Researchers hope to use lava “songs” to forecast when a volcano will start and stop erupting.
. Until that final outburst, the lava lake was a tourist spectacle, a calm surface that hid the churn of magma deeper within the volcano. Now, researchers have found a new way to identify key signs of Kilauea’s eruptive potential—by listening to vibrations from these lava lakes. Eventually, they hope to use these lava “songs” to forecast when a volcano will start and stop erupting.
“It’s great that they found this other method to understand what’s happening at Kilauea,” says Philippe Jousset, a geophysicist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences who was not involved in the study. “[This] may help us understand … the most dramatic changes in the behavior of the volcano.” When chunks of rock from the volcano’s crater rim fall into the lake, the sloshing lava generates distinct seismic waves that last tens of seconds. For years, researchers suspected these long seismic signals—the same way the noise you get from tapping a spoon on a glass of water can reveal how much liquid is present. The pitch and duration of that sound would further change if you dissolve gases into the water, or replace the water with milk.
After Kilauea’s 10-year eruption ceased, scientists had “this amazing record” to work with, says Leif Karlstrom, a volcanologist at the University of Oregon and senior author on the study. He and his then–Ph.D. student Josh Crozier gathered data on thousands of events from seismic sensors, GPS stations, and observations of the lake level. Then, they built a computer model that showed what happened when falling rocks disrupted the lava lake and produced the signals.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
More exposed Great Salt Lake bed means increased dust storms, officials warnMore dust storms could blow into the Wasatch Front as a result of increasingly exposed lake bed, state leaders are warning.
Weiterlesen »
Do Trojan exoplanets exist?Investigating these co-orbiting worlds in our own solar system may help us predict prevalence in extrasolar systems.
Weiterlesen »
Meet the Woman Who Helped Blow the Whistle on the Watergate ScandalUntil her death, Martha Mitchell was defamed, discredited, and ridiculed.
Weiterlesen »
Family of woman who died in Lake County Jail sues county officials, says jailers never gave her needed medicationRyan Elizabeth Trowbridge, 35, hanged herself in her cell four days after police arrested her on theft charges. Jail and medical officials did not provide her with the medication she took to ward off opioid withdrawals, according to the lawsuit.
Weiterlesen »
10 of the Best Images of Earth NASA Shared This MonthThe NASA Earth Observatory recently shared images of volcanoes, cyclones, and phytoplankton.
Weiterlesen »
Trader Joe’s Wants Me to Want Blueberry Cheese?Your cold brew is begging for Trader Joe’s new brown sugar oat creamer.
Weiterlesen »