HR: 1330h
AN: V32B-1020    [PDF]
TI: The Anatahan volcano-monitoring system
AU: * Marso, J N
EM: jnmarso@usgs.gov
AF: USGS-Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1300 Cardinal Court Bldg 10, Vancouver, WA 98683 United States
AU: Lockhart, A B
EM: ablock@usgs.gov
AF: USGS-Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1300 Cardinal Court Bldg 10, Vancouver, WA 98683 United States
AU: White, R A
EM: rwhite@usgs.gov
AF: USGS, 345 Middlefield Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AU: Koyanagi, S K
EM: koyanagi@usgs.gov
AF: USGS-Hawaii Volcano Observatory, PO Box 51, HI Nat'l Park, HI 96718
AU: Trusdell, F A
EM: trusdell@usgs.gov
AF: USGS-Hawaii Volcano Observatory, PO Box 51, HI Nat'l Park, HI 96718
AU: Camacho, J T
EM: juantcamacho@hotmail.com
AF: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands Emergency Management Office, PO box 10007, Saipan, MP 96950 United States Minor Outlying Islands
AU: Chong, R
EM: rcchongemo@hotmail.com
AF: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands Emergency Management Office, PO box 10007, Saipan, MP 96950 United States Minor Outlying Islands
AB: A real-time 24/7 Anatahan volcano-monitoring and eruption detection system is now operational. There had been no real-time seismic monitoring on Anatahan during the May 10, 2003 eruption because the single telemetered seismic station on Anatahan Island had failed. On May 25, staff from the Emergency Management Office (EMO) of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) established a replacement telemetered seismic station on Anatahan whose data were recorded on a drum recorder at the EMO on Saipan, 130 km to the south by June 5. In late June EMO and USGS staff installed a Glowworm seismic data acquisition system (Marso et al, 2003) at EMO and hardened the Anatahan telemetry links. The Glowworm system collects the telemetered seismic data from Anatahan and Saipan, places graphical display products on a webpage, and exports the seismic waveform data in real time to Glowworm systems at Hawaii Volcano Observatory and Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO). In early July, a back-up telemetered seismic station was placed on Sarigan Island 40 km north of Anatahan, transmitting directly to the EMO on Saipan. Because there is currently no population on the island, at this time the principal hazard presented by Anatahan volcano would be air traffic disruption caused by possible erupted ash. The aircraft/ash hazard requires a monitoring program that focuses on eruption detection. The USGS currently provides 24/7 monitoring of Anatahan with a rotational seismic duty officer who carries a Pocket PC-cell phone combination that receives SMS text messages from the CVO Glowworm system when it detects large seismic signals. Upon receiving an SMS text message notification from the CVO Glowworm, the seismic duty officer can use the Pocket PC - cell phone to view a graphic of the seismic traces on the EMO Glowworm's webpage to determine if the seismic signal is eruption related. There have been no further eruptions since the monitoring system was installed, but regional tectonic earthquakes have provided frequent tests of the system. Reliance on a Pocket PC - cell phone requires that the seismic duty officer remain in an area with cell phone coverage. With this monitoring method, the USGS is able to provide rapid notice of an Anatahan eruption to the EMO and the Washington Volcano Ash Advisory Center. Reference Marso, J.N., Murray, T.L., Lockhart, A.B., Bryan, C.J., Glowworm: An extended PC-based Earthworm system for volcano monitoring. Abstracts, Cities On Volcanoes III, Hilo Hawaii, July 2003.
DE: 8419 Eruption monitoring (7280)
DE: 8494 Instruments and techniques
SC: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Petrology [V]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting