Numerical inversion of deformation caused by pressure sources: application to Mount Etna (Italy)

The interpretation of geodetic data in volcanic areas is usually based on analytical deformation models. Although numerical finite element (FE) modelling allows realistic features such as topography and crustal heterogeneities to be included, the technique is not computationally convenient for solving inverse problems using classical methods. In this paper, we develop a general tool to perform inversions of geodetic data by means of 3-D FE models. The forward model is a library of numerical displacement solutions, where each entry of the library is the surface displacement due to a single stress component applied to an element of the grid. The final solution is a weighted combination of the six stress components applied to a single element-source. The pre-computed forward models are implemented in a global search algorithm, followed by an appraisal of the sampled solutions. After providing extended testing, we apply the method to model the 1993–1997 inflation phase at Mt Etna, documented by GPS and EDM measurements. We consider four different forward libraries, computed in models characterized by homogeneous/heterogeneous medium and flat/topographic free surface. Our results suggest that the elastic heterogeneities of the medium can significantly alter the position of the inferred source, while the topography has minor effect.     

Automatic classification of dome instabilities based on Doppler radar measurements at Merapi volcano, Indonesia: Part I

Monitoring lava dome instabilities is crucial to efficiently monitor active dome building volcanoes. The Doppler radar technique provides a unique opportunity to gather information about the number of instability events occurring at the growing dome and about the dynamic processes that take place during different types of instabilities. So far, three different kinds of processes have been identified: sliding material, gravitational break-offs and explosive outbursts. In addition, Doppler radars provide rain measurements, which can be used to investigate possible correlations between rainfall and dome activity. Two radar systems have been installed at Merapi volcano in October 2001 and January 2005 to continuously monitor dome instabilities. Due to the large number of instability events that occur during times of high activity, manual processing and analysis of instability events is not practical for monitoring purposes. Therefore, an automatic classification system has been developed, which is capable of identifying different kinds of instabilities as well as rainfall. Two different kinds of classifier models have been applied: (1) neural network and (2) K-nearest-neighbour classifier model. Both classify Doppler spectra according to the underlying dynamic process, that is, rain, sliding material, gravitational break-off or explosive outburst. The classifiers are able to identify disturbances, which have no physical source, but are merely artefacts from the radar device itself. Because radar events are sequences of Doppler spectra, a rule set has been defined, which finally determines the event class. All classifiers have been trained and tested on independent data sets to estimate the classification performance. The overall classification rate is about 90 per cent. Discrimination of instabilities and non-volcanic events reaches about 98 per cent accuracy.     

Quasi-static analysis of strike fault growth in layered media

We study the effects of structural inhomogeneity on the quasi-static growth of strike-slip faults. A layered medium is considered, made up of an upper layer bounded by a free surface and welded to a lower half-space with different elastic property. Mode III crack is employed as a mathematical model of strike-slip fault, which is nucleated in the lower half-space and then propagates towards the interface. We adopt FEM-β, newly proposed analysis method for failure, to simulate the quasi-statistic crack growth governed by the stress distribution in layered media. Our results show that along planar traces across interfaces a compliant upper layer has significant effects on promoting/suppressing crack growth before/after its extension into the layer and vice versa for a rigid one. This proposes a possibility that surface breaks due to strike-slip faulting could be arrested by deposit layers at the topmost part of the Earth's crust.     

Stable inversions for complete moment tensors

The seismic moment tensors for certain types of sources, such as volcanic earthquakes and nuclear explosions are expected to contain an isotropic component. Some earlier efforts to calculate the isotropic component of these sources are flawed due to an error in the method of Jost & Herrmann. We corrected the method after Herrmann & Hutchensen and found great improvement in the recovery of non-double-couple moment tensors that include an isotropic component. Tests with synthetic data demonstrate the stability of the corrected linear inversion method, and we recalculate the moment tensor solutions reported in Dreger et al. for Long Valley caldera events and Dreger & Woods for Nevada Test Site nuclear explosions. We confirm the findings of Dreger et al. that the Long Valley volcanic sources contain large statistically significant isotropic components. The nuclear explosions have strikingly anomalous source mechanisms, which contain very large isotropic components, making it evident that these events are not tectonic in origin. This indicates that moment tensor inversions could be an important tool for nuclear monitoring.     

