TY - JOUR A1 - Namiki, Atsuko A1 - Rivalta, Eleonora A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Willey, Timothy A1 - Parolai, Stefano A1 - Walter, Thomas R. T1 - Volcanic activities triggered or inhibited by resonance of volcanic edifices to large earthquakes JF - Geology N2 - The existence of a causal link between large earthquakes and volcanic unrest is widely accepted. Recent observations have also revealed counterintuitive negative responses of volcanoes to large earthquakes, including decreased gas emissions and subsidence in volcanic areas. In order to explore the mechanisms that could simultaneously explain both the positive and negative responses of volcanic activity to earthquakes, we here focus on the role played by topography. In the laboratory, we shook a volcanic edifice analogue, made of gel, previously injected with a buoyant fluid. We find that shaking triggers rapid migration of the buoyant fluid upward, downward, or laterally, depending on the fluid’s buoyancy and storage depth; bubbly fluids stored at shallow depth ascend, while low-buoyancy fluids descend or migrate laterally. The migration of fluids induced by shaking is two orders of magnitude faster than without shaking. Downward or lateral fluid migration may decrease volcanic gas emissions and cause subsidence as a negative response, while upward migration is consistent both with an increase in volcanic activity and immediate unrest (deformation and seismicity) after large earthquakes. The fluid migration is more efficient when the oscillation frequency is close to the resonance frequency of the edifice. The resonance frequency for a 30-km-wide volcanic mountain range, such as those where subsidence was observed, is ∼0.07 Hz. Only large earthquakes are able to cause oscillation at such low frequencies. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1130/G45323.1 SN - 0091-7613 SN - 1943-2682 VL - 47 IS - 1 SP - 67 EP - 70 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Boulder ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dahm, Torsten A1 - Stiller, Manfred A1 - Mechie, James A1 - Heimann, Sebastian A1 - Hensch, Martin A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Schmidt, Bernd A1 - Gabriel, Gerald A1 - Weber, Michael T1 - Seismological and geophysical signatures of the deep crustal magma systems of the cenozoic volcanic fields Beneath the Eifel, Germany JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - The Quaternary volcanic fields of the Eifel (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) had their last eruptions less than 13,000 years ago. Recently, deep low-frequency (DLF) earthquakes were detected beneath one of the volcanic fields showing evidence of ongoing magmatic activity in the lower crust and upper mantle. In this work, seismic wide- and steep-angle experiments from 1978/1979 and 1987/1988 are compiled, partially reprocessed and interpreted, together with other data to better determine the location, size, shape, and state of magmatic reservoirs in the Eifel region near the crust-mantle boundary. We discuss seismic evidence for a low-velocity gradient layer from 30-36 km depth, which has developed over a large region under all Quaternary volcanic fields of the Rhenish Massif and can be explained by the presence of partial melts. We show that the DLF earthquakes connect the postulated upper mantle reservoir with the upper crust at a depth of about 8 km, directly below one of the youngest phonolitic volcanic centers in the Eifel, where CO(2)originating from the mantle is massively outgassing. A bright spot in the West Eifel between 6 and 10 km depth represents a Tertiary magma reservoir and is seen as a model for a differentiated reservoir beneath the young phonolitic center today. We find that the distribution of volcanic fields is controlled by the Variscan lithospheric structures and terrane boundaries as a whole, which is reflected by an offset of the Moho depth, a wedge-shaped transparent zone in the lower crust and the system of thrusts over about 120 km length. KW - magma reservoirs KW - distributed volcanic fields KW - reflection seismic KW - crustal magma chamber KW - deep low-frequency earthquakes KW - low velocity zone Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009062 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 21 IS - 9 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Petersen, Gesa Maria A1 - Hainzl, Sebastian A1 - Dahm, Torsten T1 - Review: Can Animals Predict Earthquakes? JF - Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America