Imaging spatial and temporal seismic source variations at Sierra Negra Volcano, Galapagos Islands using back-projection methods

Imaging spatial and temporal seismic source variations at Sierra Negra Volcano, Galapagos Islands using back-projection methods Cyndi Kelly1, Jesse F. Lawrence1, Cindy Ebinger2 1Stanford University, Department of Geophysics, 397 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA 2University of Rochester, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, 227 Hutchison Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA Low-magnitude seismic signals generated by processes that characterize volcanic and hydrothermal systems and their plumbing networks are difficult to observe remotely. Seismic records from these systems tend to be extremely 'noisy', making it difficult to resolve 3D subsurface structures using traditional seismic methods. Easily identifiable high-amplitude bursts within the noise that might be suitable for use with traditional seismic methods (i.e. eruptions) tend to occur relatively infrequently compared to the length of an entire eruptive cycle. Furthermore, while these impulsive events might help constrain the dynamics of a particular eruption, they shed little insight into the mechanisms that occur throughout an entire eruption sequence. It has been shown, however, that the much more abundant low-amplitude seismic 'noise' in these records (i.e. volcanic or geyser 'tremor') actually represents a series of overlapping low-magnitude displacements that can be directly linked to magma, fluid, and volatile movement at depth. This 'noisy' data therefore likely contains valuable information about the processes occurring in the volcanic or hydrothermal system before, during and after eruption events. In this study, we present a new method to comprehensively study how the seismic source distribution of all events - including micro-events - evolves during different phases of the eruption sequence of Sierra Negra Volcano in the Galapagos Islands. We apply a back-projection search algorithm to image sources of seismic 'noise' at Sierra Negra Volcano during a proposed intrusion event. By analyzing coherent seismic energy from all possible events to all available receivers, we generate a movie showing how seismic sources change spatially and temporally during the analysis period. This approach utilizes data from the entire seismic record and could ultimately provide a more complete understanding of how seismic sources change throughout the eruptive sequence rather than during a particular eruption event. This information could help to 1) answer fundamental questions about volcano-tectonic processes and 2) make more accurate assessments of volcanic hazards. Preliminary results from application of the methodology to seismic data collected by a dense array of 3-component geophones at El Tatio Geyser Field in northern Chile during October 2012 will also be introduced.