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Bean, Christopher J.
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Bean, Christopher J.
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Bean, Christopher J.
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 29
- PublicationWave height quantification using land based seismic data with grammatical evolutionAccurate, real time, continuous ocean wave height measurements are required for the initialisation of ocean wave forecast models, model hindcasting, and climate studies. These measurements are usually obtained using in situ ocean buoys or by satellite altimetry, but are sometimes incomplete due to instrument failure or routine network upgrades. In such situations, a reliable gap filling technique is desirable to provide a continuous and accurate ocean wave field record. Recorded on a land based seismic network are continuous seismic signals known as microseisms. These microseisms are generated by the interactions of ocean waves and will be used in the estimation of ocean wave heights. Grammatical Evolution is applied in this study to generate symbolic models that best estimate ocean wave height from terrestrial seismic data, and the best model is validated against an Artificial Neural Network. Both models are tested over a five month period of 2013, and an analysis of the results obtained indicates that the approach is robust and that it is possible to estimate ocean wave heights from land based seismic data.
340 - PublicationSeparation and location of microseism sourcesMicroseisms are ground vibrations caused largely by ocean gravity waves. Multiple spatially separate noise sources may be coincidentally active. A method for source separation and individual wavefield retrieval of microseisms using a single pair of seismic stations is introduced, and a method of back azimuth estimation assuming Rayleigh-wave arrivals of microseisms is described. These methods are combined to separate and locate sources of microseisms in a synthetic model and then applied to field microseismic recordings from Ireland in the Northeast Atlantic. It is shown that source separation is an important step prior to location for both accurate microseism locations and microseisms wavefield studies.
347Scopus© Citations 7 - PublicationDiffraction imaging of sedimentary basins: An example from the Porcupine Basin(Copernicus, 2021-04-30)
; ; ; ; iffraction imaging is the technique of separating diffraction energy from the source wavefield and processing it independently. As diffractions are formed from objects and discontinuities, or diffractors, which are small in comparison to the wavelength, if the diffraction energy is imaged, so too are the diffractors. These diffractors take many forms such as faults, fractures, and pinch-out points, and are therefore geologically significant. Diffraction imaging has been applied here to the Porcupine Basin; a hyperextended basin located 200km to the southwest of Ireland with a rich geological history. The basin has seen interest both academically and industrially as a study on hyperextension and a potential source of hydrocarbons. The data is characterised by two distinct, basin-wide, fractured carbonates nestled between faulted sandstones and mudstones. Additionally, there are both mass-transport deposits and fans present throughout the data, which pose a further challenge for diffraction imaging. Here, we propose the usage of diffraction imaging to better image structures both within the carbonate, such as fractures, and below.173 - PublicationEruptive fracture location forecasts from high frequency events on Piton de la Fournaise volcano(Wiley, 2013-09)
; ; ; ; Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion island) is a very active basaltic volcano, with five eruptions between Nov 2009 and Dec 2010. Pre-eruptive seismic crises usually last for a few hours and mainly consist of a volcano-tectonic swarm. During the quiescent period between the volcano-tectonic swarm and the eruptive tremor, we identify another swarm of events with a very high frequency content. These events are shallow and are located close to the future eruption site. They seem associated with the opening of the path for the magma propagating laterally at shallow depth. As these events start to occur while the magma is still in a vertical propagation phase, this seismicity seems to be related with the generic response of the volcano to the stress perturbation and not directly induced by the magma pressure. This new observation brings new insights to short-term forecasting of the eruption location.247Scopus© Citations 12 - PublicationHelicopter location and tracking using seismometer recordings(Oxford University Press, 2017-05-01)
; ; ; We use frequency domain methods usually applied to volcanic tremor to analyse ground based seismic recordings of a helicopter. We preclude misinterpretations of tremor sources and show alternative applications of our seismological methods. On a volcano, the seismic source can consist of repeating, closely spaced, small earthquakes. Interestingly, similar signals are generated by helicopters, due to repeating pressure pulses from the rotor blades. In both cases the seismic signals are continuous and referred to as tremor. As frequency gliding is in this case merely caused by the Doppler effect, not a change in the source, we can use its shape to deduce properties of the helicopter and its flight path. We show in this analysis that the number of rotor blades, rotor revolutions per minute (RPM), helicopter speed, flight direction, altitude and location can be deduced from seismometer recordings. Access to GPS determined flight path data from the helicopter offers us a robust way to test our location method.341Scopus© Citations 10 - PublicationInvestigating the source characteristics of long-period (LP) seismic events recorded on Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion(Elsevier, 2013-05-15)
; ; ; ; Magmatic and hydrothermal processes play a significant role in generating seismicity at active volcanoes. These signals can be recorded at the surface and can be used to obtain an insight into the volcano's internal dynamics. Long period (LP) events are of particular interest as they often accompany or precede volcanic eruptions, but they are still not well understood. Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion Island, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world however LP events are rarely recorded there. A seismic network of 20 broadband seismometers has been operational on Piton de la Fournaise volcano since November 2009. Between November 2009 and January 2011 the volcano erupted five times, but only 15 LP events were recorded. Three of these eruptions were preceded by LP events, and several LP events were recorded during an intrusive phase. A family of three repeating LP events exists within the dataset. In order to characterize these events we locate and perform moment tensor inversion on the LP family. The LP events are located within the summit crater at shallow depths (< 200 m below the surface). Inversions show that the source mechanism is best represented by a tensile crack with horizontal crack geometry. We also investigate the relationship between LP occurrence and eruptive characteristics (size of the eruption, deformation of the edifice, etc.), and we find that the events exist only during flank eruptions and can be generated by the activity of the hydrothermal system and/or by the deformation inside the crater.335Scopus© Citations 12 - PublicationNew observations of displacement steps associated with volcano seismic long-period events, constrained by step-table experimentsLong-period (LP) volcano seismic events often precede volcanic eruptions and are viewed with considerable interest in hazard assessment. They are usually thought to be associated with resonating fluid-filled conduits although alternative models involving material failure have recently been proposed. Through recent field experiments, we uncovered a step-like displacement component associated with some LP events, outside the spectral range of the typically narrow-band analysis for this kind of event. Bespoke laboratory experiments with step tables show that steps of the order of a few micrometers can be extracted from seismograms, where long-period noise is estimated and removed with moving median filters. Using these constraints, we observe step-like ground deformation in LP recordings near the summits of Turrialba and Etna Volcanoes. This represents a previously unobserved static component in the source time history of LP events, with implications for the underlying source process.
