Dense Seismic Array Studies of Kilauea Volcano Hawaii

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9725310 McNutt Volcanic earthquakes and tremor commonly precede volcanic eruptions. However, these special signals are poorly understood. To improve our understanding, an international team of 25 scientists and technicians from the United States, Japan, and Italy joined the staff of the U.S.G.S. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in January 1996 and February 1997 to make the most detailed seismic recordings on Kilauea Volcano ever, using the largest total number of seismic instruments ever installed on a volcano. One hundred-sixteen portable seismographs were installed beginning January 11, 1996 in and near Kilauea Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as a joint Japan-United States research project to record volcanic earthquakes and tremor. On February 1, 1996, a swarm of over 500 earthquakes was recorded by the dense network, providing the best recording of an earthquake swarm at Kilauea. In February 1997, a second intrusion of molten rock was recorded by the networks in place for Phase II of the experiment. The data collected offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand earthquakes associated with magma transport. Similar events occur at many volcanoes and they will be useful to forecast eruptions. We will study: 1) P- and S-wave tomography to learn about the structure of the volcano, 2) array sufficiency to find the best places to locate instruments, and 3) site response and signal variability to understand volcanic complexity. These were chosen for initial analyses because of our interest and expertise and because of the broad applicability of the expected results.