Evidence for gas influence on volcanic seismic signals recorded at Stromboli

The meaning of the large variety of seismic waveforms showing different frequencies associated with volcanic activity is still uncertain. No definitive model for source dynamics has been proposed yet. At present, seismic models explaining the origin of the spectral content of the seismic signal are mainly linked to geometrical features of the volcanic conduit and to resonant effects induced by pressure fluctuations in a fluid-filled conduit. Such models assume the physical system to be in a steady state over a long interval of time. At Stromboli, the seismicity produced by each of the three active vents is not stable and can suddenly change in time. Therefore, the application of stable resonator models appears to be unwarranted. On the basis of infrared image analyses, atmospheric pressure, and seismic wavefield signals, we show that different frequency contents and different explosive styles occur at Stromboli at the same time at different vents. Moreover, we give evidence to support the idea that seismicity and explosivity are both controlled by a variable gas flow regime released during explosions at the top of the magma column. We have recognized two main pressure regimes, controlling the explositivity at Stromboli: one is impulsive, short and possibly produced by a gas accumulation beneath a cap rock; the other has an intermittent regime feature, and lasts longer. We demonstrate how the first one generates a monochromatic low-frequency wavefield, while the second shows a high-frequency spectrum where the frequency content depends on pressure fluctuations and on pressure gradient. We suggest different pressure growth and gas flow in the magma as the common source for both explosive style and seismic wavefield.