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Submarine Volcano Seismoacoustics: Why Multi-Modal Data Is Important

Description: 

Submarine volcanoes are efficient producers of seismoacoustic energy in the marine environment. Their signals have been recorded for over 80 years, leading to many questions about the signal origins in that time. As marine technology has advanced, our ability to detect and characterize submarine volcanic activity has greatly improved, which has furthered our understanding of these systems. A comprehensive literature search revealed that ~120 emergent and submarine volcanic eruptions were seismoacoustically recorded between 1939 and 2020. These eruptions covered a wide range of tectonic settings, ocean depths, and activity types. However, recordings were often limited with many eruptions only detected as distant T phases, and around 1/3 lacked confirmation of an eruption through non-seismoacoustic data. Since signals from volcanic activity cover a wide range of characteristics, these limited observations complicate interpretations. Fortunately, a growing number of submarine eruptions have been recorded with multiple data types. Comparisons between seismic and acoustic recordings as well as visual, chemical, and geological observations have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind specific types of signals and how signals from the same process may vary based on the data type and recording location (on land or underwater). In this presentation, we provide examples of how multi-modal data have helped improve our understanding of submarine eruptions and discuss why they will be essential for making further progress.

Session: Advances in Marine Seismoacoustics

Type: Oral

Date: 4/18/2023

Presentation Time: 02:15 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Gabrielle Tepp

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: Yes

Authors