Geology topics

V. Cayol

Publications and source records attributed to V. Cayol.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2000

The use of earthquake rate changes as a stress meter at Kilauea volcano

Stress changes in the Earth's crust are generally estimated from model calculations that use near-surface deformation as an observational constraint. But the widespread correlation of changes of earthquake activity with stress has led to suggestions that stress changes might be calculated from earthquake occurrence rates obtained from seismicity catalogues. Although this possibility has considerable appeal, because seismicity data are routinely collected and have good spatial and temporal resolution, the method has not yet proven successful, owing to the nonlinearity of earthquake rate changes with respect to both stress and time. Here, however, we present two methods for inverting earthquake rate data to infer stress changes, using a formulation for the stress- and time-dependence of earthquake rates. Application of these methods at Kilauea volcano, in Hawaii, yields good agreement with independent estimates, indicating that earthquake rates can provide a practical remote-sensing stress meter.

Nature↗

USGS2000

High magma storage rates before the 1983 eruption of Kilauea, Hawaii

After a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 1975 and before the start of the ongoing eruption in 1983, deformation of Kilauea volcano was the most rapid ever recorded. Three-dimensional numerical modeling shows that this deformation is consistent with the dilation of a dike within Kilauea's rift zones coupled with creep over a narrow area of a low-angle fault beneath the south flank. Magma supply is estimated to be 0.18 cubic kilometers per year, twice that of previous estimates. The 1983 eruption may be a direct consequence of the high rates of magma storage within the rift zone that followed the 1975 earthquake.

Science↗

USGS1998

Effects of topography on the interpretation of the deformation field of prominent volcanoes - Application to Etna

We have investigated the effects of topography on the surface-deformation field of volcanoes. Our study provides limits to the use of classical half-space models. Considering axisymmetrical volcanoes, we show that interpreting ground-surface displacements with half-space models can lead to erroneous estimations of the shape of the deformation source. When the average slope of the flanks of a volcano exceeds 20°, tilting in the summit area is reversed to that expected for a flat surface. Thus, neglecting topography may lead to misinterpreting an inflation of the source as a deflation. Comparisons of Mogi's model with a three-dimensional model shows that ignoring topography may lead to an overestimate of the source-volume change by as much as 50% for a slope of 30°. This comparison also shows that the depths calculated by using Mogi's solution for prominent volcanoes should be considered as depths from the summit of the edifices. Finally, we illustrate these topographic effects by analyzing the deformation field measured by radar interferometry at Mount Etna during its 1991–1993 eruption. A three-dimensional modeling calculation shows that the flattening of the deflation field near the volcano's summit is probably a topographic effect.

Geophysical Research Letters↗