N2 - In public perception, abnormal animal behavior is widely assumed to be a potential earthquake precursor, in strong contrast to the viewpoint in natural sciences. Proponents of earthquake prediction via animals claim that animals feel and react abnormally to small changes in environmental and physico-chemical parameters related to the earthquake preparation process. In seismology, however, observational evidence for changes of physical parameters before earthquakes is very weak. In this study, we reviewed 180 publications regarding abnormal animal behavior before earthquakes and analyze and discuss them with respect to (1) magnitude-distance relations, (2) foreshock activity, and (3) the quality and length of the published observations. More than 700 records of claimed animal precursors related to 160 earthquakes are reviewed with unusual behavior of more than 130 species. The precursor time ranges from months to seconds prior to the earthquakes, and the distances from a few to hundreds of kilometers. However, only 14 time series were published, whereas all other records are single observations. The time series are often short (the longest is 1 yr), or only small excerpts of the full data set are shown. The probability density of foreshocks and the occurrence of animal precursors are strikingly similar, suggesting that at least parts of the reported animal precursors are in fact related to foreshocks. Another major difficulty for a systematic and statistical analysis is the high diversity of data, which are often only anecdotal and retrospective. The study clearly demonstrates strong weaknesses or even deficits in many of the published reports on possible abnormal animal behavior. To improve the research on precursors, we suggest a scheme of yes and no questions to be assessed to ensure the quality of such claims. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1785/0120170313 SN - 0037-1106 SN - 1943-3573 VL - 108 IS - 3A SP - 1031 EP - 1045 PB - Seismological Society of America CY - Albany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Tomáš A1 - Hrubcova, Pavla A1 - Dahm, Torsten A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Vylita, Tomáš A1 - Ohrnberger, Matthias A1 - Vlček, Josef A1 - Horalek, Josef A1 - Dedecek, Petr A1 - Zimmer, Martin A1 - Lipus, Martin P. A1 - Pierdominici, Simona A1 - Kallmeyer, Jens A1 - Krüger, Frank A1 - Hannemann, Katrin A1 - Korn, Michael A1 - Kaempf, Horst A1 - Reinsch, Thomas A1 - Klicpera, Jakub A1 - Vollmer, Daniel A1 - Daskalopoulou, Kyriaki T1 - ICDP drilling of the Eger Rift observatory BT - magmatic fluids driving the earthquake swarms and deep biosphere JF - Scientific drilling : reports on deep earth sampling and monitoring N2 - The new in situ geodynamic laboratory established in the framework of the ICDP Eger project aims to develop the most modern, comprehensive, multiparameter laboratory at depth for studying earthquake swarms, crustal fluid flow, mantle-derived CO2 and helium degassing, and processes of the deep biosphere. In order to reach a new level of high-frequency, near-source and multiparameter observation of earthquake swarms and related phenomena, such a laboratory comprises a set of shallow boreholes with high-frequency 3-D seismic arrays as well as modern continuous real-time fluid monitoring at depth and the study of the deep biosphere. This laboratory is located in the western part of the Eger Rift at the border of the Czech Republic and Germany (in the West Bohemia–Vogtland geodynamic region) and comprises a set of five boreholes around the seismoactive zone. To date, all monitoring boreholes have been drilled. This includes the seismic monitoring boreholes S1, S2 and S3 in the crystalline units north and east of the major Nový Kostel seismogenic zone, borehole F3 in the Hartoušov mofette field and borehole S4 in the newly discovered Bažina maar near Libá. Supplementary borehole P1 is being prepared in the Neualbenreuth maar for paleoclimate and biological research. At each of these sites, a borehole broadband seismometer will be installed, and sites S1, S2 and S3 will also host a 3-D seismic array composed of a vertical geophone chain and surface seismic array. Seismic instrumenting has been completed in the S1 borehole and is in preparation in the remaining four monitoring boreholes. The continuous fluid monitoring site of Hartoušov includes three boreholes, F1, F2 and F3, and a pilot monitoring phase is underway. The laboratory also enables one to analyze microbial activity at CO2 mofettes and maar structures in the context of changes in habitats. The drillings into the maar volcanoes contribute to a better understanding of the Quaternary paleoclimate and volcanic activity. