Changes in the height of the active Karymskii Volcano, Kamchatka during the period 1971–2007

Systematic measurements of the height of the summit crater rim on the active Karymskii Volcano showed that the variation of that parameter has been greater during its last eruption, lasting, with short intermissions, from January 1, 1996 until now (October 2007) compared with the earlier eruptions. The periodic increases in the height of Karymskii Volcano were due to explosion discharges of unconsolidated pyroclastic material, with most of this falling on the volcano’s cone. The increased seismicity of Karymskii Volcano intensified the slope movement processes, resulting in a comparatively flat area forming periodically on the crater rim; during separate, not very long, periods the height of the volcanic cone was increasing in discrete steps and at a greater rate. The periodic decrease in the height of Karymskii Volcano is due to compaction of pyroclastic material and, to a much greater extent, after violent explosions which expand the crater by removing its nearsummit circumference. The other contributing factor consists in sagging of the magma column due to partial emptying of the peripheral magma chamber, which makes the internal crater slope steeper, hence causes cone collapse and the cone lower. These occurrences are generally similar to the processes of crater and caldera generation described by previous investigators for other volcanoes of the world.     

General characteristics of the recent horizontal crustal movement in Chinese mainland

1 Introduction of GPS observation dataThe Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) is a major scientific project in China organized by China Seismological Bureau and paticipated by the Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of the General Staff, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. Based on the observation data of 25 fiducial stations and 56 basic stations in CMONOC (Figure 1 and Table 1), collected from August 26 to September…     

Electrical Conductivity and Fluid Distribution in the Koryak–Kamchatka Region

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—The three-dimensional (3D) interpretation of magnetotelluric (MT) data in the Koryak–Kamchatka region with interactive fitting of 3D...     

A comparative analysis of the accuracy attainable for the local monitoring of Earth’s surface movements and deformation using the GPS and GLONASS navigation satellite systems

This paper is concerned with an experiment that was intended to compare the respective accuracies of local GNSS monitoring using observations by GPS and GLONASS satellites at different elevations above the horizon. We used data from continuous daily observation sessions in a local network during 3 months in the “static” mode. An analysis of parameters that characterize the accuracy and efficiency of displacement determinations showed that the combined GPS + GLONASS data processing has the highest accuracy at elevation angles greater than 15°. It is shown that the accuracy of GLONASS observations is not considerably worse than that of GPS. We note that the time-dependent variation of GLONASS observation is large.     

Specialized seismic noise registration station “Nachiki” in the geophysical monitoring system of Kamchatka

The specialized station of high-frequency seismic noise registration “Nachiki” is described arranged on Kamchatka in 1987. The instrument-methodical aspects of registration are considered, as well as history of observations development. New principal experimental results of surveys are represented. The results of use of high-frequency seismic noises are summarized to reveal strong earthquake precursors in the online mode in 1996–2008.     

The February–July 2007 eruption of the summit crater of Klyuchevskoi volcano, Kamchatka

Observations of the summit eruption of Klyuchevskoi volcano in the period from February 15, 2007 to July 9, 2007 are considered. This typical (for this volcano) summit eruption was explosive-effusive in character. The ejectamenta volume is estimated at 0.025 km³. Calculation of active phases of the volcano was carried out in accordance with V.A. Shirokov’s technique. The identified active phases agree well with the eruptive periods. The 2007 summit eruption corresponds to an active phase (May 2006 to May 2009) favorable for the volcano’s eruption. Geodetic observations carried out since 1979 along a radial profile have revealed uplifts and subsidences of the northeastern slope of the volcano. The maximum displacement of 23 cm was recorded in 2007 on the site closest to the volcano crater at a distance of 11 km from the summit crater center. In the course of two previous summit eruptions (2003–2004 and 2005) insignificant uplifts and subsidences of the slope were also noted, although the general ascent of the slope remained. This indicated possible repeated eruptions in the nearest future. Changes in the seismicity before, during and after the eruption are also discussed.     

Ground-Surface Movements in the Ust’-Kamchatsk Deformation Site,Kamchatka during 1987–2016

This paper presents measurements for the 1987–2016 period; these include inclined distances and elevations between geodetic monuments in the deformation site in the Ust’-Kamchatsk area. These data are important for future investigators, because measurements can be made in the distant future in order to compare with the respective past values. This area has been accumulating deformation for the last 27 years along the direction perpendicular to the Kuril–Kamchatka Benioff zone, reaching values of approximately (5?10) × 10–6. The compression involves a northwest tilt of the ground surface.     

