Mauna Kea examined “frequent deep earthquakes”

(BIVN) – Maunakea – Hawaiian Shield Volcano, 13803 Shield Volcano – does not explode, and the current alert level is green. However, deep recurring earthquakes occur beneath the mountain, which is the subject of the most recent article on volcano observation, written this week by the seismologist at the Alaska Observatory Aaron Wake:

Mauna Kea has not erupted for more than 4,500 years, but this does not mean that it is quiet. In fact, it has been hiding for decades one of the most unique seismic signals ever seen in any volcano.

Some discoveries are just a coincidence. Several years ago, seismologists at the American Geological Survey of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Alaska Volcano Observatory were trying a new way to track earthquakes in Kīlauea Volcano. The method examines sections of 24-hour seismic data for signal similarities in many devices. Out of curiosity, they decide to look at the rest of Hawaii Island to find out what they might find.

What they found came as a surprise. A study published in Science in May 2020 describes how they discovered deep earthquakes under Mauna Kea that repeat every 7-12 minutes. Noise in seismic records from winds and nearby cars, as well as the small size of individual earthquakes (strength of 1.5), prevented them from detecting these earthquakes using the regular seismic detection system.

An example of two hours of seismic data from a station near Mauna Kea on April 14, 2020. Large nails are earthquakes under Mauna Kea that repeat approximately every 11 minutes. The bottom waveform enlarges 15 seconds of a single event. (U.S. Geological Survey)

Frequent small earthquakes occur at depths of about 20-25 km (12-15 mi) directly below the peak of Mauna Kea and occur every 7-12 minutes with sudden regularity. Moreover, recurring events can be detected at least in 1999. This was when a particularly quiet seismic station was installed in the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. It is very likely that frequent earthquakes have occurred in the past.

Scientists were initially wary of interpreting earthquakes as being due to volcanic processes, because regularity seemed to be man-made. It took a long period of investigation to rule out all possibilities, such as activity in the Pōhakuloa training area or road construction. But in the end it became clear that these earthquakes were telling us something important about Mauna Kea.

One indication of the origin of frequent deep Mauna Kia earthquakes is that earthquake waves (or waveforms) look different from those of normal earthquakes. Since regular earthquakes produce high frequency vibration, Mauna Kia events are drawn more, and have lower frequencies. This means that erratic slippage is not responsible for Mauna Kia’s deep events.

Low-frequency earthquakes are not unusual in volcanoes, but there is no other example of this type of frequency or longevity anywhere in the world. Ultimately more than a million earthquakes were found from 1999-2018. The Energy Seismology Brief summarizes the equivalent of a 3-magnitude earthquake below Mauna Kia every day.

The combined signals of thousands of these earthquakes allow examination of the waveform in more detail, and the results indicate that the events are caused by fluid movement over the deep magma room. When fluid comes up, it enters a closed crack on top. The continuous flow of fluid will put pressure on the crack, eventually breaking the upper seal and creating the earthquake. Then the crack is sealed, and it all starts again.

So where do these liquids come from? Getting earthquakes every 7-12 minutes for decades requires a semi-stable supply of fluid. The source is probably magmatic gases that act like liquids when they are deep inside the Earth’s crust. These gases separate from magma as they cool. Large magma bodies cool down over hundreds to thousands of years, so this process provides long-term and semi-continuous supply of fluids to drive deep earthquakes repeatedly under Mauna Kea.

Under this interpretation, fluid is produced by cooling the magma in place. There is no evidence (from this study or any other work) that magma rises below Mauna Kea. So, while this study provides an important insight into the processes beneath the volcano, it does not change volcanic risk assessments in Mauna Kea. We expect that any opening of a new channel will be accompanied by swarms of shallow earthquakes to provide an advanced warning of impending volcanic activity.

However, earthquakes confirm that Mauna Kea is classified as an active volcano. Although interpretations can change with the new data, deep low frequency earthquakes are likely to serve as a reminder that magma remains below, only chillin ‘.

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