Dissolution/crystallization kinetics recorded in the 2002–2003 lavas of Stromboli (Italy)

On 28 December 2002, new vents opened on the flanks of Stromboli, just below the summit craters, interrupting the persistent activity of the volcano with a 7-month-long effusive eruption. We here report on the plagioclase size distribution (PlgSD) in lava samples collected following the chronology of the 2002–2003 eruption. Data reveal a linear PlgSD similar to that found in samples of normal Stromboli activity, indicating that the switch from Strombolian explosive to effusive activity is not associated with changes in texture. Nevertheless, the crystal size distribution slopes and intercepts exhibit slight sinusoidal temporal variations that are here ascribed to a magma supply mechanism able to induce “resonance” in the crystal size distribution, with an amplitude that depends on the supply rate.     

Preliminary sensitivity study of eruption source parameters for operational volcanic ash cloud transport and dispersion models — A case study of the August 1992 eruption of the Crater Peak vent, Mount Spurr, Alaska

Ash clouds are one of the major hazards that result from volcanic eruptions. Once an eruption is reported, volcanic ash transport and dispersion (VATD) models are used to forecast the location of the ash cloud. These models require source parameters to describe the ash column for initialization. These parameters include: eruption cloud height and vertical distribution, particle size distribution, and start and end time of the eruption. Further, if downwind concentrations are needed, the eruption mass rate and/or volume of ash need to be known. Upon notification of an eruption, few constraints are typically available on many of these source parameters. Recently, scientists have defined classes of eruption types, each with a set of pre-defined eruption source parameters (ESP). We analyze the August 18, 1992 eruption of the Crater Peak vent at Mount Spurr, Alaska, which is the example case for the Medium Silicic eruption type. We have evaluated the sensitivity of two of the ESP – the grain size distribution (GSD) and the vertical distribution of ash – on the modeled ash cloud. HYSPLIT and Puff VATD models are used to simulate the ash clouds from the different sets of source parameters. We use satellite data, processed through the reverse absorption method, as reference for computing statistics that describe the modeled-to-observed comparison. With the grain size distribution, the three options chosen, (1) an estimated distribution based on past eruption studies, (2) a distribution with finer particles and (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration HYSPLIT GSD, have little effect on the modeled ash cloud. For the initial vertical distribution, both linear (uniform concentration throughout the vertical column) and umbrella shapes were chosen. For HYSPLIT, the defined umbrella distribution (no ash below the umbrella), apparently underestimates the lower altitude portions of the ash cloud and as a result has a worse agreement with the satellite detected ash cloud compared to that with the linear vertical distribution for this particular eruption. The Puff model, with a Poisson function to represent the umbrella cloud, gave similar results as for a linear distribution, both having reasonable agreement with the satellite detected cloud. Further sensitivity studies of this eruption, as well as studies using the other source parameters, are needed.     

Possible creep-related tilt precursors obtained in the Central Apennines (Italy) and in the Southern Caucasus (Georgia)

Daily averaged tilt component data from two sites of the Central Apennines (Italy) and of the Southern Caucasus (Georgia), respectively, revealed intermediate-term tilts as possible precursors to earthquakes (M=3.0÷4.7) which occurred in the above-mentioned seismic areas within a distance of 50 km from the sites. A good temporal correlation as well as a fair spatial correspondence between these residual tilts (with amplitude and duration of some microradians and months, respectively) and main shocks were pointed out, by removing both secular trends and seasonal thermoelastic effects from the raw tilts. An attempt was made to justify the above-mentioned results, based on the assumption that the observed intermediate-term preseismic tilts are the manifestation of aseismic creep episodes of comparable duration in the fault materials of thrust faults close to the tilt sites. The mechanism refers to a strain field slowly propagating from the preparation focal area to the tilt site, through crustal blocks separated by weak transition zones. This propagation is thought to be the cause of the local aseismic fault slip recorded by the tiltmeters. Previously, both discrete structures and strain propagation effects were revealed in the Central Apennines and are thought also to exist in the Southern Caucasus. As in the past, the rheological properties of fault materials are revealed as viscoelastic ones. In fact, creep equations obtained by applying several viscoelastic models on our data, proved to fit quite well some of the observed tilt precursors, producing viscosity and rigidity values very similar to those reported in literature.Professor Petr Viktorovich Manjgaladze died during the writing of this paper     

华北地震场和源地壳形变前兆研究

文中用实测资料和构造物理学观点论证了华北中、强地震前孕震形变场(断层活动系统)的存在和它的运动学与力学机制,并用有限元法加以检验;讨论了形变场、源前兆之间的关系和它们的前兆特征;给出了可操作的剪切破裂指标S(t),用断层滑动速度和剪切应变速度较好地表达了某地的地震破裂危险性;最后,提出了华北形变场活动的长期稳定性和周期性(约12年)。     