Tectonic stress accumulation in the region of the Kuril–Kamchatka Island Arc system

The time variations in the tidal response of the medium in 2011–2015 according to the measurements at the global seismographic network (GSN) in Kamchatka are considered. Based on the data from the horizontal pendulums recording the eastward tilts at the station, it is established that there was a linear growth in the tidal tilt amplitudes up to May 24, 2013 due to the changes in the elastic moduli caused by tectonic stress accumulation. The growth phase was followed by the decline in the tidal tilt amplitudes induced by the release of stresses after the Sea-of-Okhotsk earthquake.     

A comprehensive analysis of Kamchatka seismicity for the period 2005–2007 using the regional catalog

We characterize the Kamchatka seismicity for the period 2005–2007. Regional catalogs of Kamchatka earthquakes were used to develop 2D distributions of parameters of background seismicity. The characteristics we consider include the activity A ₁₀, the slope of the recurrence curve γ, the parameters involved in the methods RTL, ΔS, and the “Z-function”, as well as the control of earthquake clustering. We have detected the space-time agreement between the anomalies exhibited by several parameters.     

Study on the pattern and mode of vertical crustal deformation during the seismogenic process of intraplate strong earthquakes

Ｓｔｕｄｙｏｎｔｈｅｐａｔｔｅｒｎａｎｄｍｏｄｅｏｆｖｅｒｔｉｃａｌｃｒｕｓｔａｌｄｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｄｕｒｉｎｇｔｈｅｓｅｉｓｍｏｇｅｎｉｃｐｒｏｃｅｓｓｏｆｉｎｔｒａｐｌａｔｅｓｔｒｏｎｇｅａｒｔｈｑｕａｋｅｓ杨国华，桂昆长，巩曰沐，杨春花，韩...     

Recent and Late Holocene vertical crustal movements in the Southeast Baltic—The transition zone between the Fennoscandian shield and the Russian plate

The paper analyzed recent vertical crustal movements and compared them with Late Holocene ones (over several thousands of years) with the case study of the transition zone between the Fennoscandia shield and the Russian plate. The study of recent and young movements is based on long-term sea level and repeated geodetic measurements and on geologic geomorphic data, respectively. The data set makes it possible to establish that a weak uplift of the territory gives way with regularity to a weak subsidence after going across the zone of zero movements that agrees with the modern geodynamic constructions and can serve as the basis of long-term prognostic estimations. The results are compared with the newest GPS measurements and with the theoretical model of viscoelastic deformations in the periphery of the past glaciation area during its postglacial isostatic adjustment     

Variations in electric and meteorological parameters in the near-Earth’s atmosphere at Kamchatka during the solar events in October 2003

The diurnal variations in the electric conductivity, electric-field strength, and meteorological parameters in the near-Earth’s atmosphere during the solar events in October 21–31, 2003, have been studied. It has been indicated that the conductivity and electric-field strength strongly depend on the air temperature and humidity. It has been found that the conductivity increased for 2 days before the geomagnetic storm on October 29–30 as a result of the effect of solar cosmic rays and decreased during a Forbush decrease in galactic cosmic rays, which was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the electric-field strength. It has been found that the air temperature and humidity anomalously increased in the process of solar activity, which resulted in the formation of different clouds, including thunderclouds accompanied by thunderstorm processes and showers. Simultaneous disturbances of the regular meteorological processes, solar flare series, and emission intensification in the near ultraviolet band, and visible and infrared spectral regions make it possible to consider these processes as a source of additional energy inflow into the lower atmosphere.     

Vertical ground movements in the Southern Zone Of Tolbachik Cinder Cones after the end of the 1975–1976 Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption and possible causes of the movements

We present elevations between long-term benchmarks in the Tolbachik Geodynamic Test Site as directly measured by second-order leveling in 1976–2011. These raw data are very important for future researchers, since the measurements can be repeated between surviving benchmarks using any more accurate techniques for comparisons with past results. We show that the greatest ground subsidence occurred at the base of Cone II, at the North Vent eruption center during the 1975–1976 Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption, with the subsidence reaching 2.33 m for the past 35 years. The subsidence nearly decays at a distance of 7 km. Assuming that subsidences propagate symmetrically, we found an approximate volume for this subsidence, which is 0.12 km³. To make a comparison, we mention that the volume of all the three cones is 0.254 km³. We adduce data showing that a ground uplift of 4–5 cm over an extensive area in the southeastern sector from Cone VIII after the eruption at the South Vent came to an end. We hypothesize that the uplift was caused by lateral emplacements of magma at depths of 0–5 km along numerous southeasterly directions without coming to the surface.     

