Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy)
Abstract Infrasound is increasing applied as a tool to investigate magma dynamics at active volcanoes, especially at open-vent volcanoes, such as Mt. Etna (Italy), which are prodigious sources of infrasound. Harmonic infrasound signals have been used to constrain crater dimensions and track the move...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20258-9 |
| _version_ | 1797985994247503872 |
|---|---|
| author | Mariangela Sciotto Leighton M. Watson Andrea Cannata Massimo Cantarero Emanuela De Beni Jeffrey B. Johnson |
| author_facet | Mariangela Sciotto Leighton M. Watson Andrea Cannata Massimo Cantarero Emanuela De Beni Jeffrey B. Johnson |
| author_sort | Mariangela Sciotto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Infrasound is increasing applied as a tool to investigate magma dynamics at active volcanoes, especially at open-vent volcanoes, such as Mt. Etna (Italy), which are prodigious sources of infrasound. Harmonic infrasound signals have been used to constrain crater dimensions and track the movement of magma within the shallow plumbing system. This study interprets the remarkable systematic change in monotonic infrasound signals preceding a lava fountaining episode at Mt. Etna on 20 February 2021. We model the changing tones (0.7 to 3 Hz fundamental frequency) as a rise in the magma column from 172 ± 25 m below the crater rim to 78 ± 8 m over the course of 24 h. The infrasonic gliding disappears approximately 4 h before the onset of lava fountaining as the magma column approaches the flare of the crater and acoustic resonance is no longer supported. The featured 20 February event was just one of 52 lava fountain episodes that occurred at Mt. Etna over the course of 9 months in 2021 and was the only lava fountain episode where dramatic gliding was observed as a subsequent partial collapse of the crater prevented future resonance. The results presented here demonstrate that analysis of infrasonic gliding can be used to track the position of the magma free surface and hence may provide information on the processes taking place within the plumbing system before eruptive activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:25:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e961c794f1ac49cf908b5dbf0387a9bd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:25:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-e961c794f1ac49cf908b5dbf0387a9bd2022-12-22T04:37:04ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-10-0112111710.1038/s41598-022-20258-9Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy)Mariangela Sciotto0Leighton M. Watson1Andrea Cannata2Massimo Cantarero3Emanuela De Beni4Jeffrey B. Johnson5Istituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E VulcanologiaSchool of Earth and Environment, University of CanterburyIstituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E VulcanologiaIstituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E VulcanologiaIstituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E VulcanologiaDepartment of Geosciences, Boise State UniversityAbstract Infrasound is increasing applied as a tool to investigate magma dynamics at active volcanoes, especially at open-vent volcanoes, such as Mt. Etna (Italy), which are prodigious sources of infrasound. Harmonic infrasound signals have been used to constrain crater dimensions and track the movement of magma within the shallow plumbing system. This study interprets the remarkable systematic change in monotonic infrasound signals preceding a lava fountaining episode at Mt. Etna on 20 February 2021. We model the changing tones (0.7 to 3 Hz fundamental frequency) as a rise in the magma column from 172 ± 25 m below the crater rim to 78 ± 8 m over the course of 24 h. The infrasonic gliding disappears approximately 4 h before the onset of lava fountaining as the magma column approaches the flare of the crater and acoustic resonance is no longer supported. The featured 20 February event was just one of 52 lava fountain episodes that occurred at Mt. Etna over the course of 9 months in 2021 and was the only lava fountain episode where dramatic gliding was observed as a subsequent partial collapse of the crater prevented future resonance. The results presented here demonstrate that analysis of infrasonic gliding can be used to track the position of the magma free surface and hence may provide information on the processes taking place within the plumbing system before eruptive activity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20258-9 |
| spellingShingle | Mariangela Sciotto Leighton M. Watson Andrea Cannata Massimo Cantarero Emanuela De Beni Jeffrey B. Johnson Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) Scientific Reports |
| title | Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) |
| title_full | Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) |
| title_fullStr | Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) |
| title_short | Infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at Mount Etna (Italy) |
| title_sort | infrasonic gliding reflects a rising magma column at mount etna italy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20258-9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariangelasciotto infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly AT leightonmwatson infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly AT andreacannata infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly AT massimocantarero infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly AT emanueladebeni infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly AT jeffreybjohnson infrasonicglidingreflectsarisingmagmacolumnatmountetnaitaly |