Changes in Crater Geometry Revealed by Inversion of Harmonic Infrasound Observations: 24 December 2018 Eruption of Mount Etna, Italy

Abstract

In December 2018, Mount Etna (Italy) experienced a period of increased eruptive activity that culminated in a fissure eruption on the southeast flank. After the onset of the flank eruption, the peak frequency of the summit infrasound signals decreased while resonance increased. We invert infrasound observations for crater geometry and show that crater depth and radius increased during the eruption, which suggests that the flank eruption drained magma from the summit and that eruptive activity led to erosion of the crater wall. By inverting the entire infrasound amplitude spectra rather than just the peak frequency, we are able to place additional constraints on the crater geometry and invert for, rather than assume, the crater shape. This work illustrates how harmonic infrasound observations can be used to obtain hightemporal‐ resolution information about crater geometry and can place constraints on complex processes occurring in the inaccessible crater region during eruptive activity.