‘Bulges’ in volcanoes could be used to predict eruptions

Kiauea      
            Credit: Clare Donaldson
Kiauea Credit: Clare Donaldson
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a new way of measuring the pressure inside volcanoes, and found that it can be a reliable indicator of future eruptions. This could be a new way of predicting volcanic eruptions. Clare Donaldson Using a technique called 'seismic noise interferometry' combined with geophysical measurements, the researchers measured the energy moving through a volcano. They found that there is a good correlation between the speed at which the energy travelled and the amount of bulging and shrinking observed in the rock. The technique could be used to predict more accurately when a volcano will erupt. Their results are reported in the journal Science Advances . Data was collected by the US Geological Survey across K?lauea in Hawaii, a very active volcano with a lake of bubbling lava just beneath its summit.
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