Atmospheric waves from a massive 2022 South Pacific volcanic eruption created seismic waves that penetrated Earth to at least 5 kilometers in Alaska, creating an opportunity to employ an unusual method of peering into the state’s deep subsurface.
Atmospheric waves from a massive 2022 South Pacific volcanic eruption created seismic waves that penetrated Earth to at least 5 kilometers in Alaska, creating an opportunity to employ an unusual method of peering into the state’s deep subsurface.
Ken Macpherson, a scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and other researchers analyzed the coupling of atmospheric pressure waves with the ground to determine the speed at which seismic waves travel through Alaska’s upper crust.
Subsurface material properties such as hardness, which controls seismic velocity, can be inferred through examination of the relative strength of incoming pressure waves and the resulting seismic waves.
Read more at: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Photo Credit: Tonga Geological Services via the Smithsonian Instituete's Global Volcanism Program
