IDAHO: Volcano’s special ‘voice’ is key to understanding the linguistics of volcanoes
Mount Etna, Italy: one of the most active volcanoes in the world. For Boise State University geoscientist Jeffrey Johnson, this volcano's special "voice" is proving key to understanding the linguistics of volcanoes.
Johnson and collaborators studied inaudible infrasound at Mount Etna and identified an infrasonic signal from the volcano, the tune of which changed in the hours leading up to a kilometer-high lava fountain, lasting hours. The NSF-supported researchers published their results in Scientific Reports.
“We were listening to the volcanic conduit becoming shorter as magma was rising; this type of signal is called gliding,” says Johnson.
“It’s exciting to see how fast volcanology is advancing as tools like infrasound are explored by this and other research teams,” said Jennifer Wade, a program director in NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences.
“The exciting part is that we can apply this tool to other volcanoes in the hope we can forecast future big eruptions,” Johnson said.