Degassing and microlite crystallization during pre-climactic events of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines

 Dacite tephras produced by the 1991 pre-climactic eruptive sequence at Mt. Pinatubo display extreme heterogeneity in vesicularity, ranging in clast density from 700 to 2580 kg m^–3. Observations of the 13 surge-producing blasts that preceded the climactic plinian event include radar-defined estimates of column heights and seismically defined eruptive and intra-eruptive durations. A comparison of the characteristics of erupted material, including microlite textures, chemical compositions, and H₂O contents, with eruptive parameters suggests that devolatilization-induced crystallization of the magma occurred to a varying extent prior to at least nine of the explosive events. Although volatile loss progressed to the same approximate level in all of the clasts analyzed (weight percent H₂O=1.26-1.73), microlite crystallization was extremely variable (0–22%). We infer that syn-eruptive volatile exsolution from magma in the conduit and intra-eruptive separation of the gas phase was facilitated by the development of permeability within magma residing in the conduit. Correlation of maximum microlite crystallinity with repose interval duration (28–262 min) suggests that crystallization occurred primarily intra-eruptively, in response to the reduction in dissolved H₂O content that occurred during the preceding event. Detailed textural characterization, including determination of three-dimensional shapes and crystal size distributions (CSD), was conducted on a subset of clasts in order to determine rates of crystal nucleation and growth using repose interval as the time available for crystallization. Shape and size analysis suggests that crystallization proceeded in response to lessening degrees of feldspar supersaturation as repose interval durations increased. We thus propose that during repose intervals, a plug of highly viscous magma formed due to the collapse of vesicular magma that had exsolved volatiles during the previous explosive event. If plug thickness grew proportionally to the square root of time, and if magma pressurization increased during the eruptive sequence, the frequency of eruptive pulses may have been modulated by degassing of magma within the conduit. Dense clasts in surge deposits probably represent plug material entrained by each subsequent explosive event. Received: 4 December 1997 / Accepted: 13 September 1998     

Evolution of the seismic activity from the 1982 eruption of El Chichon Volcano, Chiapas, Mexico

 We analyzed more than 1700 earthquakes related to the 1982 eruption of El Chichon volcano in southern Mexico. The data were recorded at specific periods throughout the whole eruptive interval of March to April 1982, by three different networks. The seismic activity began several months before the first eruption on 28 March. During this period the seismicity consisted of hybrid and long-period shallow earthquakes most likely related to processes of faulting, fracturing, and fluid movement underneath the volcano. The foci of events occurring before the eruption circumscribe an aseismic zone from approximately 7 to 13 km below the volcano. After the eruption, the seismic activity consisted of tectonic-type earthquakes that peaked at 1200 events/h. This later activity occurred over a wide range of depths, mostly between 5 and 20 km, that includes the former aseismic zone and is roughly limited by the major tectonic faults in the area. Received: 19 May 1998 / Accepted: 13 June 1999     

Subsurface offset behaviour in velocity analysis with extended reflectivity images

Migration velocity analysis with the constant‐density acoustic wave equation can be accomplished by the focusing of extended migration images, obtained by introducing a subsurface shift in the imaging condition. A reflector in a wrong velocity model will show up as a curve in the extended image. In the correct model, it should collapse to a point. The usual approach to obtain a focused image involves a cost functional that penalizes energy in the extended image at non‐zero shift. Its minimization by a gradient‐based method should then produce the correct velocity model. Here, asymptotic analysis and numerical examples show that this method may be too sensitive to amplitude peaks at large shifts at the wrong depth and to artefacts. A more robust alternative is proposed that can be interpreted as a generalization of stack power and maximizes the energy at zero‐subsurface shift. A real‐data example is included.     

