Dr Watson says these 鈥渢errifying鈥 flows are challenging to study because they are sudden, fast-moving, and dangerous. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to know what is going on inside a flow because the internal flow dynamics are hidden by an opaque gas cloud which is impossible to see through.鈥
However, he has used seismic data recorded by a permanent monitoring network at Mt Etna, Italy to track a pyroclastic flow that happened in February 2014. His findings have been published in the听.
鈥淲e鈥檝e shown that as the pyroclastic flow travels down the flanks of the volcano, it pushes on to Earth鈥檚 surface producing seismic waves. We can use these seismic signals to track the flow, potentially informing modelling of their flow paths in real time which could help with making hazard assessments for future eruptions.
鈥淏y considering how seismic signals get smaller further away from the pyroclastic flow, we can locate the source of these vibrations and track their location over time.鈥
He says because of the extreme hazard posed by pyroclastic flows there is an urgent need to improve monitoring capabilities. The findings could be applied at volcanoes in New 茄子视频app官网such as Ruapehu, Tongariro and Taranaki.
鈥淎ll of the New 茄子视频app官网volcanoes are able to produce pyroclastic flows, so being able to monitor them better could help improve safety.鈥
Dr Watson hopes to carry out further research in the New 茄子视频app官网context using seismic signals to track lahars (mudflows composed of rock, debris, and water), as well as pyroclastic flows. A lahar from Ruapehu destroyed a bridge over the听听causing a train derailment in the 1953 Tangiwai disaster that killed 151 people.
鈥淭he ultimate goal is to better understand and monitor volcanic hazards and to use these findings to save lives. This is especially useful as volcanoes are often shrouded in cloud and eruptions can happen during the night when cameras are not effective.鈥
Dr Watson has already听that sound waves can be used to detect mountain avalanches along the Milford Road and is currently working on monitoring avalanche activity in Mount Cook Aoraki National Park.听
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