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-31-31-2022 SN - 1816-8957 SN - 1816-3459 VL - 31 SP - 31 EP - 49 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Tomas A1 - Hrubcova, Pavla A1 - Dahm, Torsten A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Vylita, Tomas A1 - Ohrnberger, Matthias A1 - Vlcek, Josef A1 - Horalek, Josef A1 - Dedecek, Petr A1 - Zimmer, Martin A1 - Lipus, Martin P. A1 - Pierdominici, Simona A1 - Kallmeyer, Jens A1 - Krüger, Frank A1 - Hannemann, Katrin A1 - Korn, Michael A1 - Kämpf, Horst A1 - Reinsch, Thomas A1 - Klicpera, Jakub A1 - Vollmer, Daniel A1 - Daskalopoulou, Kyriaki T1 - ICDP drilling of the Eger Rift observatory BT - magmatic fluids driving the earthquake swarms and deep biosphere JF - Scientific Drilling N2 - The new in situ geodynamic laboratory established in the framework of the ICDP Eger project aims to develop the most modern, comprehensive, multiparameter laboratory at depth for studying earthquake swarms, crustal fluid flow, mantle-derived CO2 and helium degassing, and processes of the deep biosphere. In order to reach a new level of high-frequency, near-source and multiparameter observation of earthquake swarms and related phenomena, such a laboratory comprises a set of shallow boreholes with high-frequency 3-D seismic arrays as well as modern continuous real-time fluid monitoring at depth and the study of the deep biosphere. This laboratory is located in the western part of the Eger Rift at the border of the Czech Republic and Germany (in the West Bohemia-Vogtland geodynamic region) and comprises a set of five boreholes around the seismoactive zone. To date, all monitoring boreholes have been drilled. This includes the seismic monitoring boreholes S1, S2 and S3 in the crystalline units north and east of the major Novy Kostel seismogenic zone, borehole F3 in the Hartousov mofette field and borehole S4 in the newly discovered Bazina maar near Liba. Supplementary borehole P1 is being prepared in the Neualbenreuth maar for paleoclimate and biological research. At each of these sites, a borehole broadband seismometer will be installed, and sites S1, S2 and S3 will also host a 3-D seismic array composed of a vertical geophone chain and surface seismic array. Seismic instrumenting has been completed in the S1 borehole and is in preparation in the remaining four monitoring boreholes. The continuous fluid monitoring site of Hartousov includes three boreholes, F1, F2 and F3, and a pilot monitoring phase is underway. The laboratory also enables one to analyze microbial activity at CO2 mofettes and maar structures in the context of changes in habitats. The drillings into the maar volcanoes contribute to a better understanding of the Quaternary paleoclimate and volcanic activity. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-31-31-2022 SN - 1816-8957 SN - 1816-3459 VL - 31 SP - 31 EP - 49 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zöller, Gert A1 - Hainzl, Sebastian A1 - Tilmann, Frederik A1 - Woith, Heiko A1 - Dahm, Torsten T1 - Comment on: Wikelski, Martin; Müller, Uschi; Scocco, Paola; Catorci, Andrea; Desinov, Lev V.; Belyaev, Mikhail Y.; Keim, Daniel A.; Pohlmeier, Winfried; Fechteler, Gerhard; Mai, Martin P. : Potential short-term earthquake forecasting by farm animal monitoring. - Ethology. - 126 (2020), 9. - S. 931 - 941. -ISSN 0179-1613. - eISSN 1439-0310. - doi 10.1111/eth.13078 JF - Ethology N2 - Based on an analysis of continuous monitoring of farm animal behavior in the region of the 2016 M6.6 Norcia earthquake in Italy, Wikelski et al., 2020; (Seismol Res Lett, 89, 2020, 1238) conclude that animal activity can be anticipated with subsequent seismic activity and that this finding might help to design a "short-term earthquake forecasting method." We show that this result is based on an incomplete analysis and misleading interpretations. Applying state-of-the-art methods of statistics, we demonstrate that the proposed anticipatory patterns cannot be distinguished from random patterns, and consequently, the observed anomalies in animal activity do not have any forecasting power. KW - animal behavior KW - earthquake precursor KW - error diagram KW - prediction KW - randomness KW - statistics Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13105 SN - 0179-1613 SN - 1439-0310 VL - 127 IS - 3 SP - 302 EP - 306 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER -