SeisMic Observations of deep VolcAnic pRocesses
Final Report Abstract
The SaMOVAR project aimed to investigate deep volcanic processes through seismic observations, using the Klyuchevskoy Volcanic Group (KVG) in Kamchatka as a natural laboratory. This region, the largest and most active subduction zone volcanic cluster globally, provided a unique opportunity to study magma transfer mechanisms, crustal and mantle anisotropy, and pre-eruptive changes in volcanic systems. The project focused on understanding the physical processes controlling magma and fluid pressure transport from deep sources to shallow reservoirs. To achieve these goals, data from the temporary KISS network, which included 80 broadband seismographs operating in 2015–2016, and long-term records from the permanent Kamchatka seismic network were analyzed using techniques such as shear-wave splitting, receiver-function analysis, tomographic imaging, and ambient noise-based monitoring. Despite challenges posed by the Russia-Ukraine war, which limited access to certain datasets, the project achieved significant advancements by leveraging alternative regional and international datasets. Key findings revealed complex anisotropy patterns in the mantle beneath the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone, with toroidal flow at slab edges influencing mantle dynamics. Local shear-wave splitting indicated weak anisotropy in the mantle wedge, while teleseismic splitting suggested strong anisotropy in the subslab mantle, consistent with trench-parallel flow. Temporal seismic velocity changes linked to volcanic and tectonic processes were identified, including evidence of shallow magmatic reservoir inflation at Bezymianny Volcano prior to an eruption. The episodically changing noise field character is a particular challenge in volcanic environments and was addressed using a temporal clustering that identified periods of relatively stability which could be used for monitoring. Another common challenge for long term interferometry based velocity monitoring arises from changes in the station configuration. This problem has been addressed at Mount St. Helens which has been instrumented since decades but with fluctuating stations. A strategy based on the spatial imaging of velocity changes was developed to integrate data from new stations into a coherent 4D picture of changing seismic velocities. The project developed innovative tools, such as the open-source ”SeisMIC” software, enabling efficient seismic velocity monitoring.
Publications
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Crustal structure and mantle anisotropy beneath Klyuchevskoy Volcano and surrounding regions in Kamchatka. Copernicus GmbH.
Kaviani, Ayoub; Rümpker, Georg; Koulakov, Ivan; Sens‐Schönfelder, Christoph & Shapiro, Nikolay
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Deciphering the Contributions of Volcanic and Environmental Events to Temporal Variations of the Regional Velocity Structure at the Kluchevskoy Volcano Group (Kamchatka, Russia). Copernicus GmbH.
Makus, Peter; Sens-Schönfelder, Christoph; Tilmann, Frederik & Walter, Thomas R.
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Particularities and Challenges of Ambient Noise Monitoring at Subduction Zone Volcanoes: A Comparison with Data from Cascadia and Kamchatka. In AGU Fall Meeting 2022
Makus, P., Denolle, M., Sens-Schonfelder, C., Walter, T. & Tilmann, F. J.
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Reconciling lab and field scale observations of nonclassical behavior of rocks. In AGU Fall Meeting, volume 2022
Sens-Schoenfelder, C., Illien, L., Makus, P. & Asnar, M.
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A study of the mantle flow field and lithospheric deformation beneath the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone using seismic anisotropy. Copernicus GmbH.
Kaviani, Ayoub; Rümpker, Georg; Sens‐Schönfelder, Christoph; Abolfazl, Komeazi Abolfazl Komeazi & Shapiro, Nikolai
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Analysis of shear-wave splitting to infer the seismic anisotropy of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system – inversion ambiguities, automatization, and machine-learning approaches. Copernicus GmbH.
Rümpker, Georg; Kaviani, Ayoub; Link, Frederik; Reiss, Miriam; Chakraborty, Megha; Faber, Johannes; Köhler, Jonas & Srivastava, Nishtha
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Deciphering the Whisper of Volcanoes: Monitoring Velocity Changes at Kamchatka's Klyuchevskoy Group With Fluctuating Noise Fields. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 128(4).
Makus, Peter; Sens‐Schönfelder, Christoph; Illien, Luc; Walter, Thomas R.; Yates, Alexander & Tilmann, Frederik
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Illuminating the non-linear relationship between volcanic, tectonic, and environmental forcings and the seismic velocity by analysis of interdisciplinary datasets, XXVIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) (Berlin 2023)
Makus, P., Sens-Schonfelder, C., Denolle, M. & Tilmann, F.
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Testing observables for teleseismic shear-wave splitting inversions: ambiguities of intensities, parameters, and waveforms. Annals of Geophysics, 66(2), SE206.
Rümpker, Georg; Kaviani, Ayoub; Link, Frederik; Reiss, Miriam Christina & Komeazi, Abolfazl
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The Complex Relationship between Seismic Velocity and Volcanic, Tectonic, and Environmental Forcings Illustrated by 23 Years of Data at Mt. St. Helens. In EGU General Assembly 2023
Makus, P., Denolle, M., Sens-Schonfelder, C., Kopfli, M. & Tilmann, F.
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Analyzing Volcanic, Tectonic, and Environmental Influences on the Seismic Velocity from 25 Years of Data at Mount St. Helens. Seismological Research Letters, 95(5), 2674-2688.
Makus, Peter; Denolle, Marine A.; Sens-Schönfelder, Christoph; Köpfli, Manuela & Tilmann, Frederik
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Feasibility of Deep Learning in Shear Wave Splitting analysis using Synthetic-Data Training and Waveform Deconvolution. Seismica, 3(1).
Chakraborty, Megha; Rümpker, Georg; Li, Wei; Faber, Johannes; Srivastava, Nishtha & Link, Frederik
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SeisMIC - an Open Source Python Toolset to Compute Velocity Changes from Ambient Seismic Noise. Seismica, 3(1).
Makus, Peter & Sens-Schönfelder, Christoph
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Toroidal mantle flow beneath the NE termination of the Kuril–Kamchatka subduction zone from seismic anisotropy. Geophysical Journal International, 237(1), 364-377.
Kaviani, Ayoub; Rümpker, Georg; Sens-Schönfelder, Christoph; Komeazi, Abolfazl & Shapiro, Nikolai
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Understanding the long-term 4D Dynamics of the Seismic Velocity at Mount St Helens, WA, USA. In EGU24. Copernicus Meetings
Makus, P., Denolle, M., Sens-Schonfelder, C., Kopfli, M. & Tilmann, F.
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Unravelling Contributions to the Dynamics of the Elastic Properties in Volcanic Environments: Towards Volcano Monitoring Using Passive Image Interferometry. Freie Universitat Berlin
Makus, P.
