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Acoustic and SO2 monitoring at Sakurajima volcano

Gilles Seropian 1, Julia Gestrich2, Taishi Yamada3, Markus Schmid2, Haruhisa Nakamichi3, Thomas C. Wilkes4, James Hickey1, Thomas J. Aubry1, Tom D. Pering4

  • Affiliations: 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK; 2Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; 3Research Center for Volcano Hazards Mitigation, Disaster Prevention Research Institute Kyoto University, Sakurajima-Yokoyama-cho, Kagoshima, Japan; 4School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Thursday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 120

  • Programme No: 2.1.30

  • Theme 2 > Session 1

Abstract

Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes of Japan, with multiple explosive events every month. The types of explosions can vary greatly in magnitude, duration and ash content. Acoustic monitoring, particularly in the infrasound range, has proven a valuable tool to monitor the magnitude and duration of explosive events, however estimating mass eruption rate remains challenging. Further investigation is thus needed to understand the sound producing mechanisms of these events, and extract eruption source parameters from acoustic data. Here, we report the results from a 4-week infrasound monitoring campaign at Sakurajima in November 2024. Two 4-element arrays were deployed at ca. 3-4 km distances from the active vents. We also routinely measured SO2 emission rates using a UV camera, but temporal resolution was limited due to the weather conditions. Volcanic activity during the campaign consisted of quiescent degassing (i.e. without explosive activity) from both active vents (Minamidake and Showa) as well as a handful of small ash-laden explosions from Minamidake. I will present the infrasound data from these events, alongside possible interpretations using a jet noise model. I will also discuss the role of laboratory experiments and numerical modelling in shedding light on volcanic infrasound generation mechanisms and improve ash forecasting.