An Upper Limit to Ground Deformation in the Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, for the Period 1997–2006

Continuous monitoring of ground deformation in the volcanic island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, is based on GPS networks, since there are as yet no tiltmeter stations installed on the island. However, there is a world-class astronomical observatory on the island, the El Teide Observatory, where four tiltmeters, two aligned in the North-South and the other two in the East-West, are monitoring the movements of the solar telescope THEMIS. THEMIS (Heliographic Telescope for the Study of Solar Magnetism and Instabilites) is among the three largest solar telescopes in the world. Since THEMIS is located a few kilometers from the main volcanic structures of the island, in particular the El Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano, and the precision of the inclinometers is comparable to those used in geophysical studies, we carried out the analysis of the tilt measurements for the period 1997–2006. The tiltmeters at THEMIS are placed in the seventh floor of a tower, hence their sensitivity to geological processes is reduced compared to geophysical installations. However, THEMIS measurements are the only terrestrial data available in Tenerife for such a long period of observations, which include the sustained increase in seismic activity that started in 2001. In this sense, a significant change was found in the East-West tilt of approximately 35 μ-radians between the years 2000 and 2002. Some theoretical models were calculated and it was concluded that such tilt variation could not be due to dike intrusions, nor a volcanic reactivation below the El Teide-Pico Viejo volcano. The most likely explanation comes from dislocations produced by a secondary fault associated to a major submarine fault off the eastern coast of Tenerife. In any case, taking into account the nearly permanent data recording at THEMIS, they could be considered as a complement for any ground deformation monitoring system in the island.     

Characteristic of crustal structure in the Shulu fault basin and its vicinity

（王椿镛，张先康，林中洋，李学清）ＣｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｏｆｃｒｕｓｔａｌｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｉｎｔｈｅＳｈｕｌｕｆａｕｌｔｂａｓｉｎａｎｄｉｔｓｖｉｃｉｎｉｔｙ￥Ｃｈｕｎ－ＹｏｎｇＷＡＮＧＩ；Ｘｉａｎ－ＫａｎｇＺＨＡＮＧ；Ｚｈｏｎｇ－ＹａｎｇＬ...     

Characteristics of horizontal crustal move-ment in Weihe basin and adjacent zones by GPS observation

Introduction GPS observation results provide high-accuracy and large-range crustal movement data with real time, which makes it possible to obtain the velocity field of current crustal movement in Chi-nese mainland within a short time and check the previous tectonic deformation model. Geoscien-tists at home and abroad have made a great number of researches on the crustal movement in Chi-nese mainland and have obtained many results in this field (JIANG, et al, 2001; WANG, et al, 2001; ZHA…     

Displacements and transformations of nitrate-rich and nitrate-poor water masses in the tropical Pacific during the 1997 El Niño

A Lagrangian analysis was applied to the outputs of a coupled physical-biogeochemical model to describe the redistribution of nitrate-rich and nitrate-poor surface water masses in the tropical Pacific throughout the major 1997 El Niño. The same tool was used to analyze the causes of nitrate changes along trajectories and to investigate the consequences of the slow nitrate uptake in the high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) region during the growth phase of the event. Three patterns were identified during the drift of water masses. The first mechanism is well known along the equator: oligotrophic waters from the western Pacific are advected eastward and retain their oligotrophic properties along their drift. The second concerns the persistent upwelling in the eastern basin. Water parcels have complex trajectories within this retention zone and remain mesotrophic. This study draws attention to the third process which is very specific to the HNLC region and to the El Niño period. During the 1997 El Niño, horizontal and vertical inputs of nitrate decreased so dramatically that nitrate uptake by phytoplankton became the only mechanism driving nitrate changes along pathways. The study shows that because of the slow nitrate uptake characteristic of the tropical Pacific HNLC system, nitrate in the pre-El Niño photic layer can support biological production for a period of several months. As a consequence, the slow nitrate uptake delays the gradual onset of oligotrophic conditions over nearly all the area usually occupied by upwelled waters. Owing to this process, mesotrophic conditions persist in the tropical Pacific during El Niño events.