occur at near-sea-level vents. These relations suggest that phreatomagmatic explosions contributed to the formation of many of the near-sea-level craters and possibly even to the small calderas at the other Mariana islands.

Dynamic response of frequent tremors at Aso volcano to teleseismic waves from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake

Teleseismic waves from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake dynamically triggered isolated tremor and micro-earthquakes at Aso volcano, Japan, which is at a distance of 1400 km. Immediately after the arrival of the P-waves, short-period tremor (SPT) began to occur more frequently for about 2000 s, and during and after the arrival of surface waves, 2 micro-earthquakes were observed around the crater. Observations of frequent SPT are an indication of triggered isolated tremor which consists of both SPT and long-period tremor (LPT) components. For the cases of arrivals of seismic waves from other large teleseisms from March 1995 to June 2002, triggering of isolated tremor was observed during 1998–1999. During this period increased thermal supply to the crater was observed while the background activity was relatively low, and the volcanic system beneath the crater was more responsive to external stress perturbations.

3He/ 4He ratios in well gases in the Kinki district, SW Japan: surface appearance of slab-derived fluids in a non-volcanic area in Kii Peninsula

A total of 27 well gas samples collected from SW Japan were subjected to precise analysis of He, Ne and Ar isotopic compositions. The sampling area covers localities where mantle-derived helium emanates in the fore-arc of the Kii Peninsula, and is known as the ‘Kinki spot’ [e.g., Sano and Wakita, J. Geophys. Res. 90 (1985) 8728–8741]. The Kinki spot apparently is located within the fore-arc with no obvious magmatic activity, which contrasts to the occurrence of similarly high 3He/ 4He ratios along the volcanic front of NE Japan. Our high density sampling revealed more clearly that the high 3He/ 4He ratio wells are distributed in the Kii Peninsula above the area where the young and hot Philippine Sea Plate is subducting with a relatively steeper dip than in the adjacent area; this situation favors the near-trench side of the subducting slab entering eclogite facies conditions involving slab dehydration, without inducing melting of the mantle wedge. The aqueous fluids derived from the slab acquire mantle He during their passage through the mantle wedge. Thus, the observed association of mantle He and the fore-arc dehydration of the Philippine Sea Plate indicates that fluid derived from the subducting slab is contributing to the occurrence of mantle He in well gases of the Kii Peninsula. The high 3He/ 4He region of Kii Peninsula also coincides with the occurrence of long-period tremors. These are caused by the movement of fluids derived from the subducting slab. Localized stresses cause significant uplift in the area, interpreted as indicating that intra-crustal fractures provide pathways through the crust for the fluids derived from depth. Thus, magma is not necessarily required as the carrier of mantle-derived helium to the surface of the fore-arc region of Kii Peninsula.

Nonvolcanic deep tremor associated with subduction in southwest Japan.

Deep long-period tremors were recognized and located in a nonvolcanic region in southwest Japan. Epicenters of the tremors were distributed along the strike of the subducting Philippine Sea plate over a length of 600 kilometers. The depth of the tremors averaged about 30 kilometers, near the Mohorovic discontinuity. Each tremor lasted for at most a few weeks. The location of the tremors within the subduction zone indicates that the tremors may have been caused by fluid generated by dehydration processes from the slab.

Aso94: Aso seismic observation with broadband instruments

We deployed a network of broadband seismometers for one year around the Naka-dake first crater of Aso volcano in Kyushu, Japan, to reveal the mechanism of long period tremors (LPTs) emitted from the volcano. It is observed that LPTs with a dominant period of about 15s are always emitted regardless of the surface activity of the volcano. A typical LPT has a short duration less than a minute and its spectrum shows mode peaks at 15, 7.5, 5, and 3s. The particle motion in the frequency band for the lowest two modes at stations within a few kilometers from the crater is rectilinear, pointing in the direction of the crater. A waveform semblance technique to locate sources of LPTs is devised to utilize the rectilinearity of waveforms. The LPT sources are located at depths of 1–1.5km beneath the bottom of the crater. When the volcano is explosively ejecting steam and mud, on the other hand, a very long period (∽100s) displacement (VLPD) polarized outward from the crater often precedes an eruptive event by a few minutes. A typical VLPD is accompanied by a few long period pulses, first positively polarized and concurrent with the onset of VLPD, then negatively polarized just before the eruption. The source of VLPDs is inferred to coincide approximately with that of LPT. On the basis of these observations, a qualitative model is constructed for the hydrothermal system beneath the Naka-dake first crater. An explanation for the unusually long period nature of the LPT is discussed in terms of a class of slow waves, which exist in solid–liquid two-phase systems. A possibility of realtime monitoring at Aso volcano using the observed long period seismic signals is also discussed.

