Self‐Similarity of Seismic Moment Release to Volume Change Scaling for Volcanoes: A Comparison With Injection‐Induced Seismicity

Estimates of intruded magma volume are critical for forecasting volcanic unrest. Geodetic modeling can provide such estimates but is of limited use in submarine and highly vegetated settings. A complementary approach could be to use estimates of seismic moment release. In this study, we examine the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2022-12, Vol.49 (23), p.n/a
Main Authors: Kettlety, Tom, Kendall, J. Michael, Roman, Diana C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Earthquakes
Energy
Estimates
Fluid injection
Fluids
geomechanics
Geothermal energy
Hazard mitigation
Hydraulic fracturing
induced seismicity
Injection
Lava
Magma
Mathematical models
Satellite imagery
Scaling
Seismic activity
seismic moment
Seismicity
Seismology
Similarity
Underwater
Volcanic activity
Volcanoes
volcanology
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Summary:Estimates of intruded magma volume are critical for forecasting volcanic unrest. Geodetic modeling can provide such estimates but is of limited use in submarine and highly vegetated settings. A complementary approach could be to use estimates of seismic moment release. In this study, we examine the moment‐volume scaling of several proximal volcanic earthquake sequences and compare it to that of injection‐induced seismicity. We find a notable similarity in scaling between the volcanic sequences, which contrasts with the broad range of responses exhibited by anthropogenic injection‐induced sequences. This may imply an underlying similarity in the geologic conditions for volcanoes that is distinct from induced seismicity settings. It could also allow for estimates of intruded volume to be made without geodetic information. This provides further insight into the factors controlling seismogenesis in these different settings and has implications for volcano seismology and injection‐induced seismicity hazard estimation. Plain Language Summary Knowing how much magma is beneath a volcano before or during an eruption can help forecast its behavior and aid evacuation or relief efforts. Currently, satellite images or sensitive measurements of the ground inflation are used to model the amount of magma, but this isn't always possible if the volcano is underwater or shrouded by tree cover. A proposed alternative to this is to use the size and number of earthquakes as a gauge on the amount of volume change occurring underground. The relationship between the total amount of energy released by earthquakes and volume change has been a key research area of earthquakes triggered in the injection of fluids by industries like geothermal energy or hydraulic fracturing (i.e., fracking). We study several well‐recorded volcanoes and see that there is a similarity in the observed volume change and the amount of energy released from associated earthquakes. This is very different from the many examples of anthropogenic injection‐induced seismicity, which show a very broad spread. This implies that the similar conditions under volcanoes lead to similar responses to volume changes. This helps us better understand and thus potentially mitigate the hazards of both volcanoes and industrial fluid injection. Key Points We observe a similar moment‐volume scaling for volcano seismicity, contrasting with the range exhibited by injection‐induced examples The results show that scaling between mome
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2022GL099369