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Degassing Lakes Nyos and Monoun: Defusing certain disaster

Since the catastrophic releases of CO2 in the 1980s, Lakes Nyos and Monoun in Cameroon experienced CO2 recharge at alarming rates of up to 80 mol/m2 per yr. Total gas pressures reached 8.3 and 15.6 bar in Monoun (2003) and Nyos (2001), respectively, resulting in gas saturation levels up to 97%. These natural hazards are distinguished by the potential for mitigation to prevent future disasters. Con
Authors
G.W. Kling, William C. Evans, G. Tanyileke, M. Kusakabe, T. Ohba, Y. Yoshida, J.V. Hell

Physical and chemical properties of submarine basaltic rocks from the submarine flanks of the Hawaiian Islands

To evaluate physical and chemical diversity in submarine basaltic rocks, approximately 280 deep submarine samples recovered by submersibles from the underwater flanks of the Hawaiian Islands were analyzed and compared. Based on observations from the submersibles and hand specimens, these samples were classified into three main occurrence types (lavas, coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks, and fine-
Authors
Hisayoshi Yokose, Peter W. Lipman, Toshiya Kanamatsu

Magmatic unrest beneath Mammoth Mountain, California

Mammoth Mountain, which stands on the southwest rim of Long Valley caldera in eastern California, last erupted ∼57,000 years BP. Episodic volcanic unrest detected beneath the mountain since late 1979, however, emphasizes that the underlying volcanic system is still active and capable of producing future volcanic eruptions. The unrest symptoms include swarms of small (M ≤ 3) earthquakes, spasmodic
Authors
D. P. Hill, S. Prejean

Monitoring eruptive activity at Mount St. Helens with TIR image data

Thermal infrared (TIR) data from the MASTER airborne imaging spectrometer were acquired over Mount St. Helens in Sept and Oct, 2004, before and after the onset of recent eruptive activity. Pre‐eruption data showed no measurable increase in surface temperatures before the first phreatic eruption on Oct 1. MASTER data acquired during the initial eruptive episode on Oct 14 showed maximum temperatures
Authors
R.G. Vaughan, S.J. Hook, M.S. Ramsey, V.J. Realmuto, D.J. Schneider

Seasonal seismicity at western United States volcanic centers

We examine 20-yr data sets of seismic activity from 10 volcanic areas in the western United States for annual periodic signals (seasonality), focusing on large calderas (Long Valley caldera and Yellowstone) and stratovolcanoes (Cascade Range). We apply several statistical methods to test for seasonality in the seismic catalogs. In 4 of the 10 regions, statistically significant seasonal modulation
Authors
L.B. Christiansen, S. Hurwitz, M.O. Saar, S. E. Ingebritsen, P. A. Hsieh

Acoustic Flow Monitor System - User Manual

INTRODUCTION The Acoustic Flow Monitor (AFM) is a portable system that was designed by the U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory to detect and monitor debris flows associated with volcanoes. It has been successfully used internationally as part of real-time warning systems in valleys threatened by such flows (Brantley, 1990; Marcial and others, 1996; Lavigne and others, 2000). The
Authors
Richard LaHusen

Magma generation at a large, hyperactive silicic volcano (Taupo, New Zealand) revealed by U-Th and U-Pb systematics in zircons

Young (<∼65 ka) explosive silicic volcanism at Taupo volcano, New Zealand, has involved the development and evacuation of several crustal magmatic systems. Up to and including the 26·5 ka 530 km3 Oruanui eruption, magmatic systems were contemporaneous but geographically separated. Subsequently they have been separated in time and have vented from geographically overlapping areas. Single-crystal (s
Authors
B. L. A. Charlier, C. J. N. Wilson, J. B. Lowenstern, S. Blake, P.W. van Calsteren, J.P. Davidson

Oligocene and earliest Miocene diatom biostratigraphy of ODP leg 199 site 1220, equatorial Pacific

Completion of studies on material collected during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 199 at Site 1220 in the equatorial Pacific allows calibration of the ranges of >35 stratigraphically important diatoms to paleomagnetic stratigraphy for the Oligocene and earliest Miocene (~33.5–21.5 Ma). The taxonomy of these taxa is reviewed, and age estimates of their first and last occurrences are compiled. The diato
Authors
John A. Barron, Elisabeth Fourtanier, S. M. Bohaty

The world's largest floods, past and present: Their causes and magnitudes

Floods are among the most powerful forces on earth. Human societies worldwide have lived and died with floods from the very beginning, spawning a prominent role for floods within legends, religions, and history. Inspired by such accounts, geologists, hydrologists, and historians have studied the role of floods on humanity and its supporting ecosystems, resulting in new appreciation for the many-fa
Authors
Jim E. O'Connor, John E. Costa