Tracking a hot spotMay 18, 2007Using a state-of-the-art satellite imagery technique, researchers are able to more precisely predict volcanic activity, bringing them steps closer to understanding where an eruption may occur. A new research study, titled "Stress Control of Deep Rift Intrusion at Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii," being published in the May 18 issue of the journal Science uses satellite imagery to study volcanic activity at Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. With this new technique, researchers can more precisely forecast locations of volcanic activity -- providing critical information to improve warning systems and hazard assessment of populated areas surrounding one of the world's most naturally dangerous ecosystems, volcanoes. A team of researchers, lead by Dr. Falk Amelung, a geology and geophysics assistant professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, used interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) from 2002 to 2005 to obtain images of the ground deformation associated with volcanic activity. Researchers were able to see distinct patterns of magma activity associated with rift zones, long narrow fractures in the earth's crust from which lava flows out. Magma pathways were unclamped by past eruptions and earthquakes, leaving a place for the magma to enter. Magma accumulates in the rift zones, pushed the flanks apart, creating stress in the area that ultimately erupts. "We are able to infer very precisely where magma accumulation occurred and we have an explanation why it occurred in this particular location," Amelung said. "We now have a good idea where the next eruption is most likely to occur. This technique can be employed on other large volcanoes to better forecast eruption locations." Researchers are studying Mauna Loa because it's the largest and one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. The main volcanic hazards, lava flows and flank collapse, can pose a significant hazard to populated areas. Flank collapse, which can trigger tsunamis, creates an additional hazard to these increasingly populated areas of volcano flanks, like Mauna Loa volcano. This research technique can be applied to other active volcanoes, Mt. Etna in Italy, Piton de la Fournaise on Reunion Island, Kilauea in Hawaii, and many others, including in Central America. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science |
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| Related Volcanic Activity Current Events and Volcanic Activity News Articles Study uses satellite imagery to identify active magma systems in East Africa's Rift Valley A team from the University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester have employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic activity in the African Rift. The study, published in the November issue of Geology, studies the section of the rift in Kenya. Rice U. lab leads hunt for new zeolites In all the world, there are about 200 types of zeolite, a compound of silicon, aluminum and oxygen that gives civilization such things as laundry detergent, kitty litter and gasoline. But thanks to computations by Rice University professor Michael Deem and his colleagues, it appears there are -- or could be -- more types of zeolites than once thought. Clemson researchers say algae key to mass extinctionss Algae, not asteroids, were the key to the end of the dinosaurs, say two Clemson University researchers. Geologist James W. Castle and ecotoxicologist John H. Rodgers have published findings that toxin producing algae were a deadly factor in mass extinctions millions of years ago. Scientists measure the rate of ascent of volcanic magma Plinian volcanic eruptions are notoriously destructive. These very powerful eruptions often occur after long periods of quiescence and are preceded by relatively short periods of seismic restiveness. The greenhouse gas that saved the world When Planet Earth was just cooling down from its fiery creation, the sun was faint and young. So faint that it should not have been able to keep the oceans of earth from freezing. But fortunately for the creation of life, water was kept liquid on our young planet. Mars, methane and mysteries Mars may not be as dormant as scientists once thought. The 2004 discovery of methane means that either there is life on Mars, or that volcanic activity continues to generate heat below the martian surface. Surface features on Titan form like Earth's, but with a frigid twist "It is really surprising how closely Titan's surface resembles Earth's," says Rosaly Lopes, a planetary geologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, who is presenting the results on Friday, 7 August. New map hints at Venus's wet, volcanic past Venus Express has charted the first map of Venus's southern hemisphere at infrared wavelengths. The new map hints that our neighbouring world may once have been more Earth-like, with both, a plate tectonics system and an ocean of water. New definition could further limit habitable zones around distant suns As astronomers gaze toward nearby planetary systems in search of life, they are focusing their attention on each system's habitable zone, where heat radiated from the star is just right to keep a planet's water in liquid form. Magnetic Tornadoes Could Liberate Mercury's Tenuous Atmosphere As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury is scorching hot, with daytime temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 450 degrees Celsius). More Volcanic Activity Current Events and Volcanic Activity News Articles |
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