Real-Time Seismic Monitor Installed on Growing Underwater Volcano

Kick'em Jenny is its name, and for oceanographers working in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, this undersea volcano has been a handful.

Now, a team of marine scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and affiliated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) may have figured out how to tame it. This week, the researchers will begin using radio telemetry to monitor the rumblings of Kick'em Jenny from a real-time seismic monitoring device installed on the volcano.

The new technology will improve the ability of natural hazards managers to protect residents from volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, said Alex Isern, program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences. "Basic oceanographic research leads to technological advances that directly benefit society--like detecting hazards--in time to make a difference," said Isern.

Located just off the north coast of the island nation of Grenada, Kick 'em Jenny is a "natural laboratory"--a submarine volcano that will eventually emerge from beneath the sea to form a new volcanic island. It is the only "live" submarine volcano in the West Indies, and has erupted at least 12 times since 1939. The last major eruption occurred in 2001.

Part of a project to develop new technology for earthquake monitoring in coastal areas, the seismic station, called a Real Time Offshore Seismic Station (RTOSS), uses an ocean-bottom seismometer deployed directly on the volcano. RTOSS allows seismic data to be transmitted by high-frequency radio to a land-based observatory in a nearby village. The data will reach the shore within milliseconds of being collected.

"This is the first time that radio telemetry has been used to transmit data from an underwater seismic monitoring station," said Rob Reves-Sohn, a WHOI geologist and RTOSS project leader.

Scientists will be able to observe the "inhaling and exhaling" of the volcano as it draws in and expels seawater, magma and superheated fluids.

The research team is coordinating its efforts with the National Disaster Management Agency in Grenada and the Seismic Unit of the University of the West Indies. The data will be incorporated into the regional monitoring network in the Lesser Antilles.

Source: NSF

Related stories:

Magmatically triggered slow earthquake discovered at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
From June 17-19th 2007, Kilauea experienced a new dike intrusion, where magma rapidly moved from a storage reservoir beneath the summit into the east rift zone and extended the rift zone by as much as 1 meter.
Crystals improve understanding of volcanic eruption triggers
Scientists have exploited crystals from lavas to unravel the records of volcanic eruptions. The team, from Durham University and the University of Leeds, studied crystal formation from a volcano, in Santorini, in Greece, to calculate the timescale between the trigger of volcanic activity and the volcano's eruption.
Dramatic developments at Kilauea Volcano: Scientists work to keep public safe and informed
Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm’s way.
A fresh look inside Mount St. Helens
Volcanoes are notoriously hard to study. All the action takes place deep inside, at enormous temperatures. So geophysicists make models, using what they know to develop theories about what they don’t know.
Russia prepares for volcano eruption
Residents of Kamchatka in far eastern Russia are on alert for yet another volcano eruption.
Study shows earthquakes may quickly boost regional volcanoes
Scientists using NASA satellite data have found strong evidence that a major earthquake can lead to a nearly immediate increase in regional volcanic activity.
Yellowstone's Quiet Power
A 17-year University of Utah study of ground movements shows that the power of the huge volcanic hotspot beneath Yellowstone National Park is much greater than previously thought during times when the giant volcano is slumbering.
Wireless system to monitor volcanoes
Seismologists, Ecuadorian officials, area residents could benefit from improved data
A rumbling South American volcano has gone wireless: Computer scientists at Harvard University have teamed up with seismologists at the University of New Hampshire and University of North Carolina to fit an Ecuadorian peak with a wireless array to monitor volcanic activity. The sensors should help researchers, officials, and local residents understand and plan for eruptions of Tungarahua, one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes in recent years.

News discussion:

new volcanic islands in Space & Earth science news