262Scopus© Citations 10 - PublicationCoseismic velocity variations caused by static stress changes associated with the 2001 Mw=4.3 Agios Ionis earthquake in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece(American Geophysical Union, 2010-07)
; ; ; The analysis of temporal variations in the seismic velocity across faults can be used to estimate in situ stress changes. Seismic velocity of propagation depends on the fault stiffness, which is a function of stress. The coda wave interferometry technique is applied to seven families of repeating earthquakes (multiplets) recorded on the southern shore of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, to estimate high precision velocity changes in the Earth ’ s crust associated with the M w = 4.3 Agios Ioanis earthquake. Results show that the Agios Ioanis event causes a perturbation in elastic properties at seismogenic depth, resulting in a reduction of 0.2% in the seismic velocity. The results are not consistent with either damage induced by dynamic stresses nor a fluid transient origin. In contrast, both the spatial distribution and magnitude of the velocity perturbation correlate well with modeled static stress variations. This suggests that the measured changes in the mechanical properties of the seismogenic crust can be attributed to a change in static stress field associated with the M w = 4.3 Agios Ioanis earthquake. The velocity changes indicate an unclamping of the Pyrgaki fault at depth, which has local hazard implications216 - PublicationMultiple Coincident Eruptive Seismic Tremor Sources During the 2014-2015 Eruption at Holuhraun, Iceland(American Geophysical Union, 2017-04)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; We analyze eruptive tremor during one of the largest effusive eruptions in historical times in Iceland (2014/2015 Holuhraun eruption). Seismic array recordings are compared with effusion rates deduced from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer recordings and ground video monitoring data and lead to the identification of three coexisting eruptive tremor sources. This contrasts other tremor studies that generally link eruptive tremor to only one source usually associated with the vent. The three sources are (i) a source that is stable in back azimuth and shows bursts with ramp-like decrease in amplitude at the beginning of the eruption: we link it to a process below the open vents where the bursts correlate with the opening of new vents and temporary increases in the lava fountaining height; (ii) a source moving by a few degrees per month while the tremor amplitude suddenly increases and decreases: back azimuth and slowness correlate with the growing margins of the lava flow field, whilst new contact with a river led to fast increases of the tremor amplitude; and (iii) a source moving by up to 25∘ southward in 4 days that cannot be related to any observed surface activity and might be linked to intrusions. We therefore suggest that eruptive tremor amplitudes/energies are used with caution when estimating eruptive volumes, effusion rates, or the eruption explosivity as multiple sources can coexist during the eruption phase. Our results suggest that arrays can monitor both the growth of a lava flow field and the activity in the vents.281Scopus© Citations 24 - PublicationThe coupling between very long period seismic events, volcanic tremor, and degassing rates at Mount Etna volcano(American Geophysical Union, 2013-09)
; ; ; ; From December 2005 to January 2006, an anomalous degassing episode was observed at Mount Etna, well-correlated with an increase in volcanic tremor, and in the almost complete absence of eruptive activity. In the same period, more than 10,000 very long period (VLP) events were detected. Through moment tensor inversion analyses of the VLP pulses, we obtained quantitative estimates of the volumetric variations associated with these events. This allowed a quantitative investigation of the relationship between VLP seismic activity, volcanic tremor, and gas emission rate at Mount Etna. We found a statistically significant positive correlation between SO2 gas flux and volcanic tremor, suggesting that tremor amplitude can be used as a first-order proxy for the background degassing activity of the volcano. VLP volumetric changes and SO2 gas flux are correlated only for the last part of our observations, following a slight change in the VLP source depth. We calculate that the gas associated with VLP signal genesis contributed less than 5% of the total gas emission. The existence of a linear correlation between VLP and degassing activities indicates a general relationship between these two processes. The effectiveness of such coupling appears to depend upon the particular location of the VLP source, suggesting that conduit geometry might play a significant role in the VLP-generating process. These results are the first report on Mount Etna of a quantitative relationship between the amounts of gas emissions directly estimated through instrumental flux measurements and the quantities of gas mass inferred in the VLP source inversion.505Scopus© Citations 38