Collaborative Research: RAPID: A novel magnetometer network to capture the ongoing inflationary episode at Askja volcano, Iceland

美国和世界各地数以百万计的人生活在火山高危地区。通过对火山活动的任何变化或即将喷发的迹象进行持续、高质量的监测，可以更好地了解并减轻这些风险。但这些工具在后勤上很难到位，维护成本也很高。该小组将测试磁测量是否能在火山喷发前提供有关火山活动的有用信息。他们还将测试所需的仪器是否可以用廉价的部件制造。如果磁测量被证明是更昂贵的技术的合理替代方案，那么民防当局为火山喷发做准备的能力将大大提高。这些数据还可用于告知应在何处放置其他仪器，从而提高现有仪器网络的有效性。除了使美国受益外，这种技术的低成本特性还可以使其他火山风险较高的国家受益(菲律宾、墨西哥等)。该项目的成功可以为所有人带来高质量的火山风险缓解。作为该项目的一部分，所有收集的数据都将尽快向公众公布。位于冰岛北部火山带的Askja火山上一次喷发是在1961年，当时有一个0.7公里长的裂缝打开并释放出500米高的熔岩喷泉。在其间的几十年里，形成火山口的火山继续以衰败的速度喷发。2021年8月，这一趋势迅速逆转，Askja开始重新膨胀，在通货膨胀的中心观察到超过0.5米的抬升。对现有的InSAR和GNSS定位数据进行的大地测量模拟表明，浅底岩浆源可以解释观测到的变形，但岩浆的确切来源尚不清楚。对最近几次喷发的模拟表明，岩浆地下分布的变化可以在地表的局部磁场中产生可测量的变化，但很少甚至没有数据集在现场捕捉到这种事件，这使得模拟方法难以验证。在这一项目中，将在Askja及其周围安装一个被动磁力仪运动网络，以捕捉由于岩浆持续流入地壳浅层而引起的当地磁场变化。有了这些数据，研究人员将确定这类网络在火山系统中的价值，同时也为同时进行重力测量和连续GNSS定位观测的模型提供额外的限制。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Millions of people in the United States and around the world live in areas with high volcanic risk. These risks can be better understood and also lessened with continuous, high-quality monitoring of volcanoes for any changes in activity or signs of imminent eruption. But these tools are logistically difficult to put in place and are expensive to maintain. This team will test if magnetic measurements can provide useful information about volcanic activity before eruption. They will also test whether the instruments needed can be built with inexpensive components. If magnetic measurements prove to be a reasonable alternative to more expensive techniques, then the capacity of civil defense authorities to prepare for volcanic eruptions will be greatly improved. The data can also be used to inform where other instruments should be placed, increasing the effectiveness of existing instrument networks. In addition to benefiting the United States, the low-cost nature of this technique could benefit other nations with high volcanic risk (Philippines, Mexico, etc.). The success of this project could bring high-quality volcanic risk-mitigation to all. All data collected as part of this project will be made publicly available as soon as possible.Askja volcano—situated in Iceland’s Northern Volcanic Zone—last erupted in 1961, with a 0.7 km-long fissure opening and releasing 500 m-high lava fountains. In the intervening decades, the caldera-forming volcano has continued to deflate at a decaying rate. In August 2021, this trend rapidly reversed and Askja began to reinflate, with over 0.5 m of uplift observed at the center of inflation. Geodetic modeling of the available InSAR and GNSS positioning data has revealed a shallow sill-like magmatic source can explain the observed deformation, but the exact origin of the magma remains unclear. Modeling of a number of recent eruptions has shown that changes in the subsurface distribution of magma can produce a measurable change in the local magnetic field at the surface, but there are few to no datasets that capture such events in-situ making the modeling approach difficult to validate. In this project, a campaign network of passive magnetometers will be installed in and around Askja to capture the changes in the local magnetic field due to the continued influx of magma into the shallow crust. With these data reearchers will establish the value of such networks in volcanic systems, while also providing additional constraints for models that combine concurrent gravity surveys and continuous GNSS positioning observations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.