Interaction of seismic and airwaves recorded at Stromboli volcano

Abstract

Explosion-quake seismograms recorded at Stromboli show that seismic phases with a high-amplitude and high-frequency content propagate with a velocity of approximately 330 m/s - the sound speed. The analysis of seismograms, recorded at a distance of 500 m from one of the three active vents, shows for the first onset a low frequency and particle motion characteristics of a p-wave, which loses its longitudinal polarization with the onset of the air-wave. Recording the explosion-quake simultaneously with a microphonewe would ascertain that the high frequency onset coincides with the air-wave's. In order to better understand the seismic wavefield generated by the atmospheric pressure, we performed a controlled source experiment at Stromboli using a seismic gun. Seismograms with the same two phases and particle motions comparable with the volcanic seismic data were obtained. A second experiment demonstrated, that the air-wave propagates at least in the uppermost 1m of the gound. We suggest that the seismic source of the corresponding seismograms is an explosion at the top of the magma column and conclude that the p- and air-waves are both generated in the same point and at the same time.