No abstract

[1] Volcano-tectonic earthquakes are common seismic events in active volcanic areas. The stress produced by volcanic processes is released through fracturing of the shallow crust. Very often, these earthquakes occur in multiplets with similar waveforms, a fact which indicates common source characteristics. In this work, we introduce a method that uses array techniques to calculate precise relative locations of earthquake multiplets. We use the relative slowness estimate method to determine accurately the apparent slownesses and propagation azimuths of the earthquakes relative to a selected master event.We also obtain precise estimates of the S-P delays. This information is used to calculate precise relative locations by ray tracing in an Earth model. We applied this method to determine the characteristics of the fractures activated during the 1999 seismic series at the Deception Island volcano, Antarctica. We selected a set of 17 earthquake multiplets, initially located in a small (4 × 4 km) region a few km NE of the array site. We estimated precise locations for 14 of the clusters. In most cases, hypocenters were distributed in well-defined planar geometries. We found the best fitting planes, which we interpreted as fractures in the medium. For two clusters, the method spatially separated the earthquakes into two subgroups. Thus, we obtained two planes for each of these clusters, resulting in a total of 16 fracture planes. This is the first time that the orientations of fracture planes related to a seismic series have been obtained using a seismic array. We performed several tests to check various aspects in relation to the stability of the method and concluded that the results were robust. The dip angles indicate that the planes are mostly subvertical, while the strike angles clearly show a NW-SE trend for most of the planes and a few planes with NE-SW trends. The geometry and position of these planes suggest that the 1999 seismic series was influenced by regional tectonics, although the origin of the destabilization of the system may be related to the reactivation of a shallow magma chamber.

A method for the characterization of a seismically active zone from a distribution of hypocenters is presented. This method is based on principal components analysis, a powerful multivariant statistical technique that is used to find the rupture local ellipsoid (RLE). The ellipsoid is a planar structure with which two variations of the method are developed: the spatial principal components analysis and the spatial‐temporal principal components analysis; using these methods, it is possible to find the dominating tendencies in the fracturing of the seismically active volume as well as the temporal evolution of the process. The methodology developed has been applied to a series of earthquakes that occurred near Antequera, Spain, with the result that the main fracture series trends N70°–80°E. Moreover, the temporal evolution of the system from the most relevant RLE has been characterized.

Over the past decade, high-resolution noninvasive sensors have been widely used in explorations of the first few meters underground at archaeological sites. However, remote sensing actions aimed at the study of structural elements that require a very high resolution are rare. In this study, layer characterization of the floor mosaic substrate of the Pisões Roman archaeological site was carried out. This work was performed with two noninvasive techniques: 3D ground penetrating radar (3D GPR) operating with a 1.6 GHz central frequency antenna, which is a very high-resolution geophysical method, and photogrammetry with imagery obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is a very high-resolution optical method. The first method allows penetration up to 30-40 cm depth and 3D models can be obtained, and with the second method, very high detail surface images and digital surface models can be obtained. In this study, we analyze a combination of data from both sensors to study a portion of the floor mosaic of the Pisões Roman Villa (Beja, Portugal) to obtain evidence of the inner structure. In this context, we have detected the main structural levels of the Roman mosaic and some internal characteristics, such as etched guides, internal cracking, and detection of higher humidity areas. The methodology that we introduce in this work can be referenced for the documentation of ancient pavements and may be used prior to carrying out preservation activities. Additionally, we intend to show that a Roman mosaic, understood as an archaeological structure, does not consist of only beautiful superficial drawings defined by the tesserae, but these mosaics are much more complex elements that must be considered in their entirety for preservation.