Synchronizing seismic networks with ambient noise

The technique of retrieving Green's functions by pairwise correlation of a random wavefield is used to estimate the stability of the timing system of a seismic network. The method is demonstrated with data from a network consisting of stations with four independent clocks and GPS-receivers. For a two years period, daily measurements of the timing error of each of the four systems are obtained. These measurements can be used to correct the timing of the data in periods without GPS reception. The accuracy of this method can exceed the precision of the internal station clocks already after a single day of uncorrected drift.     

江苏数字地震台网地震速报软件

介绍江苏数字地震台网地震速报软件功能及在江苏数字地震台网地震速报工作中的应用,该软件实现了实时数据的收集,对地震三要素快速准确地处理,提高了工作效率,在地震监测工作中发挥了重要作用。     

Anomalous CO2 content in the Gallicano thermo-mineral spring (Serchio Valley,Italy) before the 21 June 2013, Alpi Apuane earthquake (M = 5.2)

Since late 2002, a continuous automatic monitoring network is operating in Tuscany, Central Italy, to investigate the geochemical response of selected aquifers to local seismic activity. The monitoring is aimed at identifying possible earthquake geochemical precursors. The network is currently constituted by six stations, all equipped with sensors for the measurement of temperature, pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, CO₂ and CH₄ dissolved concentration, that have been installed in the areas of highest seismic risk of the region. By combining geochemical data gathered from the automatic station of Gallicano (Garfagnana, Northern Tuscany), and obtained via chemical analyses of spring water samples collected during periodic field surveys in the area surrounding this station, the most significant aspects of the deep fluid circulation paths feeding the Gallicano thermo-mineral system have been investigated, and the geochemical baseline of the Gallicano spring defined. The CO₂ continuous signal recorded by the Gallicano automatic station has been then processed over the period 2003–2013 in the search for anomalies possibly related to local seismic activity. A substantial anomaly in CO₂ content has been observed at Gallicano in conjunction with the Alpi Apuane earthquake (M = 5.2) of 21 June 2013.     

新疆泥火山群地震前兆异常实时监测与预报的研究

基于网络技术的视频监控服务,实现了对新疆北天山地区3个泥火山点的实时监测,可在线实时查看泥火山活动情况,分析预报人员依据泥火山活动图像可开展地震预测研究。新疆艾其沟泥火山网络视频监控服务系统扑捉到了2次6级地震前火山液面明显的宏观异常变化现象,这说明基于宽带网络技术的网络视频监控服务,可实现互联网用户使用客户端远程软件连接服务器,实现在线实时查看泥火山活动情况的监控画面,并依据泥火山群地震观测网,捕捉泥火山群地震前兆异常。     

CLDAS土壤湿度业务产品的干旱监测应用

针对2012年中国区域严重的干旱, 利用2013年国家气象信息中心发布的中国气象局陆面数据同化系统(CLDAS-V1.0)土壤体积含水量数据集产品, 并结合新的中国地表土壤水文参数数据集, 计算2012年中国区域土壤相对湿度, 依据《气象干旱等级》国家标准进行干旱监测. 结果表明: 该土壤相对湿度数据集能较为全面的反映2012年中国的干旱发生发展的空间特征, 在西南、江淮黄淮、华南以及东北等4个主要的干旱区域表现的尤为明显. 结果表明, 利用土壤容重、田间持水量等信息, 结合CLDAS-V1.0实时业务产品, 可实时获取时空连续的土壤相对湿度产品, 可以实现对中国区域的干旱实时监测.