A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser
When and why earthquakes trigger volcano and geyser eruptions remains unclear. In September 2022, Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone, USA erupted 8.25 hours after a local M3.9 earthquake—an improbable coincidence based on the geyser’s eruption intervals. We leverage monitoring data from the surrounding...
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Volcanica
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Volcanica |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jvolcanica.org/ojs/index.php/volcanica/article/view/276 |
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| author | Mara Reed Anna Barth Taka'aki Taira Jamie Farrell Michael Manga |
| author_facet | Mara Reed Anna Barth Taka'aki Taira Jamie Farrell Michael Manga |
| author_sort | Mara Reed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | When and why earthquakes trigger volcano and geyser eruptions remains unclear. In September 2022, Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone, USA erupted 8.25 hours after a local M3.9 earthquake—an improbable coincidence based on the geyser’s eruption intervals. We leverage monitoring data from the surrounding geyser basin to determine if the earthquake triggered this eruption. We calculate a peak ground velocity of 1.2 cm s−1, which is the largest ground motion in the area since Steamboat reactivated in March 2018 and exceeds a threshold associated with past earthquake-triggered geyser eruptions in Yellowstone. Despite no changes in other surface hydrothermal activity, we found abrupt, short-lived shifts in ambient seismic noise amplitude and relative seismic velocity in narrow frequency bands related to the subsurface hydrothermal system. Our analysis indicates that Steamboat’s eruption was likely earthquake-triggered. The hours-long delay suggests that dynamic strains from seismic waves altered subsurface permeability and flow which enabled eruption. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d6af8268178e4db8b4474308ebfc9062 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2610-3540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Volcanica |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Volcanica |
| spelling | doaj-art-d6af8268178e4db8b4474308ebfc90622025-08-20T02:15:12ZengVolcanicaVolcanica2610-35402024-10-017273374810.30909/vol.07.02.733748261A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat GeyserMara Reed0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4185-2843Anna Barth1Taka'aki Taira2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6170-797XJamie Farrell3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0620-6168Michael Manga4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3286-4682Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.Berkeley Seismological Lab, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.When and why earthquakes trigger volcano and geyser eruptions remains unclear. In September 2022, Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone, USA erupted 8.25 hours after a local M3.9 earthquake—an improbable coincidence based on the geyser’s eruption intervals. We leverage monitoring data from the surrounding geyser basin to determine if the earthquake triggered this eruption. We calculate a peak ground velocity of 1.2 cm s−1, which is the largest ground motion in the area since Steamboat reactivated in March 2018 and exceeds a threshold associated with past earthquake-triggered geyser eruptions in Yellowstone. Despite no changes in other surface hydrothermal activity, we found abrupt, short-lived shifts in ambient seismic noise amplitude and relative seismic velocity in narrow frequency bands related to the subsurface hydrothermal system. Our analysis indicates that Steamboat’s eruption was likely earthquake-triggered. The hours-long delay suggests that dynamic strains from seismic waves altered subsurface permeability and flow which enabled eruption.https://www.jvolcanica.org/ojs/index.php/volcanica/article/view/276geyserhydrothermaleruption triggeringdynamic stress |
| spellingShingle | Mara Reed Anna Barth Taka'aki Taira Jamie Farrell Michael Manga A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser Volcanica geyser hydrothermal eruption triggering dynamic stress |
| title | A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser |
| title_full | A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser |
| title_fullStr | A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser |
| title_full_unstemmed | A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser |
| title_short | A shake and a surge: Assessing the possibility of an earthquake-triggered eruption at Steamboat Geyser |
| title_sort | shake and a surge assessing the possibility of an earthquake triggered eruption at steamboat geyser |
| topic | geyser hydrothermal eruption triggering dynamic stress |
| url | https://www.jvolcanica.org/ojs/index.php/volcanica/article/view/276 |
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