Application of diffracted wave analysis to time‐lapse seismic data for CO2 leakage detection

Time‐lapse seismic analysis is utilized in CO₂ geosequestration to verify the CO₂ containment within a reservoir. A major risk associated with geosequestration is a possible leakage of CO₂ from the storage formation into overlaying formations. To mitigate this risk, the deployment of carbon capture and storage projects requires fast and reliable detection of relatively small volumes of CO₂ outside the storage formation. To do this, it is necessary to predict typical seepage scenarios and improve subsurface seepage detection methods. In this work we present a technique for CO₂ monitoring based on the detection of diffracted waves in time‐lapse seismic data. In the case of CO₂ seepage, the migrating plume might form small secondary accumulations that would produce diffracted, rather than reflected waves. From time‐lapse data analysis, we are able to separate the diffracted waves from the predominant reflections in order to image the small CO₂ plumes. To explore possibilities to detect relatively small amounts of CO₂, we performed synthetic time‐lapse seismic modelling based on the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) Otway project data. The detection method is based on defining the CO₂ location by measuring the coherency of the signal along diffraction offset‐traveltime curves. The technique is applied to a time‐lapse stacked section using a stacking velocity to construct offset‐traveltime curves. Given the amount of noise found in the surface seismic data, the predicted minimum detectable amount of CO₂ is 1000–2000 tonnes. This method was also applied to real data obtained from a time‐lapse seismic physical model. The use of diffractions rather than reflections for monitoring small amounts of CO₂ can enhance the capability of subsurface monitoring in CO₂ geosequestration projects.     

中国西部地区地壳结构特征与强震活动相关性研究

中国西部地区是地震活动十分强烈的地区,天山、阿尔泰、帕米尔和西昆仑都是著名的地震构造带,在这些地震构造带和周边地区发生了多次震级大于5级的强震.本文通过分析西部地区的重力场特征,根据重力数据结合地震剖面、应用Parker-Oldenburg方法反演得到了研究区莫霍面深度,通过对比地震层析成像的反演结果,分析了研究区的地壳结构特征.计算结果表明,研究区地壳结构不均匀特征明显,在造山带地区一般是莫霍面坳陷区,盆地则是莫霍面隆起区,主要造山带地壳速度结构表现为高速区,盆地和主要凹陷区为低速区.根据计算结果和以往强震震中位置分析了地壳构造与强震活动的相关性,西部地区的地震活动与地壳结构的横向不均匀密切相关,强震主要发生在地壳速度变化带附近和地壳速度结构差异较大的地区,在构造应力作用下,这些地壳介质非均匀地区易发生强震,这是中国西部造山带和盆-山边界附近频发强震的构造原因之一.     

潮汐应力-应变对某些地震序列的调制触发

对1960年以来中国大陆浅源地震序列与潮汐应变的相关分析表明, 某些地区某些地震序列, 包括前震序列、 前震-主震序列、 前震-主震-余震序列和主震-余震序列明显受到潮汐应力-应变的调制触发。 如龙陵地震的前震-主震序列, 邢台地震的前震-主震-余震序列、 唐山地震的主震-余震序列等。 这些地震序列受到潮汐力调制触发的特征明显, 对地震预测有意义, 并作了具体的叙述。 同时对地震序列受调制触发的机理作了初步的探讨, 指出不同类型地震序列的调制触发特征与孕育系统地质构造, 地震震源岩石性质和区域构造应力场方向以及地震破裂机制有关, 对地震机理和预测的研究有一定意义。     

ESEP3.0专家系统在新疆年度地震形势预测中的应用检验

使用2000—2003年度新疆地震局震情研究报告中的资料建立异常证据文件,应用ESEP3．0专家系统进行了推理预测,将其中的1年以内的预测意见与这4年新疆“震情研究报告”的预测意见及实际发生的地震情况进行了对比,并按中国地震局制定的“地震预报评分办法”进行了评分,最后认为：ESEP3．0专家系统目前可以用于新疆的年度地震趋势和地震危险区预测。     

2003年12月1日新疆昭苏6.1级地震烈度与房屋震害

介绍了2003年12月1日新疆昭苏6.1级地震的现场考察结果.该地震宏观震中位于受灾最重的兵团农四师76团11连西侧,极震区烈度为Ⅷ度;圈定出Ⅷ度、Ⅶ度和Ⅵ度3条等震线.此次考察还着重考察了震区各类典型建筑的受损特征,对受损原因作了初步分析,所取得的经验可供类似地区抗震设防和民房改造工作参考.     

使用SSDP软件处理地震时应注意的几个问题

依据从事数字化地震监测的实际经验，对使用SSDP软件处理地震事件过程中应注意的问题做了初步归纳和总结，并给出了具体解决办法。     

实时波形数据断记的解决办法

应用Windows操作系统的网络技术和自行开发的报警软件，解决了牡丹江地震台连续波形数据断记问题。本文详细介绍了解决方案和报警软件的安装及使用方法。