REGULAR, DEEP SEISMICITY BENEATH MT CAMEROON VOLCANO - LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR TIDAL TRIGGERING

Mt Cameroon is an active basanite composite volcano on the West African coast which has erupted five times this century, the latest in October/November 1982. An interesting aspect of Mt Cameroon region seismicity is the regular occurrence of deep, near-constant magnitude, low-frequency microearthquakes near the volcano. The near-regularity of occurrence of these limited magnitude range microearthquakes in a relatively small area, and the closeness of the region to the equator, where tidal deformation is greatest, suggests that a test for possible earth-tide triggering of these events is a good idea. An examination of these deep events for semidiurnal tidal correlation, however, shows conclusively that no correlation exists between their time of occurrence and the tidal phase.