Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes

Abstract Accelerating rates of quasiperiodic “drumbeat” long‐period earthquakes (LPs) are commonly reported before eruptions at andesite and dacite volcanoes, and promise insights into the nature of fundamental preeruptive processes and improved eruption forecasts. Here we apply a new Bayesian Marko...

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Main Authors: Andrew F. Bell, Mark Naylor, Stephen Hernandez, Ian G. Main, H. Elizabeth Gaunt, Patricia Mothes, Mario Ruiz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-02-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076429
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author Andrew F. Bell
Mark Naylor
Stephen Hernandez
Ian G. Main
H. Elizabeth Gaunt
Patricia Mothes
Mario Ruiz
author_facet Andrew F. Bell
Mark Naylor
Stephen Hernandez
Ian G. Main
H. Elizabeth Gaunt
Patricia Mothes
Mario Ruiz
author_sort Andrew F. Bell
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Accelerating rates of quasiperiodic “drumbeat” long‐period earthquakes (LPs) are commonly reported before eruptions at andesite and dacite volcanoes, and promise insights into the nature of fundamental preeruptive processes and improved eruption forecasts. Here we apply a new Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo gamma point process methodology to investigate an exceptionally well‐developed sequence of drumbeat LPs preceding a recent large vulcanian explosion at Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador. For more than 24 hr, LP rates increased according to the inverse power law trend predicted by material failure theory, and with a retrospectively forecast failure time that agrees with the eruption onset within error. LPs resulted from repeated activation of a single characteristic source driven by accelerating loading, rather than a distributed failure process, showing that similar precursory trends can emerge from quite different underlying physics. Nevertheless, such sequences have clear potential for improving forecasts of eruptions at Tungurahua and analogous volcanoes.
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institution Kabale University
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-033ef6db797d4ff4bc8a848996db56e32025-08-20T03:49:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-02-014531339134810.1002/2017GL076429Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period EarthquakesAndrew F. Bell0Mark Naylor1Stephen Hernandez2Ian G. Main3H. Elizabeth Gaunt4Patricia Mothes5Mario Ruiz6School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UKSchool of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UKInstituto Geofísico Escuela Politécnica Nacional Quito EcuadorSchool of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UKInstituto Geofísico Escuela Politécnica Nacional Quito EcuadorInstituto Geofísico Escuela Politécnica Nacional Quito EcuadorInstituto Geofísico Escuela Politécnica Nacional Quito EcuadorAbstract Accelerating rates of quasiperiodic “drumbeat” long‐period earthquakes (LPs) are commonly reported before eruptions at andesite and dacite volcanoes, and promise insights into the nature of fundamental preeruptive processes and improved eruption forecasts. Here we apply a new Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo gamma point process methodology to investigate an exceptionally well‐developed sequence of drumbeat LPs preceding a recent large vulcanian explosion at Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador. For more than 24 hr, LP rates increased according to the inverse power law trend predicted by material failure theory, and with a retrospectively forecast failure time that agrees with the eruption onset within error. LPs resulted from repeated activation of a single characteristic source driven by accelerating loading, rather than a distributed failure process, showing that similar precursory trends can emerge from quite different underlying physics. Nevertheless, such sequences have clear potential for improving forecasts of eruptions at Tungurahua and analogous volcanoes.https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076429volcanic earthquakeslong‐period earthquakeseruption precursorseruption forecasts
spellingShingle Andrew F. Bell
Mark Naylor
Stephen Hernandez
Ian G. Main
H. Elizabeth Gaunt
Patricia Mothes
Mario Ruiz
Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
Geophysical Research Letters
volcanic earthquakes
long‐period earthquakes
eruption precursors
eruption forecasts
title Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
title_full Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
title_fullStr Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
title_full_unstemmed Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
title_short Volcanic Eruption Forecasts From Accelerating Rates of Drumbeat Long‐Period Earthquakes
title_sort volcanic eruption forecasts from accelerating rates of drumbeat long period earthquakes
topic volcanic earthquakes
long‐period earthquakes
eruption precursors
eruption forecasts
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076429
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