Volcano Monitoring With Magnetic Measurements: A Simulation of Eruptions at Axial Seamount, Kīlauea, Bárðarbunga, and Mount Saint Helens

Abstract Monitoring of active volcanic systems is a challenging task due in part to the trade‐offs between collection of high‐quality data from multiple techniques and the high costs of acquiring such data. Here we show that magnetic data can be used to monitor volcanoes by producing similar data to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Joseph Biasi, Maurice Tivey, Bailey Fluegel
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL100006
https://doaj.org/article/5ca9345e25b84c04920ec2d163b11b2d
Description
Summary:Abstract Monitoring of active volcanic systems is a challenging task due in part to the trade‐offs between collection of high‐quality data from multiple techniques and the high costs of acquiring such data. Here we show that magnetic data can be used to monitor volcanoes by producing similar data to gravimetric techniques at significantly lower cost. The premise of this technique is that magma and wall rock above the Curie temperature are magnetically “transparent,” but not stationary within the crust. Subsurface movements of magma can affect the crustal magnetic field measured at the surface. We construct highly simplified magnetic models of four volcanic systems: Mount Saint Helens (1980), Axial Seamount (2015–2020), Kīlauea (2018), and Bárðarbunga (2014). In all cases, observed or inferred changes to the magmatic system would have been detectable by modern magnetometers. Magnetic monitoring could become common practice at many volcanoes, particularly in developing nations with high volcanic risk.