For Y'all Data - Geosea Array Records Sliding Of Mountain Etna's Southeastern Flank

As Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna is intensively monitored yesteryear scientists together with Italian authorities. Satellite-based measurements accept shown that the southeastern flank of the volcano is like shooting fish in a barrel sliding towards the sea, spell the other slopes are largely stable. To date, it has been exclusively unknown if together with how crusade continues nether water, every bit satellite-based measurements are impossible below the body of body of water surface. With the novel GeoSEA seafloor geodetic monitoring network, scientists from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the Kiel University, priority interrogation expanse Kiel Marine Science, together with the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) accept immediately been able to observe for the starting fourth dimension time the horizontal together with vertical crusade of a submerged volcanic flank.

In fountain 2016, a squad from GEOMAR together with Kiel University on board the interrogation vessel
POSEIDON installed the GeoSEA transponders on the eastern flank of Mount Etna
[Credit: Felix Gross (CC BY 4.0)]

The results confirm that the entire southeastern flank is inward motion. The driving forcefulness of flank crusade is most probable gravity, together with non the ascent of magma, every bit previously assumed. Catastrophic collapse involving the entire flank or large parts of it cannot live on excluded together with would trigger a major seismic sea wave alongside extreme effects inward the region. The results of the written report accept been published today inward the international periodical Science Advances.

"At Mount Etna nosotros used a audio based underwater geodetic monitoring network, the so-called marine geodesy, on a volcano for the starting fourth dimension time ", says medico Morelia Urlaub, Pb writer of the study. She led the investigations every bit operate of the "MAGOMET - Marine geodesy for offshore monitoring of Mount Etna" project. In Apr 2016, the GEOMAR squad placed a total of 5 acoustic monitoring transponder stations across the mistake delineate of piece of employment that represents the boundary betwixt the sliding flank together with the stable slope. "We placed 3 on the sliding sector together with 2 on the presumably stable side of the mistake line," says medico Urlaub.

The interrogation vessel POSEIDON off Mount Etna. It is the most active volcano inward Europe
[Credit: Felix Gross (CC BY 4.0)]

During their mission each transponder was sending an acoustic signal every xc minutes. Since the speed of audio inward H2O is known, the locomote fourth dimension of the signals betwixt transponders gave information on the distances betwixt transponders on the seafloor alongside a precision of less than ane centimeter. "We noticed that inward May 2017 the distances betwixt transponders on dissimilar sides of the mistake clearly changed. The flank slipped yesteryear 4 centimeters seawards together with subsided yesteryear ane centimeter inside a catamenia of 8 days," explains medico Urlaub. This crusade tin live on compared to a real tiresome earthquake, a so-called "slow sideslip event". It was the starting fourth dimension time that the horizontal crusade of such a tiresome sideslip trial was recorded nether water. In total, the organisation delivered information for almost fifteen months.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 comparing alongside footing deformation information obtained yesteryear satellite showed that the southeastern flank higher upwards sea score moved yesteryear a similar distance during the same observation period. "So the entire southeast flank changed its position," says medico Urlaub.

3D sentiment of Mount Etna's eastern flank alongside the pose of the GeoSEA transponder network
[Credit: Morelia Urlaub/Felix Gross]

"Overall, our results betoken that the gradient is sliding due to gravity together with non due to the ascent of magma," she continues. If magma dynamics inward the centre of the volcano triggered flank deformation, displacement of the flank would live on expected to live on larger onshore than below water. This is crucial for conduct a opportunity assessments.

"The entire gradient is inward motion due to gravity. It is thus quite possible that it could collapse catastrophically, which could trigger a seismic sea wave inward the entire Mediterranean," explains Professor Heidrun Kopp, coordinator of the GeoSEA array together with co-author of the study. However, the results of the written report produce non let a prediction whether together with when such an trial mightiness occur.

"Further basic interrogation is needed to empathize the geological processes at together with around Etna together with other coastal volcanoes. Our investigation shows that the sound-based geodetic monitoring network tin live on a tremendous assistance inward this respect," summarises medico Urlaub.

Source: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel [October 10, 2018]


Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com

Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:

1.2k Google Facebook Twitter