Generation of the teleseismic P-wave coda from Aleutian earthquakes

We investigate large-amplitude phases arriving in the P -wave coda of broad-band seismograms from teleseisms recorded by the Gräfenberg array, the German Regional Seismic Network and the Global Seismic Network. The data set consists of all events m _b≤ 5.6 from the Aleutian arc between 1977 and 1992. Earthquakes with large-amplitude coda waves correlate with the presence of oceanic crust in the source region. The amplitudes sometimes approach those of the P wave, much larger than predicted by theory. Modelling indicates that phases in the P -wave coda cannot be P -wave multiples beneath the source and receiver, or underside reflections, which precede PP , from upper-mantle discontinuities. Among the events, seismograms are very similar, where the arrival times of the unusual phases agree approximately with the predicted times of S -to- P conversions from the upper-mantle discontinuities under the source. Because the large-amplitude phases in the P -wave coda have little, if any, dependence on event depth and have predominantly an SV -wave radiation pattern towards the receiver, we suggest that they originate as SV and/or Rayleigh waves and are enhanced by lateral heterogeneity and multipathing from the subducting Aleutian slab.     

An evaluation of the global variations in the major element chemistry of arc basalts

Arc volcanoes occur at convergent margins with a wide range in subduction parameters, and variations in these parameters might be expected to lead to variations in the chemistry of magmas parental to arcs. Major element analyses from approximately 100 volcanic centers within 30 arcs, normalized to 6% MgO to minimize the effects of crystal fractionation, display wide variations. Na₂O and CaO at 6% MgO (Na_6.0 and Ca_6.0) correlate remarkably well with the thickness of the overlying crust. These systematics are consistent with two possible models. In the first model, the crust behaves as a chemical filter; where the crust is thick, magmas crystallize at higher pressure and interact more extensively with the arc crust. Modeling of high-pressure crystallization and assimilation, however, does not reproduce the associated variations in Na_6.0 and Ca_6.0 without calling upon complicated combinations of fractionating phases and assimilants. In the second model, crustal thickness determines the height of the mantle column available for melting beneath arc volcanoes. If melting begins beneath arcs at similar depths, then the column of mantle that undergoes decompression melting is much shorter beneath the thickest arc crust. The shorter mantle column for arcs built on thick crust will lead to smaller extents of melting in the mantle, and hence higher Na_6.0 and lower Ca_6.0 in the parental magmas. Modeling shows that variations in the extent of melting in the mantle can easily account for the associated variations in Ca_6.0 and Na_6.0. The abundances of the other major elements at 6% MgO do not correlate well with crustal thickness, or any other subduction parameter. Co-variation of some of these other major elements (e.g., Si_6.0 and Fe_6.0) within individual arcs suggests that they are strongly influenced by local crustal level processes that obscure partial melting systematics. Correction for the crustal processes improves the relationship between Na_6.0 and Ca_6.0 that is so readily explained by partial melting. The extents of melting in the mantle beneath arc volcanoes estimated from the ranges in Na_6.0 and Ca_6.0 are remarkably similar to those estimated beneath mid-ocean ridges. This observation provides further evidence that the mantle wedge, and not the slab, melts beneath arc volcanic fronts.     

Prediction of indoor radon by aeroradioactivity

Attempts to predict which geographic areas should be associated with a high percentage of homes with unusually high indoor radon levels in Virginia and Maryland have been based on estimates of soil radon and soil permeability for geological units. This method is found to be less successful and probably less cost-effective than the use of total-gamma aeroradioactivity maps.     

TOMS measurement of the sulfur dioxide emitted during the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruptions

The eruptions of Nevado del Ruiz in 1985 were unusually rich in sulfur dioxide. These eruptions were observed with the Nimbus 7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) which can quantitatively map volcanic sulfur dioxide plumes on a global scale. A small eruption, originally believed to be of phreatic origin, took place on September 11, 1985. However, substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide from this eruption were detected with TOMS on the following day. The total mass of SO₂, approximately 9 ± 3 × 10⁴ metric tons, was deposited in two clouds, one in the upper troposphere, the other possibly at 15 km near the stratosphere.The devastating November 13 eruptions were first observed with TOMS at 1150 EST on November 14. Large amounts of sulfur dioxide were found in an arc extending 1100 km from south of Ruiz northeastward to the Gulf of Venezuela and as an isolated cloud centered at 7°N on the Colombia-Venezuela border. On November 15 the plume extended over 2700 km from the Pacific Ocean off the Colombia coast to Barbados, while the isolated mass was located over the Brazil-Guyana border, approximately 1600 km due east of the volcano. Based on wind data from Panama, most of the sulfur dioxide was located at 10–16 km in the troposphere and a small amount was quite likely deposited in the stratosphere at an altitude above 24 km.The total mass of sulfur dioxide in the eruption clouds was approximately 6.6 ± 1.9 × 10⁵ metric tons on November 14. When combined with quiescent sulfur dioxide emissions during this period, the ratio of sulfur dioxide to erupted magma from Ruiz was an order of magnitude greater than in the 1982 eruption of El Chichon or the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.