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Infrasound for volcano monitoring

October 4, 2024

Introduction

Volcanic eruptions produce acoustic waves when volcanic gases and hot material rapidly expand in the atmosphere. Volcanic activity can produce acoustic signals with a wide range of frequencies, from very long period (>10 seconds) to audible (>20 hertz [Hz]), but the most energetic band is typically in the infrasound from 0.5 to 20 Hz. Studies of volcanic infrasound and the deployment of infrasound for volcano monitoring have increased rapidly in the past two decades as sensors have improved and as analytical tools have become more widely available. Improved sensors and tools have led to a growing diversity of eruptive activity being recorded and characterized, from Hawaiian to Plinian eruption styles at scales from local to global (Johnson and Ripepe, 2011; Fee and Matoza, 2013). Infrasound sensors on volcanoes are most commonly deployed locally with seismic stations, and the combination of co-located seismic and infrasound is more useful for characterizing unrest and detecting changes in activity than either data stream alone (for example, Lyons and others, 2016; Fee and others, 2017a; Matoza and others, 2018). At local (

Publication Year 2024
Title Infrasound for volcano monitoring
DOI 10.3133/sir20245062C
Authors John Lyons, David Fee, Weston Thelen, Alexandra Iezzi, Aaron Wech
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Scientific Investigations Report
Series Number 2024-5062
Index ID sir20245062C
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Volcano Science Center
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