Periodic volcanic degassing behavior: The Mount Etna example

In contrast to the seismic and infrasonic energy released from quiescent and erupting volcanoes, which have long been known to manifest episodes of highly periodic behavior, the spectral properties of volcanic gas flux time series remain poorly constrained, due to a previous lack of high‐temporal re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2013-09, Vol.40 (18), p.4818-4822
Main Authors: Tamburello, G., Aiuppa, A., McGonigle, A. J. S., Allard, P., Cannata, A., Giudice, G., Kantzas, E. P., Pering, T. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bubbles
Bursting
Constraints
Correlation
Degassing
Detection
Earth Sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fluctuation
Fluctuations
Flux
Geophysics
Imaging
Imaging techniques
Lava
Magma
Mount Etna
periodic gas flux
Periodic structures
Properties
Sampling
Sciences of the Universe
Seismology
Sensing techniques
Spectra
Sulfur dioxide
Temporal resolution
Temporal variability
Temporal variations
Time series
Trains
Ultraviolet radiation
UV camera
Variability
Volcanic activity
Volcanic eruptions
Volcanic gases
volcanic tremor
Volcanoes
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Summary:In contrast to the seismic and infrasonic energy released from quiescent and erupting volcanoes, which have long been known to manifest episodes of highly periodic behavior, the spectral properties of volcanic gas flux time series remain poorly constrained, due to a previous lack of high‐temporal resolution gas‐sensing techniques. Here we report on SO2 flux measurements, performed on Mount Etna with a novel UV imaging technique of unprecedented sampling frequency (0.5 Hz), which reveal, for the first time, a rapid periodic structure in degassing from this target. These gas flux modulations have considerable temporal variability in their characteristics and involve two period bands: 40–250 and 500–1200 s. A notable correlation between gas flux fluctuations in the latter band and contemporaneous seismic root‐mean‐square values suggests that this degassing behavior may be generated by periodic bursting of rising gas bubble trains at the magma‐air interface. Key Points Distinct periodic structure in volcanic degassingCorrelation between gas flux fluctuations and contemporaneous seismic RMS valuesPeriodic bursting of rising gas bubble trains at the magma‐air interface
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/grl.50924