阿留申—阿拉斯加俯冲带及周边地区地幔过渡带结构研究

利用国家测震台网固定台站和"中国地震科学台阵探测"项目在南北地震带北段布设的宽频带流动台阵记录到的极远震事件,通过SS前驱波震相研究,获得了阿留申—阿拉斯加俯冲带东段及邻区下方410 km和660 km间断面的埋深和起伏形态特征.为增强对SS前驱波震相的识别,我们采用了时差校正和共反射点叠加分析.叠加结果显示,毗邻阿留申俯冲带的白令海、阿拉斯加半岛、以及阿拉斯加中南部和东部地区下方,410 km和660 km间断面的埋深基本呈正相关关系,因而具有正常的过渡带厚度.这表明在阿留申—阿拉斯加俯冲带东段,北太平洋板块还没有俯冲到地幔过渡带深度范围内.其次,在阿拉斯加西部地区下方,660 km间断面出现明显下沉,而上覆的410 km间断面埋深接近于全球平均值,从而导致过渡带明显加厚.据此,我们推测在阿拉斯加西部地区下方地幔过渡带底部可能存在库拉残留板块.     

An extremely large magnitude eruption close to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary: reconstruction of eruptive style and history of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, central Japan

An extremely large magnitude eruption of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, close to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary, central Japan, spread volcanic materials widely more than 290,000 km² reaching more than 300 km from the probable source. Characteristics of the distal air-fall ash (>150 km away from the vent) and proximal pyroclastic deposits are clarified to constrain the eruptive style, history, and magnitude of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda eruption.Eruptive history had five phases. Phase 1 is phreatoplinian eruption producing >105 km³ of volcanic materials. Phases 2 and 3 are plinian eruption and transition to pyroclastic flow. Plinian activity also occurred in phase 4, which ejected conspicuous obsidian fragments to the distal locations. In phase 5, collapse of eruption column triggered by phase 4, generated large pyroclastic flow in all directions and resulted in more than 250–350 km³ of deposits. Thus, the total volume of this tephra amounts over 380–490 km³. This indicates that the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra is greater than 7. The huge thickness of reworked volcaniclastic deposits overlying the fall units also attests to the tremendous volume of eruptive materials of this tephra.Numerous ancient tephra layers with large volume have been reported worldwide, but sources and eruptive history are often unknown and difficult to determine. Comparison of distal air-fall ashes with proximal pyroclastic deposits revealed eruption style, history and magnitude of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra. Hence, recognition of the Ebisutoge-Fukuda tephra, is useful for understanding the volcanic activity during the Pliocene to Pleistocene, is important as a boundary marker bed, and can be used to interpret the global environmental and climatic impact of large magnitude eruptions in the past.     

地震前低频事件的实验研究

介绍了几种强震前超低频事件的观测证据,并通过实验,研究了产生和传播机理。初步结果表明,微破裂的集结和断层的破裂起始会出现超低频脉冲,并透射到空气中形成次声波。塑性体的冲击或超临界流体的膨胀比脆性破裂更容易激发（超）低频波,且不伴随明显高频辐射成分。这样可以较为合理地解释震前“平衡”背景下的（超）低频事件。对实验中破坏前的低频脉冲给出了断裂力学解释。断裂力学的实验和膨胀－－扩容理论证明了震前会产生断层的张裂隙,从而为超临界流体提供了运移空间。流体在运移过程中突然涨缩会激发（超）低频辐射波。讨论了改进（超）低频事件的观测条件问题。     

地震前兆含义,科学问题与研究途径的研讨

地震前兆的研究已经取得了很大的进展,地震前兆的复杂性引起了广泛的关注,对地震预报、有关科学问题和探索途径的研究现状及其前景有各种评价。文章认为由于一些科学问题没有解决,尽管对中缅边境１９９５年７月连７．３级地震作出了成功预报,经验性预报有一定的局限性,文中讨论了广义地震前兆和狭义地震前兆,广义地震前兆包含二类前兆：场兆和源兆;而狭义前兆仅指后者。大陆震例前兆的系统研究证实了广义地震前兆的存在,然而     

Earthquake swarms preceding the 2000 eruption of Miyakejima volcano, Japan

The first sign of magma accumulating beneath Miyakejima, an island volcano in the northern Izu islands, Japan, came at around 18:00 on 26 June 2000, when a swarm of earthquakes was detected by a volcano seismic network on the island. Earthquakes occurred initially beneath the southwest flank near the summit and gradually migrated west of the island, where a submarine eruption occurred the next morning. Earthquakes then migrated further to the northwest between Miyakejima and Kozushima, another volcanic island and developed to the most intense earthquake swarm ever observed in and around Japanese archipelago. To better image how the initial magma intrusion occurred, we relocated hypocenters by using a station-correction method and a double-difference method. The relocated epicenters are generally concentrated near the upper bound of dyke intrusions inferred from geodetic studies throughout the initial stages of the 2000 eruption at Miyakejima from 26 to 27 June 2000. As for seismic activity westward off Miyakejima in the morning on 27 June, hypocenters from both a nationwide seismic network that were relocated by the double-difference method, and those from the volcano seismic network relocated by the station-correction method, formed a very shallow cluster that ascended slowly with time as it propagated northwestward from Miyakejima. This suggests that the dykes have both a radial and upward component of movement.Editorial responsibility: S. Nakada, T. Druitt