Moment tensor analysis of near-field broadband waveforms observed at Aso Volcano, Japan

Locations and focal mechanisms of long-period volcanic events observed at Aso volcano, Japan, are determined by waveform inversion. Near-field broadband three-component seismograms of four to seven stations are simultaneously inverted in the time domain in order to find the six-component seismic moment tensor. A linear inversion is performed at each point of a 3D grid located under the volcano in order to constrain the centroid position and the focal mechanism of the source. The complete displacements, including near-field waves, in a homogeneous half-space for a general point source are taken into account. Inversions of 43 long-period tremors and six phreatic eruptions exhibit mainly an isotropic mechanism, with a minor deviatoric component that may originate from a north–south-trending crack. These events are all located in a small region at about 1.3km depth beneath the active crater. The high accuracy, both of locations (a few hundred meters) and of focal mechanisms given by the inversion, is partly attributed to the rapid variation of the amplitude of the static displacement seen in the long-period part of the near-field seismograms.

Detection of a crack‐like conduit beneath the active crater at Aso Volcano Japan

To constrain the source of long period tremors (LPTs), we deployed a very dense broadband seismic network consisting of totally twenty‐four stations around the active crater of Aso volcano in Kyushu, Japan. The spatial variation of the observed signal amplitudes reveals that the source of LPTs consists of an isotropic expansion (contraction) and an inflation (deflation) of an inclined tensile crack with a strike almost parallel to the chain of craters. The detected crack has a dimension of 1 km and its center is located a few hundred meters southwest of the active crater, at a depth of about 1.8 km. The extension of the crack plane meets the crater chain including the active fumarole at the surface, suggesting that the crack has played an important role in transporting gasses and/or lava to the craters from below. This work also demonstrates a powerful usage of broadband seismometers as geodetic instruments to constrain subsurface structures at active volcanoes.

On the origin of the long-period tremor recorded at Stromboli volcano (Italy)

This investigation deals with the nature of the long-period seismic signals (>1 s) observed at Stromboli and addresses the question whether they are of volcanic origin or produced by sources such as Ocean Microseisms (OMS). We present results from the analysis of seismic broadband data recorded during 1992 by an array of 9 Guralp CMG-3T seismometers. The determination of the Array Response Function (ARF) shows that array techniques like delay-and-sum beamforming cannot be applied for this purpose, as the extension of the array is limited by the geographical constraint of the island of Stromboli volcano, being simply too small. Spectral analysis reveals three main peaks with periods at 4.8 s, 6 s and 10 s which are not stable in time but vary according to the regional meteorological situation. Whereas 4.8 s and 10 s show up in amplitude spectra calculated during rainy and stormy weather, the 6 s period can be observed during a period of good weather. The signals were first narrowly filtered and then cross correlation, particle motion and amplitudes of the main long periods studied in detail. Relative arrival times as well as seismic amplitudes of the filtered traces do not show any systematic feature but vary with time. Particle motion analysis demonstrates that all long-period signals are recorded by the array as plane waves and that the main propagation direction of the 10 s signal is parallel to the wind direction. No correlation with volcanic activity is obvious. We conclude therefore that the three main long periods are not generated by a close volcanic source. We assume a local cyclone to be the seismic source at 4.8 s and 10 s, which represent the Double Frequency (DF-band) and the Primary Frequency (PF-band), respectively. Concerning the 6 s peak, we speculate a cyclone near the British Isles to act as a seismic source.