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Analyzing the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption sequence through the I59US infrasound array and how long-term detection monitoring can be beneficial in estimating the onsets of volcanic events.

Braden Walsh

Abstract

One of the biggest problems in geophysical monitoring, especially infrasound, is how to separate out the unwanted noise from the signal of interest. For infrasound specifically, there is an importance in knowing at which frequency ranges unwanted noise is generated and what location the noise is sourced from. Determining from where and at frequencies noise originates is of utmost importance. Here, we look at multiple years of data from the IMS infrasound station I59US in order to build a station history/profile to help detect, characterize, and locate the different phases of the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption sequence in Hawaii. The 2022 eruption began at 9:26 UTC on November 28 as a fissure opened in the summit caldera. Subsequently, multiple fissures began to erupt and migrated down the northeast rift zone by the start of November 29. The fissure eruptions along the northeast rift zone continued until December 9 when the eruption sequence came to a stop. Using detailed past infrasound data and detections, the assessment of background noise (e.g. source location, duration, timing, frequency content) is performed to obtain an understanding of when an eruption phase detection is possible or be encapsulated by undesired noise. Furthermore, using past data allows for the detection of eruption onsets to be visualized easier compared to only using detections from the moment of eruption. Additionally, this presentation uses data from other infrasound stations around Mauna Loa to compile an eruption history of the 2022 sequence though infrasound analysis.